SUNNYDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT
FOOT PURSUIT; 12:59 AM
Robert secured his weapon in its holster as he leapt over the fence, using his arms to pull himself over the rest of the distance his jump did not cover. As he finished negotiating the fence, the bringer was already half way across the backyard, running around a swimming pool to the fence on the other side. Landing on the ground, he drew his pistol and began running in pursuit.
Despite the considerable lead the bringer had, Robert quickly gained on him. When the distance between them had decreased enough, Robert jumped forwards, tackling the bringer and sending him to the ground face first. This did not deter the evil minion. Despite being held by Robert, he rolled over, kicking Robert in the side of the head and bouncing back to his feet. Robert was back on his within seconds, taking aim with his pistol when the bringer leapt into a spinning kick, knocking his weapon to the ground.
Robert dove for his pistol as the bringer reached into his cloak, drawing a knife. In the time it took Robert to recover the weapon, the bringer ran towards and stabbed at him with the blade. He rolled out of the way, the blade embedding into the grass and dirt. Acting in less than a second, Robert took aim at the bringer, who was pulling his weapon from the ground, and fired a single shot. The sound rang out as the bullet sliced through the air and struck the bringer in the arm, knocking him to the ground.
As the bringer fell to the ground, Faith reached them. The Slayer kicked the blade from his hand, sending it bouncing into the clean blue waters of the uncovered backyard swimming pool. She and Robert each grabbed one of his arms and pinned him to the ground by planting their knees on his back. Robert kept his pistol trained on their enemy's head while Faith drew her dagger and planted it against the back of his neck.
When the cameraman and Officer Smith reached them, a middle-aged man and woman had emerged from the glass doors at the rear of the residence, evidently awoken by the noise from the yard. Officer Smith, seeing the situation to be more or less under control, immediately holstered his pistol and went to speak with them. The cameraman continued to inch closer to Faith and Robert as the mysterious young woman, who he would be dubbing to be another vigilante, pressed the restrained suspect for information.
"Where the hell are the girls?" Faith twisted the dagger ever so slightly into the back of the bringer's neck but did not receive any response. Though she hadn't had the opportunity during her struggle for control of the truck to get a good luck at the inside, she was certain neither Dawn or Kennedy were being held in that vehicle. "What do you want with them?" Again she twisted the dagger slightly.
Despite Faith's degree of torture, the bringer did not yield. Acting with extreme strength and skill, he wrenched his arm free of Faith's grip. He rolled away from her and into Robert before the Slayer could deliver a killing blow with her dagger. "It's not them we want," the bringer drew another dagger from inside his cloak as he flipped back to his feet. Robert and Faith surrounded him.
"You guys don't quit do you?" Faith marveled at the resistance and strength being displayed by the bringer.
"We will not be stopped," the bringer launched into predictably evil speech. "The First will rise again and all of you will feel its power. You will be brought to your knees and beg for mercy as you experience a slow and agonizing death. Nothing can defeat –" The speech ended as Robert fired two shots into the bringer's skull.
"Stopped," Robert shrugged, replacing his weapon in the holster. Spike was now over the fence and joined the group of them around the body of the dead bringer.
"Subtle," Faith dryly commented. She looked up at the blonde vampire whose face reverted to its normal form before the cameraman panned to him for a close up shot. "Spike, thanks for the help back there, couldn't have done it without ya."
"You're welcome," both Spike and the cameraman answered at the same moment. The vampire gave him a curious expression, unable to understand how the awkward little man thought he might have contributed something to the recent fight. "Who the hell are you?" The vampire was blunt with his question.
"Oh I'm –" Faith cut off what she was sure would be a long, detailed, boring and pointless
"Look, considering as how Dawn and Kennedy are still missing and there's still a hell of a lot of bringers on the loose out there, I don't think we have a whole lot of time for lengthy introductions." Faith sheathed her dagger behind her back.
"Faith's right," Robert was the first of the three to chime in. During the excitement, he had kept his ear open to radio chatter from other officers via his lapel microphone and knew there was still a great deal of work left to do. "The other officers are still in pursuit of the bringers," at that moment, they all listened as Officer Koch called in an update on his location pursuing the van. "That's not far from here," Robert quickly recognized the name of the street.
"You guys go!" Before anyone could speak up, Officer Smith shouted at them from the back porch of the house where he was still talking with the owners. "I'll get things secured here and catch up to you." That was all they needed to hear. Breaking into a run, Faith, Spike, Robert and the cameraman all made for his car.
"Now you don't mind if I hitch a ride do you?" Spike didn't particularly address Robert or Faith, simply posed the question to whoever was willing to listen.
"Officer Bloodworth, if I could comment," the cameraman didn't give Robert the chance to refuse before continuing with whatever he was wanting to say. "Well, you and Faith are in the front seat and I need a place in the back plus space for all of my extra equipment, I just don't think there will be room."
