Majin Gojira: My source was an episode of the TV show.
8:46 am, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ
"Um yes, well, Detective..."
"Sara," she interrupted. "I figure since we're working together on this we should at least go with first names."
"Um, well, Sara it is. Everyone seems to just call me Giles." The edge of Sara's mouth formed a smile at that. Giles returned the smile and continued. "Anyway," he said, "I think checking out these locations might be helpful, since we haven't had a chance yet to question any people there."
"I think I can swing that," Sara replied.
"Hey, Sara," Willow said, "can I get your cell number, just in case?"
"Sure." As she gave Willow the number, she asked, "So what're you going to be doing?"
"I'll be going with Giles, backing each other up. Might not have Slayer powers, but a witch and a Watcher can make a pretty decent team."
"If something becomes a police matter, call me. Anything you do could have some legal implications," Sara reminded them.
"Of course," Giles replied.
"Okay, so Sara and I will split..." Buffy started.
"Detective Pezzini to you," Sara interrupted sternly.
Buffy glared at her. "Sara and I will split up our portion of the list and check out some more of the contacts. I'll try and find some of the vampire hideouts, see if I can get anything out of them. We meet up in Central Park noon and at 4:45."
"Is she always this bossy?" Sara whispered to Willow.
"Kind of happens when you're the boss," Willow replied.
"Do me a favor, guys," Buffy continued. "Don't get killed." She then looked at Sara.
"Buffy..." Giles said as he looked at Buffy.
Sighing, she said insincerely, "You too, Sara."
"Oh, thank you so much," Sara replied sarcastically before they exited the room.
Yeah, don't die, Buffy thought. But at least get a black eye... or stub a toe... or something.
12:01 pm, Thursday - Central Park
"Did you come up with anything?" Buffy asked.
"Nothing so far," Giles replied. "We tried some more of Robin's leads, but they turned up dry."
"There's got to be someone who knows some info," Willow opined. "This is a big city."
"Some of Robin's contacts did give me a few places to look." Giles handed Buffy a slip of paper. "We could try them and meet back here."
"Sound like a plan," Sara said. "Which ones are you taking, Giles?"
"Willow and I will start in Brooklyn and work our way back here. What about you?"
"The restaurant down in Chinatown, called 'Wong's'. I know the place and the guy who owns it. It's run by the Triads and things can get a bit rough if you play it wrong."
"Maybe Buffy should accompany you," he suggested.
"You're kidding me, right? The kid wouldn't last five minutes!"
"This 'kid' has taken on a lot more than you know. I can handle myself... unlike you," Buffy retorted.
"Guys, can we save the banter for later?" Willow asked.
"Fine. We meet here at 4:45. Just be careful."
"You too," Willow replied as she and Giles started to leave the park.
"Guess it's just you and me," Sara said cynical.
"Oh, the joy," Buffy retorted.
"Let's just go. The sooner we solve this, the sooner you leave New York."
"Gladly."
12:47 pm, Thursday – Wong's Palace Restaurant
The two women had made it to the restaurant, both annoyed the entire way about the other tagging along. But if they had to squash their feud for the sake of innocents, then they would do it. They just didn't have to like it.
"I'm here to see Tommy Chin," Sara said to the maitre d' as she flashed her badge.
Stone-faced, he picked up the phone. A few minutes later, a man dressed in fine clothes and a sly smile approached down the steps, flocked by menacing-looking bodyguards.
"Detective Pezzini. What a nice surprise. What brings you here?"
"Information, Tommy. That's all."
"Well, maybe I got it, maybe I don't. Follow me upstairs... and bring your pretty friend."
"Oh, this is gonna be loads of fun," Buffy said under her breath.
They walked up the stairs to the second level, the VIP section of the restaurant. It was exclusive to Triad members and, while it wasn't packed, it certainly had its fair share of patrons. The two women followed Tommy into his private office, guards on both sides of the doorway. Buffy was feeling like this was too clichéd for words. It was like something out of a bad gangster movie... only for real.
