Watcher 5 - Why Finch Why?
"Do you have any idea why Xander has asked us both here?"
"No."
Angel cut short a sigh at the Englishman's curt reply. The Watcher barely spoke to him, communicating only when necessary to discuss a mission, Xander's training, or either Faith's or Buffy's well-being. He couldn't blame the Watcher, after all Giles was a lot more forgiving than he'd have been if Giles had murdered Buffy and tortured him. But then, that was hardly likely because Giles didn't have a raging homicidal demon inside of him; unless you counted Ripper. Still, he missed the burgeoning friendship and mutual respect that he'd shared with the librarian before Angelus. Deciding that any attempt at conversation would be futile, he glanced around Giles' apartment.
After a few seconds he began to smile. Everything was so quintessentially English, the drapes, the furniture, the first edition works lining the bookcase - Chaucer, Tennyson, Keats, Byron, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Dickens, the vampire half-expected to smell roast beef and Yorkshire pud wafting through from the kitchen. His smile broadened as he noticed the album collection stacked against the stereo, Buffy had told him about Giles' taste in music but he'd hardly believed it, the refined librarian into the punk rock and heavy metal of the seventies, impossible? And yet there was the evidence before him.
"What are you grinning at?"
Turning, he realised the Watcher was staring at him with suspicion. Schooling his face back into its customary expressionless, he explained quickly. "Your record collection is surprising - Buffy told me but still - Cream, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and the Clash I can just about see you listening to. But Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols?"
The Watcher shrugged. "The music of my youth."
"I prefer Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart - the classics."
"To each his own," a slight smile tugged at the Watcher's mouth, "that must make for interesting conversations with Buffy considering her torturous choice in music. Faith's obsession for the Metal of today isn't too far from my own youth but Buffy's taste for the manufactured crap of today makes our training sessions complete torture."
Seeing an opening, a chance at his first real conversation with the Watcher since Angelus, Angel opened his mouth to begin a discussion about music only for the door to swing open and a worried, yet also excited, looking Xander to bound into the lounge. "Hi guys, sorry I'm late but you know me and punctuality," Angel hid a smile at the teen's comment, about the only thing Xander wouldn't be late for was a fight - then he was usually early.
"That's quite all right Xander," Giles' irritated tone suggested it was anything but, "now I've sent Buffy and Faith to patrol the cemeteries furthest away from us so we wouldn't be interrupted as you requested so can we begin?"
All cheeriness disappeared from the youth's face leaving only an intent grimness. After a second the teen nodded and sat down beside the vampire, facing the Watcher. "Sure, after Faith killed Finch I got to thinking," the teen began. "Why was Finch where he was that night?"
"Excuse me?" Angel was puzzled.
"Think about it Angel," the vampire was pleased when the youth had begun to refer to him by his name rather than Captain Hair Gel, or Deadboy, proof of the way their new relationship had strengthened over the past three weeks since he'd begun training him. "What the hell was a middle-class male, the Deputy Mayor for Christ's sake, doing in the rough side of town, in the middle of the night? Two, if you're a normal human and you see a Slayer in full flow fighting vampires what do you do?"
"Running away would be the normal reaction," Giles interjected.
"And the Watcher wins the prize! Two Twinkies for the intellectual Englishman!" Xander exclaimed. "But according to both our Slayers he ran towards them."
"He was looking for them," Angel's eyes widened in realisation. "Smart thinking Xander, but why?"
The youth beamed at his praise; angering the vampire. It was obvious from the look of stunned joy on the teen's face at his compliment that his father had rarely noticed him except to heap abuse on him. "Uh thanks Angel," the youth glanced down at the sheaf of papers in his lap before continuing. "I've thought of that too. I waited for a few days until Finch's disappearance was all over the news before approaching Willow about her doing some background research on our dear deputy Mayor, amongst other various pillars of the community, a project started by Giles but top-secret and using me as a go-between."
"A project started by me?"
