I would like to publicly thank Crazy Danae for volunteering to proofread this story.

Zeppo 3: Slayer Evolved
Part 4: See how they run…

Walsh made a faint gargling noise as she fixed her eyes on the gun Buffy had trained up her right nostril: she knew from the briefing Riley had given her that the gun could hold 50-rounds of armor-piercing ammunition, but Xander tended to load it with tracers to deal with Vampires.

"Well, do you feel lucky, punk?" Buffy asked, enjoying turning the tables on her collage tutor in a way that couldn't possibly lead back to her.

"Sorry guys, but it looks like I'm checking out." Xander smiled at the other Initiative agents as he slowly made his way to the elevator, pulling Riley with him, keeping his human shield between himself and the guns pointed at him. "Hope you understand if I don't leave a tip."

"Less quipping, more walking," Buffy insisted, moving her head to the side to check the elevator was clear.

Walsh took the opportunity to dive for cover, "SHOOT THEM!" She bellowed out the order as she hit the ground hard.

Buffy reacted before anyone else could: her Slayer-reflexes, enhanced even further by the Mjolnir armor she wore, enabled her to get between the Initiative agents and Riley as Xander pulled the other man into the elevator. The hail of gunfire ricocheted of the armor's energy shield, making it glow brightly. Buffy saw the warning light on her HUD start to blink as the shield started to lose power.

"Be careful with that, would you!" Xander protested, hitting a button to go to the surface, "I'm still trying to work out how to fix it if it gets broken."

"And here's me thinking he missed us." Cortana mocked from the suits external speaker, "It's good to see you to, caveman."

"I'll deal with you later." Xander smiled, "But right now we need to get out of here."

"Relax. I have complete control of this instillation and its systems." The AI reported as the elevator started to move, "Going up."

"What the hell is going on?" Riley asked, looking at Xander and Buffy, his face reflecting in the armor's gold-tinted faceplate.

"You've got to make a choice, soldier-boy: are you with us or against us?" Xander held up one of the guns he had taken from the guards, "My friend here doesn't like killing if they can avoid it, but they lack the memories of someone who was trained as a solider from the age of six. I, on the other hand may not like killing, but I would put a bullet though your brain without a second thought if I needed to." He pulled back the hammer, pointing the weapon at the other man, "Your friends back there were willing to kill you to get to us. You have to ask yourself if you should be loyal to people who'd use you like that."

"What other choice do I have?"

"This place needs to be stopped, and that's going to take the sort of information that only an insider can provide." Xander held the gun out by the barrel, offering it to Riley, "You can make a run for it, or you can come with us. You help as and we'll protect you."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Cortana asked.

"What choice do we have?" Buffy asked, her growing attraction to Riley colouring her opinion on the matter somewhat.

"Well?" Xander asked.

"I'll help you." Riley nodded, taking the offered gun.

The trip back to Xander's place was uneventful: Cortana had been able to lockdown the Initiative long enough for the four of them to get to were Buffy had parked Xander's Warthog. The Slayer had hidden in the back of the ATV while her friend drove home.

"Is it safe to be here?" Riley asked, "Won't they just look up your records to see where you live?"

"Relax, kid." Cortana laughed as she appeared on the main TV screen, "I changed the records ages ago; Alexander Harris lives in a small town in Idaho."

"You can do that?" The former Initiative agent asked.

"Yeah: she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve." Xander disappeared into his bedroom to get changed, "You can get out of that now, Buffy."

"Do I have to?" The Slayer asked, "I'm kind of getting used to it…"

"NOW!" Cortana insisted, "You don't have the cybernetic enhancements needed to operate all of its functions. And as I said before: it's Xander's."

"Spoilsport," Buffy complained, cracking the seal on the suit's neck and lifting the helmet off. "Ah, fresh air!"

"Summers?" Riley blinked, "How did you…"

"Survive in this without snapping every bone in my body?" Buffy asked.

"Well, yeah."

"I'm a Vampire Slayer. I'm naturally faster and stronger than a regular human. I may not be up to the level of a Spartan, but I can at least walk around in the armor without risking death or serious injury."

"Um, what's a Vampire Slayer?"

"Oh boy. Ok, it goes like this: In each generation, a Slayer is born…"

"Do you really think we can trust him?" Cortana asked, transferring herself to the portable TV in Xander's bedroom, "I know Buffy likes him, but that's not exactly a glowing reference, given her past…"

"Yeah, I know: Angel." Xander shook is head as he stripped, "But like I said: we need information, and he's the best way to get it. He steps out of line…"

"You know, you sound a lot like John at times."

"I have his memories, his training: its understandable that some of it shows from time to time."

"Yeah, well, be careful in front of Buffy: she's in there flirting with him as we speak."

"Guess I should go put the fear of Harris in him."

"No way did you blow up your High School!" Riley blinked.

"Yeah: Xander rigged some kind of bomb out of fertilizer and fuel-oil, then set it off with some plastic explosive he'd picked up from a black-market contact." Buffy was grinning like an idiot. "Blowing that place was the single most satisfying thing I've ever done. I got to level the school and save the world at the same time. It was so cool."

"Basic demolition." Xander walked back through the living room and into the adjacent kitchen, grabbing a can of soda from the fridge, "So, Riley, where are you going to stay?"

"Well I can't go back to my room. Dr Walsh would probably have me shot on sight." The former Initiative agent shrugged, "Guess there are a few abandoned houses I could use."

"Bad idea: vampires and all." Buffy shook her head, and then smiled, "Why don't you stay here with Xander?" She ducked just in time to avoid the apple her friend threw at her. "What? You're the one who said we'd keep him safe."

"No, it's ok." Riley held up his hands defensively, "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"No, it's ok soldier-boy." Xander shrugged, "Buffy's right, but there are a few ground rules. One: you never touch my armor or my weapons, period. Worst comes to worst, you can use the two guns I took from your friends. Two: if Cortana or I tell you to do something, you do it. I spent a very long weekend fitting this place out with hidden cameras and microphones so Cortana can see and hear everything, with the exception of my bedroom and the bathroom, which only have cameras. We have military issue anti-surveillance units scattered around the place, some of which have been customised. You can use the computer to look stuff up on the net, but Cortana has complete control of what comes in or goes out, and she's programmed for covert-ops, so she knows all the tricks."

"Jesus, Xander!" Buffy protested. "Why don't you handcuff him as well while you're at it?"

"The thought has crossed my mind." Cortana smiled down from the TV on the wall.

"Ladies, please." Xander held up his arms to stop the argument before it started. "Now if you don't mind, I've been deprived of sleep for the past 48 hours, so I'm going to go crash. Riley, the sofa pulls out into a reasonably comfortable bed. Buffy; it's late, so feel free to crash here if you want. Night."

To Be Continued…