"So, what's on your mind, Detective?"
"The serial-killer, Tommy. I need to know if you heard anything weird happening around town that might be related."
"Sorry, Detective. Haven't been really paying attention. Since Old Man Vitelli kicked we've been trying to gain ground on the Mafia and that doesn't leave a lot of room for news broadcasts."
"It's been all over town. Don't tell me you haven't heard," Buffy said.
"Hey, sweetcheeks. If it hasn't hit Canal Street, then it ain't my problem."
"So you got nothing?" Sara asked.
"Didn't say that. Said I wasn't paying attention, but I do know a little. Some... 'associates' of mine caught a little bit of movement a few days ago on some business at the docks. People hauling stuff into a truck, and a couple robed figures were along for the ride. That's about it."
"So, in essence, you have nothing," Buffy said.
"Well, I got you, sugar," Tommy flirted mercilessly.
"Not likely."
"Ah, you're a little too round-eyed for my tastes anyway," he replied nonchalantly.
"Let's go," Sara said.
"Actually," Tommy replied, "speaking of docks, you do know about that shipment six months ago?"
"The one Customs busted you on, the one with stolen goods?" Sara replied. "Hey, one of your guys gets plugged and I followed up on it. You should really do more background checks on your employees."
"Yeah, well, I'm still recovering from the loss." The bodyguards started to convene on the two women. "Normally I like to keep personal stuff out of my business, but since it really cost me, I'm afraid I'm going to need a little compensation. Maybe a broken knee."
"You know you can't touch me, Tommy," Sara said. "Cops'll be swarming you soon as I leave."
"True, but she's not a cop. I can tell," he replied pointing at Buffy. "You complain and they'll probably wonder why you brought a civilian along who got hurt. Won't look too good for you."
One of the guards, a burly one, grabbed Buffy and held her in a bear hug. Sara made a move toward her but was pushed away by one of the other guards.
The guard started to squeeze, just enough to cause maximum pain to a girl her size. Buffy just furrowed her brow and said, "That's it?" She broke out of the grip easily and punched the guard square in the chest, knocking him into the wall.
Sara activated the Witchblade and formed her glove. Getting up she punched the guard in the stomach and then back-fisted him into a fake Ming vase. Seeing their comrades dispatched, the other two guards in the room came at Buffy and Sara only to be thrown onto Tommy desk, breaking it. Hearing the commotion, the two guards outside came only to go flying out through the doors, alerting everyone in the VIP section to their presence. Some of the Triads had their guns out ready to shoot.
One of the guards sprawled on the floor of the office brought out his gun and stood up.
"Don't shoot!" Tommy yelled.
Excited, the bodyguard pulled the trigger.
What went through Buffy's mind the second he brought out the gun was that it was all over. The killer would get away and the world would possibly be in danger. But then she saw the gun was pointed at Sara. She only had a split-second to act. But it was all for nothing... in more ways than one.
Sara had turned to face the bodyguard as he shot. Lifting the gauntlet to her face the bullet ricocheted off. The bodyguard fired again and Sara blocked it again. The next shot came from behind her. It was Tommy, who shot the bodyguard in the leg. Turning around, Sara grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.
"You know what, Tommy? I'm really getting sick and tired of being attacked," Sara said. She extended her small blade and held it to his throat. "I might just have to take a little compensation, if you know what I mean."
"Sara, stop! Let's just get out of here."
"No! I've had enough of this and it's time for payback."
Buffy went up to the woman and grabbed her arm. "That's enough," she said slowly and menacingly.
Seeing the look in Buffy's eyes, she turned toward Tommy. Glaring at him, she started to walk out, with Buffy following her. Some were ready to attack but Tommy had them stand down, not wanting any more trouble for the day.
The two women went outside, Sara storming down the sidewalk. Buffy ran up and stopped in front of Sara, staring her in the eyes.
"What... was... that?" Buffy asked angrily.
"What?"