"Well that's what I told Will. Plausible deniability," Angel bit back a chuckle at Xander's wink. Then the youth's face grew serious again. "Did you know that in the eighteen years I've lived here I can't remember a mayoral election? And," the youth passed them both photocopies of an early Sunnydale newspaper, "does that man look eerily like our current Mayor?"
"Yes, but that was his grandfather."
"Was he G-Man?" Xander raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Here's another question, why does the Sunnydale PD turn such a blind eye to the homicide rate that makes the West Bank seem like toy soldiers? Answer," Xander passed them each another piece of paper, "that's a copy of Chief of Detectives Stein's Cayman bank account. Ninety grand a year, quite a haul on a Detective's pay. And a principal's." He passed them both another sheet.
"You've hacked bank records!" Giles' eyes were bulging.
"Actually Will did she's quite the little ferret." Xander grinned before passing them a third sheet of paper. "And that's our esteemed Mayor's bank account; note the regular payments to Wolfram & Hart in L.A., who according to my sources is a demonic law firm. Also note the payments to Sarlku Anduv, a known dealer in black arts artefacts, and there are other payments to other organisations with murky if not demonic origins."
"You have sources?" muttered Giles. Angel just sat open-mouthed.
"Don't ask you really don't want to know. Just don't look too closely at your bank account this month; there's been a few withdrawals." Giles groaned; Angel was once again profoundly grateful the teen had chosen to live with the Watcher rather than him. "I also did a recon of the grounds of the Mayoral mansion and the mayor's got some very interesting guard dogs, the sort that turn to dust in sunlight."
"You did a reconnaissance on your own!" Angel roared. "That was so stupid!"
"I needed to check a few things," Xander shrugged.
"So I trust your findings have allowed you to come to a conclusion."
"Oh yeah," suddenly Xander's eyes hardened, all the humour usually there disappearing to be replaced by a chilling coldness that Angel remembered from the night his soulless alter-ego had been backed off by the youth. "I've come to a few conclusions. Richard Wilkins had been Mayor of this town since it's inception one hundred years ago. If he's human at all, which I kinda doubt, he's made some sort of pact with a demon, hell maybe a whole bunch that's allowed him to live this long. And that he's planning something big called an ascension."
"Good lord," Giles' head snapped up, "did you say ascension?"
"That mean something to you G-Man?"
"Indeed it does, simply put ascension is when a demon ascends, becomes more powerful and grows to a size unlimited by this environment."
"And for those of us in the intellectual cheap seats?"
"He means that a demon becomes the size and power it would usually be in its own hell dimension," Angel explained.
"How much bigger and more powerful are we actually talking?"
"Anything between 3 - 10 times," Angel replied grimly, his mind filled with some of the images he'd seen during his time in hell.
"So not a world of fun then?"
"No Xander, not a world of fun." Giles replied. "The only question is what we do about this piece of information?"
"Oh that's simple," Xander broke in, "we blow him up."
"Yes but we don't know when or where he will ascend," Angel pointed out.
"Funny that," Xander retorted, his eyes once again filled with the cold grimness that the demon within him remembered. "I wasn't planning on waiting until then."
"What!" Giles leapt to his feet, "are you completely barking? We can't kill the Mayor, he's human!"
"A hundred years old, looks like he's in his mid-forties, and still human?" Xander raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound very human to me."
After a second the Watcher nodded. "I reluctantly concur, but I don't believe Buffy would agree."
"I wasn't planning on informing her," Xander sighed, "after what Faith's been through, I don't want her involved, and as for Buff, let's face it G- Man what we're doing her is a simple pre-emptive strike on from what you and Angel say could be possibly her toughest opponent to date."
Angel raised a tentative hand, he'd thought of another problem. "With all the research Willow's done won't she be suspicious?"
"Thought of that," Xander replied quickly, "she's seen the bank accounts, seen the records of Wilkins' dealings with demons. If she asks we just blame it on one of the deals going sour. So what do you say?"