Less than a minute later, as Robert tossed his car into gear and sped down the street, a large black bag of recording equipment flew out the back, driver's side window of the patrol car. "Takes care of that problem doesn't it?" With the almost frightening glare Spike was giving him, the cameraman did not say anything in response.
"1144 – 1122," carefully negotiating the roads to make his way to their last known location, Robert wasted no time in calling Officer Koch for an update on his status.
"1122, go ahead Robert."
"Frank we're en-route to back you up, can you give me a location, we'll try to set up a road block," Robert was thinking ahead this time.
"We're on White right now," Koch wasted no time in responding. "Just passed the Henry intersection. Doing about eighty-five miles per hour, southbound."
The tires of the patrol car squealed as Robert slung it around a corner, knowing the perfect place to set their trap. "All right, we're going to set up the spike strip at White and Jefferson, you should be rolling through their in just a couple of minutes."
"10 – 4."
"This, this is amazing stuff," as their radio conversation ended, the cameraman then launched into another one of his overly dramatic narratives. "After a fierce battle between multiple armed suspects and two vigilantes, we're now on our way to setup a roadblock to stop another one of the suspect vehicles. We can only assume there will be more armed suspects and another dangerous confrontation. I can't begin to describe it, this is harrowing stuff."
"Oh would you put a sock in it," Spike had only listened to him babbling for a few seconds and already he had heard more of it than he could stand.
"Excuse me?" The cameraman was taken aback by his bluntness.
"You heard me; I don't think I can listen to another second of that melodramatic crap of yours. Faith, has he been doing this the whole time he's been in the car?" The Slayer only nodded in response. "Wow, got to say you have more control than me, I would have bit him a long time ago."
"Well, I've been doing this for quite a long time and I know how to make quality television and my narrative will go down in history as one of the best ever!"
"Shut. Up." Spike snapped his teeth in the direction of the cameraman. After a moment of hesitation and deciding he didn't want to know exactly what Spike meant by biting, he turned the camera back towards Robert and Faith in the front seat of the vehicle.
A minute later, as Robert brought the vehicle to an abrupt halt at one side of the intersection, all of the doors popped open. The cameraman positioned himself to get a view of the direction Officer Koch would be coming from while Faith and Spike stood ready for any of the bringers that wanted a fight after the vehicle was stopped. Robert went to the open trunk where he retrieved his spike strip that was currently rolled up. Standing by the front tire of his car, Robert tossed the strip and let it roll out across the intersection, covering the entire length of it. He then drew his pistol and waited with Spike and Faith.
"1144 – 1122, spike strip is deployed."
"10 – 4," as Officer Koch answered, they could now see the red and blue lights from his patrol unit at the top of the small hill the intersection sat at the bottom of. The siren of his vehicle rang through the night as it and the van closed on their position. Predictably, the van moved over to the other side of the road so as to not collide with Robert's patrol unit. In the black of the night however, they did not see the strip on the ground. At a high rate of speed, the van slid across the strip, a loud popping noise and sparks flying as their tires were shredded. At the last minutes, Officer Koch slammed his brakes and veered away from their strip, pulling his patrol unit onto the nearby curb.
The van lost all control as soon as its tires were destroyed. It skidded down the road before flipping over and coming to an abrupt halt against a telephone poll. Weapons in hand, Faith, Spike, Robert and Officer Koch ran down the hill to where the chase of the van had ended. When they neared the upside down vehicle, the windows on all sides of it shattered, bringers crawling out from each one; more than twelve total, each drawing daggers or preparing spears as they saw the group near.
"You ever wonder how so many of these guys fit into such a small place?" The group came to a halt several feet away from the bringers, Spike flipped his battle-axe in his hands as their enemies prepared for battle, spreading out as if to defend the van, forming a line in front of it.
"Police! Get down on the ground!" Koch shouted, steadying his aim with his pistol against one of the closest bringers. "Down on the ground now!" He repeated his order a third time immediately following his second.
"Don't think it's going to work mate," Spike remained steady, gripping his axe tightly.
Koch did not move his gun away from the target but glanced over at Spike. Until that moment, though he had noticed Spike, he hadn't given him much thought, thinking he had been part of the 'Cops' camera crew before he noticed the large axe in his hand. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell are you doing with an axe?"
"Getting ready to keep your ass from getting killed mate," Spike's eyes did not falter from the rows of bringers arraying themselves between them and the van. "And the name is Spike."
"He's with me," Robert tossed in, his aim also not deviating from the bringers.
Koch gave a final glance to the motley crew that Robert had brought with him, wondering where it was he found people like that. "Yeah, whatever."
"They're trying to protect the van," Faith assumed based on the formation the bringers had spread out into. "The girls have got to be in there."
