Chapter XI
"Okay. Explain this to me slowly. Agent Forrest, Agent Finn, and Agent Graham- you are my most competent soldiers. I expect the others to follow your example. I trust you with my most important assignments. So, how exactly did Hostile seventeen manage to elude you, my supreme officers and their team?" Professor Walsh said to the three shame faced men.
"Professor Walsh, he fooled the doctors into thinking he was drugged. Then he used Winters and Andrews as shields, so we didn't have a clear shot to tase him." Riley replied
"Yeah, and it's not like he had a chip or anything. He could've killed any one of us and-"
"But he didn't. Do you understand how important he was to me? To this entire operation?" Walsh said cutting off Forrest's explanation.
"I want him back, and I want him back now." she said with finality as she stormed away.
"This totally sucks, man. With that much of a head start, and no tracking device, it could be anywhere." Graham said dejectedly.
"Not this time, guys. I know exactly where it's going." Riley said eerily happy.
********************
"Buffy, you're right. The Initiative is pretty big. He's probably been down there all along." Willow said.
"Well, we have to go down there. We have to go down there. We have to go down there now." Buffy said frantically.
"Buffy, do calm down. There's no way we can get down there this very moment. We have no idea what's down there and I for one do not want to be shot." Giles said.
"But Giles, we're running out of time; Spike's running out of time." she said with the beginnings of a pout.
"I agree with G-Man, err uh, Giles. Only if we had a friend to help us infiltrate into their system... oh wait! We do." Xander said sarcastically.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Xand. Riley and I have kinda been on the outs since we "broke up" or whatever."
"But, if he is there, then wouldn't Riley know by now? Ya know, since he's there everyday and is one of the like, head soldiers or whatever. I mean, who knows, maybe he even orchestrated the entire capture in a horrible fit of jealousy. I've seen it happen many a time in vengeance days." Anya said thoughtfully; glad that she could contribute to the conversation. Everyone looked pensive for a moment, letting the information marinate into their thoughts.
"No, but Riley wouldn't- would he?" Buffy asked more to herself than the others.
"I mean, he just seems so honest and non-vindictive. And not so much with the big evil secrets." Willow said.
"Well, the point of a secret is to keep it a secret, Will." Xander pointed out.
"Yeah, and- and it is plausible. I mean, since he was, I mean prejudice of demons. And the, the thought of losing you to a vampire probably sent him over the green edge of jealousy." Tara said. Buffy's face slowly began to harden at this new revelation.
"Well if that's true, then I am so gonna hurt him." she said determined.
Before anyone else could comment, they were all interrupted by someone hastily coming through Giles' door.
"You need to give me asylum." Spike said while still facing the door, appearing to try to compose himself.
"Spike? Oh god, what happened to you?" Buffy said as she ran up to him and flung herself at him.
"Hey, luv. Didn't suspect you to be here. S'not safe. Soldier boys are after me."
"So, you decided to come here and endanger me?" Giles asked.
"Well, yeah. But also 'cause I need a bit of help. Lousy bastards been trying to poke and prod at me. But thanks to my trusty gem, they couldn't cut me." he said triumphantly. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and glanced down at his hand to admire his mystical savior, and saw that it wasn't there.
"Spike, did you drop it or something? It's not here."
"Well no, it is here. Just not on me anymore. It's inside of me. I swallowed it just in case of a really dire situation." he explained.
"But I mean, will it still work?" Buffy questioned.
"Well, appears that way, since, its blinding sunlight all around out side and I'm not a blowin' in the wind."
"Now, when you said the soldiers were following you, are they on their way here now?"
"Oh, um no. I lost them ways back. But you never know."
"Well, unless one of the soldiers was Riley and therefore knowing exactly where Giles and Buffy live." Anya added.
"Oh yea. That bloody bastard was there right along with 'em, trying to electrocute me and such." Spike said. Buffy's grip instinctively tightened on him.
"Oh, that's it. I am so gonna-"
"Hold on there, pet. That's not exactly the smartest or safest thing to do." Spike said as he lightly grasped her hips.
"Buffy, as crazy as this may sound, but Spike is right. The type of manpower they have, and the uh, condition that you're in," Giles paused as he briefly cleaned his glasses. " I think the best solution is to go far, far away from here."
"But Giles, I never run away from-"
"If you want your child as well as yourself safe, you'll do as I say."
"But they're not even after me, Giles. Why do I have to leave?"
His typically, stubborn, pseudo daughter. She surely isn't going to like what I'm going to say he thought wearily.
"Not yet, but they could be. Riley knows that Spike is the father of your child. If he's alarmed the others at the Initiative that... It's not safe, for either of you here. Here as in Sunnydale." he finished a bit more harshly than he intended.
"Well, if that's the case, shouldn't we all make ourselves a bit more scarce around too? I mean, I for one don't wanna be captured and tortured just so those idiot soldiers can find out where Buffy and Spike are. That would be highly unpleasant." Anya said.
"Well, Riley knows where we all live, except for Xander. What are we gonna do, Giles?" Willow asked worriedly. And then the gears in Giles' mind quickly began turning as he formulated a plan; a highly feasible plan that worked itself out in more ways than one. The tiniest hint of a Ripper like grin appeared on his face before he said, " Well, we could always..."
