Chapter Thirteen: Passion
Willow made sure that the door was closed and everything was secure while Tara readied the sacred circle. Tara had shown her the spell that they would be casting. It was fairly powerful, but pretty simple. (And I can use it without getting any darkness on me) she sulked mentally.
They sat facing each other over the bowl that Tara had put in the centre of the circle. With a small nod, they began. "Diana, great huntress, goddess of the moon," they chanted in unison, "lend us thy great sight. Help us pierce the veils of darkness keeping us from our target. Diana, thy servants beseech thee for thy aid in confronting an evil and finding our lost friends where they lie in peril."
They each placed a fig leaf in the circle, and sprinkled in some sage. They added carvings taken from yew, oak, and olive trees. The last addition was a scrap taken from an old shirt of Buffy's, and a scrap taken from 'Robbie Malone's' shirt. They did not have to wait long. They felt an instant push against the force of their spell.
Tara and Willow shared a look. Willow could feel Tara's concern, but she smiled and reached her hand across the circle. Tara did the same, and they joined hands. (Together, we can do anything) Willow thought. She didn't know if Tara heard her, but her lover smiled back at her. Clasping their hands tightly, they began to push. They felt the shield shatter under their combined assault. They stiffened, and their vision began.
A college campus… UC-S
A mirror that opened up
An elevator behind the mirror
They went down
The elevator opened, into a great chamber
Humans were there, and demons, and vampires
Moving past them
Down corridors
To a room
The door opened
Buffy and Nightwing were there, attached to a wall
Willow and Tara gasped as they came down from the vision. "The Initiative," they both said.
"I thought Riley said they closed it up," Tara muttered as she stood up.
"I'm sure he believed it," Willow remarked, "but that doesn't make it true. We have to get the others and go to the Magic Box."
Rack gave a brief shout, before he clutched his head in agony. "Whoa, Racky," the Joker said, actually looking up from his torture of Robin, "what's the problem?"
"Company is coming," he snarled. (Damn. Those little witches actually hurt me!)
"Then we shall proceed immediately," the Monk told them.
Buffy jumped as the door to her cell was flung open. The Monk strode in, and surveyed them imperiously.
"It is time," he told them. He sounded triumphant. Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a small gun. He pointed it at Nightwing's neck and pulled the trigger. He did the same thing to Buffy.
(Great, another trank) she thought as she fell into blackness.
"The Initiative?" Xander groaned. "But I thought the government- nah, I'm not even gonna pretend to be surprised."
"Explain," Batman told him. Oracle had told him what little she had uncovered about them, but this was a chance to find out more.
"To make a long story short, they messed with realms they no business messing with. It blew up in their faces, and we had to save their asses."
(So much for that.) "Understood. Do you have access to blueprints?"
"Bringing them up- now," Willow said. The group joined her at her laptop. "These aren't 100 accurate, though." Willow pointed at the screen. "See these air ducts? They're fakes. They lead to a secret lab that Adam- the Initiative's enemy- had access to."
"They connect to a series of caves where Adam made his base," Spike added.
"Would the inhabitants know of them?" Batman asked him.
"Can't say," Spike shrugged. "Maybe they found them, maybe they didn't."
"That's one possible entrance. Others?"
"There's the secret elevator in the frat house," Willow told him, "but we used that the last time we busted in, and we got, uh, busted. We climbed down the shaft, but we had to use a crowbar to break in, and we were heard or something, I think."
"And there are the emergency exits," Giles finished, "but they would know of those."
Batman considered. (Three points of entrance- one almost certainly known to the opposition, two which may still be secret. The spell Rosenberg described used the elevator as the entrance, but that could just be because the cell is closest to it.) His lip curled. (I hate magic.) He came to a decision. (The elevator shaft is too potentially conspicuous, perfect for the strike force. That leaves the emergency exits and the cave system for the rescue team. The caves stand the best chance of being a surprise.) "This is the plan," Batman announced. "We will use the elevator. While a larger strike team provides a distraction, a smaller rescue team will infiltrate the complex through the caves and free the prisoners. We will need one of the witches to be on the rescue team."
"That should be Tara," Xander said. "No offense, but Will's better with the throwing down, and the rescue team's gonna need some subtlety, and that's more up your alley."