"You could've killed that guy. And why didn't you tell me that thing blocked bullets?"
"I had it under control, and you didn't need to know," Sara retorted.
"Are you kidding me? I saw the look in your eyes. That thing makes you crazy. You can't even control it. And I don't feel comfortable hanging around you without knowing everything the Witchblade is capable of."
Grabbing Buffy and pushing her into the side of an alley wall, Sara exclaimed, "I had it under complete control! And for the record, don't ever get in my way again, got it!"
"Fine," Buffy said.
As Sara stormed off, Buffy added to her words. "Psycho."
4:47 pm, Thursday - Central Park
Nothing...again. Again, coming up with an estimated sum of zero pieces of information. They had worked all day and found nothing. After Buffy and Sara's 'encounter' at the restaurant, they checked out some other places and, fortunately, without incident. Their failure in acquiring more information made them feel the killer had swooped into town and did it without notice. Actually, it was exactly like the killer swooped in without notice.
"So, what's our next move?" Sara asked.
"Well, me and Giles could check out some of the last few places on the list. Might be worth it. What do you think, Buffy?" Willow replied.
"We could try, but we better find something soon. It's almost night and I'm sure this guy is just itching to get started."
"Well, I have an idea," Sara said. "There's one guy I tried earlier, but he didn't have anything. Or so he told me. He might know something by now."
"Where is he?" Giles asked.
"I'll show you. But I got to say, he doesn't like me much."
"Really," Buffy said sarcastically. "Because someone of your charming disposition should make friends easily."
"Let's just go," Giles replied. If those two don't kill each other, I just might have to lend a hand.
They arrived at the building twenty-five minutes later. The camera at the entrance zoomed in and the door buzzed. Needless to say, the Scoobies were a bit creeped out. No one even bothered to greet them. They walked through the doors and were met by a man walking down some steps, immaculately dressed and refined, from what Buffy could gather.
"Mr. Nottingham will see you upstairs," he said. "Follow me."
"Thanks," Sara said sarcastically. The group made their way upstairs and halted at the entrance. The man stood between them and the doors.
"What's the problem?" Buffy asked.
"Only Ms. Pezzini and Ms. Summers are allowed in: Mr. Nottingham's orders."
"Now see here..." Giles protested.
"Giles, it's alright. If Mr. Big-Wig wants to see me, he can." Buffy then looked at the man. "You just better hope he's not wasting our time."
The man smiled and opened the double-doors. Sara and Buffy made their way in and saw a chair in the middle of the room, with a figure looming over a warm, yet somewhat violent fire. The figure in the chair soon spoke.
"Lady Sara, you come to see me again. This is the second time this week. And I see you have brought a new, powerful ally: the Slayer. Or rather, a Slayer, I should say. But for all intents and purposes, she is the one who leads them."
"How do you know about me?" Buffy asked.
"I've known about you for quite some time, Ms. Summers. I had always hoped to meet you, as did my master before his untimely demise."
"What happened to him?"
"Me," Sara replied.
"Figures," Buffy quipped.
"Look, Nottingham..." Sara started to say. That was, until Buffy decided to intervene.
"Look, you creeped me out. Congratulations. We just want some answers; do you or do you not have any information on the witch-killer or the next victim?"
Nottingham stood up from his chair, gracefully and deadly, Buffy noticed. She saw in his eyes an animal, only one refined and hidden by his exterior. She knew that type of being. He was the kind that had no problem killing others to meet his own goals, but did it under a veneer of sophistication and beauty. She only knew one other person like that: Dracula.
"I have neither the name of the killer or of the next victim, Ms. Summers."
"Then you're wasting our time," Buffy said before walking toward the doors.
"However, I do have one piece of information that might prove useful," Nottingham replied.
That stopped Buffy in her tracks. Turning around, she gazed at the man, examining him some more. Sure he was handsome, drop-dead handsome to be sure, but he had a kind of 'stalker' air about him, something that was a complete turn-off. Brushing aside that thought, she said, "So, what have you got?"
