Zeppo 3: Slayer Evolved
Part 9: Death Wish

The pain woke Faith from her deep sleep. Her head felt like it was several sizes too small for her brain. She tentatively tried to move her hands up to rub her forehead, but found she was unable to move them from her side.

"You're awake then?" The voice was soft, but to Faith it felt like a jackhammer against her brain. "Headache?" Faith nodded as gently as she could. "Take these." A pair of pills was pressed against her lips, but she kept her mouth shut tight. "They're only painkillers," The voice tried to reassure her. "If I wanted you dead, you'd have never woken up." Faith opened her mouth obediently and accepted the pills, along with the glass of water that followed.

"Where am I?" she asked as soon as the thumping in her skull had died down to a dull roar. She didn't even want to try opening her eyes.

"Somewhere safe, for now," The voice explained. "What do you remember?"

"I remember…" Faith slowly opened her eyes. "Oh shit!"

"That's one way of putting it." Xander nodded as he sat down on a chair next to the rogue Slayer's bed. "Why'd you try and kill me?"

"I didn't."

"Oh, so it wasn't you firing semi-automatic weaponry at me last night? Guess I should just let you go and apologize for the inconvenience…"

"I didn't want to kill you… I want you to kill me."

"Why?"

"I had… strange dreams while I was in the hospital. I don't know how to explain them. It was like someone took me on a whistle stop tour of the history of the Slayer, from the very First to me. It scared me more than anything I've ever faced."

"Sounds uncomfortable."

"Yeah, it was. You ever read that book, what do you call it? Restaurant at the end of the Universe?"

"Yes, although I'm surprised that you've even heard of it."

"Yeah, well it was on Giles's coffee table once, and it looked more interesting than whatever it was Red was going on about at the time. Anyway, there's this bit in it where one of the guys gets put in this machine that shows him how insignificant he is compared to the rest of the universe."

"The Total Perspective Vortex?"

"Whatever. Anyway, that was what my dreams were like. It showed me how totally insignificant I was compared to all the Slayers who have ever lived. It was like nothing I've ever encountered…" Faith looked round. "Does Buffy know I'm awake?"

"She knows, but she's not here." Xander looked pained. "We had a falling out. I know who provided you with your suit and guns… I've been clashing with them for some time now, but Buffy thinks we can stop them without hurting anyone."

"You disagree?"

"Buffy doesn't like the idea of killing anyone… no offence. She doesn't see that it may be our only option."

"I can't believe that Xander wants to talk to Faith alone!" Buffy passed back and forth across Giles's living room. "What is he thinking?"

"That your personal history with Faith may impede your judgment?" the Watcher suggested "Xander can deal with Faith on his own, if needs be. And if he can't, I'm sure the Master Chief's training will take over."

"Professor, we've had an escape." One of the Initiative techs walked up to Walsh. "The Lycanthrope we captured on campus."

"Was it tagged?" Walsh asked absentmindedly.

"Yes."

"Have Team One recapture it and bring it back. I had hoped to have more time to study it, but I can see now that we will have to move to the autopsy."

Faith's eyes were wide with fear as she looked down the barrel of the gun jammed between her teeth. With her mobility hindered by the shackles holding her down, there was no way she'd be able to dislodge it.

"So," Xander smiled. "You want to die?"

Faith made a faint gurgling sound that could have been anything.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Xander pulled the gun away. "What was that?" he asked innocently.

"Are you crazy?"

"To tell the truth, I don't know. I grew up over a literal mouth to Hell, saw one of my best friends turn into a vampire, had my memories merged with those of a 25th Century cyborg, and then had a psychotic government agent set her Frankenstein monster on me because I wouldn't let her dissect me. What out of that could possibly make you question my mental state?"

"I guess you're the wrong guy to ask…"

"You think?" Xander pressed the gun up against the side of Faith head, "So… Do you want to die?"

"Yes." Faith closed her eyes.

"Are you sure he can handle her?" Buffy asked. "They didn't get on too well before."

"I'm sure Xander knows what he's doing," Tara looked at Willow. "Doesn't he?"

Faith took a deep breath as Xander pulled back the hammer on the pistol.

"Any last words?" he asked.

Faith shook her head.

"Ok." Xander nodded, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"NO!" Faith's eyes shot wide open as the hammer fell.

Oz stumbled through the streets, trapped somewhere between his human and Lycan forms by the drugs the Initiative had given him. He looked around, trying to work out where he was. He saw a train pass by two streets down and realised he had to be somewhere near Xander's warehouse.

Summoning what strength he had left, he started to run.


Click!

Faith felt her heart stop for a moment as the hammer fell on an empty chamber.

"Sorry about that." Xander tilted the gun back so the Slayer could see that the magazine was missing. "Giles said you might be a little spaced-out, so we came up with this 'Intervention' plan. Not even Buffy knows about it."

"You scared the shit out of me!" Faith gasped for air. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"We needed to know just what was going on in your head and figured you wouldn't just come out and tell us face-to-face."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I've detected someone approaching the perimeter." Cortanna appeared on the TV screen hanging from one wall. "I think it is Oz…"

"You think?" Xander looked round.

"It is hard to tell." Cortana's image was replaced by a feed from one of the many security cameras hidden around the warehouse. "The heat signature matches, but it looks like he's stuck between human and Lycan."

"Open the main door and let him in, then close it afterwards." Xander grabbed a dart gun from the wall and checked the dosage. "I want to keep this as a last resort."

"What about me?" Faith asked.

"Oh hell…" Xander sighed, undoing one of the restraints and giving her the key. "I can only deal with so much at one time."

"Thanks." Faith removed the rest of the shackles and stood, stretching her aching body. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah. If he gets past me, take him down, but keep him alive." Xander primed the dart gun. "This has got Walsh written all over it…"

"Control, this is Capture One. Target is approaching a warehouse at 343 Sycamore Drive. Request instruction."

"Confirmed Capture One: warehouse is registered as Halsey electronics, owner one Katherine Halsey, multiple doctorates. Hold perimeter and observe only. Special strike team on the way."

"Orders received."

"I had expected more from you Xander." Walsh smiled slightly as she looked over the information coming in from the field team. "Using the name of the woman who founded the Spartan program makes this just too easy for me. Maybe I overestimated you." She unlocked the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out a secure phone. "Adam, I have a mission for you. Kill Alexander Harris."

To Be Continued…