A sharp click sounded from inside the gun, startling everyone.

The Librarian blinked.

Jack and Daniel exhaled sharply.

Col. Bering looked confused. He looked at his gun, raised it again and fired point blank at Teal'c.

Again, the gun clicked.

"Damn it!" The Marine snarled, raising the gun and pulling the trigger over and over. It clicked with every pull.

"Forget to load your weapon?" Librarian asked pointedly.

Bering stopped, his eyes going wide. He spun around and stalked over to the chair.

"She did this."

Librarian said nothing.

"You little shit." The words were hissed out as Bering brandished his ineffectual weapon. "Where is she? Tell me how she did this - I'm going to cut her heart out."

"Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing that would convince me to cheerfully be of assistance." Librarian defiance was in full form. "I will never tell you anything. I rather enjoy watching you underestimate her."

Bering braced one hand on Librarian's chair next to his head, brandishing the hunk of metal.

"Guns are just as deadly without bullets, Mr. Giles, and can sometimes be even more satisfying." He was getting louder by the second. "Lead me to your tame killer, Mr. Giles. Right. Fucking. Now. Or I will beat you to death with this hexed handgun."

Col. Bering and Librarian guy locked eyes, fury in one pair and controlled anger in the other. They held that tableau for long seconds until Bering snarled wordlessly and raised the gun in his hand, ready to strike.

There was a twang.

Col. Bering cried out, the gun arcing away and going clatter, thunk against the warehouse floor. A short bolt of wood pierced the palm of his hand; as everyone watched blood began to ooze up around the wound.

A clear carrying voice called down from the catwalk. "Oh, I am so not tame."

Everyone looked up.

A young woman leaned on the safety railing. She was slim and blond, Southern California Cheerleader-type pretty. She looked almost kewpie-doll fragile and she was wearing a pair of soft workout pants, a tank top and a soft gray hoodie.

She also had a crossbow in her hand.

Col. Bering's eyes were wide and dark, his pupils dilated with pain and anger. "Buffy Summers." He raised his voice. "What did I tell you, Col. O'Neill?" He gestured expansively with his uninjured hand, tucking the other close to his chest. "Why don't you come down here, Miss Summers. We have a...well...a proposition for you."

"Be right there." She swung herself onto the safety railing and jumped, twisting in the air to land in the middle of the room like a cat.

Jack eyed the thirty-foot drop. "Sweet." He said, impressed.

"Yes, our girl's quite the athlete." Col. Bering said. "However, we have the guns." All the Marines raised their weapons. "I believe that we still enjoy a distinct advantage."

Buffy cocked her head. "Didn't seem to be working so well for you a minute ago."

Col. Bering lost his smile. He snatched the rifle from the soldier nearest to him, aimed at Buffy, and pulled the trigger.

It clicked.

All the soldiers were looking at their weapons, now. Quite a few aimed at the ground or the wall and tried to shoot. None of the guns would fire.

"I still have Mr. Giles." The Col. was cold now, and furious. He turned toward his prisoners.

The chair was empty, ropes puddled around it on the floor. Daniel Jackson stood next to the chair, arms folded, with a bland look on his face. Jack and Teal'c looked at Daniel, then looked back at the blond Col., wearing equally bland expressions.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"See, the problem with you Initiative boys, " Buffy drawled, refocusing the Col.'s attention. "Is that you don't do the right homework. Watchers train Slayers. It's what they do. They tend to be good at it, 'cause if they aren't they're monster food and a new Slayer gets called mighty damn quick." She looked pointedly at the chair. "Tactics 101. Misdirection and Escape." Her tone was contemptous.

"I learned that in high school."

Col. Bering flushed.

"Although," Buffy added, more contemplatively, "I can see how his extreme lack of wardrobe style could cause you to underestimate him."

The soldiers all discarded their weapons and began moving carefully into position for hand to hand combat. Counting the Col. there were probably fifteen or twenty in all. They spread out so as not to get in each other's way; they were gearing to rush her. The Col. began to strip off his jacket, revealing a rock hard and muscular body.

"There are still a whole lot more of us, little girl, then there are - is - of you." He gritted out, signaling to his men.

"Oh, I think we can help even the odds, Bering." Jack drawled. He was inching toward the Initiative soldiers, as were Daniel and Teal'c. He caught Buffy's eye and nodded, watching her for cues.

Buffy nodded back, but kept talking, keeping all eyes focused on her. "The other thing is, you guys never come up with an original plan." She rolled her eyes. "Do you honestly think that you're the first villains to come up with the idea of kidnapping Giles? Newsflash! It's been done. Over done if you ask me. And it's been done better. You are so not stealthy. My ex-boyfriend did a better job of kidnapping Giles."

"I thought we weren't going to keep bringing that up." A large man stood on the safety railing, looming above the incipient fray. His hair was black and his skin was white. Everyone looked up and he jumped down to land next to Buffy and take up a position near her.

"You wanted a demon." He nodded at Buffy. "You wanted the Slayer."

"Well, congratulations." Her look was implacable, cold and angry. "You got us."

Everyone moved at once and the fighting began.