Kelly, Riley, Sam and Graham walk around the temporary camp established twenty miles inland on a National Guard base. The scene is chaotic, with tens of thousands of confused civilians trying to get answers from thousands of equally confused soldiers about why they are suddenly homeless and corralled in this refugee camp.
"Top brass looks like they're starting to sweat this one. Am I right, Kel?," Sam inquires.
"General's getting it from the Colonel below him and from Washington above. He's doing his best to avoid them. But I gotta tell ya, by now he's probably praying for Sunnydale to go under. Either that town's done for, or his career is."
"Is Buffy in the Initiative's old base?," Riley asks.
"That place is too cavernous to withstand an earthquake," Graham points out. "Plus, it's sixty feet under. A mudslide could easily block the shaft and cut off access to the surface."
"All I know is the people who weren't evacuated were placed in a secure underground civilian installation," Kelly reports.
"Civilian. Better not be Spike's old crypt," Riley fears.
"From what you told me, that place wasn't exactly secure," Sam mentions to her husband.
"Anyway, when I stopped by, Spike was living in Buffy's basement," Kelly reports.
"That was after your job in LA?," Graham wonders.
"After the initial job, but before the liquidation of the vampire gang and the re-ensoulment of their leader."
"I'm not sure if he was worth all that effort," Graham comments.
"Wonder what they'll do the next time Angel goes bad," Riley wonders. "He better not be thinking of making a habit of this."
"So Sam told me you guys were round that way yesterday," Kelly mentions to Riley.
"Something took out twenty two of our men at Andrews. Bite marks. Mauled bodies. Gruesome stuff. Looks like a pack of demons. We haven't yet determined what kind."
"Soldiers had been dead for eighteen hours by the time we arrived," Sam adds. "Too late to get a protein signature from the assailant's saliva. These things had jaws as strong as a grizzly's, but it could leap over twenty foot-high fence."
"The surveillance camera must have picked up something," Kelly assumes.
"No sign of anything entering or leaving the perimeter," Riley responds. "But it was dark, and these monsters were obviously very quick."
"Attacking on-base is pretty much unheard of," Graham notes. "Even at the one next to Sunnydale. And security there is a lot more lax than at Andrews. Why wouldn't a demon go after softer civilian targets?"
"This happened after a week-long spree of similar killings in the city itself," Riley replies. "Sam thinks a demon pack is trying to establish dominance."
"Victims included more than a dozen cops and several dozen suspected gang members," Sam explains. "They seem to be drawn to people who are armed. I've read about similar instances in the past where demons targeted human authority figures. But those only occurred in much smaller areas – villages or hamlets, mostly. Never on this scale."
Kelly has an idea. "I wonder if Wesley knows anything. He does live there. And he already knows more about demons than all of us put together." She takes out her phone, shocking Riley.
"This investigation is classified. And you and I aren't allowed to communicate with outsiders."
"While we were inside the town. Job's over. People are all out. I don't see how it could jeopardize the mission at this late stage."
Riley shakes his head. "And I'm the one who almost got court-martialed."
"Never break the rules, and you can always bend them," Kelly replies with a smile. She dials Wesley's apartment. Getting no answer, she calls up the Hyperion, where new arrivals stream in every couple minutes.
"Angel Investigations," a weary Cordy says when she picks up the phone. "If you need a room, call Ramada. If you need some other kind of help, we're here for you."
"Cordelia?," Kelly guesses. "Are you all recovered from what Willow called your radical demonectomy?'"
"Who is this?," a suspicious Cordelia replies.
"Sorry. It's Kelly. Kelly Campbell. I helped out your friends a little while back."
"Of course. You're that blonde soldier who slept with Wesley."
"That's not what I meant by helping out your friends, but, yes."
"Good. Because that means you can stay at his place, instead of here."
"I'm not in Los Angeles."
"Sorry. It seems someone put the word out that we were a real hotel, and the people just keep coming and coming. Excuse me." Cordy walks back out into the lobby. "No, we do not have room service! There are like a dozen restaurants in this neighborhood. Why don't you go to one of them?" Cordelia comes back into the office. "Is this how the hired help felt about me when I was growing up?" She picks up the phone. "Then what's this about?"