Angel hesitated, given the evidence the Mayor was obviously a very bad person, if he could be strictly classed as human anymore, and doing this would help protect his Buffy. After a second he nodded. "The girls must never know. Giles?" The librarian nodded. "I'm in, now the next question is how to we get the explosives required?" the Watcher's eyes grew gleeful, "I remember an old recipe, now how did it go?"
Both Angel and Xander stared at the Englishman. "Just what did you do in the seventies?" the vampire asked.
Xander grinned. "From the sound of things the question should be what didn't he do?" the youth corrected before continuing in a more serious tone. "Don't worry about the explosives; I've got a load of C4 in the garage."
"Tell me you're bloody joking!" Giles looked seconds away from a hear attack.
Angel saw the youth swallow nervously. "Don't worry G-, Giles. The detonators are in my room, there's no chance of an explosion."
"And what about the Feds? And how did you manage to get hold of -, no I don't want to know." Giles took a breath. "Tomorrow night, what's the plan Xander?"
* * *
"So you've got the plan?"
Angel sighed. "Xander, it's not exactly brain surgery. Giles waits out here in the car in case of trouble," he glanced across the road to the shotgun-wielding Watcher sat in the front of his car, "I get you inside the grounds," he stared towards the 4 storey building, "and act as your look- out and muscle while you plant the explosives. Now are you ready?" The youth nodded nervously. "Great," grabbing the teen's collar, he flexed his thighs and leapt to the top of the eighteen foot wall surrounding the hushed building.
"Wow that was quite a ride!" Xander yelped excitedly.
The vampire grimaced. "For god's sake Xander, vampire security remember?" he hissed, "just whisper."
"Oh sorry." The youth glanced down at the grass below them how are we going to get down. Angel picked the youth up and cradled him in his arms. "Why Angel," Xander said breathlessly, "you're so masterful, I never knew you felt this way."
The vampire's eyes rolled back. "Xander, shut up." Angel dropped off the wall, bending his knees to absorb the landing. "So everything okay?"
The teen glanced inside the army surplus bag slung over his right shoulder. "Everything's fine. Detonators and explosives undamaged."
"Good, then let's get it done and get out." The first three lots of explosives were planted without incident but on the fourth, Angel cursed as he sensed the approach of one of his brethren. Reaching out he grabbed the crouched teen by the scruff of his neck and lifted him into the cold night air. "Vampire," he muttered. "Pretend to be scared."
"Who's pretending?"
The vampire who stepped out of the shadows was tall and stocky dressed in a style that dated as being turned in the late fifties. "What are you doing here?" the newcomer growled in a Texas twang.
"Heard the Mayor's the big man in these parts," Angel explained, "come to pay my respects. Is he in?"
"He's in. He doesn't see visitors though, not here."
"He'll see me," Angel blustered, he'd already known the Mayor was home, they'd seen his limousine drop him home three quarters of an hour. "Brought him a present." He lifted Xander towards the other vampire.
The other vampire shook his head. "Sorry buddy," he drawled, "Mayor Wilkins is not like that, he doesn't eat kids."
Angel shook his head. "Look closer, don't you recognise him? He's one of the Slayer's buds. The Harris kid."
"Really?" Distracted, the other vampire stepped towards Xander, giving Angel the chance to dip his free hand into his coat's pocket and pull out a stake, before the other vampire even realised it he slammed his stake into his chest, causing the vampire to explode into dust.
"Have I told you how much I hate being the bait in one of your traps?"
"You're still breathing aren't you?" Angel placed the teen back on the ground. "Now get on with setting the explosives."
Xander grinned at him. "Am I sensing a mutiny in the ranks?"
Angel sighed; he felt a Xander-shaped headache coming on. "Just get on with it."
