AUTHOR'S NOTE Shane and Bit (X5-401 and X5-438 respectively) are characters of my own creation, just so you're aware. And I wasn't sure if a vampire would be stronger than an X5, but perhaps Bit is just not a very strong X5? I don't know.

DISCLAIMER Don't own any of them, cept Bit and Shane.

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Chapter Thirteen: In Which Vampires Discover the Transgenics

Logan's Apartment

"Dammit!"

Max looked startled at Logan's outburst. "No luck?" she asked hesitantly. Logan had shown her the police composite of this Buffy Summers. Although, truth be told, knowing the name of the girl who wanted to kill her didn't really help matters.

Logan flipped his cell phone closed and tossed it on the couch irritably. "It keeps saying that the number is out of service. What kind of Police Department has an out of service telephone number?"

"Gee, you mean in this wonderful post-Pulse world we live in? I don't know."

Logan glared at Max. "I'm doing this to try to help you, you know."

Max looked down, slightly ashamed. "Sorry. Did you find anything online?"

With a shake of his head, Logan gestured to the computer. "It doesn't look like Sunnydale was very active in anything since the Pulse."

"That's weird."

Logan nodded. "And what's weirder is the date on that wanted poster. Buffy looks remarkably the same for being 22 years older, wouldn't you say?"

Max shrugged. "The girl ages well, I guess. I hope I look that good when I'm in my late 30's."

"I don't think that will be a problem."

Max blushed, unused to Logan's praise. "Look, I gotta blaze. Call me if you find anything else on her?"

"Will do."

Terminal City 2021

X5-438, a girl who called herself Bit, hurried toward the fence surrounding Terminal City. Her food recovery mission had been unsuccessful and she wanted to get back to safety as soon as possible.

She saw the east gate of the transgenics' stronghold, but before she could get there, she felt a hand on her throat. She couldn't turn around. "Hello there, little girl," a voice purred in her ear. Bit looked up to see four guys coming toward her.

Her screams were cut short by the one holding her throat. "None of that," the voice hissed. One by one, the men approaching her changed. Their faces shifted, revealing glowing yellow eyes and long fangs.

She managed to get one good strike to her captor's stomach before his other arm was around her chest, pinning down her arms. He was stronger than she was and she was trapped.

Her eyes opened wide as she felt fangs sink into her neck. It was pain like nothing she'd ever felt before.

But as soon as he started, the man who had bit her pushed her away in disgust. He wiped the blood from his lips and stared from it to her. "What are you?" he asked. She continued to struggle. "Let her go!" he commanded whoever was holding her.

Suddenly, the arms holding her were gone. Her attackers melted back into the darkness and she ran for Terminal City. "Let me in!" she cried.

"Bit?" Mole was on guard duty. He had been bred for life and battle in deserts and other extremely hot areas. He held the trembling X5. "Bit, what the hell happened?"

She kept a hand over the wound in her neck. "Help me, Mole, before I bleed to death!"

Mole helped her inside Terminal City and two transgenics rushed to her side with bandages. "What happened, Bit?" Mole asked her once the entry was secure.

"Some asshole bit me!"

"Huh?"

Bit finished bandaging her neck herself. "A guy grabbed me and held me while another guy bit my neck. It felt like he was drinking my blood or something."

Mole stared blankly at her. "You let yourself get grabbed from behind? Come on Bit, you're an X5!"

"He was strong, okay? And these guys, they were weird. Their faces moved and changed and their eyes glowed yellow."

"And they bit you?" asked X5-401, called Shane.

Bit nodded. Seeing Shane's face, she asked, "What?"

"Well, I've heard stories from the sentries. There have been a lot of weird guys hanging around Terminal City lately. One of the sentries told me that they've seen these guys kill people by drinking all their blood from their necks." He shuddered. "They're vampires!"

He was met with blank stares. "What's a vampire?" Mole asked.

"They're dead people who walk at night and drink people's blood. They can't go out in the sunlight or they'll burn up and they only way to kill them is to drive a stake through their heart. They're demons!"

Mole started laughing and Bit would have too, if not for just having been so bitten. "You're crazy!" Mole managed to say.

Shane's face hardened. "No I'm not! It's all here in this book." He held up a very tattered copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula. "Someone must have left it behind when Terminal City was abandoned. I've been reading it."

Mole grabbed the book. "Shane, stop filling your head with bullshit like this!" Shane glared at him before leading Bit deeper into the city where her wounds could get better attention.

"I believe you Shane," Bit said quietly as they walked.

"What?"

Bit looked at him. "Those guys, they weren't human. And they sure as hell weren't transgenics either. I don't know what they were. Maybe they were your vampires."

Shane nodded. "We're going to have to be even more careful outside from now on. Especially at night."

…

The Answer to the Last Trivia Question

Buffy was heard complaining about other superstrong women when she faced April the robot in "I Was Made to Love You" in season five. In the past she's fought Darla, Ampata, Drusilla, Faith, Glory, April, and Willow. So that means all of you are right!

No Trivia Question again today…sorry, they'll be back soon!

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Review Responses

Faith's Lies Sorry…there isn't going to be any Faith in this story. I really like Faith, but I just wasn't thinking of her when I wrote the story. Perhaps I'll write another BtVS/DA crossover someday with Faith in it.

Samantha All of your guesses were right!

LittleDrusilla Yeah, I loved writing Illyria. I liked watching Fred in the show, but Illyria was just so much more fun. She'll become more involved later on, too.