"I was just wondering if Wesley was around. I wanted to speak with him for a moment."
"Wait. You're a soldier. The demon-fighting kind. Are you in Sunnydale?"
"No," Kelly answers, telling the literal truth but implying a falsehood.
"And, of course, you're not lying to me."
"No."
"Because your timing is a little coincidental."
"Could you just please get him?"
"Fine. Please hold." Cordy puts the phone down and mouths "bitch," while more than a hundred miles away Kelly does the exact same thing. Wesley's standing behind the front desk. "Your new girlfriend's on the phone."
"Kelly?"
"No, your other new girlfriend. She's not evil like the last one?"
"Why would you ask that?"
"No reason." Wesley gives Cordy a funny look and walks into the office. "Kelly?"
"You sound excited to hear from me."
"Would you prefer if I sounded disinterested?"
"Course not. I just don't want you getting your hopes up. This is a business call."
"What sort of business?"
"Thursday night, more than one score soldiers were brutally killed, apparently by demons, on a base near your city. Have you heard about this?"
"I believe it was mentioned in yesterday's paper. Why do you ask?"
"An old friend of mine is investigating. I was just wondering if you knew anything."
Welsey smiles. "As a matter of fact, I do. Tell your friend the demon is dead."
"Demon? Just one?"
"A vampire by the name of Mal. More than three thousand years old. A legendary character with a massive appetite and a penchant for taking on entire armies."
"He didn't mention anything about vampire bites. And the mauling would be inconsistent with that explanation."
"Mal was not your ordinary vampire. But he's dead and gone. Angel and Connor killed him only a few hours after he took those soldiers' lives."
"I'm glad they killed the vamp, but how can you be sure he's the one responsible?"
"The attack fits perfectly with his feeding patterns over the previous few nights. As well as his traditional behavior. Trust me on this one. If your friend doesn't, ask him if there have been any similar killings since Thursday night. The previous four nights had been utter bloodbaths, but Friday was tranquil. And tonight will be the same. The killings stopped when Angel slayed this vampire."
"You seem completely convinced. Which is all the proof I need."
Wesley smiles, sits down in the chair behind the desk, reclines and gets comfortable. "So. How are things?"
"I'm alive. Healthy. No disfiguring scars. You?"
"Same. A little roughed up from our epic struggle with Mal the other night. But nothing disfiguring."
"Glad to hear that."
"I probably shouldn't be asking you about this, but it seems that this morning several battalions worth of soldiers forcibly expelled every resident of Sunnydale from their homes. Would you happen to know anything about this?"
"Only in the sense that I was one of the soldiers. In fact, I commanded one of the battalions."
Wesley is quite shocked to hear this, and almost tips over in his chair. He sits up straight and gets serious. "You were there? Are you still there?"
"Right now, I'm with everyone else at a nice secure location way away from the Hellmouth."
"Would you happen to know anything about Buffy? Has she been evacuated?"
"She's still there. But she's safe. Same goes for the rest of her friends. You guys shouldn't worry."
"We wouldn't, I mean, Angel wouldn't, if he could contact her."
"Sorry. Can't help you there. Communications are down. No one can call in or out. Security precautions."
"Precautions for what? Kelly, what's happened?
"Nothing. Not yet, anyway."
"Forgive for sounding incredulous, but the United States military does not clear out an entire American town for nothing."
Kelly looks around to make sure she's alone and no one can hear her. She's standing in a forest bordering the improvised camp. "This is very strictly classified."
"You can trust me. I won't tell a soul."
"What about Angel's?"
"Other than my friends. But only them."
"I suppose you guys are about the only civilians who can handle it. Only ones outside of Sunnydale, that is. Word is there was a prophecy about the town getting smashed sometime today. And it was considered credible enough for us to pull out all the stops."
"A prophecy?" This really peaks Wesley's interest. "What sort? And who noticed it?"
"A highly-placed civilian. The Mayor, as a matter of fact." The word "Mayor" instinctively worries Wesley.
"And your commanders believed this source to be trustworthy?"
"If they didn't, I wouldn't be here."
"Of course. Silly me. I merely asked because the last time I was in that town, its mayor was a gigantic demon snake."
"I think the voters learned their lesson after that," Kelly jokes. "Thanks for the 411 on our demon."
