Chapter 21 - Further Developments
It's dark. Something is stalking me, I feel it, but I have no idea who it is or exactly where they are. I'm concentrating so hard, scanning with everything I've got, but I can't pinpoint it. And then I feel something, just a pinprick in my arm, but my defences crumble, and with them, my will to resist. I'm floating, and any sense of danger gradually dissipates as I relax, and it occurs to me at last that I've been dreaming.
I come awake suddenly, and every sense is on alert. I consider the possibility that it's just a remnant of my dream, but I know it's not. I do my best to remain immobile, and just carefully open an eye, taking in our surroundings. The bed looks as I remember, as does Spike. Somehow, during the night, our positions have changed, and I'm now wrapped in his arms. My heart's still hammering, my Slayer sense on overload. I move slowly, trying to make it seem natural, and take a look further around the bed, but it all seems as I remembered.
Spike moves suddenly, and his eyes snap open. He takes a moment to take in his situation, then buries his head in the pillow, pausing only to mutter, "Sorry."
Much as I'd like to persuade him that he's got nothing to be sorry for, my Slayer sense is still screaming at me, so I sit up, and look around some more.
There must be something about me that's radiating my concern because Spike swings his legs over the side of the bed and sits up too, watching me carefully.
"What's up?" he asks.
"Don't know. Can't see anything, but my Slayer senses are about to overload, and I don't know why."
Spike nods, and goes to pick up a t-shirt to add to the sweat pants he wore to sleep in. I pick up my wrap, and raise my arm to put it on, and I spot a speck of blood on my lower arm. I touch it, noting that the blood's dried. Putting concern about it to one side for now, I approach the door to the rest of the suite, with Spike at my side.
Sitting on our chairs and sofa are three … men. Well, they look like men, but my senses tell me otherwise. They could be brothers, dark brown hair, tanned, brown eyed, wearing identical looking navy blue suits, white shirts and navy ties.
"Would you like to tell me what you're doing here?" I ask, more rationally than I thought I'd manage.
One of them stands, and holds out a hand to me. "We're here to welcome you," he answers, obviously expecting me to shake his hand. I don't. He lowers his arm with a shrug.
"You can call me Aaron," he adds. "My brothers are Benedict and Cornelius. We represent the International Carnolan Government. We have been awaiting your arrival for a long time, Miss Summers."
"Look, I don't know what you've got in mind, but we paid for this suite, and I don't take kindly to finding three strangers in it, so if you'd be so kind as to leave, …" Spike invites in his most gracious, and at the same time menacing sounding voice.
Aaron just smiles. "You can do as you wish, Mr. Ashcroft. It is Miss Summers who is of interest to us."
"Well, Miss Summers would also like you to leave," I add.
"I regret that will not be possible," Aaron replies. "Although we would be happy to wait until you have dressed … more appropriately for company."
"Look," I say. "I don't care what you think you're here to do. If you want to speak to me, you can call, or make some other arrangements. You don't just break into our suite. Whatever it is you want from me, I've got to say, you're not making a very favourable impression."
"However, we are not leaving."
Ok, this is just too much. I approach Mr. Smarmy-face, grab him by the arms, and attempt to propel him toward the door. He doesn't move. He hardly seems to notice that I'm trying to move him.
"Miss Summers, we took the precaution of injecting you with a muscle relaxant while you slept. You are, I believe, familiar with it. It was developed by the Council of Watchers some time ago. We very much want to talk to you, and we'd rather avoid any unpleasantness. So, if I can suggest once again, perhaps you would like to dress and then we can talk."
"You want to avoid unpleasantness, yet you inject me with something against my will?" I demand incredulously. I can feel waves of anger rolling over me, and it's an effort not to just give in to them, even though it doesn't look like it'll do me any good. With an effort, I turn towards the bedroom, and I gesture for Spike to follow me. So much for all our subterfuge. They know exactly who I am, and they haven't wasted any time getting in contact with me.
Once the door's closed, I pull some clothes from the wardrobe. Black leather pants, a cotton top and a leather jacket. I open a drawer and pull out some underwear. I haven't said a word since we came in, and neither has Spike, but then he doesn't have to for me to know how he's feeling. He's as mad as I am.
"Let's get dressed, and go and see what they want," I suggest.
"Doesn't look like we've got much choice," he agrees. "Why'd that bitch bring me back human? If I …"
"Doesn't matter, Spike. Look, let's go along with them for now. It won't be that long till I get my strength back, then we'll reconsider. I'd kinda hoped to be in control going in, but if this is all we've got, then we'll just have to go with it." He nods, then picks out some clean clothes before leaving the room.
"I'll get changed in the bathroom," he says, steeling himself to walk past the three in the living room.
He's there with them when I return, already dressed, and doing his best to exude menace. And his best is pretty good, I've got to admit. Pity it's not backed up by demon strength any more.
