The Paladin Project 12 - Battle At Eagle's Nest

"Three, two, one!"

The charge set to the mansion's double doors exploded, flinging the doors inwards and down the mansion's hallway. "Entry has been forced. Entering now!"

* * *

"Hurry girls," Giles ordered as he encouraged the potentials and Dawn towards the basement gym, forcing his voice to remain clam even as he exchanged worried glances with Carter and Wood. What the bloody hell was going on? From what he had seen on the security monitors before taking charge of the potentials it appeared that their attackers were human than rather demonic in nature, perhaps even military trained.

Seeing the door at the end of the corridor open he raised his shotgun only to relax when he recognised the pale-faced figure rushing towards them as Andrew. "Mr. Giles-."

"Andrew!" he interrupted stress making his voice harsh. "Get your bloody arse over here!" A grateful look on his face, the geek started towards them only for the doors behind him to swing open again and a pair of armed men to enter the corridor. "Get down!"

Even as the nerd dropped down to the ground, Giles and Wood raised their shotguns and fired. The twin booms of their weapons filled the air, their buckshot tearing through the two intruders. The two gunmen were lifted off their feet and sent crashing to the ground, a combination of their blood and guts splattering the walls. Giles turned to a pale-faced and shaking Dawn, his stony expression giving no clue to his inner turmoil - he'd killed humans again. "Dawn get the others inside," the dazed girl just stared at him, "Dawn move!" as the girl jumped into action, he turned his attention back to the men lying dead in the corridor. Quelling his distaste he walked towards the bodies, stopping at a still quivering Andrew he growled out an order. "Join the others."

Once the nerd had climbed to his feet and rushed past him, he continued over to the bodies, his shotgun held ready in case of further intruders. He nodded towards the far door, indicating that Carter and Wood should cover him before crouching over the nearest body to search for any identifying marks. "Oh bollocks."

"What's up?" asked Wood.

He pointed to a tattoo of a blazing devil on one of the men's right bicep. "See that? That's the insignia of Satan's Soldiers."

"Who?"

Giles glanced up at the principal, surprised that his companion hadn't heard of the notorious group. "They're a band of mercenaries pulled from the world's elite forces. They work exclusively in the occult field and were originally formed -," realising he was going into one of his 'boreathons' as he'd heard Xander call his lectures in far-off more innocent days he rose. "Let's get into the gym and guard the others." Whatever happened he'd protect the girls with his dying breath. That was all he could do, he owed it to his duty as a Watcher. More than that he owed it to himself as a man.

* * *

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

"Losing your temper does little to help the situation Jack."

Crow stared with disbelief at his companion. "Jim old buddy," he said sarcastically. "we're pinned down behind a kitchen table armed only with automatics facing five men with sub-machine guns, I'm just fucking venting. I don't suppose you've got any bright ideas!"

"Just one." Bond's confidence appeared unruffled by the bullets peppering their makeshift barricade.

"Care to share?" Crow roared back at the secret agent. Why couldn't he have been trapped in here with anyone but the limey? Bond was a good man in a fight and full of entertaining stories to boot but he was also a Grade A pain in the ass.

"See that oven over there?" the Englishman pointed towards the far corner. "If we shoot the gas mains it'll cause an explosion that will wipe them out. There's just one problem."

"What's that?" he had to yell to be heard over the booming artillery.

"The explosion will probably kill us too."

"Only a tiny drawback then," Crow growled sarcastically. All the fucking vampires he'd killed only to go out at the hands of some ordinary thugs. God it was humiliating.

Suddenly the kitchen door flew open and Gunn and Teal'c stormed in, their MP5s blazing as they sent rounds tearing into their attackers. "Alternatively," Bond began firing at the men who had them pinned down. A second later he joined the Englishman, "we could catch them in crossfire."

"Yeah, I definitely like plan B better."

* * *

"Whoee! Look at these babes! We struck lucky!" Paige's eyes hardened as she watched the quartet of gunmen advancing on her and her sisters. "You think? Piper!" On her shout her oldest sister froze the four soldiers. Immediately she teleported the men out of the third floor window. A second later she heard them scream as they hit the ground with a thud. "Bet that hurt."

* * *

Connor waited patiently as the last of the four men entered the library, then, after a nod to Duncan, leapt to his feet, shouldering the bookcase they'd been hiding behind down on top of the lead two gunmen. Even as the case fell he and Duncan leapt over it and towards the remaining gunmen. Seeing his target's gun raise he snapped out a kick to the hood's arm catching him under the elbow and knocking the gun upwards, sending a hail of hot lead flying into the ceiling. Before the man had a chance to right his aim Connor thrust the point of his sword at the man, skewering him through the heart.

