Fic: Ultimate Slayer - Issue 2

Author: mkcrl120

Disclaimer: All the characters mentioned in this story belong to Joss Whedon or Mutant Enemy or some other people. I own nothing and wrote this just to get it out of my system. The Ultimate idea comes from Marvel's use of revamping (pardon the pun) some of it's older titles.

Summary: Fresh universe… it all starts here folks

Rating: 15 by English standards (mainly for language)

========================

Ultimate Slayer #2: Chosen part 1

Rome

"Any sign of her?" Doug asked Merrick when he returned. Merrick's face said it all.

"I went to where Marie was taken. It had been abandoned."

"And?" Marie asked from her bed, pressing the issue.

"I found what was left of Annie. They'd drained her."

Nothing else needed to be said. Merrick stood in the doorway to Marie's room. Watching as mother and father consouled each other on the loss of their daughter. 'Even when it was expected, it still comes as a blow.' Merrick thought bitterly, watching them hug and cry themselves out.

Deciding to give them some space, Merrick left the room and made his way to the vending machine.

Sitting there he put his head in his hands.

'Another child. Another beautiful life removed from this plane of existence.' He thought. 'Why couldn't he save her? Why couldn't he have saved any of them.' Forcing his emotions under control he rose to his feet.

He walked over to the payphone at the end of the hall. Putting a few coins into it, he then dialled a number.

"Hello. Council services, how may I help?" Came the voice on the other end.

"This is Merrick. ID number 442317"

"One second sir." There was a brief pause on the other end, "Checking confirmed. Hold on I'll patch you through."

"Yes."

"It's me."

"Merrick. What's happened?"

"Annie Hanover died. I'll submit full details in my report. Find the next one."

There was an audible click on the other end as the person on the other end hung up.

Sighing, Merrick took more change out of his pocket, and dialled another number.

From the other end came a feminine voice, "'Lo?"

"Manda? It's me... It happened again."

"Oh..." There was a pause on the other end, as the person searched for something to say. "That's like what, four in five years?"

"I had high hopes for this one."

"I remember you telling me. She lasted what, a year and a half. That's not bad going."

"It was almost two years. She'd just started college when she was called."

Merrick found himself twiddling the phone cable. "This time it was different."

"I remember you saying. Her paren..."

"In the other room. Unbelieveably upset as you can imagine."

"I guess. Was it easier or harder this time?"

"Harder, I actually knew them instead of watching them from afar."

"I meant on them, not you."

"Oh... I don't know."

"Least they had some warning, they may have got chance to mentally prepared for this."

"I don't think you can prepare for this."

"It's better than having your daughter go missing for days, and then the police coming round to inform you they've found a body."

"You'd think."

"You could have told some of the parents not to expect their daughters back, you know?"

"I couldn't! It's not our way. Anyway, if I'd told them anything the police would have been on me for details. What could I have told them?"

"Not our way. That's all I ever heard when I was with the council. Why do you think I left?"

"I know why you left, I was there when you made your infamous speech remember?"

"They had it coming." Another pause. "You could leave too you know. You're must be eligible for retirement."

"A Merrick has been with the council for centuries. I'll not be the one to stop that."

"You are the one to stop that. You never had any children, the line ends with you."

"You were the closest thing I had to a child. I'd hoped you'd go on and continue all that I taught you. All that my family had learned through the years."

"And you were there for me when my parents died. You took me in, you were like the uncle I never had."

"It's just a pity everything we Merricks learnt over the years will be lost forever now."

"Don't play that card with me. You could have told any of them."

"Some things I don't trust the council with."

"What happened with those two men wasn't your fault."

"They were kids."

"They are over a decade older than I am."

"I thought, teaching some to follow in my footsteps would be a good thing. Like you just suggested."

"You trained them well. It was not your fault."

"I should have been with them."

"You couldn't go where they went. You were too old." She teased at the end.

"It was still my responsibility."

"Is that why, although you were willing to train me, you never let me out of your sight?"

The door to Marie's room opened. Doug put his head out. Noticing this, Merrick finished up his phone call.

"You were the only one I trained after that event. I've got to go. The parent's are... moving."

"Give them my love and condolescences."

"They don't even know you."

"Do it anyway."

"I'll try to visit if I can."

"You in America... that'll be the day. Culture shock'd probably kill you."

"Har har, Bye."

"Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Merrick moved over to Doug.

"How is she?"

"Upset. But we both knew one day it would come. My wife's upset cos she think's it's her fault. She thinks Annie died trying to protect her."

"Doug..." Merrick said reluctantly. "We don't know if she drank."

"What???"

"We don't know if sh..."

"I heard what you said." Doug said, ushering Merrick further away from the door. "Is it likely?"

"I don't know." Merrick admitted. "It hasn't happened in my lifetime. But we cannot allow such a thing to occur."

Doug looked like he would die, "What normally happens?"

"Normally the parents don't know. So after the funeral I wait around to be sure. But in this instance..."

Doug wanted to protect his wife from anything further, but the thought of someone else being the one to do it. "I'll take care of it."

"You sure."

"I think so." Doug admitted. "Look stay around for the funeral. See how you think we're coping with this, then you decide. Hopefully it's a mute point anyway."

Merrick glanced towards the closed door. "Will you tell Marie?"

"I'll have to. She should know anyway. I can't keep secrets from her. Not at this point."

Doug moved to return to his wife.

Merrick turned to leave. "Doug. I'll be at the hotel if you need me."

"One more thing. Have the police found her yet?"

"No."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"I can move the body to somewhere it could be more easily discovered. From the number of them that appeared to be staying there; I'd put money on police either not going down to that area, or if the do then they don't return."

"Do it. I'll tell Marie that when the police arrive, we have to be worried but we can't know she's dead." Doug swallowed hard. That was the first time he'd actually used that phrase.

"I think she knows, Doug."

"She's emotional. Hell if anyone saw me, they'd be wondering why I'm so upset... I mean as far as the world knows, all that's happened is my wife has a broken arm."

Doug re-entered the hospital room, as Merrick made his way to the emergency exit.

=====

Los Angeles

Buffy awoke feeling refreshed. She was pretty sure she was fully over whatever had inflicted her last night. 'Must have been some sort of overnight bug or something.' Looking at the clock, she realised she'd been asleep for over twelve hours.

Shaking her head, she got up got dressed and went downstairs. Her parents were running around the house; her father kept coming downstairs with different ties, which her mother then gave an opinion on. Her mother was busy attempting to cook. Buffy shook her head. 'Cooking on a Sunday, since when?'

"Buffy, be a dear and explain to your father exactly which one is his baige tie."

Buffy sat on the arm of the sofa. Her father came running downstairs with another handful. "Dad." She called out, stopping him in mid-stride. "Show." She ordered.

Her father made an elaborate gesture of displaying all the ties by draping them over his fore-arm. Buffy took a look at them.

"Fourth one up. Similar to that one but a bit lighter."

"Light brown-ish? Light brown-ish? You could have saved me a lot of time, Joyce if you'd told me it was light brown-ish."

Joyce shared a look with Buffy that just screamed 'Men'.

"Mom..." Buffy said walking into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

Joyce continued to prepare the vegetables, "Your father is having some clients around tonight. We're going to let them eat here, before we take them out this evening."

Buffy was busy rumaging in the cupboards looking for something to eat. "There's no cereal."

"We're out sweetie. It's on my list when I go shopping on Tuesday." Reaching behind her, she took an apple out of the fruit bowl and threw it to Buffy. "Here have an apple dear."

Buffy caught the apple in her left hand. "No cereal 'til Wednesday." She said horrified, before biting into the apple.

Her father came from behind her. "Joyce... you did remember a vegetarian option, didn't you?" At her look, "Of course you did. You were the one that reminded me that Margaret didn't eat meat. Okay... anything I can help you with."

"Hank," Joyce said lifting the knife up. "Don't you dare... at this point I know all the food is edible. You out."

"Okay, okay." Hank surrendered. "So Buffy, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I don't get fed."

Feigning shock, Hank played along. "Of course you get fed, doesn't she Joyce?" Joyce grinned in the background. "The problem dear, is that you'll have to sit through a very serious business dinner, we'll be discussing stocks in..."

Hank trailed off as Buffy put her hands over her ears. "La la la la la."

Hank smiled at her and gestured her to put her hands down. "I've stopped." he mouthed silently.

Buffy reluctantly moved one of her hands, just enough so that she could hear. "You promise?"

"Promise." Hank said. "So what do you want to do for dinner? Seriously we could set a spot for you, or we could make you some to be eaten in your room or..?"