* * *
Giles hid his nervousness behind a mask of cool indifference. His part of Xander's plan was the most important if they hoped to get away with their execution of the Mayor without the others finding out. He glanced at the teenagers sat around the library desk and began talking. "I'm sure you've all seen this morning's paper -."
"Oh you saw it too. I'm sure it must be a crime, a 50% sale at Top-Scale Fashions. I mean that's all very well but does anyone else consider what putting labels in the price range of the average person could do to the social hierarchy?"
"Cordelia," Giles sighed, "I was referring to the bombing of the Mayoral mansion last night." He saw Willow's eyes flicker, she would be the toughest to convince, considerably smarter than the , Giles only hoped that she was still naive enough to believe that good guys didn't do things like this. For all sorts of reasons. "What some of you are unaware of is that over the past few weeks since the mysterious death of the Deputy Mayor," Faith's face paled, he gave her a reassuring smile, "I've had Willow investigating the Mayor to see if there was any possible reason why the Mayor might want Mr. Finch dead."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
As usual the Watcher ignored Wesley or 'the prat' as he'd begun to mentally call him. "While Willow," he smiled at the girl, "didn't unearth any specific information relating to Finch, she discovered other information that was perhaps even more disturbing. The Mayor was apparently doing business with a number of major figures on the demonic scene, as well as bribing a number of people including our own esteemed Principal to turn a blind eye to his activities while obstructing . I believe that it's possible that the Mayor double-crossed one of his partners resulting in today's headlines."
"This mean we've got some new player moving in on our territory G?"
Giles took a minute to translate Faith's question into an English he understood before answering. "No, I don't believe so," he replied carefully, he didn't want to needlessly alarm his Slayers, on the other hand in their business complacency was a killer. "But it wouldn't hurt to perhaps check out Willy's, keep an ear to the ground, that sort of thing. And even if there isn't a new player in town, there is a power vacuum, things may get chaotic for a while."
"Five by five," Faith winked at him, "girl likes it wild."
Giles winked back at the brunette. "So I've heard." He was most pleased by the stunned look on the Slayer's face at his retort.
"Do you have any idea why Xander has asked us both here?"
"No."
Angel cut short a sigh at the Englishman's curt reply. The Watcher barely spoke to him, communicating only when necessary to discuss a mission, Xander's training, or either Faith's or Buffy's well-being. He couldn't blame the Watcher, after all Giles was a lot more forgiving than he'd have been if Giles had murdered Buffy and tortured him. But then, that was hardly likely because Giles didn't have a raging homicidal demon inside of him; unless you counted Ripper. Still, he missed the burgeoning friendship and mutual respect that he'd shared with the librarian before Angelus. Deciding that any attempt at conversation would be futile, he glanced around Giles' apartment.
After a few seconds he began to smile. Everything was so quintessentially English, the drapes, the furniture, the first edition works lining the bookcase - Chaucer, Tennyson, Keats, Byron, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Dickens, the vampire half-expected to smell roast beef and Yorkshire pud wafting through from the kitchen. His smile broadened as he noticed the album collection stacked against the stereo, Buffy had told him about Giles' taste in music but he'd hardly believed it, the refined librarian into the punk rock and heavy metal of the seventies, impossible? And yet there was the evidence before him.
"What are you grinning at?"
Turning, he realised the Watcher was staring at him with suspicion. Schooling his face back into its customary expressionless, he explained quickly. "Your record collection is surprising - Buffy told me but still - Cream, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and the Clash I can just about see you listening to. But Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols?"
The Watcher shrugged. "The music of my youth."
"I prefer Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart - the classics."
"To each his own," a slight smile tugged at the Watcher's mouth, "that must make for interesting conversations with Buffy considering her torturous choice in music. Faith's obsession for the Metal of today isn't too far from my own youth but Buffy's taste for the manufactured crap of today makes our training sessions complete torture."
