Part 16

Faith knocked on Willow's door, "Willow? Amy's here."

Willow's eyes widened as she rushed to open the door. "Amy?"

"Yeah the Council's representative. She's downstairs with G and Wes discussing Council business. But G sent me up to get you, Jesse and Tara, seems the magick forensic team found something last night."

Of course. Amy was a very common name and what were the odds that it was the Amy that she knew.

Faith knocked once before opening the door, "Brought 'em."

Rupert looked up and smiled as Jesse, Faith and Tara came into the room, "Thank you, Faith." He stood up when Willow came in, "Willow, I'd like to introduce you to Amy. She's the Wizarding Council's representative to the West Coast."

Amy turned and smiled. "It's nice to finally meet you, Willow. The Council has been abuzz about you since Rupert told us of your arrival."

Willow slowly released the breath that she hadn't realized she was holding and smiled at Amy. This was her friend Amy, the Amy of her childhood. Not the Amy that became the badass Wicca and introduced her to Rack.

"Thanks it's nice to meet you too."

Amy indicated for Jesse, Willow, Faith and Tara to take a seat.

"I was just waiting for you before continuing. As I told Rupert and Wesley it seems there is an escalation of activity around the World's Hellmouths. Ethan's army is stepping up its activity worldwide but primarily at the Hellmouths. The curious thing is that it seems Sunnydale is the exception."

Willow wrinkled her brow, "I thought this was Ethan's main target. This Hellmouth and the mirror."

Amy nodded, "There is a theory that he is using the stepped up activities as a diversion from his plans here. The forensics team found evidence early this morning that backs up that theory. We were lucky that the team sent out Samantha. She's one of the best there is in the field of magickal forensics. Since the attack happened here and with the mirror's safety in question she was called in. Sam found a trace of an extremely rare and outlawed magickal hallucinogen. Normally it would activate with the heat from the explosion and then dissipate leaving no traces of it at the scene. In the rare instance that it didn't activate or dissipate very few forensic specialists would be able to identify it."

Rupert squeezed the bridge of his nose, "O'lortha."

The others turned their gaze to Rupert as he spoke the single word. "O'lortha?"

Rupert nodded, "To put it in simple terms the victim becomes a sociopath and has no moral compass. You don't care about right and wrong only about satisfying your own needs."

Willow mumbled, "Want. Take. Have."

Rupert turned to her, "Exactly. Did they have this in your world?"

Willow shook her head, "If we did I didn't know about it. No, that just reminded me of someone in my world." She studiously avoided Faith's eyes.

From the way Willow was avoiding looking at her and remembering how Willow described her counterpart Faith knew that she was talking about her. She thanked the fates once again for having Rupert, Tara and her friends in her life. She could have easily ended up like Willow's Faith without them.

Tara reached over and gave her girlfriend's hand a squeeze. She felt her stiffen when Willow answered Rupert. Faith softly squeezed her hand in acknowledgment and asked, "So you're saying that this O'lortha didn't become activated right? None of us were affected?"

Amy nodded, "That's correct. From what Sam could determine at the scene only a small amount was found, like an unexploded bomb."

"How can you be so sure that there wasn't more? You said the heat would activate it. Are you sure more weren't activated?" Wesley asked.

Amy looked at each one in the eye, "Samantha believes she found the only sample but have any of you felt different from last night? O'lortha is fairly quick acting but it could be delayed as much as twelve hours."

"Would we notice it?" Jesse asked, "I mean in ourselves. Wouldn't we think our behavior was normal?"

"Actually you'd have a slight headache when it first activates. It probably wouldn't be noticed or you'd think it was due to stress given this situation. The others would definitely notice it." Amy answered him.

The others thought about the behaviors of the others. One by one they contemplated the possibilities of infection. "What about if someone was severely injured would the O'lortha still be effective?" Willow asked as she thought about Xander. Would he be struggling against the demon as well as the magickal drug?

"I'm guessing your thinking about your friend Xander." Amy shook her head no to answer Willow's question. "Once the body shuts down the drug dissipates. It's another of the reasons why it's so hard to detect in a body."

"I assume like any other hallucinogen that it would eventually wear off so why bother with it?" Willow asked.

"Imagine using an innocent to rob a bank or commit murder for hire but when it's over they don't remember anything. In the case of Ethan we suspect you were his target."

Willow stiffened. Oh god just the thought of unleashing Dark Vein-y Willow on this world caused her stomach to do flip flops and her skin to go clammy.

"B-but even it if had succeeded wouldn't it have worn off? I wouldn't be much of a sociopathic slave then."

Rupert slipped his arm around Willow's shoulder hoping to give her comfort while Amy answered her question, "Not if he continued to give it to you for weeks until it became permanent."

"P-permanent?" Tara asked with wide eyes.

"Well, not really permanent, it's only that you no longer care.  You don't need the O'lortha anymore, you become what you were while under the influence. A sort of permanent Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde only the Mr. Hyde takes up residence."

Willow shuddered. "You said it was very rare? Is it so rare that Ethan would have a hard time getting it?"

Rupert answered, "No. Anyone else yes it would be very difficult but Ethan would probably be able to get it easier." He continued in a softer voice, "He brought it when we performed the Eyghon ritual, said a friend got it for him."

Willow looked at him curiously, "You needed it for the ritual?" She couldn't remember Giles talking about drug use even magickal ones in the ritual for Eyghon.

Rupert nodded, "Ethan thought it would enhance the ritual. We only used a little but it was enough to originally not care when it went bad. It took hold of Ethan more firmly than it did with me. I've always thought it was what led Ethan on the path that he's on now."

Amy concurred. "When people have that tendency it doesn't take that long for the O'lortha to take hold and become a permanent part of their personality."

"So does this mean Ethan is stepping up his activities here?" Jesse asked.

"We believe so but more in a covert fashion. The other attacks worldwide have been open warfare and Gwendolyn and Ethan have both been conspicuously absent from those attacks. Yet they remain with their fingers in the situation in Sunnydale even though there haven't been any attacks here."

"So we need to take them out before they take us out." Faith snarled and began to pace. "So far we've been holding off Ethan's attacks we haven't attacked him. I think we need to bring the battle to him instead of waiting."

Rupert opened his mouth and Faith cut him off, "I know you don't agree with me but…"

Rupert interrupted Faith, "Actually I was going to say you're quite right."

"Really?" Tara could almost see the excitement coursing  through her girlfriend's body at the thought of bringing the battle to Ethan and Gwendolyn.