"He's right," Giles nodded.
"That's one," Batman confirmed. "The rescue team will need to be smaller than the attack force. A 3-5 ratio is best. The other two members of the rescue team need to be trained in infiltration and must be able to fight if it is required." (I'll need to be with the attack team to attract the leaders' attention. Spike knows the facility.) "Spike is the second." (Between Batgirl and Robin, Batgirl possesses more experience in infiltration, and is the superior fighter.) "Batgirl is the third." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Robin nod to himself, obviously following his reasoning. (He's learned his lessons well.) "The attack team will engage the defenders, creating a distraction and luring as many of them to us as possible. The rescue team will infiltrate the caves and wait for the signal to proceed forward, taking care not to be seen. They will find and free all three of the prisoners and get out, through the caves if they can, through the emergency exits if they must and they will signal us. Once the attack team receives radio confirmation, it will retreat. We will regroup at the Magic Box. If possible, we will also deal with Joker and the vampires, but they are secondary targets. My people will deal with the humans, and the rest of you can deal with the supernatural entities any way you see fit."
"But we didn't see anything about the guy that was resurrected too," Willow told him. Batman looked at her, and she gulped.
"You will find him," he said ominously. "Now if you can, at the complex if you have to."
Willow took a quick look around. Nobody was paying attention to her. This was her moment. It was after the briefing. They were arming themselves in preparation for the upcoming battle. Anya and Dawn would remain to wait, and the rest would be heading out. They were all so busy preparing that they didn't notice her.
She was in the magic section, putting the divination books away. The third divination spell had been a bust, just like the first. Rack must have raised the shields, or hid the guy from Scrying, or something. More specialized spells were possible, but required one of the third prisoner's personal possessions. When she noticed that everybody was preoccupied, she went to the forbidden magic section. She already had the Darkest Magick tome, but she knew that some of the others had spells that she could use. With a whisper and a wave of her hand, a few more floated off the shelves and into her satchel. Not many, but hopefully enough. She patted the satchel after she closed it. She could feel the power from the books. She got what Tara said about needing a bath, but the power was tangible. She might just need it, so it didn't hurt to be prepared.
The Monk looked down at his unconscious opponents while Rack made his final preparations. "There," the black magic dealer grunted. "We are ready to proceed."
"By all means," the Monk nodded, stepping away. He stood between Dala and the Joker.
"This should be good," the Joker smirked.
"Quiet!" Dala hissed at him, voice full of barely-restrained hatred.
Rack sat in the middle of the circle, between Buffy and Nightwing, unchained and still unconscious. He began chanting in a harsh, guttural language. Dark energy sparked around him. A line of it traced the circle, spitting sparks. Rack's chanting grew louder. As it reached a crescendo, he threw his hands up. The energy from his hands shot up, making a tear in reality. Soft light emerged from it.
The Monk shuddered. He had only been resurrected the day before. This was hitting a little close to home.
Rack's chants grew into shrieks. "Sineya!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Okonkwo!"
He suddenly dropped his hands to the ground, and two sparks emerged from the tear, which sealed after they emerged. Rack began chanting again, this time in a softer, more sibilant language. He reached into a pocket, and withdrew a vial of blood. The Monk himself had donated it to Rack for the ritual. Chanting softly, Rack opened the vial and tossed the contents into the air. The blood vanished before it could fall to the ground, and the two sparks changed. They developed a bright red ring around them. Rack stopped chanting, and left the circle. He held up a hand to prevent any speech.
The two sparks circled each other a few times before lowering to the bodies of Buffy and Nightwing. They entered through the mouths. With a start, each of them sat up and looked at each other. "Sineya?" Nightwing breathed.
"Okonkwo?" Buffy gasped.
They embraced.
"They will listen to your every command," Rack smirked to the Monk. "Don't worry- they understand all the languages that their hosts do. Better speak in English though, just in case."
"In that case- hear me!" Sineya and Okonkwo tore their eyes from each other and looked at the Monk. "You were kept apart by the shamans, the shadowmen who chose you, Sineya, to be their lapdog. You were prevented from loving each other, so that the shadowmen could control you. They are dead, and have been for millennia. Defy them now- I command it! Make the love you were denied, and have yearned to make for all these eons!"