"Well, thank you very much for your information."
"By the way, I might have the chance to make a quick dash down to your town in a couple days. Would that be okay with you?"
"No. It would be wonderful."
"Cool. Talk to you later." She hangs up. Wesley leans back, smiles and and thinks about Kelly for a few seconds. Cordy opens the door.
"Oh no. You look satisfied. Please tell me you two didn't have phone sex. We all have to use this office."
"Cordelia, please. We merely discussed what we've been up to recently. Which, in Kelly's case, involved a visit to Sunnydale this morning."
Cordelia looks surprised and curious. "You mean your girlfriend's one of the jack-booted Gestapo thugs' everyone coming into this hotel is complaining about?"
"I suppose this is something I should explain to everyone." Wes gets up and limps out of the office. Meanwhile, Kelly walks over to Riley and Sam.
"Wesley said your perp was some super-vampire named Mal. Also, he said Angel killed it that same night."
"Those wounds were not caused by a vampire," Riley insists.
"Not so fast," his wife dissents. "All of the bodies were drained. And all the bite marks severed major arteries. That's inconsistent with your standard demon mauling."
"Vampires don't bite like that. And no single vampire could have run down all those men."
Kelly tries to explain. "This vampire was over three thousand years old. I'm sure he was exceptionally fast and strong."
"Then how did Angel kill him?," Riley asks.
Kelly thinks about this. "Good question." After all, she was able to twice fend off Angelus in one-on-one encounters. "It was Angel and his son Connor." Kelly realizes the irony of Angel – who a few weeks back killed two soldiers – doing the military a favor by destroying a vampire who killed twenty two soldiers (and had every intention of killing more). It helps prove her point about re-ensouling Angel being worth the effort. "Were there any killings in LA last night? Wesley and you both said there were a bunch earlier in the week."
"Over two hundred," Sam responds. "You think one vampire could do all that?"
"You said this vampire's name was Mal," Graham jumps in. "Did your boyfriend tell you what he looked like?"
"No. I didn't bother asking. Does it matter?"
"I was working in Eritrea last year. The locals told stories about a really old vampire from that part of Africa named Mal. I guess he was like their Dracula or something. I'm just wondering if that's the same guy."
"I remember Dracula," Riley recounts. "He couldn't take out that many soldiers. Even on his best night. And he certainly didn't bite like whatever did this job."
At 1:30, Estella enters the bunker. Giles immediately stands up and walks over to her. "You look exhausted."
"Yeah, well, you look a little run-down yourself, Rupert."
"I've been pouring over your ancestor's work. Which is certainly nothing compared to what you've been through."
"You got that right. Let's just say that right now I'm even less popular than the last mayor – after he started eating the citizenry."
"Is it over?"
"Everyone's out. Except for you fine folks."
"That's great. You did it. Please, sit down. I'll make you some tea."
"Is that your people's people's cure for everything?," Stella jokes. "I'm not going to be staying, anyway."
"You mean you're leaving?"
"I already did. Then I came back. There's another shelter. One that we built just for our family. I'll be over there with Vince."
"Are you sure it's safe to return to the surface?," Giles asks.
"You're right. As usual." Giles smiles bashfully. Even though they're not touching or, God forbid, smooching, Giles getting all mushy with his girlfriend is a bit icky for Buffy. "It's joined to this one. There's a door on the other side connecting the two."
"You never mentioned a second crypt," Spike points out. "And to think, all this time I coulda gotten a little peace and quiet."
"It's nowhere near as nice as this place."
"Neither was his old home," Xander notes.
Stella looks at Rupert. They hold hands. "Guess I'll see you after the disaster," she tells him.
"Yes. Well, until then."
"Yeah. Until then."
"Because I really should stay here with everyone."
"Go ahead," Madari suggests.
"You let us have our smoochies," Amanda reminds him. "Now it's your turn."
Giles and Estella let go of each other's hands and each take a step back. Stella gives Rupert a nervous half-smile and walks away. She goes through the doors connecting the front half of the bunker to the back half. In the back half, next to center bedroom, which happens to be Giles's, is another door. It leads to a 120 foot-long tunnel that connects the two bunkers. Estella enters. Her brother's already inside. This one is a far more modest affair. The bunker's ten feet wide and thirty feet long. Inside are two cots, a fridge and a small black-and-white television. Vincente's fiddling with the rabbit ears to get better reception.