The gunman's eyes widened in shock, his mouth dropped open letting out a rattling gurgle before slumping to his knees. As he pulled his blade out of the man's chest the library door swung open revealing another gunman.

Realising the man was too far away to reach before he fired Connor flung his blade at the thug. The blade flew true but even as it hit the gunman, he himself was hit in the chest by a torrent of bullets. His last thought as he hit the ground, blood bubbling out of his mouth, was not again.

* * *

Ryback stepped out of the shadows, slamming his hand down in a chopping motion onto the intruder's biceps causing the man's gun-arm to jump upwards. The man's companion let out a shocked squawk and started to turn towards him but he kept the nearest gunman between them even as his other hand flicked out, snatching at the gunman's pistol-wielding wrist and twisting. The gunman screamed, dropping his weapon to the floor.

Ryback scooped up the falling gun, swaying away from a desperate right cross before shooting the man through the head. As the man dropped to the ground the former U.S. Navy SEAL threw himself to the left, avoiding a hail of bullets from the second intruder as he himself sent a rain of lead into his rival's chest.

* * *

O'Neill stared through his sniper scope, taking a moment to grab a few calming breaths. He estimated there were at least a hundred hostiles milling around the base's grounds, darting from cover to cover. He'd thinned their numbers some since climbing up onto the mansion's flat roof but the house had already been breached. He had no idea what happened to his fellow SG-1 members but a selfish part of him was glad that at least his son wasn't here. "But where the hell are Blade, Angel, and Draven?" Their three best fighters all AWOL. "I'd suggest," his companion let out a shot taking the head off one of the interlopers, "they'd been waylaid."

"Yeah," O'Neill nodded at Castle's comments, "that's right Frank, keep raising my spirits. Can't imagine why you've got a reputation as a moody bastard."

His comrade snorted in amusement. "All right then, how's this cheerfulness. Your son's here."

O'Neill glanced through his scope and grimaced. It seemed even that small comfort was gone. "Be careful Xander," he whispered. He'd already buried one son he didn't want to bury another.

* * *

"How long Wes?" Xander asked through gritted teeth. The Englishman had shown an unsuspected driving skill that would have placed him in good stead in the Indy 500 that meant they had made the trip in record time but had also shredded his nerves. Whatever showdown they were charging into it couldn't be as bad the journey they'd just endured.

"Two," the 4 * 4 screeched around a corner taking the car mirror of a vehicle parked there, "maybe three minutes."

Personally, given the way Wes was driving, he'd bet on less rather than more. "Lara, Sydney, Wes, you all armed?" the trio replied in the affirmative. "Faith you carrying?"

"Got a three pack Xand."

Xander grounded his teeth together. "Faith?"

"Just a pair of dag-, fuck Wes! You nearly tipped us over!"

"Right, in that case you and Amanda stay in the car, look after Marsh-."

"Fuck Xand I'm a Slayer not a baby-sitter!"

"Do as you're told!"

"Five by five." He ignored both the brunette's hurt tone and Wes' angry glare as he braced himself for the impact with the mansion's steel railed gates. This was going to hurt.

* * *

Axel glared impotently at the radio transceiver before him. Thanks to the hacking they'd gained access to the mansion and its grounds but reports from within the house indicated that the mercenaries' progress had slowed to a standstill. His head snapped round at the sound of the building's gate being torn off their hinges and a black 4 * 4 hurtling through the gap. A snarl escaped his lips. "Demonsbane."

* * *

"Wes, you, Lara and Syd head to the house!" Xander flung himself out of the car, his foot flicking up to kick the bullet-proof door shut behind him as he hit the ground and rolled up onto one knee taking out a pair of gunmen advancing on them with two headshots. Hearing the sound of gravel crunching to his right he turned his head his eyes widening at the huge beak-nosed man charging towards him. Seeing the man's trigger-finger whiten as it tightened Xander flung himself forward, twisting and firing as he did so.

Both his and his attacker missed their targets although Xander's last shot did hit the man's mini-Uzi in the barrel, knocking the sub-machine gun out of his hand. Cursing, Beaky reached for the automatic in his shoulder- holster.