Sineya and Okonkwo looked at each other for a split second before kissing passionately. It was a few more seconds before their clothes came off, and there was nothing but sweat between them.
The Joker erupted in laughter, and even Dala seemed amused. The Monk smiled under his hood and led Rack out of the cell. "I had expected that to be harder," the Monk remarked.
"It will get much harder," Rack told him. "As you said, deep down they wanted that to happen. Now, if you make them do something they vehemently oppose, they will fight you with all of their strength."
"But they won't break free?"
"No. You see, they're also fighting their hosts. If they and their hosts stopped fighting for control and started working together they could conceivably break the spell, but only if they worked together."
"You mean, they'll fight me if I order them to kill their would-be rescuers?"
"Oh, yes," Rack nodded.
"Good," the Monk smirked. "I look forward to the challenge." They returned to the cell, where the screams of long-denied passion were drowning even the Joker's laughter.
"Here we are," Xander said, gesturing at the mirror. He, the other Scoobies, and Batman and Robin- (I get to go on a mission with the Dynamic Duo!)- had snuck into Lowell House and had reached the mirror. "All nice and shiny and new and everything."
When they arrived, Batman and Robin snuck into the frat and told the others to wait for their return. They were gone for a few minutes. When they returned and the group finally entered, Xander was somehow unsurprised to see the frat boys unconscious. (Must've used knockout gas or something and had to wait for it to dissipate.)
"I hope nobody's superstitious," Robin muttered as Batman smashed the mirror. The five of them stepped through the mirror and into the chamber on the other side. Willow handed Batman a crowbar, and the elevator shaft was quickly opened.
"Okay," Xander said, "now are you sure that we shouldn't have brought our gear, because-" He was cut off by Batman and Robin firing jumplines at the shaft's ceiling. Batman retrieved something from his utility belt. He pressed it and threw it down the shaft. Seconds after it landed, it exploded. As soon as it exploded, Batman grabbed him and Willow, and Robin grabbed Giles. They quickly sailed through the air, and landed gently on the floor. "Well, that was easier than it was last time," he muttered as they charged through the open doorway and into a large chamber full of demons and vampires. Batman and Robin leapt off the catwalk onto the floor (and became the target of a whole bunch of demons) while the Scoobies used the stairs.
The lead demon dropped as Batman threw a batarang at it. The batarang ricocheted and whacked another demon's head before returning to Batman's hand. He readied another throw, and followed through with it just as a demon reached him. Reacting before the demon could, Batman punched it in the solar plexus and finished it off with a knee to the face. He lifted his hand, and caught the batarang. He prepared another throw.
Xander and Giles fought beside each other. Giles had a sword and Xander a crossbow. Two vampires headed for them. Xander carefully raised the crossbow, took aim, and fired. The bolt hit the vamp in the heart, immediately dusting it. The second stopped with a look of surprise on its face. That gave Giles just the amount of time needed to lop its head off. Xander was suddenly thrown to the ground. Looking up, he saw a slobbering demon trying to bite him. He struggled, and the demon suddenly fell limp. Unfortunately, it collapsed on top of him.
"Thanks, G," he called as he got up.
"If you want to thank me, you won't call me that again," Giles called back, while he dueled with a sword-wielding demon.
Robin kept a pair of demons busy with his Bo. He would have put them down shortly after they first engaged him, except they both had swords. Lunge, whirl, thrust, twirl… the demons were fairly well trained, enough to keep him busy but not enough to kill him. (This is taking me too long!) After what seemed like an eternity, one of the demons made a mistake. It came in too close as it swung, so that when Robin blocked the sword, it connected near the sword's hilt. The sword shifted in the demon's hand. It tried to regain its grip, giving Robin a perfect shot as the thing's neck, which he took. As the demon fell, Robin turned to its partner and flashed a wicked grin. The demon suddenly looked very nervous. (Probably thinks I'm gonna kick its ass. Hate to prove you right pal…) THWACK! (But it's my job.)
Meanwhile, a group of vampires swarmed the defenseless-looking Willow. "Ooh," one mocked, "a little red-headed girl! Run away! Run away!" it taunted in a very-good Monty Python voice.