Smiling, Nottingham replied, "I recently found out about a gathering of Wiccans from the East Coast that is happening in New York tonight, on NYU's Campus. Normally I would not have noticed, but under the circumstances, I would say that such information might be beneficial."
"Where's it being held?" Sara said anxiously.
"Vanderbilt Hall, at 8:00."
"We've got to get moving," Sara said to Buffy. "Got to call the captain and let him know." As Sara brought out her cell phone and started to leave the room, Nottingham spoke aloud. "Lady Sara. I have aided you in this, only because it concerns this city and my interests. You have exhausted all of my generosity." Turning around toward the fire, he said, "Consider this your last visit."
Sara just looked at him. Buffy saw her face and knew immediately that Sara and Nottingham's relationship wasn't like hers and Spike's during the whole Glory fiasco. No, this was something akin to her and... Angelus. There was an 'I-might-kill-you-next-time-I-see-you' feeling in the air. She even thought that this guy might have been an old flame. If that was the case, Buffy started to feel for the woman, if only briefly. It was only Sara moving after staring at Nottingham that brought her out of her thoughts.
"Let's go," Sara said, all the time avoiding Buffy's eyes.
Outside, the doors opened to a waiting Willow and Giles, who wondered what had happened as Sara stormed out on her cell phone.
"What happened in there?" Willow asked.
"He told us about a witch conference in Vanderbilt Hall over at NYU," Buffy replied.
"Renders my whole spell pretty useless," Willow said disappointedly.
"Sara doesn't look too pleased," Giles said.
"Yeah, well, Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Broody in there... yeah, another one... anyway, he told us the info and then told Sara not to come back ever again."
"They have a history?" Willow asked.
"Big time. Just don't know all of the details," Buffy replied.
Sara knew they were talking about her as she was talking to Dante. While she could have interrupted, she had bigger things on her mind. "Captain, we need to get some surveillance over to NYU near Vanderbilt Hall. There's some kind of witch conference over there starting at 8:00... Yeah, I'm heading over there right now." She closed her cell phone and approached Giles and Willow.
"So what's up? Heading over to NYU?" Willow asked.
"Yeah. You guys will have to stay back."
"Sara, we should at least be nearby, just in case something happens."
"Look, Giles, I can't put you in a police situation. I already stepped over a lot of bounds to have you tag along."
"Just get us somewhere reasonably close, Sara," Buffy said. She just realized she had used the woman's first name... and not in disgust. "I can get there and back pretty quickly."
Sara knew the girl's strength, but was now wondering, by her statements, if superhuman speed came with the package. Pondering this, she replied, "Okay, I can get you somewhere nearby. But stay out of sight, you hear?"
"I hear," Buffy replied.
"Let's get moving, then."
8:26 pm, Thursday – Roof of Liberty View Apartments
Buffy had hoped to be a little bit closer to the campus. As it was, Sara had put them on the roof of an apartment building ten blocks from Vanderbilt Hall. Of course, Buffy had no problem traversing that distance on rooftop. She just wondered if the killer or killers had any 'special skills' that would make her efforts all for naught.
Still, at least she and the Scoobies were still in the thick of it. And Sara had planned on notifying them by text messaging in case trouble was coming their way. Giles sat ready with small blades given to him by Robin, in case of emergencies. Willow just paced around, trying not to be bored by the constant waiting. They had been here for about an hour, hoping anxiously for a call to arms. They could put the killer's/killers' plans to a halt, or at least slow them down. Maybe they could even get one of them. But that was hoping for a lot. In a city like New York, a criminal could run and hide in a lot of places.
Meanwhile, Sara had been waiting herself. Upon arrival, she had quickly been given a backpack and had put her badge out of plain view. She had taken off her holster and put her gun in a less conspicuous spot, posing as just a random spring term student waiting for a study partner outside Vanderbilt Hall. Danny and Jake were standing by in a car, ready to respond if the need arose.