"Okay. Explain this to me slowly. Agent Forrest, Agent Finn, and Agent Graham- you are my most competent soldiers. I expect the others to follow your example. I trust you with my most important assignments. So, how exactly did Hostile seventeen manage to elude you, my supreme officers and their team?" Professor Walsh said to the three shame faced men.
"Professor Walsh, he fooled the doctors into thinking he was drugged. Then he used Winters and Andrews as shields, so we didn't have a clear shot to tase him." Riley replied
"Yeah, and it's not like he had a chip or anything. He could've killed any one of us and-"
"But he didn't. Do you understand how important he was to me? To this entire operation?" Walsh said cutting off Forrest's explanation.
"I want him back, and I want him back now." she said with finality as she stormed away.
"This totally sucks, man. With that much of a head start, and no tracking device, it could be anywhere." Graham said dejectedly.
"Not this time, guys. I know exactly where it's going." Riley said eerily happy.
********************
"Buffy, you're right. The Initiative is pretty big. He's probably been down there all along." Willow said.
"Well, we have to go down there. We have to go down there. We have to go down there now." Buffy said frantically.
"Buffy, do calm down. There's no way we can get down there this very moment. We have no idea what's down there and I for one do not want to be shot." Giles said.
"But Giles, we're running out of time; Spike's running out of time." she said with the beginnings of a pout.
"I agree with G-Man, err uh, Giles. Only if we had a friend to help us infiltrate into their system... oh wait! We do." Xander said sarcastically.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Xand. Riley and I have kinda been on the outs since we "broke up" or whatever."
"But, if he is there, then wouldn't Riley know by now? Ya know, since he's there everyday and is one of the like, head soldiers or whatever. I mean, who knows, maybe he even orchestrated the entire capture in a horrible fit of jealousy. I've seen it happen many a time in vengeance days." Anya said thoughtfully; glad that she could contribute to the conversation. Everyone looked pensive for a moment, letting the information marinate into their thoughts.
"No, but Riley wouldn't- would he?" Buffy asked more to herself than the others.
"I mean, he just seems so honest and non-vindictive. And not so much with the big evil secrets." Willow said.
"Well, the point of a secret is to keep it a secret, Will." Xander pointed out.
"Yeah, and- and it is plausible. I mean, since he was, I mean prejudice of demons. And the, the thought of losing you to a vampire probably sent him over the green edge of jealousy." Tara said. Buffy's face slowly began to harden at this new revelation.
"Well if that's true, then I am so gonna hurt him." she said determined.
Before anyone else could comment, they were all interrupted by someone hastily coming through Giles' door.
"You need to give me asylum." Spike said while still facing the door, appearing to try to compose himself.
"Spike? Oh god, what happened to you?" Buffy said as she ran up to him and flung herself at him.
"Hey, luv. Didn't suspect you to be here. S'not safe. Soldier boys are after me."
"So, you decided to come here and endanger me?" Giles asked.
"Well, yeah. But also 'cause I need a bit of help. Lousy bastards been trying to poke and prod at me. But thanks to my trusty gem, they couldn't cut me." he said triumphantly. Buffy breathed a sigh of relief and glanced down at his hand to admire his mystical savior, and saw that it wasn't there.
"Spike, did you drop it or something? It's not here."
"Well no, it is here. Just not on me anymore. It's inside of me. I swallowed it just in case of a really dire situation." he explained.
"But I mean, will it still work?" Buffy questioned.
"Well, appears that way, since, its blinding sunlight all around out side and I'm not a blowin' in the wind."
"Now, when you said the soldiers were following you, are they on their way here now?"
"Oh, um no. I lost them ways back. But you never know."
"Well, unless one of the soldiers was Riley and therefore knowing exactly where Giles and Buffy live." Anya added.
"Oh yea. That bloody bastard was there right along with 'em, trying to electrocute me and such." Spike said. Buffy's grip instinctively tightened on him.
"Oh, that's it. I am so gonna-"
"Hold on there, pet. That's not exactly the smartest or safest thing to do." Spike said as he lightly grasped her hips.
"Buffy, as crazy as this may sound, but Spike is right. The type of manpower they have, and the uh, condition that you're in," Giles paused as he briefly cleaned his glasses. " I think the best solution is to go far, far away from here."
"But Giles, I never run away from-"
"If you want your child as well as yourself safe, you'll do as I say."
"But they're not even after me, Giles. Why do I have to leave?"
His typically, stubborn, pseudo daughter. She surely isn't going to like what I'm going to say he thought wearily.
"Not yet, but they could be. Riley knows that Spike is the father of your child. If he's alarmed the others at the Initiative that... It's not safe, for either of you here. Here as in Sunnydale." he finished a bit more harshly than he intended.
"Well, if that's the case, shouldn't we all make ourselves a bit more scarce around too? I mean, I for one don't wanna be captured and tortured just so those idiot soldiers can find out where Buffy and Spike are. That would be highly unpleasant." Anya said.
"Well, Riley knows where we all live, except for Xander. What are we gonna do, Giles?" Willow asked worriedly. And then the gears in Giles' mind quickly began turning as he formulated a plan; a highly feasible plan that worked itself out in more ways than one. The tiniest hint of a Ripper like grin appeared on his face before he said, " Well, we could always..."