"Actually, you won't," Willow told them, as she raised a hand. "Paralyze."
The vampires stood motionless. With a quick motion, Willow drew a stake and went to them. "One," she counted as she staked one of the vamps, "two, and three!" She looked down at the three piles of dust. (Why can't it always be this easy?)
In the shadows of the cave system, Batgirl, Spike, and Tara lay in wait. They had not yet encountered any guards, and according to Spike they were nearing the entrance to the secret section of the Initiative. They reached a large steel door. Spike went to it and opened it. He took a quick look before wincing. "If you ladies have any way to block out a truly vile stench, I suggest you use it." Tara felt Batgirl touch her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Batgirl pass her what looked like two miniature gas masks. Batgirl was already wearing one. Tara took the hint. She put one on and handed the other to Spike.
"Dog's bollocks," she heard Spike mutter. "I don't need to breathe unless I have to speak, but I'll take it anyway. This way I can talk without getting bugs in my lungs. Thanks, luv," he told Batgirl.
"Thank Batman," she told him. "He thought of it, just in case."
He motioned for the other two to join him. They did, and they entered the corridor. It looked deserted. Apparently, the new owners hadn't found this part of the Initiative.
They moved forward, and into the ruins of a large lab. Three putrid, decaying bodies lay on the floor. One was badly burnt, but two were otherwise intact. From what Tara could see, all three had been experimented on. Based on what Riley had told the Scoobies of his fight during the attack, one of the intact bodies had to be Professor Walsh, the other her assistant, and the burnt body was Forrest, his best friend. As they passed by, Tara said a quick prayer for the three of them.
They moved into another corridor. This corridor had two branches and Spike led them down one. When they reached the end of the corridor, Batgirl spoke. "Remember- we don't know what's on the other side," she said.
"Pretty hard to forget that," Spike told her as he pressed a spot on the wall. A portion of the wall opened. Once again, Spike ducked in, and after a moment motioned Tara and Batgirl forward and the door closed behind them. They emerged into a small room with a large metal gurney in the centre.
"Ladies, the infamous Room 314," Spike said as he lifted his gas mask and took an experimental sniff. "Not too pleasant, but you can breathe it." Tara and Batgirl removed their masks, and Batgirl replaced them in her utility belt. Batgirl opened the room's visible door a crack while Spike and Tara stood back. Tara heard the sound of running, which quickly faded. Batgirl motioned for the three to come out when Spike suddenly stopped them.
Spike moved forward and took Batgirl's place at the door. He saw a group of vampires entered the corridor. The vampires took a position, and started griping.
"I can't believe we have to wait here!" one of them whined.
"Yeah," a second grunted. "Stupid demons get most of the fun, and we get to be the reserves. Reserves, my ass! We're not gonna get any action."
"I don't think you've ever gotten any action," a third snarked.
"Take that back!" the second shouted.
"Make me!"
"Calm down, you idiots!" a fourth snapped. "Save it for the intruders, if they get this far."
Spike and Batgirl looked at each other. The vampires didn't show any signs of movement.
"Allow me," Spike mouthed. Batgirl nodded. Tara handed him her stake, and he smiled in gratitude. (Good girl.) Spike exited the room. "Excuse me," Spike called to the vampires, "is this where we're supposed to wait?"
"Yeah," the second vamp said, "it's- hey, waitaminute!"
"Hey, it's the Slayer's bitch," the third vamp smirked. "I hear the army put a chip in your head to make you a good little soldier."
Spike reached into his pockets and withdrew a cigarette and a lighter. He lit the cigarette and took a calm puff.
"Is that what you heard," Spike told him. "Well mate, I'm afraid you heard wrong." With a sudden motion, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and stuck it in the vamp's eye. The vamp went down with a yell. He could have used the stake, but this hurt more. He drew the stake and grinned.
"How about we make a game of this then, hmm?" Tara heard Spike say before the sounds of fighting entered the room. It lasted for about a minute and a half. "And just so you know, mate- the Slayer is MY bitch!" Tara smirked as she heard the unmistakable sound of vamps being dusted. (Spike talks a good game. It's not my fault that I happen to know just untrue that is!)
