Brothers in Arms
Disclaimer: own nothing you recognize.
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"Let me see if I got this straight," James tried again to gain a grasp on this situation he suddenly found himself thrust into, "Demons and vampires are real, you hunt them, Xander, alongside a vampire Slayer, a werewolf, a witch, a Watcher, another vampire Slayer, and an ensouled vampire."
"That's right, Jimbo," Xander said as Remy drove them down the street, "Speaking of hunting, what did you bring with you? I mean, you must be on assignment if you're carrying your Walther around."
James looked down at his jacket and couldn't see how his friend had noticed his weapon. Xander must have sensed his questioning, for he explained himself easily.
"When you pulled out your money to help pay for the food, I saw it," he said, "Pay more attention when you're doing stuff like that."
"Ha, ha," James said, "Pick on the guy just out of training. And, yes, I am on assignment, though I can carry my Walther with me wherever I go…company policy. All my equipment's going to be shipped to me from Q-branch. Ordinarily, they give me all the stuff in briefing but, I mentioned I might be able to enlist some help and I convinced them to send a few extra materials in that case. The only way I could do that was by dropping my uncle's name a few times and, even then, they were a bit…dodgy to get it done."
"Can we keep 'em," Gambit asked.
James was surprised at that. Out of all the time he had known the thief, he had never once noticed a special talent for the rifle or pistol, at least, not compared to his own nowadays. Oh, well. It'd been nearly eleven years, he believed, people can change quite a bit in that time. After all, look at Xander. And Remy had had to leave his family to stop a war. Changes all around.
"Yes, you can," he answered, "And, if they make a fuss about missing hardware, I'll just put it down as MIA."
"What assignment are you here for, anyway," Remy asked.
"Yeah, this is a small dank corner of Hell," Xander said, equally curious about why MI6 had sent an AIT (Agent In Training) to the Hellmouth, "Literally. Why'd they send you here?"
"We got word from one of our informants in Central America that your Mayor, Richard Wilkins, has been doing some dirty dealings down there involving what is listed as 'handle with extreme care,'" the young spy said easily, "It's probably just a little dispute but, just in case, they sent me. I am top at the academy and it is a fair mission for a graduate. Just get in friendly with the Mayor and start from there."
"If it involves anyone in Sunnydale, then it might involve Hell," his friend said slowly, "After all, on my first fight, my only other male friend at the time got killed and turned. If someone like the Mayor might be a black hat, then things could get rough around here quickly."
"Think we should bring your friends into this," Gambit suggested, "If it is devilish, they might be helpful, eh?"
"No," James downed the idea immediately, "This is a top-secret assignment, and my first one, for that matter. I'm pulling enough risks as it is bringing you two into this, and it was only supposed to be Xander, anyway. I can't be pulling civilians into this from the start. I have to start investigating."
"Well, let's just assume that it is demonic," Xander said, "The best way to start investigating would be to hit the bars. Where are you picking up your stuff?"
"At the docks. They'll have some weaponry, gadgets, all that jazz."
"Then, we'll meet them at the docks, then go around to Willy's Bar. From what I heard, he was in the hospital but, it's still a good place to start up on information. From there, we'll search around the graveyards and work our way around there. I know you want for this whole thing to be non-demonic but, the odds of that are beyond reckoning."
"I'm still not sure I buy it," James said.
"Me, either, Xander," Remy agreed.
"Then, I'll show you."
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"Hey, Will," Buffy said to her redheaded friend as she sat down at the library table, "Can you give me a hand?"
"Sure, Buffy," the witch instantly agreed, in spite of her disgruntlement towards her friend thanks to being kept away for Faith, "What's up?"
"It's Xander," she said and before her friend could start going into overdrive, she pressed forward, "He's not hurt. It's just…earlier today, I saw him outside, talking with someone in a brown leather jacket like Angel's," her tone of voice changed the instant she mentioned her beloved, causing Willow to momentarily forget her ire toward the Slayer, she was a romantic at heart, but Buffy recovered again as she continued, "They hopped into a truck and went to the airport, so…I followed them. They picked up someone in a suit. Willow, does Xander have any other guy friends?"
"Not that I know of," Buffy sighed in relief, so something was wrong with him, especially if Willow didn't know his new friends…but, then, "At least, not in this state."
"What," the Slayer asked immediately, fearing that her system had just failed her.
"Xander's not from Sunnydale," Willow stated casually, "He was born in Louisiana. I thought you knew."
"Never heard it before," she muttered, "Well, who were they?"
"He never told me," the witch said, "They left each other on bad terms, thanks to his dad."
"His dad," she asked, "What happened with his dad?"
"Still happening, Buffy," Willow said, a stern tone in her voice, "His dad's a bigot and a pig. Beats him up every night. Do you know anything about him?"
"…I know he used to date Cordy," she tried.
Willow sighed, totally unsurprised. The only thing that really mattered to her friend nowadays was her vampire and her Slayer friend, Faith. She began to gather her stuff, ignoring the looks of her friend as she did so.
"Go talk with him, Buffy," she said, "The only reason why I went along with keeping him out of the fight earlier was because an abusive father is better than getting killed. Go, learn something about him. I'll talk to you later."
Buffy stared off into space as she began to transmit all the new information into her brain. For once in her life, she had no idea what to do. She could either admit that she hadn't been the best friend to him, or she could just let it go. But, if she did that, then Willow would find out and press the issue further. Sighing, she decided to go ahead and get to Faith's for patrol. She could talk about it with her then.