Seeing an opening, a chance at his first real conversation with the Watcher since Angelus, Angel opened his mouth to begin a discussion about music only for the door to swing open and a worried, yet also excited, looking Xander to bound into the lounge. "Hi guys, sorry I'm late but you know me and punctuality," Angel hid a smile at the teen's comment, about the only thing Xander wouldn't be late for was a fight - then he was usually early.
"That's quite all right Xander," Giles' irritated tone suggested it was anything but, "now I've sent Buffy and Faith to patrol the cemeteries furthest away from us so we wouldn't be interrupted as you requested so can we begin?"
All cheeriness disappeared from the youth's face leaving only an intent grimness. After a second the teen nodded and sat down beside the vampire, facing the Watcher. "Sure, after Faith killed Finch I got to thinking," the teen began. "Why was Finch where he was that night?"
"Excuse me?" Angel was puzzled.
"Think about it Angel," the vampire was pleased when the youth had begun to refer to him by his name rather than Captain Hair Gel, or Deadboy, proof of the way their new relationship had strengthened over the past three weeks since he'd begun training him. "What the hell was a middle-class male, the Deputy Mayor for Christ's sake, doing in the rough side of town, in the middle of the night? Two, if you're a normal human and you see a Slayer in full flow fighting vampires what do you do?"
"Running away would be the normal reaction," Giles interjected.
"And the Watcher wins the prize! Two Twinkies for the intellectual Englishman!" Xander exclaimed. "But according to both our Slayers he ran towards them."
"He was looking for them," Angel's eyes widened in realisation. "Smart thinking Xander, but why?"
The youth beamed at his praise; angering the vampire. It was obvious from the look of stunned joy on the teen's face at his compliment that his father had rarely noticed him except to heap abuse on him. "Uh thanks Angel," the youth glanced down at the sheaf of papers in his lap before continuing. "I've thought of that too. I waited for a few days until Finch's disappearance was all over the news before approaching Willow about her doing some background research on our dear deputy Mayor, amongst other various pillars of the community, a project started by Giles but top-secret and using me as a go-between."
"A project started by me?"
"Well that's what I told Will. Plausible deniability," Angel bit back a chuckle at Xander's wink. Then the youth's face grew serious again. "Did you know that in the eighteen years I've lived here I can't remember a mayoral election? And," the youth passed them both photocopies of an early Sunnydale newspaper, "does that man look eerily like our current Mayor?"
"Yes, but that was his grandfather."
"Was he G-Man?" Xander raised an eyebrow. "Okay then. Here's another question, why does the Sunnydale PD turn such a blind eye to the homicide rate that makes the West Bank seem like toy soldiers? Answer," Xander passed them each another piece of paper, "that's a copy of Chief of Detectives Stein's Cayman bank account. Ninety grand a year, quite a haul on a Detective's pay. And a principal's." He passed them both another sheet.
"You've hacked bank records!" Giles' eyes were bulging.
"Actually Will did she's quite the little ferret." Xander grinned before passing them a third sheet of paper. "And that's our esteemed Mayor's bank account; note the regular payments to Wolfram & Hart in L.A., who according to my sources is a demonic law firm. Also note the payments to Sarlku Anduv, a known dealer in black arts artefacts, and there are other payments to other organisations with murky if not demonic origins."
"You have sources?" muttered Giles. Angel just sat open-mouthed.
"Don't ask you really don't want to know. Just don't look too closely at your bank account this month; there's been a few withdrawals." Giles groaned; Angel was once again profoundly grateful the teen had chosen to live with the Watcher rather than him. "I also did a recon of the grounds of the Mayoral mansion and the mayor's got some very interesting guard dogs, the sort that turn to dust in sunlight."
"You did a reconnaissance on your own!" Angel roared. "That was so stupid!"
"I needed to check a few things," Xander shrugged.
"So I trust your findings have allowed you to come to a conclusion."