Batgirl turned from her vantage place at the door, and nodded. She opened the door and Tara entered the corridor. Batgirl emerged after her, making sure that the door didn't make any noise as it closed. Tara could hear the sounds of a larger battle from where she was, but the caution made sense. (Can't tell if anything or anybody is nearby) Spike and Batgirl looked at her, and Tara took a few seconds to remember the vision. She took a good look at the corridor. She recognized it, and sighed with relief. She nodded, and led them towards the cell.
She stopped when she got to the room from her spell, and gestured to the door. Batgirl tried the handle, which turned with no resistance. She motioned for Tara to wait, and ducked into the room. Tara intended to wait as she was bid, but she heard the sound of gasping and moaning. (Buffy and Nightwing!) She and Spike ducked into the room, completely unprepared to see the two of them completely naked, and in flagrante delicto. Tara looked at Batgirl. She couldn't see Batgirl's face, but she would have bet good money that Batgirl looked every bit as shocked as she herself felt. She heard faint, horrible noises coming from Spike's mouth. If he were alive- or at least needed air- she would have thought that he was choking.
"Uh, Buffy, Nightwing, we're, uh, we're here to rescue you," Tara managed. There was no response.
"Stop making like bunnies!" Batgirl said vehemently. Still no response.
"Bloody Hell, Slayer!" Spike snapped. "Now is not the time to be getting your ya-ya's out with Spandex-Boy!"
"I'm afraid they aren't listening," a voice drawled from the darkness. Rack practically melted out of the shadows. "You see, I've put two long-lost lovers into them, and they have a lot of catching up to do." Batgirl quickly drew a batarang and threw it at Rack, but it bounced off an invisible shield and clattered to the floor. Rack smiled confidently and looked at Tara.
"Free them," Spike snarled. Rack looked at him.
"I'm afraid I can't do that yet. Don't worry. It'll happen, but not until I'm good and ready."
"Don't recall offering you a choice, mate."
"Don't recall offering you an invitation, mate," Rack smirked back. He waved his hand, and Spike vanished. "Don't worry, I merely sent him to the main chamber, where the battle is taking place. The rest of my partners should be there by now, and Dala so wanted to see Spike again." He looked at Tara. "So, you're Strawberry's lady. I heard about you, but everything I heard led me to believe that you're nowhere as powerful as you are."
"Willow's more powerful than me, and she is gonna-"
"Yes, yes, yes, she'll certainly try. As I was saying, you're not as powerful as she is, but you are damn close. I don't suppose you'd like to change sides?"
"You mean- you- I- never!"
"That's what I thought," Rack sighed. "Oh well. I had to be sure." He pointed at Nightwing and Buffy, who were evidently oblivious to what was going on around them. "I enchanted them to obey the Monk. Fortunately, his last command before he left was for them to listen to me as they'd listen to him. Sineya? Okonkwo? Subdue them." Rack leaned back as he watched the fight unfold. He idly wished for popcorn. (The Monk's not the only one who likes it while watching a good show.)
Batman took a moment to observe the chamber. It was littered with dead and unconscious demons. The presence of obstacles would make the job of the inevitable second wave more difficult. He stuck his hand up as he thought he heard a sound. He heard it again. It was a very familiar sound: the cocking of a gun. "Get down!" he called, and hit the deck himself seconds before the gunfire started.
"AH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!"
The Joker's laughter echoed through the chamber.
"Hello, Bats!" the Joker called. "I'd say that if I knew you were coming I'd have baked you a cake, but I did know you were coming, and I've got something much better than a cake!"
Batman caught Robin's eye, and they both nodded. They reached into their utility belts, and withdrew a number of small capsules. They sprang up as one, and threw them at the gunmen. The capsules exploded into vast clouds of smoke. They readied batarangs and threw them at the gunmen staggering out of the smoke, dropping them.
Other demons emerged from different corridors. Willow started chanting, and a patch of ground directly in front of a group of vamps became slick with grease. They slipped, landing in a pile. Xander burst into action. Drawing a stake, he quickly dusted them before they could untangle and recover.
