Summary: Certain books have found their way to Sunnydale, pre-Buffy.
Disclaimer: I dun' own nuttin'!
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* * *
The next morning, the four teenagers and the British librarian met during study period.
"I, I've been studying this Harvest thing you said that vampire mentioned, Buffy. It seems to be some sort of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell on Earth, quite charmless. I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details," Giles said.
"We can always rely on you to brighten our day," Buffy said. "What gets me, is how did those vampires disappear?"
"Uh, this might be a dumb question, but couldn't we just call the police?," Willow asked.
"And they'd believe us, of course," Giles dryly observed.
"Well, we don't have to say vampires. We, we could just say that there's a, a bad man," Willow tried.
"They'd turn up with guns and get eaten," Xander said.
"Buffy, maybe there was a tunnel or something they escaped in," Giles said.
"Well, there's an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole town," Xander contributed.
Giles frowned thoughtfully. "If we had a diagnostic of the tunnel system it might indicate a, a meeting place, it would, uh... I suppose we could go to the building commission."
"We *so* don't have time," Buffy growled. "What about that Harvest thingy?"
"I can get the sewer tunnel maps from the City Council computers," Willow said. "I accidentally got into their computer system the other day."
All the others gave her a look.
"Okay, maybe not accidentally," she admitted.
"Well, you can wrest some information from that dread machine while the rest of us try and find something on this Harvest business," Giles said, laying out a plan of action.
* * *
Darla stood just outside the mystical barrier that held the Master in the underground cave. She wasn't fool enough to be within choking or killing distance.
"A Slayer!," the ancient vampire said. "Have you any proof?"
Luke nodded. "Only that she fought me, and yet lives."
"Hmm, very nearly proof enough. I can't remember the last time that happened," the Master commented.
"1843, Madrid," Luke said proudly. "He caught me sleeping."
"She mustn't be allowed to interfere with the Harvest!," the Master growled. A scowl could have crossed his face; if so, it was indistinguishable from his normal expression.
"I would never let that happen!," Luke protested.
"That boy could be a bigger danger," Darla said.
The Master looked up at his favourite childe. "Oh? Explain, Darla."
"He had some strange stakes. The others who got staked with them only turned into a statue of dust, they didn't turn into little piles of dust. The stakes absorbed some energy."
A thoughtful expression settled on the Master's face. "This boy sounds interesting. Bring him to me."
* * *
Back at the Library, Buffy and Willow had worked out that the vampire had used a tunnel in the crypt.
"He didn't come out of nowhere. He came from behind me. I was facing the entrance, he came from behind me, and he didn't follow me out. The access to the tunnels is in the mausoleum! God! I am so mentally challenged!," she groaned.
"So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?," Jesse said, eager to kick some vampire butt again.
"There's no 'we', okay? I'm the Slayer, and you're not," Buffy said. An annoyed look was on her face.
"Who died and made you a god?," Xander demanded. "Hands up who staked a vampire last night?"
Willow, Jesse and Xander all raised their hands. Buffy, noticeably, did not.
"Xander, this is deeply dangerous," Buffy growled.
"I don't want to go into a dark place full of monsters," Willow said. "But I want to help."
"Well, then help me," Giles asked. "I need to research this Harvest affair more."
"I'll give you a hand with that," Xander said. "Have you got a copy of D'Erlette's book? That should have something."
"I'm off," Buffy announced. "Xander, give me one of your gloves and wonder stakes."
"I'll help you," Jesse said. It was debatable to Xander's mind whether Jesse was hoping for a B-grade movie scenario, with Buffy leaping into his arms, or for plain-out hidden smoochies in the dark.
"No!," Buffy yelled. "You stay here, it's too dangerous."
A minute after she left, Jesse followed anyway.
* * *
Later that day, the group convened back at the library just before nightfall.
"You would not believe the traffic problems," Buffy said.
"Yeah, those vampires sure jam in sewer tunnels," Jesse chimed in. He had a cut on his left temple.
"Yes, well, I have found a reference to the Harvest," Giles said, reading a book at the same time.
Xander coughed in an obtrusive way.
"Uh, *we* have found a reference," Giles corrected himself.
"'For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life. On the night of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice it will come...'," Giles quoted. "That is, of course, tonight."
Giles summarised the other findings, and that the Master was trapped underground, requiring energy that he could receive via proxy during the Harvest.
"It comes once in a century, on this night. The Master can draw power from one of his minions while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the vessel, and he bears this symbol," he finished off.
"So, I dust anyone sporting that symbol, and no Harvest," Buffy asked, wanting to be sure.
"That's the plan, Stan," Xander confirmed.
"Any idea where this little get-together is being held?," was the Slayer's next question.
"Bronze!," Jesse blurted.
"Why there?," Xander wondered.
"Only place in town to go at night," Willow expanded.
They collected the enscribed stakes and gloves from Xander, then got going.
* * *
Post-Fic Comments:
Does anyone else look around for a certain heavy metal band every time someone mentions Slayer?