Aaron had been sitting when I returned, but he stood as I entered the room. "Now, Miss Summers, let's get down to business. I apologise if you feel we've been less than welcoming so far, but I'm sure, once you've heard what we have to say, that you'll understand our need for caution."
The sofa is vacant, and I gesture for Spike to join me there.
"Ok, I'm listening," I say.
"We did say Mr. Ashcroft is welcome to go. In fact, we would strongly advise that he leave now. If he hears what I have to say, that option will no longer exist."
"I'm staying."
"Spike? Maybe you should …"
"I'm staying."
His arms are folded, and his posture is making it clear that he's not willing to compromise.
"Very well. Now," Aaron gestures to his two companions who get up to stand beside him. "We know why you're here. We know about Wolfram and Hart, and the fact that you are in some way indebted to them. We even know that it has something to do with your companion, but the details are not significant to us. Your arrival among us was foretold many hundreds of years ago. We knew that you would come among us with the intent of destroying us. And that may in fact be the final result of your arrival. However, we believe there is another possibility, one that will destroy, or at the very least, seriously weaken those you refer to as the Senior Partners. We believe that this second possibility would be the better option for humanity as a whole, and we're willing to explain why. When you have heard and seen what you need to, you will be left to come to your decision."
I glance at Spike, and he gives me a forced smile in return. Whatever I expected, it wasn't this.
"You mean, if I don't agree, you'll just let us go?"
"Well, it's not that simple. The prophecy says that you will accompany us, it just neglects to tell the final outcome."
"And the Senior Partners know about this prophecy?" Spike asks.
"We have been careful to hide all the possibilities form them. Let's just say that the version they have allows for only one outcome."
"So I'm just to allow human eating demons to live?" I ask. "Just do nothing about it?"
"I suggest you discover for yourself a bit about our needs before you condemn us out of hand. And you have allowed other such creatures to live before. You have a history of being intimate with those you are purported to slay. Among vampires, Angelus has a fearsome reputation, yet you didn't choose to kill him when you had the opportunity."
"He had a soul."
"Not all the time. And he wasn't the only one, was he? Although the other was different in many ways. He achieved redemption in the end, did he not? And returned as the human at your side. His journey is quite remarkable, and an interesting side note to your own story if not central to it."
"So, what's your story?"
"Now, why would you believe what I say? It would be much more convincing, don't you think, for you to come with us and actually experience our way of life?"
"Now wait a minute," Spike says, his voice loud and strident. "If you think Buffy's going anywhere at all, you've got another think coming. Now, it's time you left."
"As I said, you were welcome to leave, and could still do so if you insist." As he says this, he looks at his two companions who nod, although the one designated Cornelius doesn't look happy about it.
"And I said I wasn't leaving Buffy. Now, get out of here."
"I think not."
The expression on his face is so irritating, I want nothing more than to wipe it off.
"You can either come with us willingly, or unconscious. The choice is yours."
As he says that, he pulls a gun from his pocket. "The pellets in this gun contain an anaesthetic. The effects of it are instantaneous when they hit your bloodstream. I would prefer not to have to use it, but …"
The expression on his face becomes even more irritating. Spike and I get up as one, and move towards them. The gun is raised, aiming at me. I stop. Without my Slayer strength I don't know what I can do.
It happens so fast, it's a blur. Suddenly Spike's no longer beside me, he's launched himself at Aaron, knocking the gun out of his hand. It goes skittering across the room, and one of the others - I think it's Benedict - moves to intercept it, but Spike's too quick, he kicks out and Benedict goes sprawling in the opposite direction. While this is going on, I try to get involved, but I'm grabbed from behind, and someone has his arm around my neck, and then I feel a gun at my arm. I try to struggle anyway, but I can't make any impression on the grip. These Carnolans might look human, but I'd estimate almost vamp strength.
Spike's managed to knock Benedict out, and Aaron's on the floor with Spike on top of him, hitting him repeatedly. And then he sees me, struggling against Cornelius who speaks.
"Mr. Ashcroft. You are a surprise. Now, I'd suggest you stop that, and let my brother up. If you don't, I may break a bone or two in this young lady before I put her to sleep. Nothing fatal, of course, but I can make it extremely painful."
Spike does as he's told, moving away slowly. Aaron retrieves his weapon, and points it at Spike.
Looking at Spike's expression, he hasn't realised the significance of what he did. Those 'men' are strong. They're all taller and bulkier than Spike, and he shouldn't have been able to make any impression on one of them, let alone two.
"So, what do you think?" Aaron is asking the others. "Should we take our surprise along with us? Or is he more trouble than he's worth?"
"I think," Cornelius answers, "that he may be part of what we don't understand. I say we take him. It won't be difficult to keep him under control, and it may make the Slayer more amenable to us."
"I think you may be right," Aaron agrees. "Ok, let's do this."
I hear the shot and see Spike crumple. Aaron goes to him, putting a hand to his forehead. "Good, just as I expected," he says. "Your turn now."
Cornelius nods, and I see his finger start to depress the trigger, and then, nothing.