Giles quickly ran to the side of a corridor entryway. He saw a vamp charging down the corridor and readied his stake. He waited for the vampire to rush past him. When it was in range, he shoved his stake out. The vampire ran on to it. The stake entered its heart, dusting it instantly. He sheathed the stake when he noticed that the next potential target was a demon. He got behind it and bashed its head with the hilt of his sword. It pitched to its knees, and Giles quickly lopped its head off.
Sniping tactics like these were somewhat effective, but despite them new attackers still trickled into the main chamber. As it filled up, it became clear that such tactics would not work much longer. Giles grabbed his weapons and made for the high ground- the catwalk. From there, he could pick off the major threats and leave the lesser ones for the others.
As Giles readied his crossbow and was aiming it at a demon's head, a flash of dark energy appeared and left a very angry looking Spike in its wake. Giles cursed and aimed the crossbow at another demon. Spike's sudden appearance meant that he had run into Rack. He saw Spike start attacking his original target and fired at the second demon, dropping it.
"What happened?" Batman called to Spike as they battled.
"Bloody Rack!" Spike shot back. "Sent me out here."
"Did you find Nightwing and the Slayer?"
"Oh, did we ever!"
"Yes, I'm certain that he did," came a voice from a nearby corridor. Batman and Spike looked toward the sound of the voice. The Monk and Dala had emerged from the hallway, watching the battle. The Monk was smirking under his hood. "Come now, gentlemen. You and yours are greatly outnumbered. If you wish to surrender, I'm sure something could be arranged."
Neither Batman nor Spike answered. Both knew that the Monk was lying through his teeth.
"Oh, Batsy!"
Batman whirled. The Joker was standing at in front of a corridor.
"I've got a little surprise for you!" the Joker continued as he stepped forward, and to the side.
Another figure emerged from the corridor. It was shorter than the Joker but also broader. It- no, he- was dressed in a purple suit jacket, and purple shorts that ended just below the knee. His face was painted a pale white, and his smiling lips were bright red. His dark hair was combed and gelled like the Joker's. His eyes stared straight ahead, and Batman could hear the faint, panting laughter coming out of the figure's mouth.
His blood turned cold. (Jason. Oh, Jason…) His blood turned hot. (JASON!) "What have you done to him?" Batman demanded.
"What, don't you like him?" the Joker grinned. "That's okay- the Jester doesn't really like you, either. Go get him, Jester."
Jason sprang forward. He pulled his fist back, and struck at Batman. Batman dodged it, and jumped out of the way.
"Whatever he did to you, you can fight it," he told him. "You're stronger than he is. You always have been."
Jason's response was to laugh louder. He launched a kick at Batman, who dodged easily. Batman responded with a punch, which Jason managed to block before countering with a punch of his own.
(They also made him better) Batman mused. (He was not this good before he died.)
Robin felt his heart sink in his chest as he listened to Batman fight Jason while he fought his own enemies. He knew that Batman would win. There was no doubt of that. He just hoped that victory would come by getting through to Jason rather than by putting him down. Beating Jason up would only hurt Batman more, even if it was for his own good.
Somebody's fist put down the last demon that had attacked him. It was Spike's. Spike gestured to the sidelines, where the Monk and Dala were watching Batman fight Jason. "How's about we make them busy?" Spike asked him.
"I like the way you think," Robin grinned.
The two of them made for the vampires. Both vampires whirled as their would-be opponents came near. Dala charged Robin, while the Monk lunged at Spike.
Dala blocked a bo-strike with her forearm, and blocked a second strike the same way.
"That must hurt," Robin smirked as he executed a third strike.
"Pain fades," Dala smirked back as she grabbed the staff. With a sudden wrench, she got it out of his hands, and threw it away. "Let's see what you can do without your little toy," she sneered.
Robin launched a series of punches at her. She dodged all but the last one, which she blocked. She countered with a nerve strike. Robin felt his arm go numb. (She's good!) he mentally cursed as Dala launched another attack at him.
"Why don't you just give up then, hmm?" Spike asked the Monk as the two grappled. "We both know who the better fighter is." The Monk responded by breaking his hold and headbutting him.
"We do now," the Monk sneered as he tossed Spike to the catwalk above. With a graceful push-off, he joined the reeling vampire. "The good thing about people thinking you can't fight is that they underestimate you. Of course, all it takes is a few opponents leaking the truth out to spoil it- but that could only happen if I let them live."
