The Emperor's key

Chapter 2

Authors note

Has anyone guessed the plot? The crossover is with Games Workshops Warhammer 40,000 and later on Angel. Some people are probably wondering what Warhammer 40K is. Its a table top battle game set unsurprisingly in the 41st millennium. For a better description see the next chapter.

Buffy woke up and smiled, the tattoos were back. They only came once in a while, old shapes that almost seemed to move. As she looked at them they started to glow. Almost like a dam braking very slowly, a horrible feeling that something was wrong grew. The glowing pictures writhed and their glow became sickly and wan. Slowly her mind came back into focus and she knew that this was wrong.

She couldn't move, even now with the pictures fading they were still strong enough to hold her. Silently she struggled against whatever held her. Then he came back. The Immortals smile was almost predatory. He stalked up to her and kissed her just above the heart. Pain and pleasure lanced through every nerve.

A fog clawed here awareness back into the depths and the tattoos came back stronger than ever. With the last few moments ripped from her mind she snuggled up to the man she thought she loved.

A few days had passed since Dawn had seen the bird. Andrew had spent the last few weeks at their place and was finally moving to his new home. Then there was the whole thing in L.A. that happened last week. The world had lost contact with the entire city for almost a day. When it came out of the blackout the media swooped in and found nothing. No one in the city had noticed that they lost a day. Dawn guessed that it was something to do with Angel but Buffy refused to talk about it, she didn't even phone anyone.

Dawn was worried about her sister, she was home less and less and when she was she hardly talked to her. She almost never left the Immortals side. Only once had Dawn seen her alone, she looked lost and very worried like a pet that had lost its master.

With Andrew gone and Buffy out the remaining Summers girl sat down and wrote her homework. Half way through her sister came into the flat with a thousand megawatt smile. 'Dawn! Are you doing anything?' she was the same as ever and Dawn's paranoia started to fade.

'Homework.'

Buffy just stopped, and looked confused.

'...nothing I can't leave, why.' Dawn finished lamely.

Another, almost too happy, smile 'Want to come out with me, just us two sisters?' Dawn jumped at the chance, perhaps they could talk about what the hell is going on.

They walked down the street laughing and joking. Well mostly it was Dawn telling the jokes and laughing at them, Buffy was slow on the uptake with almost everything. Something was wrong with the slayer and finally Dawn had enough with dodging the subject.

'What is the matter with you Buffy? And where the hell are we going?'

'Nothings wrong with me, we're going to have fun.'

'Fun? What kind of fun?' Dawn stopped, Buffy had said the word "fun" like it was something holy.

'He wants to play with us, you want that too.' Buffy had the same smile she had in the apartment.

'THE THREE OF US!' Dawn knew something was not only wrong but very, VERY bad. 'Get away from me! What's going on!?!' Buffy was just too fast for her, grabbing her arm with all her slayer strength. The snapping of bone could be heard a hundred yards away. Dawn held back a scream into a quiet whimper

'You'll like it. It's a fun game. Lets play.' with that and a wooden smile Buffy dragged her broken sister further down the street.

Further down the same street three men stood shoulder to shoulder in deep shadow. The Old Wolf looked to his right, the aged Wolf Priest Ulrik held his Crozius Arcanum tightly and the micro-motors in his armour wined softly as he flexed his hand on the hilt of the plasma pistol strapped to his waist. On the Old Wolf's left the Rune Priest known as Njal Stormcaller gripped his ancient oak runestaff with both hands while his cyber-raven, Nightwing, perched on his backpack.

The young woman did not notice them until she was a few feet from them. With their eight foot tall frames encased in power armour the two Priests slowly advanced on the helpless child. She stopped and looked at them. 'Go no further disciple of Chaos!' Ulrik bellowed. For a moment the only sound was the whimpering of the brunette child.

'I am the slayer, I serve my master, you get out of my way demon.'

Now Ulrik wore a helmet made from an ancient wolf's skull so the girl probably mistook him for a foul creature but for her to use his title was her greater mistake. The black armoured Wolf Priest picked her up by her head and brought her face to face with the Wolf-helm of Russ. 'I AM ULRIK THE SLAYER!' he said in a voce that made the very ground shake 'WOLF PRIEST OF THE SPACE WOLF CHAPTER! CHOSER OF THE GREAT WOLF LOGAN GRIMNAR! CHAMPION OF THE FIRST ARMAGEDDON WAR! MY WILL IS FEARED, EVEN AMONGST THOSE OF THE WORLD EATERS! YOU. ARE. NOTHING. TO ME!!!' throughout the speech the girl struggled, dropping the key she punched and kicked helplessly against the power armour.

