Through a pair of night vision binoculars, a patrolling guard holding the leash of some kind of deformed dog could be seen behind a twelve-foot high stone fence. "What in the world is that?" Jack curiously asked the woman next to him.
Willow adjusted her gaze behind her own binoculars to see what the Colonel was referring to. "Hellhound." She identified. "Some loser who couldn't get a date sent a pack of them to my senior prom."
Jack looked at the woman with wonder. "And I thought my prom was wild." Then he took another look over the grounds. "I wish we could just raid the place."
We went over this. It's too risky. This guy is bound to have a lot of mystical defenses. You don't want to risk another Waco do you? It's better to wait until he's less defended."
Jack didn't answer, instead focusing his attention on what he was now seeing. In the distance, the garage door opened and a car's headlights came on. Luckily he was too far away to be blinded through the light amplifying technology of the binoculars. The silver sedan pulled out starting down the long driveway leading to the main gate. As the car approached, the heavy wrought-iron gate began to roll open. The Colonel lowered the binoculars and held a walkie-talkie to his mouth. "O.k. heads up guys. We have a target. Silver Mercedes. Moving ---" He paused to see which way the vehicle would go. It took a right-hand turn. "West. Kennedy, Andy, that's you. I count two occupants."
"We're ready." The slayer's voice answered through the walkie's speaker.
"Daniel, Teal'c, take up the rear." Jack ordered.
"Right." Daniel acknowledged.
Jack turned his head to the young witch. "Now get us down. I want to be there too."
The Wicca followed his gaze downward to see a hummer twenty feet below.
Gently the pair floated down touching the ground in front of the vehicle. Jack quickly moved to the driver's side while Willow went to the passenger's and climbed in. Jack turned the ignition bringing the vehicle to life just as a second hummer, driven by Daniel, passed by. Jack pulled onto the street and followed it.
The Mercedes headed down the darkened street.
"Where do you think we should start?" The passenger asked.
"I was thinking about this bar I know downtown. There should be some business types out for an after work drink." The driver suggested. "Then we could move on to ---." A dark blue SUV pulled out of a side street blocking both lanes in front of the car forcing the driver to slam on the brakes HARD.
Brakes squealed, stopping the car about ten feet from the obstacle.
Kennedy quickly sprang out the passenger side and approached the sedan's driver while Andrew, dressed in all black, including face paint under his eyes, hopped out from behind the wheel and circled the front of the van to the passenger side with a crossbow pistol in each hand.
Recognizing an ambush, the passenger yelled, "GO! GO! GO!" while the driver threw the gear in reverse and looked over his shoulder to see two sets of headlights from the two hummers side-by-side blocking any rear escape.
Before either man could do anything else, Kennedy delivered a left sidekick through the window, causing a shower of broken glass to cover the driver. Quickly, she reached in with both hands, grabbed him by the collar and pulled him completely through the open space while Andrew hurriedly approached the opposite side.
The second occupant snapped the door open into the small man knocking him backwards to the ground, his weapons skittering across the asphalt out of reach. "Ooooww." Leaping out of the car, the passenger took off, running away from the fallen Andrew across an open area toward a residential neighborhood.
"Teal'c, Daniel, don't let him get away!" Jack ordered pointing to the runner from behind an open driver's door.
Both men gave chase picking an angle that would hopefully allow them to catch up. Andrew collected himself and tore out after him as well.
With the car still in gear and no foot on the brake; the car began to roll backwards.
"OOhhh, you better not hit anything" Jack warned the oncoming car. "I don't want more paperwork."
Standing behind her own open door, Willow only stared intently at the sedan, which slowed to a stop a few yards short of both waiting vehicles.
Seemingly of it's own accord, the emergency brake engaged.
The former driver used the distraction the car created to smash his left forearm into Kennedy's right cheek causing the woman to stagger releasing her hold. Then he also broke into a run toward a stretch of trees some distance on the opposite side of the road.