The small conference had already started. From the quickly-but-minimally-constructed surveillance, it looked like nothing out of the ordinary. A blessing on the opening, an introduction; altogether, nothing that was really out of the ordinary. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes when someone approached her.
"You waiting around for someone?" the man asked.
"You could say that," Sara replied, not really paying attention.
"Could be me."
"Not likely," Sara snorted, taking in the man's obvious attempt to hit on her.
"Come on, you don't have to be like that. Look, there's a party over at my friend's place tomorrow night. You're invited. Maybe we could even go..." It was then that the man was cut off by the lights going out at Vanderbilt Hall. There were a few surprised yells, brought about by the abrupt blackout. But soon, they were supplanted by screams of terror.
Sara brought out her gun, which shocked the young man. As he turned and bolted, Sara went into the building. She had to feel her way around, as the emergency generators had yet to kick in. She followed the screams as quickly as she could, hoping to get there in time to stop whatever was happening. Approaching the conference room, she saw some women running away, screaming in terror. Running into the room, she saw some trying to chant, while others were trying to fight off the unwanted guests. Sara's eyes then drifted toward the podium. A robed figure prepared to run a knife through a woman on the floor. She pointed her pistol at the figure.
"Freeze!"
The figure looked at her momentarily, before returning to its task. Sara was about to pull the trigger when someone tackled her. Her gun knocked away, the Witchblade activated, unsheathing its sword. She saw the thing that knocked her down, its teeth bared and eyes yellow with hunger. It lunged, but she slashed at it, wounding it in the process. She tried to make it to the podium, but more of the yellow-eyed figures surrounded her. As she prepared to fight them off, the robed figure yelled, "We're finished here! Let's get moving!" It held up the victim's heart in triumph and the group of yellow-eyed fiends dispersed and left toward the back, where she hoped the S.W.A.T. team planted nearby would catch them. Concealing the Witchblade and breaking out her cell phone, Sara sent off a message just in case, hoping that the recipients would get it in time. Just as she finished, Danny and Jake had come in after trying to get past the fleeing conference-goers.
Danny and Jake had approached Sara just as the generators had kicked in. Danny was the first to speak up.
"Pez, you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Did the S.W.A.T. team catch them out back?"
"Jake's checking on that," Danny replied.
"Say again, did we get them?" Jake asked over the radio.
"Negative," replied the team leader. "We don't see anybody back here."
"That's impossible," Danny said. "We had all the exits covered; there was no way to get out without anyone knowing."
"We lost them?!" Sara exclaimed. She was sure they would catch them. It was almost a guarantee. Sighing disappointedly, she hoped her ace-in-the-hole would come through.
The Scoobies had gotten the message about three minutes earlier. Buffy had already started hop-scotching from rooftop to rooftop and arrived in about five minutes at the predetermined location. Her cell phone vibrated and she looked at it. It was Willow, calling from a taxi.
"Buffy, Sara just told me that the group just walked out of the building unseen. They're probably using a glamour. I'll try and break it. Just keep your eyes peeled."
"Check," Buffy replied as she closed the cell phone.
Willow and Giles had arrived ten minutes later. If they were all lucky, the killers would be near there, perhaps in an alley on the ground. Buffy waited around, trying to use her extra-powerful senses to ferret out the group before Willow worked her spell. Willow had to be cautious, since she'd be trying to break glamours in the vicinity of a couple of buildings. It would scatter about, but it would hit all of the targets within one-block radius. She only hoped nobody else would need one tonight.
Buffy saw traces of light coming from below the building in an alley, no doubt Willow trying to stay as hidden as possible. The light soon exploded and suddenly brightened, expanding out quickly. In a few moments, it was gone. But a moment was all Buffy needed.