Realsing he didn't have time to re-load before his adversary drew his weapon, Xander surged to his feet and charged forward. As his rival began to pull his gun out Xander launched himself into the air. He crashed feet- first into his rival's chest staggering him, knocking the man's automatic flew into the air. Xander's hand snapped up to catch the gun but his opponent's flew up and caught him in his elbow's nerve clusters.

Xander howled as his entire right arm erupted in agony. His limb flapping uselessly by his side he was helpless to prevent his adversary from butting him in the face, shattering his nose. His assailant followed up with an overhand right but ignoring his pain Xander slid beneath the attack, driving his knee into the man's groin.

The man's eyes crossed and he stumbled backwards, wheezing for air, giving Xander the time he needed to shake some feeling back into his arm. Xander raced forward but his opponent executed a sweep kick taking his legs away at the ankles sending him plummeting to the ground, knocking the air out of his body. Rolling back to his feet Xander slid to the side of his rival's charge driving an elbow into the man's side.

His foe let out a grunt before spinning round and firing off an uppercut that caught him under the jaw. Stars dancing before his eyes he was helpless to avoid a fist thundering into his throat sending his to his knees.

His eyes burning with tears and his lungs heaving he was powerless to prevent the man grabbing him in a chokehold from behind. "NOOOO!" out of the corner of his blurred vision he saw Faith leap through the air, catching his attacker in the face with a spin kick knocking the man away from him. "Leave him alone!" the Slayer ducked beneath a right hook before grabbing the man's out-stretched arm and flinging him into the air. Upon landing the man struggled to his feet and raced out of the grounds.

* * * De Morte pursed his lips together in thought. He'd been completing an observation of the Project's base, scouting for weak points but now. He saw no sign of either Blade or Angel, and Demonsbane himself had only arrived late in the battle. And yet the rank and file Project members had managed to fight off a force perhaps six times their number.

Different tactics were called for. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out his phone and dialled Lucis' personal number. After a few rings his master answered. "Yes my lord," he bowed his head in deference, "I apologise for disturbing you but I'm going to need more reinforcements."

* * *

"Xand," Faith hurried over to Xander and offered him her hand, "are you five by five?"

She took a step back at the anger in the man's eyes. "Damn it Faith! I gave you an order!"

Faith's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I just saved your life you ungrateful -."

"I could have handled him," Xander snapped back as he pulled himself to his feet. "Faith if I can't trust you to follow my orders -."

"Oh yeah Xman," she snorted derisively, "you looked like you were handling him just fine."

Xander's eyes hardened and he stepped towards her. Faith moved into a defensive stance, nobody got a free shot at her, but then an angry looking Angel was between them. "Both of you calm down!" the vampire growled. "For god's sake Xander, I was coming over the wall when you were fighting that men. You'd be dead if it hadn't been for Faith," her triumphant smirk faded when the vampire turned his furious glare on her. "As for you Faith," she squirmed at his disapproving tone, "what have I told you about losing your temper? Now let's get inside, while you've been squabbling our friends may have been injured. Move it!"

* * *

Axel staggered through Sunnydale's darkened streets, his body screaming with pain and his stomach churning with shock. He'd failed, he never failed.

And yet he'd been so close to getting Demonsbane if not for the Slayer.. A cruel smile flickered across his face at the memory of his fire. Oh yeah, he was going to kill Demonsbane and after he did that he was going to take a few weeks adding that bitch to his list of conquests. He'd never broken a Slayer before. He'd gone about his mission the wrong way he saw that now. He needed a small-scale team to target Demonsbane exclusively for elimination.

His planning was interrupted by the sound of a footfall behind him. His heart crashing in his ribcage he spun around, mouth drying at the silver- haired goddess in the alleyway behind. He grinned slowly, the Slayer could wait, he had a new bitch to train. The woman's eyes widened. "God what's happened to you?"

"Mugged," he lied as he moved towards his next victim.

A small smile played on the woman's lips. "Let me take your pain away."

"Oh yeah, and how would you do that?"

"By ending it!" He shouted in shock when the woman morphed into a vampire. His hand dropped to his holster only to curse as he remembered leaving his weapon in the grounds. His curse turned into a pained gasp as the vampire slammed a fist into his eye, shattering his eye socket, lifting him off his feet, and sending him thundering into the wall behind, his head cracking into the wall behind knocking him senseless.

* * *

Sophia gazed down at the body lying at her feet. She'd seen that battle at the mansion and watched Hans Axel's retreat. Remembering her first impression of the assassin in the bar she'd decided to take advantage of the moment and take him. If nothing else he'd be useful in any battle with the Hunt. Fangs bared, she lowered her head. Time to feed.