"Son of a ---." Kennedy shook it off
"That's alright." Willow called stopping the slayer from pursuing. "I got'im." The witch raised her open palm toward the escaping figure and released a bolt of blue energy that raced toward its target and wrapped around the runner's legs causing him to fall face first to the ground.
"Yeah, she got'im alright." Jack acknowledged with amusement.
Teal'c, followed by Daniel and Andrew, chased their man toward a six-foot high privacy fence surrounding the backyard of one of the residences. Despite the angle of approach they were still hard pressed to close the distance to their quarry.
A mid thirties man filled his glass and set the champagne bottle in the ice bucket which sat between a pair of candles and behind to a bowl of strawberries and a dozen red roses, still wrapped in white florist paper. Sitting down into an in-ground hot tub he settled next to a woman about the same age. The couple raised their glasses. "Here's to ten years with the most wonderful woman a man ever married." The man toasted making the woman smile happily.
"And to many, many, more." The woman added. They 'clinked' their glasses together and took a healthy drink.
"Happy anniversary Honey." The man said.
Smiling, she ran one hand up his chest resting it over his heart, gently pushing him back against the side of the tub. He put his arms around her as she moved in closer for a kiss that slowly grew passionate.
The moment was ruined when a man launched over the fence and landed in the backyard. The woman jumped back with a surprised scream breaking the kiss.
The husband turned to see what had startled his wife. "Who the hell are you!?" he demanded, standing up in the tub.
The man ignored him. Instead, darting his gaze around searching for an escape route.
The husband was about to say something else when the sound of the fence shaking as a large pair of hands grabbed the top edge caused all present to watch as an instant later Teal'c vaulted the obstacle.
"What's going on?!. Who are you people?!" the man started to step out of the tub but his wife, who remained seated, caught his arm.
"Alex be careful." She worriedly pleaded.
The couple only watched as the first man turned, growling like an animal at the newcomer, but didn't see his face shift into a deformed version of its previous state, and braced himself as Teal'c charged with a hard right cross, followed by left uppercut. The vampire staggered back surprised by Teal'c's strength. The vampire struck back; connecting with his own right cross and followed it with a hard, fast, left to the jaffa's solar plexus doubling him over.
Another pair of hands gripped the fence followed by the appearance of Daniel's head, which saw Teal'c straighten from a doubled position catching the vampire under the chin with his left elbow. The archeologist hurriedly scrambled to get over the fence to help his friend.
The vampire reared his head back dodging Teal'c's right hook quickly countering with a left snap kick to the larger jaffa's midsection
Daniel dropped to the ground and immediately rushed the vampire, driving his right shoulder into the demon's gut. Pumping his legs allowed him to force his opponent back toward the hot tub and the stunned couple until the vampire took hold under Daniel's arms and violently tossed him to the side, causing the PhD to roll across the lawn a few times before coming to a stop.
"Get out'ta here now or I'll call the cops!?" Alex demanded more firmly taking that first step out of the tub.
The vampire spun on his heels toward the man punching him in the face. Spinning from the force of the blow, he fell facedown into the water, unconscious.
"Alex!" the woman screamed then moved to tend to her husband.
Andrew finally poked his head over the fence grunting as he struggled to get his elbows over the edge. "Don't worry guys, I'm a comin'."
Teal'c came forward swinging a right cross at the vampire who ducked with a spin to the left, and drove a left sidekick to the larger fighter's chest completing a full turn. Teal'c fell backwards to the ground.
Daniel quickly glanced around looking for a weapon until he spotted the romantic setting and scrambled to the champagne bottle next to the tub. Rising to his feet, with the bottle by his side, he took advantage of the vampire's attention being focused on Teal'c, by coming from behind and swinging hard with both hands. The bottle shattered as it collided with the vampire's head, dousing him with the remainder of the beverage. With an angry growl, the vampire spun, using a back fist to send his rear attacker sprawling to the ground.