She saw a group making its way down the opposite side of the alley, as quickly as they could. Running down the fire escape, she tried to get to Giles and Willow as fast as she could. Giles had his blades at the ready and Willow was prepared to launch a mini-fireball in their direction. The group saw them and attacked. A few of them were vampires, Willow noted, so she had no problem in exterminating any of them. Buffy jumped the last levels of the fire escape onto one of the vampires. Seeing a wooden crate, she broke a piece off and staked it. Not even watching it turn to dust she focused on the next one. But really, all of the Scoobies had been keeping their eye on the red-robed figure carrying a package. Probably the heart, Buffy thought. If he made it out, their plan would all be for nothing.
And it looked like it was going to be, as he made it past them. The vampires had covered his route as one of them accompanied him to the street and kicked open a sewer grate. The Scoobies were preoccupied with not dying as the two escaped, hoping to go unnoticed. By the time the battle finished, all that was left were a few bruises, piles of dust, and one pissed-off Slayer.
"They got away," Buffy said.
"Uhhh..."
"Maybe not," Giles amended. He went toward the prone figure and rolled him over. He was a mass of serious burns, the fire snuffed out when he stumbled into the trash nearby. "It seems that one of the vampires Willow hit didn't burn up."
Buffy quickly rushed over to the figure and grabbed him. "Who are you working for?" she yelled. "Where can we find him? What is he planning?"
"Huh...you'll never find my master," the vampire spat out. "He'll complete his work, and then the world will bow before him. You think you're prepared? You know nothing. You and all your friends will bleed..." The vampire was cut short by one of Giles blades stabbed into one of the burn wounds. Howling in pain, Buffy asked again, "Where is your boss? Now!"
The vampire hesitated, but then said, "An old warehouse in the meatpacking district, the Jolly Jerky building. It doesn't matter, though. You go and you'll die, all of you." He spat blood in Buffy's face in hatred. Furious, Buffy grabbed her stake and plunged it into his heart, turning him to dust.
"Get Sara on the phone," Buffy ordered. "We need to tell her about this, as much as I don't want to." Great, another warehouse.
"What's the plan?" asked Giles as Willow dialed Sara's cell.
"We go to the warehouse, we find the bad guy, and we kill him and the vamps working for him. Any humans, and we just break bones."
Willow approached them after she spoke with Sara, saying, "Sara said she'll meet us at our place to guide us over there, but it'll take some time. She's got to talk to her captain and do some other stuff."
"Good, it'll leave us some time to get some weapons and form a plan," Buffy replied. "Let's go."
"Buffy, doesn't it bother you that someone so fanatic about his master would willingly give away his hideout after only a minute?" Willow asked.
"Yeah, it does."
9:25 pm, Thursday – Old Jolly Jerky Warehouse
Sean had seen to it that Tarchannen's prize was delivered as promised. The Dark One had set a special room to begin the enclosed ritual. It would require deep concentration and gathering of forces, and his master was not to be disturbed until the proper time.
"Once the Slayer and her friends come, lure them to my lair. But do not be obvious. I shall deal with them personally once the ritual is complete."
"Yes, my master," Sean replied. "I will do your bidding."
10:33 pm, Thursday – Slayer Base HQ
Sara had arrived just five minutes earlier. She, Danny, and Jake had taken the eyewitnesses' statements and made sure they were all escorted home. The three then went back to the precinct to finish up prepare their reports, but Sara told them she had to get going. They protested, knowing Dante would rip her a new one if her report wasn't on his desk first thing in the morning. Sara had reassured them that it would be, and rushed out the door.
That was about twenty-five minutes ago. Sara was pissed. Not only had the killer gotten the heart, but had made the entire precinct look like fools. If dishing out pain was the only way to get rid of the embarrassment, then so be it.
"We got everything?" Buffy asked.
"We've got a witch with super-mojo, a Slayer with a scythe, and a cop with an evil gauntlet. I think that's everything," Willow replied.
"Don't forget the Watcher ready to ride out on the motorcylcle in case you fail," Giles reminded her.
"I was hoping we wouldn't have to mention that," Willow said somewhat nervously.