"Oh yeah," suddenly Xander's eyes hardened, all the humour usually there disappearing to be replaced by a chilling coldness that Angel remembered from the night his soulless alter-ego had been backed off by the youth. "I've come to a few conclusions. Richard Wilkins had been Mayor of this town since it's inception one hundred years ago. If he's human at all, which I kinda doubt, he's made some sort of pact with a demon, hell maybe a whole bunch that's allowed him to live this long. And that he's planning something big called an ascension."
"Good lord," Giles' head snapped up, "did you say ascension?"
"That mean something to you G-Man?"
"Indeed it does, simply put ascension is when a demon ascends, becomes more powerful and grows to a size unlimited by this environment."
"And for those of us in the intellectual cheap seats?"
"He means that a demon becomes the size and power it would usually be in its own hell dimension," Angel explained.
"How much bigger and more powerful are we actually talking?"
"Anything between 3 - 10 times," Angel replied grimly, his mind filled with some of the images he'd seen during his time in hell.
"So not a world of fun then?"
"No Xander, not a world of fun." Giles replied. "The only question is what we do about this piece of information?"
"Oh that's simple," Xander broke in, "we blow him up."
"Yes but we don't know when or where he will ascend," Angel pointed out.
"Funny that," Xander retorted, his eyes once again filled with the cold grimness that the demon within him remembered. "I wasn't planning on waiting until then."
"What!" Giles leapt to his feet, "are you completely barking? We can't kill the Mayor, he's human!"
"A hundred years old, looks like he's in his mid-forties, and still human?" Xander raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound very human to me."
After a second the Watcher nodded. "I reluctantly concur, but I don't believe Buffy would agree."
"I wasn't planning on informing her," Xander sighed, "after what Faith's been through, I don't want her involved, and as for Buff, let's face it G- Man what we're doing her is a simple pre-emptive strike on from what you and Angel say could be possibly her toughest opponent to date."
Angel raised a tentative hand, he'd thought of another problem. "With all the research Willow's done won't she be suspicious?"
"Thought of that," Xander replied quickly, "she's seen the bank accounts, seen the records of Wilkins' dealings with demons. If she asks we just blame it on one of the deals going sour. So what do you say?"
Angel hesitated, given the evidence the Mayor was obviously a very bad person, if he could be strictly classed as human anymore, and doing this would help protect his Buffy. After a second he nodded. "The girls must never know. Giles?" The librarian nodded. "I'm in, now the next question is how to we get the explosives required?" the Watcher's eyes grew gleeful, "I remember an old recipe, now how did it go?"
Both Angel and Xander stared at the Englishman. "Just what did you do in the seventies?" the vampire asked.
Xander grinned. "From the sound of things the question should be what didn't he do?" the youth corrected before continuing in a more serious tone. "Don't worry about the explosives; I've got a load of C4 in the garage."
"Tell me you're bloody joking!" Giles looked seconds away from a hear attack.
Angel saw the youth swallow nervously. "Don't worry G-, Giles. The detonators are in my room, there's no chance of an explosion."
"And what about the Feds? And how did you manage to get hold of -, no I don't want to know." Giles took a breath. "Tomorrow night, what's the plan Xander?"
* * *
"So you've got the plan?"
Angel sighed. "Xander, it's not exactly brain surgery. Giles waits out here in the car in case of trouble," he glanced across the road to the shotgun-wielding Watcher sat in the front of his car, "I get you inside the grounds," he stared towards the 4 storey building, "and act as your look- out and muscle while you plant the explosives. Now are you ready?" The youth nodded nervously. "Great," grabbing the teen's collar, he flexed his thighs and leapt to the top of the eighteen foot wall surrounding the hushed building.
"Wow that was quite a ride!" Xander yelped excitedly.
The vampire grimaced. "For god's sake Xander, vampire security remember?" he hissed, "just whisper."
"Oh sorry." The youth glanced down at the grass below them how are we going to get down. Angel picked the youth up and cradled him in his arms. "Why Angel," Xander said breathlessly, "you're so masterful, I never knew you felt this way."