Andrew finally managed to hook his right leg over the fence and pull the rest of his body over just to clumsily fall to the ground. "Oomph."
Teal'c jumped to his feet and came back at his enemy who now had his back turned bent over reaching down for a stunned Daniel's throat. Teal'c wrapped his arms around the vampire's waist and lifted him up just to throw him back to the ground. The vampire kicked out, sweeping the jaffa's legs out from under him and rising to his feet in a single motion.
The wife had pulled her husband's face out of the water and sat him against the far wall while she tried to revive him. "Alex. Honey." She gently slapped his left cheek. Andrew picked himself up and charged the vampire. "AAAAAAAA!!!" The vampire sidestepped the rush, catching the scruff of the geeks neck with his left hand and the seat of his pants with the other. The vampire dragged his captive through a full spin and catapulted him into the air
"AAAHHHHH!" Andrew's arms and legs flailed as he sailed toward the hot tub.
"Please wake ---." The wife was rudely interrupted when Andrew splashed down, his face landing in her lap. She screamed while jumping to her feet.
The nerd scrabbled backwards, splashing water everywhere in his haste to retreat. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry."
Ignoring his apologies, the woman grabbed the first thing her eyes fell on, the roses, and began to thrash the young man over the head. "Why you little pervert! Who are you people!? Why did you have to bother us, you ruined our anniversary!
Andrew covered his face and head with his arms. "Thorns! Thorns! Oooww, lady. Watch the thorns!"
The nerd's attack allowed time for both Teal'c and Daniel to get back up. The two friends charged simultaneously, each catching hold of one of the vampire's arms and pushing back in an effort to take him to the ground. They continued toward the patio area until Daniel set his foot behind the vampire's ankle causing him to trip. All three fell to the concrete area surrounding the tub, the vampire under his opponents. His head tipped the base of the candlestick, which wobbled before the candle itself fell free landing on the vampire's face. The alcohol that still soaked the monster ignited.
Startled, Daniel and Teal'c jumped away to avoid being burned and watched the vampire jump to his feet screaming as he wildly danced around the yard trying to beat the flames out with his hands.
The wife was still pummeling the nerd as he huddled in the middle of the tub in an effort to better protect his face from the blows stopped to watch in horror as the burning beast realized the tub was a source of water and charged toward her.
Shrieking, the woman froze at the sight while Andrew took the chance to evacuate the tub. Before the vampire reached the tub, he disintegrated into ash causing the wife's eyes to grow even wider as she continued to shriek in terror.
Jack studied the vampire Willow had ensnared; who was now sitting in the back of the Hummer bound around the chest, wrists and feet with blue bands of mystical energy. "So this is a vampire? You killed the others before I got much of a look. Not what I imagined. I was expecting somethin' a little more, I don't know, --- Dracula like."
"Please!" the vampire scoffed. "That guy is so overrated. Just because he's got a few fancy parlor tricks and gotten all famous, people think that he's all that."
"I don't know; he seemed kind 'a cool to me. I mean the seductive accent and those deep eyes and the ---." Willow stopped realizing the others were staring at her. Kennedy had her arms crossed over her chest giving her girlfriend a firm stare "You're right. Soooo overrated. Blaaah" the redhead added shaking her head then looking at her feet bashfully.
"Huh-huh." Kennedy accused.
"Well it could have been thrall. He can do that you know." Willow offered.
"Wait. You actually met Dracula? The Dracula?" Jack was a bit astounded.
"Just once." Willow explained.
"Sounds like a story."
"Well it was about three years ago ---."
"Ah, story time later." The slayer thumbed toward the opposite direction as the other team members were returning empty-handed. Andrew was soaking wet and wringing water out of his cap. "What happened to you? Go swimming?"
"Must've wrestled a porcupine too." Willow added observing the numerous small scratches on the man's face and hands.
Daniel covered his mouth in a failed attempt to hide a snicker while Teal'c kept his reaction to a large grin.