"It's amazing we can get anything at all down here."
"It's amazing you care. As if they can tell us anything."
"I would like to keep track of this crisis, seeing how it is of our own making. Why didn't you bring Rupert over?"
"He wants to be with the girls. Also, I think he'd feel a little weird about being with me while you were around."
"But we're old friends. He's never felt uncomfortable around me before."
"He's never been dating your sister before."
"It's not as if I object."
"I know. But he doesn't. And, even if he did, I think it would still be a little awkward." Stella picks up their satellite phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"Another civilian. But one who's on the inside."
"You mean your friend Kate?"
"She's your friend, too." Stella dials her up. Ten miles outside of town, Kate stands at a road block that's keeping people from entering Sunnydale.
"Lieutenant Lockley."
"It's me, Katie."
"Stella! How are you?"
"Safe and sound. Just like everyone else from this town."
"Thanks to you. Is Rupert there?"
"No. He's with his little army."
"Any you're what? Cooped up all alone with Vinnie in that, what did you call it, subterranean trailer?"
"Pretty much. You sound awful eager to speak to Rupert."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I dunno. From what he says, you two really hit it off in Fresno."
"Relax, Stel. Rupert's charming, but he's a little old for me." Kate holds off on an Angel-related caveat, since Stella isn't aware that the two of them have crossed paths. "I just wanted to give him an update on the, you know, post mortem situation. The Algerian consul was pretty brutal and unreasonable, especially since the family wasn't putting up any fuss. But yesterday they came around."
"Another international incident averted. That's good. How are things where you are right now?"
"People are acting like it's the end of the world. Can't blame them."
"All thanks to me."
"Don't play the self-pity card with me, Stella. I know you must have your reasons. Really, really good reasons."
"Even you sound like a doubter."
"Stel, I believe. Even if sometimes I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be believing in."
"Let's just say I got rock-solid tip. One I would have been insane not to act on."
"And one that makes you look insane when you do act on it. I've had a few of those in my day. But nothing of this magnitude."
"Because you've never been to the Hellmouth."
Wesley and Cordelia are upstairs, explaining the situation to Connor and Angel.
"So Dawn's safe?," Connor asks.
"For the third time, yes," a somewhat peeved Cordy responds.
"But Kelly hasn't seen her. So she can't really know."
Cordy sighs. "She's fine, Connor. Look at it this way: even if they're in danger, we both know Buffy the Martyr's going to give her life before she lets Dawn get killed."
Connor smiles. "I can hope." Angel is not happy with his son's sentiments, to say the least. Cordelia continues.
"So the only way Dawn is going to die is if both of them die. Then the two of you can head off and spend the summer together in Tibet or Kathmandu or wherever it is the men in your family go for high-quality brooding. Or, you two could get lucky and the world will end. Either way, there's no point in worrying about them."
"I see the old Cordelia is back in fine form," Wesley comments, trying to make light of her offensive bluntness. Cordy's just trying to break the mope cycle that she's grown sick of. Now that Connor and Angel don't have to worry about an imminent existential threat to themselves, they spend all their free time fretting over the safety and security of the Summers women.
"Now I know what the worst part of an apocalypse is," Andrew concludes with the certitude of an overnight sage. "The waiting."
"No," Buffy corrects him. "The worst part of an apocalypse is the apocalypse."
"You're both wrong," Giles tells them from over at his table, which is covered in books and papers. "The worst part is the pressure of trying to discover a way to avert the apocalypse before it's too late."
"How is that coming?," Anya asks.
"Rather well, considering how I began my work only a few hours ago. The good news is, it appears that there exist ancient objects that can help us defeat Nina. The bad news is, it also appears that those very same objects can be used by Nina to defeat us and extinguish the Slayer Line. And the even worse news is, I've uncovered no clues as to where we can find these objects. However, on the bright side, I'm certain that if the First knew where to find them, Nina would already be in possession them, and would have killed us all."
"When did the apocalypse turn into a glorified scavenger hunt?," Spike derisively asks.