The vampire's eyes rolled back. "Xander, shut up." Angel dropped off the wall, bending his knees to absorb the landing. "So everything okay?"
The teen glanced inside the army surplus bag slung over his right shoulder. "Everything's fine. Detonators and explosives undamaged."
"Good, then let's get it done and get out." The first three lots of explosives were planted without incident but on the fourth, Angel cursed as he sensed the approach of one of his brethren. Reaching out he grabbed the crouched teen by the scruff of his neck and lifted him into the cold night air. "Vampire," he muttered. "Pretend to be scared."
"Who's pretending?"
The vampire who stepped out of the shadows was tall and stocky dressed in a style that dated as being turned in the late fifties. "What are you doing here?" the newcomer growled in a Texas twang.
"Heard the Mayor's the big man in these parts," Angel explained, "come to pay my respects. Is he in?"
"He's in. He doesn't see visitors though, not here."
"He'll see me," Angel blustered, he'd already known the Mayor was home, they'd seen his limousine drop him home three quarters of an hour. "Brought him a present." He lifted Xander towards the other vampire.
The other vampire shook his head. "Sorry buddy," he drawled, "Mayor Wilkins is not like that, he doesn't eat kids."
Angel shook his head. "Look closer, don't you recognise him? He's one of the Slayer's buds. The Harris kid."
"Really?" Distracted, the other vampire stepped towards Xander, giving Angel the chance to dip his free hand into his coat's pocket and pull out a stake, before the other vampire even realised it he slammed his stake into his chest, causing the vampire to explode into dust.
"Have I told you how much I hate being the bait in one of your traps?"
"You're still breathing aren't you?" Angel placed the teen back on the ground. "Now get on with setting the explosives."
Xander grinned at him. "Am I sensing a mutiny in the ranks?"
Angel sighed; he felt a Xander-shaped headache coming on. "Just get on with it."
* * *
Giles hid his nervousness behind a mask of cool indifference. His part of Xander's plan was the most important if they hoped to get away with their execution of the Mayor without the others finding out. He glanced at the teenagers sat around the library desk and began talking. "I'm sure you've all seen this morning's paper -."
"Oh you saw it too. I'm sure it must be a crime, a 50% sale at Top-Scale Fashions. I mean that's all very well but does anyone else consider what putting labels in the price range of the average person could do to the social hierarchy?"
"Cordelia," Giles sighed, "I was referring to the bombing of the Mayoral mansion last night." He saw Willow's eyes flicker, she would be the toughest to convince, considerably smarter than the , Giles only hoped that she was still naive enough to believe that good guys didn't do things like this. For all sorts of reasons. "What some of you are unaware of is that over the past few weeks since the mysterious death of the Deputy Mayor," Faith's face paled, he gave her a reassuring smile, "I've had Willow investigating the Mayor to see if there was any possible reason why the Mayor might want Mr. Finch dead."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
As usual the Watcher ignored Wesley or 'the prat' as he'd begun to mentally call him. "While Willow," he smiled at the girl, "didn't unearth any specific information relating to Finch, she discovered other information that was perhaps even more disturbing. The Mayor was apparently doing business with a number of major figures on the demonic scene, as well as bribing a number of people including our own esteemed Principal to turn a blind eye to his activities while obstructing . I believe that it's possible that the Mayor double-crossed one of his partners resulting in today's headlines."
"This mean we've got some new player moving in on our territory G?"
Giles took a minute to translate Faith's question into an English he understood before answering. "No, I don't believe so," he replied carefully, he didn't want to needlessly alarm his Slayers, on the other hand in their business complacency was a killer. "But it wouldn't hurt to perhaps check out Willy's, keep an ear to the ground, that sort of thing. And even if there isn't a new player in town, there is a power vacuum, things may get chaotic for a while."
"Five by five," Faith winked at him, "girl likes it wild."
Giles winked back at the brunette. "So I've heard." He was most pleased by the stunned look on the Slayer's face at his retort.