"No! I just---. Hey look, we got our man too." The small man declared and pulled his damp wool cap back on his head then stood straight trying to reclaim some dignity.
Inside the Isolation room, the heavy steel door opened with a squeak. Dr. Frasier entered pushing a small cart loaded with various pieces of medical equipment. A guard closed the door behind her. Casually, she silently continued to the center of the room, stopping the cart beside her. Without saying a word she picked up a small pair of surgical scissors and began to cut the prisoner's right shirtsleeve to get to his arm.
"What are you doing!?" He asked a bit nervously.
Frasier didn't answer. She just calmly went about her task; retrieving an empty syringe from the cart, she loaded a test tube getting ready to draw blood.
"What are you going to do with that?" The vampire demanded getting more nervous.
"Again, she didn't answer. She just raised the needle to his arm and ---.
The door opened again and Kennedy stopped at the threshold. "WHAT did I tell you?" She asked angrily.
"I ---."
"You were going to start your tests even after you agreed to wait weren't you." The slayer accused the Doctor. "Get out."
"The General sa--."
"Get out!" Kennedy shouted harshly this time.
Frasier just set the syringe back on the cart and quickly pushed it past the slayer who watched her leave the room. Closing the door, the small woman turned and came closer to the prisoner. "Military doctors, they just can't wait to see what makes things tick. She's probably on the way to talk to the General now so tell me what Zorichov and Victoria are planning before they get back."
"Get bent." The vampire responded bravely. "You're gon'na kill me anyway."
"True. But since I don't know how long I can keep the lab rats at bay, the question becomes; when do I kill you? Before or after they have their fun." Several silent seconds passed then the slayer started tapping her foot. "Come on We don't have a lot of time here. They'll be back any minute and when they do ---. Well you don't want to know some of the tests the doctor proposed."
"What?" the captive had to ask. "What are they going to do to me?"
"Well ---."
Doctor Frasier entered the observation room where Willow, Hammond, and Jack had decided to watch the interrogation on three monitors showing slightly different angles of the interrogation, and closed the door behind her. "How'd I do?"
"Great!" Willow complemented. "I think you make a terrific mad scientist."
"I've been saying that for years." Jack couldn't resist the opening. He shrank back from the force of Frasier's glare, which made him wonder if he'd be paying for that remark during his next exam. "Oh, Look." He pointed at the monitors. "An interrogation."
"Alright. Alright. I'll tell you what you want to know. But you have to promise to kill me before they do that to me." Franklin begged.
"I promise but only if I'm convinced you're telling me everything."
Jack watched the monitor. "Ohhh, she's goooood." He commented to the General beside him, who just watched on with keen interest.
Kennedy stood beside the vampire holding a stake to his heart with her left hand and her right palm in position to drive it home promising a quick death once she got the information she wanted.
"They got a deal going with the Columbians. Guns. This guy Diego, he brought in a load of guns and Mr. Zorichov made some modifications." The captive revealed.
"What kind of modifications?"
"Bela---, Bale---. Oh some kind of mystical stuff. I don't know."
"Bylatine." Willow understood what the vampire was trying to say.
The people with her all turned to the Wiccan. "What is that?" Hammond asked.
"Something you don't want in the hands of a drug cartel. That's for sure."
"How many guns?"
"I don't know exactly. A truckload."
"Where and when is this deal supposed to happen?"
"Tomorrow night, midnight, at the truck yard.
"What about security?"
"That's Ms. Macmillan's department. Part of her service. She handles that. That's all I know. I swear."
"O.K. One more thing; where were you headed tonight?"
"You wiped out the boss's vampires. Me and Franklin were the only two left. We were sent to 'recruit' more."
Kennedy slammed her palm into the back of the stake driving it into her captive's heart coating the slab with dust; which slid down the smooth surface to the floor. Looking directly at one of the cameras, she curled her lips into a smile. "Anybody got a dust buster?"