Nina stands at the edge of what was the old makeout point overlooking Sunnydale from the north. Darla stands a few feet to her left. "You'll find that people are a lot like rats," Darla tells the Titan. "Full of disease. Able to thrive in the worst filth. And they both know when to leave a sinking ship."
"It's so quiet," Nina observes. "Even the animals are gone. No birds chirping. Just buildings and meadows full of emptiness. Generations of toil about to be wiped away in a matter of minutes. Really goes to show you how nothing's permanent."
"Wrong," Darla replies with a grin. "We are." Darla then vanishes. Nina gazes up at the clear blue sky. She looks to her right out at the ocean a few miles to the west of her.
"Even you'll be gone one day," Nina says to the sea. "Just like the planet you cover. Even that's not built to last." The tranquility is abruptly shattered when the ground begins to shake violently. All around Nina, earth tumbles down the hill. Cracks open up in the valley floor. Down in the bunkers, power flickers on-and-off for a few seconds before everything goes dark. Andrew throws his body at the big-screen television and entertainment center to prevent it from crashing to the floor. He quickly pulls the wooden sliding door covering shut to protect their connection to the outside world. The Potentials fall off the couches. Most of the others tumble from their chairs as well and grope around in the darkness. Kennedy holds onto Willow so she doesn't feel scared and alone. Of course, right now, they're all as blind as Willow. But after ten seconds, battery power comes on in their bunker, providing dim light. Buffy stands and tries to balance her feet as she looks around to make sure everyone's all right. Faith leans against a wall in the doorway to her bedroom. The coils the bunker rests upon undulate, translating the tremors into a semi-rhythmic heave-ho. Over in the other bunker, there is no battery power or coil supports. Stella and Vince just sit on their cots and lean against the the wall, gritting their teeth and hoping the ceiling holds. Twenty miles away, at 2:41 in the afternoon, the soldiers and civilians at the emergency camp can feel the ground beneath them tremble. The Colonel and Brigadier General breathe an odd sigh of relief.
The tremors last for more than a minute. Buildings crumble. Cracks in the pavement spread into three foot-wide crevasses. Power lines collapse onto the roofs of houses. As the ground convulses, the sky turns dark gray. Nearly a dozen bolts of lightning strike various parts of the town, starting several conflagrations. Up in the hills on the east side of town, next to the oil wells, tanks holding liquid natural gas burst open and explode, setting the nearby woods on fire. After what felt like an eternity, the ground settles. About a minute later, power returns to both bunkers. Everyone looks around, makes sure the others are okay, and assesses the damage, which is minor. The bunkers were built to withstand quakes, and there's nothing hanging on the walls that could have crashed to floor. Cups and dishes are all plastic. They spend a few minutes catching their breath and waiting for an aftershock. Finally, Xander decides to say what everyone's thinking.
"Is that it? And, if it is, how can we be sure?"
"There's only one way," Buffy responds.
"We still need to be careful," Giles cautions. "Before we do anything, I should go over and talk to Estella."
"Tell her thanks for the prophecy," Andrew suggests.
"And the free digs," Spike adds. "And ask if they're planning on staying. It would be nice to have my own place again."
"Yes. I think we all look forward to that day," Giles responds before heading over. When Giles returns, he punches a few buttons on the keypad near the front door. A periscope comes down, causing more than a few jaws to drop.
"You're girlfriend really thought of everything," Xander notes.
"It's so great to have a house with a periscope again," Andrew announces, mostly confusing everyone else. Giles takes a look, fiddles with the focus and rotates around. Then he fiddles with the focus some more, trying to get long-distance views, and rotates around once more. Finally, he presses a few more buttons and the periscope rises up into the ceiling.
"The town is more or less leveled, best as I can tell."
"What about the rest of the prophecy?," Willow asks. "That's earth. But where are the other three elements?"
"We could wait until nightfall for something else. Or, we could surface and look for ourselves. Stella is of the opinion that we should do the latter. I would tend to agree. After all, she has been right so far."
"You are so prophecy-whipped," Anya jokes. "Not that I'm criticizing. I find it adorable when men are utterly dependent upon the women they're attracted to."