"You got how to take out vamps, Sara?" Buffy inquired. She had given the cop an extremely brief primer on the subject as soon as she arrived.
"Wooden stake, sunlight, crosses, holy water and, my favorite, beheading. I got it. You sure you can handle my bike, Giles?" Sara asked.
"I'll have you know I was quite the motorcycle rider back in my day. I wasn't always a Watcher, you know."
"Yeah, used to be a rebellious, chain-smoking, demon-raising, ticking time-bomb back in the day," Willow mentioned casually. Realizing what she had said, she immediately covered her mouth.
"A demon-raising, ticking time-bomb? You'll have to tell me about that one, Giles... assuming we survive," Sara said.
"Let's just go," he said, wanting to get off of the subject.
The four left the room and went down the stairs, like a small army preparing for war. Whatever was coming had to be stopped or all of New York, or even the world, would be in danger. Sara hopped on her bike and sped away as Giles, Willow, and Buffy got into the taxi they hailed and ordered the driver to follow her. They would set themselves a safe distance outside of the warehouse, enough for Giles to get away if need be.
Buffy was nervous. She had taken on plenty of bad guys, and her last battle was one for the record books. But at least she had known something about her opponent in each one of those battles. On this one, they were going in as blind as a bat and had no clue what to expect. For all they knew, the building could have been rigged to blow. But it was either take that chance, or risk an all-out slaughter of the city.
They arrived at the site at around 11:00 pm. They looked outside of the warehouse from a bushy clearing, Sara's bike on the kickstand and the key in the ignition. They saw three figures guarding the entrance to the building. Buffy started to think that things were fitting in way too neatly; first they couldn't find a shred of leads, but now they were heading to the boss' base? Maybe it was coincidence. Yeah, or maybe it was leprechauns, she thought. But this time, she decided to voice her concern.
"Does anyone else think this is fitting in a little too well?"
"You, too?" Willow asked.
"I'll second that," Giles replied.
"I thought I was the only one," Sara responded.
"Still, let's not disappoint them," Buffy said. "Sara, think you could swing around and approach them, do the cop routine?"
"Yeah."
"Willow and I will approach them from behind. Be ready for anything."
"Gotcha."
Sara left their presence and maneuvered around the building behind the trees and bushes. Finally making it to an open clearing, she walked nonchalantly out and approached the three guards.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?'
"What do you want?" one of the guards said.
Sara flashed her badge. "Police. We got some complaints of some weirdos around the area. Mind explaining to me what you're doing here."
"Oh, wow, a cop. We're shaking in our boots," the lead guy taunted.
As he approached threateningly, Sara pulled out her gun and yelled, "Hold it right there!" Each of the men changed their features to reveal yellow eyes, forehead ridges, and fangs. The lead vampire taunted Sara, saying, "What are you gonna do with that, give us a love tap?"
"She's not handing out love taps," Buffy said behind them. She staked one of the vampires with her scythe and Willow dusted the other one with the sword she had gathered from base. Leaving the lead vampire shocked Buffy said, "We are." Taking a look at Sara, Buffy saw that the Witchblade was activated. "Oh, I guess she is handing out loves taps." Turning around, the lead vampire was met with a sword to the neck. As the dust settled, the three gathered in front of the entrance and looked at each other. Taking a deep breath, Buffy bust down the doors. The occupants of the building stopped in their tracks and looked at them. Most were vampires, but there were some humans, and a few demons. Some brandished swords, while others had just their fists.
The two Scoobies, and the pseudo-Scooby, looked at the group. Altogether, they were about thirty strong. Giving a war cry, Buffy broke the relative silence and the three charged into the building. Willow focused and pushed the first few assailants with her powers, while Buffy engaged the vampires with her scythe. She and Willow tried as best they could to avoid killing the humans, but it was extremely hard. Sara, on the other hand, had no problem taking them out. They were defending a killer and interfering with a police investigation. If they got in the way, there would be consequences, and loss of life was one of them.