"Fourteen bringers against four of us," Spike grinned. "Pretty good odds."
"Robert you're with me, we hit them from the left. Spike, you and the other guy take them from the right," like a second nature, Faith quickly planned their attack and handed out assignments to the others.
"Hey sweetie," Koch was becoming increasingly annoyed with the attitudes being displayed by these two people who Robert had brought along. "Hate to say it but I don't remember anyone giving you any sort of authority here, this is a police matter after all."
"Fine," Faith shrugged, letting Koch have a short second to think she had actually admitted he was right. "If you don't want Spike's help, then you don't have to take it but we're going in whether you want to come or not." Faith began cautiously walking to the left of the bringers, Robert following with his gun at the ready.
"Hold it!" Koch wasn't about to let a civilian, albeit an armed civilian, walk into a dangerous situation, especially when there were potentially hostages involved. "I'm not going to let you do that."
Faith slowly turned around, her hands on her hips as she glared at Koch. "You going to try and stop me copper?" The Slayer knew she didn't have time to deal with a cop who had an inflated idea of his own importance in this matter. "Because the only way you're going to do that is to kill me and if that's something you really want to do, take your best shot. Otherwise, let me go kill the bad guys."
Koch turned to Spike who was still waiting next to him, axe in hand and ready for a fight. "All right let's go," the two of them began walking to the other side of the bringers while Faith and Robert continued to their left. "So what's your story?" Koch made an attempt to break the awkward silence between him and the vampire by making small talk.
"Oh the usual I suppose," Spike didn't know what to tell him that wouldn't further the young man's confusion. "Met a girl, changed my whole life for her, went through hell and back just for that girl. Then in the end, she decided she'd rather go globe-hopping with her lesbian best friend rather than be with me after I helped her save the world. So now I fight evil."
Koch raised his eyebrows, somewhat shocked and very sorry he had asked the question. "Rough," was the only sentiment he could provide.
"Tell me about it."
Seven of the bringers broke off from the rest and moved to intercept Faith and Robert when they neared the van. Most carried daggers and also had long, wooden, pointed spears. Faith stepped up, her own dagger in a ready position as Robert covered her with his pistol from behind. "Hey, no-eyed wonders," Faith remained cool as she approached them despite the numerical odds not being in their favor. "Give you a chance to walk away no without any problems."
One of the bringers surged forth, swinging his dagger in a strong vertical attack. Faith raised her own weapon, blocking the blade of her enemy. The bringer continued to push down but Faith's strength did not yield under the pressure, holding her own dagger firmly in place. Seeking to end the standoff, Faith delivered a fierce kick to the bringer's stomach, sending him sailing backwards into another of his kind, knocking them both to the concrete ground. "All right, guess I'll take that as a no then."
When the two Faith had knocked on the ground regained their footing, all of the seven bringers facing off against her and Robert charged forward. Faith jumped back, dodging one of the bringers with two daggers who was swinging them both at her. She ducked under the whirlwind of blades, jamming her dagger into the bringer's thigh before he had a chance to react. She spun back to a fully erect position, slicing the bringer across the neck in the process, his lifeless body falling to the ground.
Robert fired four shots in quick succession, dropping one of the four bringers that closed on him while three others were fighting Faith. Before he had the chance to aim and fire at a second of the black-robed figures, one swung his spear, knocking the gun out of his hand as the remaining three surrounded him. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, from the corner of his eye, Robert could see the cameraman slowing sleeking towards him, filming his every move.
"All right guys," Robert kept his eyes on each bringer, knowing their location and movements either through sight or through his other senses. "Just do me one favor and let's make this look good for the camera." With a great deal of speed, he reached behind his empty pistol holster on his duty belt, drawing his closed, expandable baton. With a flick of his wrist, he extended the object to twenty-six inches of steel.
A bringer with a spear attacked first, twirling it above his head before he brought it down towards Robert's skull. He ducked and rolled out of the way, positioning himself behind the minion. Still on his knees, Robert struck the bringer in the back of the knees with his baton causing him to topple. When he was back on his feet, he didn't have time to deliver another blow as another bringer attacked, by thrusting his knife at Robert.
The other group of seven bringers began moving to meet Spike and Koch when they got close to the van. Koch, ever resolute, aimed his weapon at the closest of the group. "All of you down on the ground!"
Spike shook his head and continued walking forward, past the police officer. The first bringer advanced on him, swinging at Spike's neck with each of his daggers, the vampire almost effortlessly dodging both attacks. Without having to use a great deal of finesse, Spike rammed the axe through the skill of the bringer. "That's the only way they go to the ground mate."
Spike turned his head to face Officer Koch in enough time to see him pull the trigger on his gun twice. The bullets soared past Spike's head as he quickly turned back to see their target, a bringer who was close to landing a wooden spear in a place that would have ended the vampire. "I'm getting that," Koch remarked dryly.