The Monk launched a kick at Spike, but Spike blocked it and followed with another punch, which the Monk blocked. It went back and forth, neither able to hit the other. Finally, Spike landed a punch on the Monk's jaw. It should have sent him reeling, but he just flinched a little.
"Oh, did I mention that the Ring of Undeath makes me more powerful and durable than I am normally?" he smirked as he copied Spike's move, knocking him into the wall.
All the fights were disrupted by a very loud "A-HEM!" Rack materialized near the entrance to one of the corridors. Buffy and Nightwing materialized to either side of him. They had swords sheathed at their sides. Buffy was holding a bound Tara, and Nightwing was holding a bound Batgirl. "I would advise all the heroes here to stand down, or people will start dying."
"Bollocks," Spike breathed. "Snap out of it, Slayer!"
"She won't listen to you, William," the Monk gloated. "She and her paramour are now mine."
"Paramour? If anybody in here is her bloody paramour it's me! I got the bite marks and bruises to prove it!"
Giles felt as if he had been run over by a truck. (Spike? SPIKE?)
"Make the bad thoughts go away," Xander moaned. "Make the bad thoughts go away!"
"Rack," Willow growled, "let go of Tara. Now!"
"Threats?" Rack drawled. "They don't sound convincing coming from you, Strawberry. You're still too- pure. Let me show you what you have to do to make people listen to your threats." He nodded at Buffy, who pushed Tara away. He pointed a finger at the captive witch. "Fulmen!" he shouted. Black lightning erupted from his finger, engulfing her. Tara flew through the air, landing at Willow's feet, bleeding.
"No," Willow breathed, kneeling down to attend to her love. "No!" Willow's hands were shaking as she turned Tara over. Tara's eyes were wide open. "No," Willow sobbed, embracing Tara.
Rack smiled at her. His smile broadened as he took in the rest of the would-be heroes. Batman and Robin looked horrified. The Slayer's friends were even more horrified. "Now do you understand, Strawberry?" he told her. "That is what you must do to make people believe your threats."
"I understand," Willow said quietly. She stood up and looked straight at him. The smile fell off Rack's face. Her eyes were glowing red. "I understand that I am going to kill you." Rack trembled. Her rage was amplifying her already great power. He began to feel very nervous.
She grabbed the satchel at her side. She opened it and books of magic floated out.
"Do you really think that using the power in a few books will help you kill me?" he said with more bravado than he felt. The smile she rewarded him with was chilling.
"No, but I'm not going to use them. Not the way you think." She opened the book, and he felt her power merge with the books.
"No!" he shouted. He knew what she was doing. He saw the writing flow up her arms, creating moving tattoos of blackness. Her skin paled as more words flowed. The red sparks in her eyes died, leaving pits of utter darkness.
"You once said you liked my darkness," she smiled. The words from the books flowed straight to her head. Her hair darkened, becoming auburn, then brown, and finally a deep lustrous black. "How do you like my darkness now?" she asked him as she pointed her fingers at him, readying a spell.
Doza: Thanks! Yup, the sequel's already in the works. As for why that is- all will be made clear in the end. Let's just say I have a hell of a hook, and leave it at that. As for planning, I think that it's essential. Not only will the writer have a road map, but I find that it provides an incentive to keep going.
Allen Pitt: I wanted a somewhat atypical villain, because monologues are a little annoying. As for D/D conflicts- I don't think that anybody in the Order of Aurelius really liked Dala or the Monk except the Master.
RogueFanKC: Thanks! Heh- the "Evil Overlord's Handbook." You know, if a copy of that ever got into the hands of a real supervillain, we would all be toast! As for Rasputin- that was just me showing what the Monk was capable of, plus referencing the fact that the Russian Revolution was a side-effect of one of Anya's missions. I don't know enough about Hellboy to write him, and this story is a bit crowded as is. I'm glad that you like the fight sequences. They really are a pain to write. I'm very grateful for my beta Scott. A sequel is coming and while I won't be adding any more universes to the mix, there are plenty of characters from the Whedonverse and the DCU that will be showing.
Damia- Queen of the Gypsi's: Thanks! That's what you meant? Okay. That's what will eventually happen.