One by one, they emerge from the bunker. Being in an open field away from the houses and buildings takes away from the immediacy of the destruction. But, since the property's on a slight rise about fifty feet above most the town, it affords them something of a panoramic view of the scale of the damage. About half the buildings in town are completely destroyed. Most of the rest are damaged well beyond repair. It's especially jarring to Buffy, Xander and Giles, since they've lived in this town for so long. Willow would feel the same way, if she could see. Giles notices the isolated blazes amidst the rubble, as well as the large brush fire about a mile behind them. He also spots the collapsed water tower, whose spilled content caused a deluge and mudslide that buried several dozen homes. "Earth, fire, water. I think we're nearly there."
"Now all we need is a tornado," Xander adds.
"Whose to say we haven't had one already?," Giles asks as he takes in the desolation.
"Is that our house?," Buffy wonders.
Dawn squints and looks closely. "Maybe. Hard to tell from here."
The gang starts to split up. Anya goes with Xander to check on his old place. Giles walks over to Estella and Vincente. Kennedy takes Willow by the arm and tries to describe what she sees. The Potentials follow Buffy to see about her house. Buffy turns around and looks at Dawn. "Are you coming?"
"Maybe later." She always feels out of place around Buffy and the Potentials. Meanwhile, Estella's rather shellshocked by the damage.
"I create a ruin, and I call it my first term," she darkly jokes.
"You had nothing to do with this," he assures her.
"True. But it's not exactly the legacy I planned on leaving behind. Generally, when you leave office, you want the city to be better off than it was when you got elected." She pauses "It's strange, seeing everything you've always known, always took for granted, just gone. The town where I've spent my whole life – erased in a moment. I know it's pathetic – feeling nostalgic about a place like this. But where the hell do I go from here?"
"To bigger, better and, hopefully, less perilous places," Giles assures her as he takes her left hand in his right.
"You ever been to Pompeii?," she asks as they stroll through the ruins.
"Yes, I have."
"Me too. That place held up a lot better than this town," she says with a laugh.
"The inhabitants certainly didn't," Rupert responds.
By three o'clock, the television stations were reporting that seismologists had detected a massive earthquake in or near Sunnydale. Angel and friends watch from his room. Scores of their new guests congregate around a small tv in the lobby, as well as around several portable sets brought by the fleeing families. They're all silent. Too stunned to feel relieved as of yet. But stunned enough to lose their previous outrage at the harsh manner in which they had been evicted from their homes. The only people in the building who aren't in the least bit surprised are Kit and her father. They sit in their new room, listening to the radio.
"When did you start to notice the buildup?," Kit asks her father.
"About three weeks ago."
"And you didn't bother telling me?"
"I knew you'd sense it before it was too late."
"And yet you're surprised by what we're hearing. Why? You knew better than just about anyone that Sunnydale was about to blow."
"The question was how. I agree with you that an earthquake makes obvious sense. But on a deeper level, you're making the mistake of mixing geology and mysticism. The evil energy's under the surface, but it's not like it goes down to the earth's core or something. That's ridiculous. It's clearly an extra-dimensional portal, getting its energy from other worlds, not our own planet's interior."
"What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. Burning sulfur shooting out from under your school, engulfing the town in fire and brimstone."
"Wouldn't that be a little too Biblical? Not to mention trite," Kit jokingly asks her dad.
"It's a classic. And far overdue for a comeback," he jokes back. "Towns are destroyed by earthquakes all the time. Evil has nothing to do with it. I was expecting something more . . . unique. Sunnydale was a unique place, to put it mildly."
Dawn stands there, just outside the bunker entrance, while everyone else scatters. She takes several deep breaths, then turns around to face west. "Get in!," she screams. "Get in! Get in!! Get in!!!" Her voice echoes against the rubble. A couple people look back and scratch their head.
"What's Dawny screeching about?," Willow asks Kennedy.
"Who knows?" They both shrug their shoulders and continue walking. Kennedy describes what she sees, and Willow tries to figure out what they are near.
Dawn sprints towards Buffy, catching up to her and the other five Potentials just before Dawn is about to collapse. She hyperventilates and tries to explain the situation in between gasps for air. "You have to get back inside. Everyone does. It's not over. There's more."
NEXT: Riley sees Buffy – and Spike. Angel lets all the new arrivals know who's in charge. And Nina gets to work.