Chapter 7
With a very content sigh, Spike slid down a wall. He dumped an empty IV Blood Bag on to the floor and proceeded to consume the contents of another. He could feel his strength slowly return, as well as his injuries healing.
Hell, I do so hate Virgin Bloody Mary's!
The thought brought a grin to his face as he popped a straw into a baggy and proceeded to slurp away. It took a little doing, but he was able to find the small blood bank in the lab, without disturbing Willow. He looked up from where he sat and noticed that Willow was groaning a bit in her sleep. He came up and gazed down at her. Seemingly caught in a bad dream, Willow's brow was knit. He gently tucked in his duster around her and was about to turn back to his meal when a silky voice through the intercom made him stop short.
"Touching, Spike…very touching."
Spike froze in his tracks and slowly turned towards the direction of the voice. There, from the other side of the Observation Window, leaned the vampire, Tom. His gaze went from Spike to Willow, as his tongue slowly played with the sharpened ends of fangs.
"A pity, Spike," he said. "Looks like you really have gone…oh, what was that phrase of yours for your sire?" Tom chuckled as he saw the desired effect on Spike. Growling, Spike vamped out and walked right up to the window. "Oh yeah! Now I remember! 'Poofy'?" Tom said casually.
"Come in here and say that again, wanker," Spike said in a lethal whisper. With a slight frown, Tom dragged a single clawed finger across the glass separating them, barely making a scratch.
"Hmm," he started. "Transparent steel. I think we'll try this the easy way." Wary, Spike narrowed his eyes at Tom. With a grin, he gestured outside the view of the window. Another vampire emerged, dragging a battered human forward. Though badly beaten, the human looked up at the blonde vampire in recognition. With slow realization, Spike swore under his breath.
Looking at him, through frightened eyes, was the doctor.
---
Buffy leaned on a box, panting. The remains of her latest kill dusting the floor. Three times she had been attacked in the past 15 minutes and each attack successively harder than the last. Aside from several scratches, she was none the worse for wear. How long that would last, she had no idea. What she did know was that she was getting worn down. She shifted the weight of the tazer, it's charge already half gone, and hissed a bit in mild pain, as her side acted up again. Bruised in the initial face-off with Adam, Buffy could feel, even with her heightened healing abilities, that her ribs were seriously bruised. Grimly, she got up and continued walking.
---
With a smirk, Tom stepped back and grabbed the doctor by the throat. He brought him to the keypad in the first hatch leading to the main lab.
"Open it," he whispered in the doctor's ear. Sweating, he glanced up at Spike. Tom tightened his grip and throttled him. "Now!" he hissed. Resignedly, the scientist brought forward his hand and started inputting the code. The first hatch started to open. Eyes widening, Spike leapt and smashed the keypad with the back of his fist. Sparks rose as the pad fused, effectively trapping anyone on the inside, as well as keeping anyone out. Tom glanced from the sparking keypad to Spike.
"Aw, now why'd you have to go and do that Spike?" Tom said, as he flicked his wrist and snapped the doctor's neck, his body slumping to the floor. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." He sighed.
"You and what bloody army?" mocked Spike. Tom looked at him and merely snapped his fingers. From the side, a half-dozen vampires, as well as two very large, very strong Fyarl demons came forth. Tom looked from the other demons to Spike.
"This one," he said. Gesturing to the door, Tom spoke to the Fyarl demons. Knowing the language, Spike could tell what he said to them. Even a dimwit as a Fyarl could understand those orders:
"Break it."
Hissing, both demons lumbered to the hatch and started to pound away at the door. From the transparent steel window, Tom smiled, his fangs showing.
Bang!! A dimple appeared on the door. Bang! Another one. Bang! One more.
Shit, thought Spike.
---
Hidden deep within the shadows, Adam observed the Slayer as she fought off each successive attack from his minions. Finally, satisfied that he had all the data that would ever be needed, he concluded that the experiment had run its course. He then spoke a single word into the darkness:
"Now."
Senses on overdrive, Buffy slowly walked to an area relatively free of containers. Eyes darting here and there, she kept to the sides as she entered the area, the pounding of her heart the only sound audible in her ears. Stopping, her eyes narrowed as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Nothing moved. Her breath stuck in her throat.
"Clang!"
Without thinking, she threw herself into a roll, finished into a half-crouch, and had the tazer pointing in the general area of the sound.
Fsst!!
Something super fast and very sharp shot out from behind and jammed itself into Buffy's calf. With a startled scream, she pitched forward, the tazer skittering across the floor. Writhing in agony, Buffy looked over and caught site of a serrated spike sticking out of her leg. Dimly, she realized it was the same kind of spike that had trapped her in her first fight with Adam's demons. She started to sit upright, but was suddenly caught in a flash of nausea. Eyesight already dim with pain, she started getting tunnel vision.
Poison!
With seconds to spare, Buffy gritted her teeth and grabbed the spike with her hand. Fighting the gag reflex from feeling her blood spurt from the wound, she bit down and with a quick jerk, pulled the spike out. The salty taste of blood came to her mouth as she bit her tongue while screaming in pain. Letting the poisoned spike slip from her hand, her sight immediately began to clear. Seeing the tazer several feet away, she crawled towards it.
As a bloody hand reached for it, a massive foot came down and smashed it in a small shower of sparks. Buffy pulled her hand back and snapped her neck up to stare into the malevolent eyes of a Fyarl demon. Before she could do anything, a vicious backhand sent her sliding across the floor. Still dazed from the loss of blood and poison, she staggered to her feet, trying to meet the new threat. The demon was almost upon her as she cocked her fist back to throw a punch. Before she could even throw it, something thin and leathery wrapped itself around her arm. Looking back, she saw what looked like a tentacle from the shadows had wrapped around her arm and held her there. She started to pull, but was rewarded with another tentacle wrapping around her throat. Gasping, Buffy was picked up bodily off the floor and whipped across the room to slam unto the wall, crumpling to a heap. Slowly getting on all fours, she could see peripherally many more demons appear, hooting and hollering at the fallen Slayer.
Get up, dammit, get up!!
Painfully, she tried to stand, but was rewarded with a vicious kick to her side by a demon, breaking several of her ribs.
Buffy screamed.
The scream reached above the sounds of taunting demons and echoed through the chamber.
---
Willow's eyes snapped open. "Buffy!" she said hoarsely. Even above the banging, Spike heard Willow awaken and ran to her side. Her ashen face looked at Spikes, terror etched all around.
"Red, what's wrong??" he asked worriedly as he grasped her hand. Willow started breathing hard.
"Bu-Buffy...she's...danger!" she gasped out. Confused, Spike shook his head. He jerked up, as the banging got louder. Oblivious to the pounding on the door, Willow gazed past Spike to the ceiling.
"The…spell…can't do it…themselves…need help!" she said feverishly. Her eyes started fluttering as her mouth moved but no words came out. Even with his vampiric hearing, Spike had to lean his ear close to her mouth to hear. Concentrating, he slowly made out the words, the words of magic.
"No!" Spike screamed, as he pulled away. "Willow, you're too weak!!" Her eyes stopped fluttering and at same time the alarm on the heart rate monitor went off. Looking up he saw the flat line of Willow's heart rate.
"Oh, nonononono!" Spike moaned, not knowing what to do. Behind him, the door bent a little more.
"BANG!!"
(Continued)