"Mall." Buffy quickly responded.

"Somehow I guessed that would be the response." Hank pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and started to show the money inside. "So how much..?"

Buffy quickly took a few notes. Grinning she gave her father a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks dad."

"I swear meals for her cost as much as they do in fancy restaurants for business clients."

"I have to have enough." Buffy pouted, before running upstairs. "What if Kim or Niccy can't afford their own food when we're out?"

"Why you little..?" Hank pretended to chase her for the first few steps.

"You spoil her you know." Joyce called from the other room.

=====

England

"It's been confirmed. Another has been called."

"Where?"

"We don't know yet."

"She's not amongst those we know of."

"No. None of the poten..."

"We were lucky to find the last one so quickly."

"So what now?"

"We wait til we can actually search for her."

=====

Rome

They'd filed a report on their missing daughter once they'd left the hospital. They'd sat eagerly expecting a call for the first few hours. Nothing had been forthcoming, so eventually they went to bed.

Approximately an hour afterward, two police officers had arrived at their door.

"Mr Hanover?" One of the policemen said as it opened.

"Yes." Doug quickly responded, remembering to force himself not to show anything other than worry.

"May we come in, Mr Hanover?"

"It's Annie isn't it?" Marie had called from the bedroom, she came out attempting to wrap herself in the dressing gown. Her broken arm was making it difficult. Doug went over to help.

The two policemen walked into the hotel room, closing the door behind them.

"Mr and Mrs Hanover. I'm afraid I have some bad news." The second policeman had said.

"Where's Annie? Is she alright?" Marie asked.

"It might be better if you sit down." The first officer said.

"I don't want to sit down, I want to hear about my daughter." Doug said defiantly.

"I'm afraid we've found a body."

"Annie?" Marie said collapsing onto the sofa.

"We believe so. The girl in question certainly matches both the description given and the photograph provided."

"Annie!!" Marie started crying. Doug moved over to comfort his wife.

"Can we see her?"

"We will need one of you to come down to identify the body."

"I'll do it." Doug offered.

"No... I want to come too." Marie stated.

"It won't be pretty, ma'am. I'm afraid she's been in an accident."

"Car..? But she doesn't drive. She was talking about renting a scooter and seeing the..."

"It looks like an animal attack."

"Animal? In Rome?" Marie looked horrified.

"Give us a few minutes to get dressed." Doug said, directing his wife into the bedroom.

"Certainly sir."

=====

Manhattan

The waitress with the label Jane, was watching in amusement. There was a short man in a hat sitting in a coffee shop, he seemed to be talking to himself. Another waitress arrived back after giving him his free refill. "What'd he say this time?"

The waitress with the label Sarah answered, "Something about how daylight makes it more difficult to search. And something about hating this town already."

"Tourist eh?" Jane said.

"Looks that way."

"Gotta agree with him on hating this town though."

"You've only been here a few months. Wait 'til it's been twenty years like me. Then you'll know what it means to truly despise somewhere."

"What was he talking about earlier? You know when you looked a little scared of him."

"Think he's some religious nut. He was whinging about the soul and whether it was important if he had one or something. Was sure he was gonna ask me convert or try sell me something."

"We always get the crazies." Jane mumbled to herself.

They continued to serve other customers for a further hour or so. About half an hour after sunset, the short guy got off his seat and walked away.

"There he goes, yep, bye bye bible-basher. Good riddance."

The guy walked across the street. Starting to look in alleys again. This time deciding to go walking down them. After a few blocks of random alleys he stopped suddenly; sniffing the air, he suddenly looked curious. This curiousity caused him to look behind a skip. "Gotcha..." he said aloud. "My first clue... so you are around here."

He left the scene quickly heading deeper into the alley.

Behind the skip were the remains of a half-eaten rat.

=====

Rome

The police officers led the Hanovers out of the hotel and into their car. As they arrived at the car, Doug noticed Merrick walking towards them along the pavement.

Merrick tipped his hat to the police officers.

Doug clenched his jaw and made a small nodding movement with his head.

Merrick nodded as well, stating he'd got the message.

As he passed Merrick slipped a small piece of paper into Doug's coat pocket with Merrick's new contact details on.

Doug quietly moved it from his coat pocket to his trousers pocket before climbing in the car.

=====

End Issue 2 - Chosen part one.

========================