"Thanks," nothing else was said as the two waded into the remaining five bringers. Spike raised his axe, using the handle to block a diagonal swipe from a bringer armed with a knife. He pushed the bringer away, smacking him in the face with the blunt end of the axe handle, this action marked by several bone snapping sounds. Despite that, the bringer persisted, taking another swipe at Spike that tore through his black t-shirt. As his anger flared, Spike's face also shifted to its vampiric form. He ducked another swipe from the bringer and drove the head of the axe into his stomach. When he pulled the blade out, he again hit the bringer under the chin to finish the job.
Armed with a spear, a bringer stabbed at Faith. She side-stepped the attack and grabbed the extended spear with both hands. Displaying her superior strength, she used the spear to fling the bringer into the air. He landed several feet away on his head, effectively taking him out of the fight. She spun around, blocking the knife of the last remaining bringer. Spinning the spear around multiple times, she knocked the knife from the hand of her enemy. She continued spinning the spear until she suddenly drove it through the non-eye of the disarmed bringer.
Robert jumped over the head of the bringer who attempted to stab him. Doing a flip in mid-air, he landed behind him, striking the dark figure across the neck with his baton, killing him as the impact snapped the critical bones. He snatched the dagger from the hand of the dead bringer as he fell to the ground. Holding it by the end of the blade, he hurled it into the skull of another of the enemy soldiers as he charged towards him.
Before he had time to worry about the last bringer, a hand grabbed the minion of the First from behind and a dagger slid across his neck, blood rolling out from the cut as Faith released him and he fell to the ground. "Not bad, not perfect," she remarked with a wry grin. "But not bad." They ran towards the van.
Having knocked one of the bringers to the ground, Spike drove his axe into chest. "I'm about getting tired," he pulled the blade out and immediately hit another approaching bringer in the skull with an upward swing. "Of fighting you things," he swung the axe horizontal to the ground, severing the head of the last bringer they were confronted with. Regaining control of his emotions, Spike shifted his face back to normal, hopefully before Koch had the opportunity to notice.
Walking up to Spike, placing his pistol back in the holster and admiring the handy work of this man, the mass of dead bodies, Officer Koch had only question to ask of this mysterious associate of Robert's. "You ever thought about a career in law enforcement?"
Spike could not help but find humor in that statement. "Not really mate."
"You sure? 'Cause we've got a S.W.A.T. team I think you'd be great for."
Flashlight in hand, Robert got down on his stomach and looked inside the flipped over wreck of a van the bringers had been driving and more recently protecting. It did not take him long to see the reason the bringers had been so intent on keeping them away from the vehicle. He crawled inside and crawled back out with Kennedy in his arms. Her arms and legs were bound, duct tape across her mouth and, from the black splotches on her clothes and eye, it was clear she had had a rough ride.
As Spike and Koch joined them, Faith pulled the tape off her mouth while Robert cut the ropes around her arms and feet with his police-issue switchblade knife. "What the hell took you guys so long?" Was the first thing out of Kennedy's mouth when her eyes popped open. "I mean, I was expecting a rescue a long-time before this."
"Sorry 'bout the delay doll; did the best we could under the circumstances," Spike was the first of the group to say anything in response.
Faith wasn't interested in explaining. Once she believed Kennedy was alright, and the sarcastic comments were signs enough of that, she was only interested in getting information. "Kennedy, where's Dawn? Where did they take her? What are the bringers doing?" Faith could think of a million possible questions but opted to start with those.
While Faith was talking and the others listening, Officer Koch stepped back from the group and keyed his lapel microphone. "1122 – PD, we have multiple suspects down at this location and one hostage recovered, going to need EMS here as soon as possible."
"1020 – 1122," before dispatch could respond, Sergeant Myers was on the radio to Koch. "That last vehicle, we were just a little past the city limits and they turned onto a dirt road. Multiple suspects and a young woman exited the vehicle. They took her into this old, rundown house. CHP is on their way and I've called for the S.W.A.T. team and hostage negotiator but I could sure use you guys out here just as soon as you can clear from there."
"10 – 4 boss, be on our way shortly."
"They put her in one of the trucks," was the only thing Kennedy knew about Dawn's whereabouts. "They broke into the house Faith and it was nuts. I tried, we all tried to fight them off but there were too many. All I heard was that they needed blood." As she was recalling the events of the last hour, she suddenly realized how peculiar one of their statements seemed. "But they didn't want me. They said that, they didn't want me."
"Kennedy, the other truck, they were diversions," Robert whispered, putting the pieces together. "It's Dawn they want."
Faith stood up, walking towards Robert's patrol car. Everything about the Slayer, from the flame in her eyes to the way she walked declared that she was resolute. "Let's roll." All the others, even Kennedy, followed her.
GO TO ACT FOUR