Willow was holding up, considering she had neither Slayer powers nor an enchanted gauntlet. And her skill with a blade was quite nascent. What she lacked in physical prowess she more than made up for in magical ability. Still, to channel her power against the speedy tactics of a vampire was daunting. She took a right cross to her face from one of the opposing vampires. Recovering from the hit, she turned her head toward the vamp, her eyes black. Using her power she telekinetically threw the vampire toward a jutting piece of wood. As it turned to dust, she recovered and began to attack.
Sara was starting to feel the Witchblade trying to take over. She was fighting like a wild woman, cutting and slashing as best she could. Unfortunately, one of the vampires took a hold of her and threw her toward the steps. The vampire approached and started to pound on her mercilessly. Sara extended her short blade and stuck into her gut. After kicking her off, more gathered at the bottom of the steps. They continuously fought Sara as she backed up the steps, moving toward the guards at the top while defending herself with her sword.
Buffy had noticed Sara being separated from the group and felt it was a little odd. She and Willow had been kept somewhat close together, while Sara was halfway up the steps. Backing up against Willow, she said, "We've got to catch up to Sara. I don't want to get separated."
"Yeah," Willow agreed. Channeling her power as much as she could, she dispersed the group of enemies before them.
Meanwhile, Tarchannen sat in the upstairs room, chanting. "Setai vola, Setai vola. Kodor meshai vutanna, kodor meshai breseca. Zarador, zarador." The witch hearts were melting and merging into one, forming a red ball hovering in the air. Wind was swirling in the room, like a small tornado.
Sara had been vigorously fighting her way up the steps. Buffy and Willow arrived behind the fighting group at the bottom of the steps and viciously fought threw them, but more came from behind to assist their comrades. The Grox'lar leading the charge would be the more muscle of the group. Using its fists it swung at Willow, who ducked and stabbed it. Willow then realized something; the Grox'lar was only trying to wound her. It was almost as if...
Horror came to Willow's face. Sara was being herded. They all were, but it seemed Sara was the priority. By all accounts, they should have been dead, but the reality was that they mostly sustained a couple of flesh wounds and bruises. Looking up toward the second level of the building, Willow yelled after Sara.
"Sara, wait!" Willow ran up the steps as fast as she could.
"Zarador! Zarador! ZARADOR!"Willow yelled toward Buffy, saying, "Buffy, Sara's being herded!"
Buffy, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to get to Sara and Willow but wanted to cover their backs. She stayed back to keep the vamps off of them as much as she could. She then ran up to meet them. Sara had made it to the guards and was engaging them with her sword. After she cut the last one down, Sara burst through the doors as Willow and Buffy caught up with her.
"Sara, wait!"
"VALASH!"
It was too late. The red ball had hit Sara, who was lifted off of the ground. Both Buffy and Willow had been thrown to the side by the impact. Sara writhed and screamed in pain, as did the darkly-robed figure. The scream was piercing.
"Sara!" Buffy cried out. But it was no use.
Giles stood outside, seeing the light from the building. He was fully prepared to ride away and alert the others about what happened, but the twenty-minute mark had not yet come.
Though in reality it was only fifteen seconds, to Sara it felt like an eternity. It was like tiny daggers piercing every inch of her body, like a blanket of pain covering her. The experience was excruciating, more than anything she had felt before. Dropping to the floor her agony started to subside, though she was extremely disoriented. The dark figure was on its knees, breathing heavily. It then when Willow let out a cry.
"Oh, Goddess!"
"What is it, Willow?" Buffy asked, working her way toward an injured Sara.
"I know who it is, who's been doing all this. It was blocking me before, but now its defenses are down."
"Who is it, Willow?"
The dark figure lifted up the mask from its face and took off its hood. Though Buffy had expected some deranged demon or vicious-looking vamp, she was surprised to see a dark-haired human female with piercing eyes and a wicked smile.
"Hello, Willow," the woman said.
Willow replied in her deepest, darkest, lowest tone.
"Hello... Amy."