'Stop brother Ulrik,' Njal placed a hand on the outstretched arm. 'She is no disciple or convert. Her mind is controlled by Chaos magic's. She is an innocent in this.' He looked down at the injured girl. She was pounding on his companions leg with her good arm with no effect, in fact it was only the cyber-raven who noticed for she was who it was looking for.

The Old Wolf took this chance to revel himself from the shadows.

Dawn realised that this was not going to be a normal day. Getting kidnapped by a brainwashed Buffy was par-for-the-course in her life but two eight foot tall men wearing futuristic amour wasn't. One of them had a voice that made her ribs quake (a bad thing when you had a broken arm) and the other had the black bird on his back. Then the third came out of the shadows. He was bigger, much bigger. His arms were about the same size as Dawn herself. his blue, grey armour was different to the other two. For one it looked bigger, bulkier and meaner. If the black armoured guy could take Buffy pounding him like it was rain this guy would be almost invincible. Unlike the other two he wore no helmet. His face was old and his skin looked like battered leather, a long mane of grey hair flowed down his sides and a frost white beard stretched from his face to his belt. The frightening things about him, other than his shear bulk, was the long teeth, that looked suspiciously like a vampire, and his Axe.

Looking at that Axe you knew anyone holding it was not some one to mess with. He might as well be carrying a telegraph pole. The double head was both silver and gold. Its most prominent feature (aside from its big and choppy nature) was the wolf heads etched onto the blades. This theme continued throughout his armour, a strange cross surmounted with a wolf skull was on his right knee. He was wearing a necklace of long wolf teeth. He also had a cloak made from a wolf's pelt that came from a wolf's head mounted above his shoulders and stretching down to his ankles. The overall effect was a barbaric, psychopath with a double barrelled gun also strapped to his left arm.

'I am Logan Grimnar, you are The Key.' He knelt down to look her in the eye. 'Know that we mean you no harm.'

'Then put down my sister.' She nestled her crushed arm to her side.

'This puppet is the mystical warrior charged to protect you?' "Black" asked.

'Puppet?'

Bird guy looked at her, 'Your sister is being controlled, her mind is no longer her own.'

Logan looked at Buffy. 'Can you cut the stings?'

'It will be difficult, but she is strong. Perhaps, if it is the will of Russ.' The bird guy motioned for his friend to drop Buffy. After a moment she was pinned to the floor by a black boot and bird man put the skull mounted top of his staff to her head. A thunder clap shattered some already sonically abused windows and the two men stepped back.

Seconds passed by as a thin howl was carried by the wind, Dawn couldn't tell if it was natural or not. Buffy's face was twisted in a grotesque parody of joy that changed into one of terror and pain. Stamped on her forehead was a runic, very angler, "R".

Like some one switched a on light bulb Buffy's face and eyes were back to normal. Very scared, angry and a little worried. She breathed out before falling unconscious. 'The enchantment is strong and her will weakened by desire. She must rest.' The bird man sagged against his great staff. 'My power might not be enough to hold back the control for very long.'

'We have to get her home. Please.' Dawn begged the one called Logan. The big man stood up towering over her, yellow eyes flashing with some unknown emotion.

'You would presume to ask me to help?' His long teeth flashed in the pail moonlight. 'I am Adeptus Astartes. Worlds worship me as if I was a god. And you believe I will even hear you pitiful plea. If I were any other Chapter Master you would be required to offer penance for speaking in my presence.' Dawn watched as he buried his massive axe in the cobbled street and pulled off one massive armoured glove. 'But I am Chapter master of the Space Wolves. I am not as kind as the others.' With a bare hand that looked strong enough to make rocks bleed he jerked the axe from the ground. The pulverised pavement fell of the intact metal. Dawn felt some thing warm run down her leg. 'I am kinder! Of course we will help.' Dawn could only look in shock as the three giants put their weapons in a line before placing the almost comatose Buffy on the makeshift stretcher. 'Where to?' Logan asked with a very broad smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Dawn couldn't help but laugh.