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Xander held his sword slung over his shoulder, ready for a downward strike at the first opponent to come at them. Gambit stood to his right, carrying a metallic stick and his cards and knives inside his gear. James stood to his left, his Walther equipped for when ready. They were walking down the docks that night, just a little bit after sundown. Up ahead of them was a tall crate and, in front of that crate, stood a tall woman dressed in a white lab coat.
"Evening, Zed," James greeted her as the trio came up to the crate, "Thanks for coming."
"Pleasure, James," the woman said easily, "Who're they?"
"This is Xander Harris," James pointed to him as he said this, "And Remy LeBeau," also, he indicated Gambit as he said this, "They're my civilian reinforcement."
"Still don't see how you managed to convince R, let alone M, to let that slide," Zed muttered, "Well, let's get this over with."
She reached into her coat and pulled out some sort of remote and pressed a button. It flashed red for an instant, then she moved away from the crate. The three guessed what was about to happen and quickly moved backward, barely missing the wall falling away. The two sides fell as well, revealing a black BMW styling of SUV.
"Your new car," she said with a slight smugness shared by all members of Q-Branch, "The BMW X3 model SUV. Technically, it's not even supposed to be out until 2005. Of course, technically, you aren't here right now. Naturally, we've made a few modifications: rockets behind the headlights, machine gun implants along the sides, a fingerprint activated vault along the dashboard, a miniature version of the Harrier jet propulsion system behind the plates, and a refrigerated beverage container. You know all the controls and can teach them to your aid, if you want to. Any questions?"
"Yeah," Remy said, "Two: why an SUV and can I get that in a motorcycle?"
"Second question: no," Zed said with a smile, "And, as to your first question, Sunnydale is surrounded by miles of desert. If a chase occurs, it would be wise to have a vehicle that can handle the terrain."
"What about conventional weapons," Xander asked.
"In the back," she stated, "There are two twenty gauge shotguns, with selective automatic or basic firing; two standard issue Walthers with laser sighting and equipped silencer; also, I heard rumors about things in this town that are…well, demonic, and I thought that, you know, just for laughs, I'd give you guys blessed bullets. There are six clips for the Walthers and a few rounds for the shotguns."
"You have no idea how much I am loving you right now," Xander stated honestly, "Very good."
"Good luck on your first assignment, James," Zed wished the young agent, "I'll let your uncle know you're alright."
"You do that," James said, and he walked up to the SUV and climbed into the driver's seat, "Who wants shotgun?"
"He does," Xander and Remy said at the same time, pointing to each other.
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"So, what, you're telling me never!"
"Faith, this is not the time," Buffy cried as she tried to pry the vampire off herself.
"No, I'm serious, never ever!"
She groaned and launched a powerful punch at the vampire on top of her, sending it away. She leapt up and began to fight it as Faith managed to get up herself.
"How many times do I have to tell you," she threw another series of punches at it and sent it backwards a few feet, "I have…never…done it…with…Xander," she finished just as she drove her stake into its unbeating heart, "He's just a friend."
"Yeah, but what are friends for," Faith asked as the dust settled, "It's just, all this sweating-nightly, side-by-side action, and you never put in for a little after-hours ugh?"
Buffy stared at Faith with a mixture of disgust and oddity. Her and Xander? When Hell freezes over, maybe. Why was her sister Slayer bringing this up? She hadn't even mentioned what had happened earlier.
"Nice with the poetry," she tried, "But, no. I love Xander just, not in that way. Besides, I'm not real sure I know him that well."
"What," Faith asked suddenly, "What do you mean 'don't know him that well?' You're one of his best friends, B. Hell, I've known him for a few months, at the most, and I can tell a few things about him."
"Like what," Buffy challenged, she hated feeling like she was being kept out in the dark.
"Like, his family," she started, "Lot of bastards and drunks. And, his love life. Sucks beyond belief. And, he's got two cutie friends."
"What," Buffy asked, startled that she had already figured out what she herself had only begun to gain an inkling of, "How do you know about his two friends?"
"Saw them in the airport," the Bostonian answered, "Both of 'em are real cute, looks like they'd enjoy a good roll in the hay. But, saw them with the X-man, figured that they're geeks like him. Still, he was good. Maybe geek ain't such a bad thing."
"What," Buffy said, yet again, "What do you mean, 'he was good?'"
"Exactly what it sounds like, B," Faith sent a sexy smile at her, "Boy's not half bad in the sack. Bet his friends'd be better, though. Both of 'em must have experience, what with the hardware they're toting around. I mean, show me a lameass virgin who carries around a Walther or a…lameass virgin who carries around a deck of cards and throwing knives. And don't get caught by airport security. They got some experience on 'em, B. Makes me kinda surprised that they hang with him but, he was good. Maybe there's more to him than I know."
"…We need to find him," she said suddenly.
"What, why?"
"If he's with people who are armed like that, then he's got to be in danger."
"Didn't look like he was in danger," Faith muttered, "Jeez, B. Quit going on Nazi special."
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Bond felt the fury of the battle as he watched Xander and Remy charge straight into the throng of the unholy beasts that his friend had described as vampires. He wasn't yet used to the feeling but, he knew it when he felt it. The white hot thrill of adrenaline, the aching for the pulse of the weapon to beat. It was an ecstasy all in its own right. He slowly leveled his shotgun at one of the creature's necks and opened fire.
Xander raised his sword high and brought it down against the first vampire's sword in a strike, which it expertly parried. He shook the blow off and made to stab it in its side, but once again felt the feeling of resistance that was commonplace with sword battles. He made another attempt at its other side and, this time, the dueling vampire failed to parry. He heard and felt the resistance of bone, marrow, and guts as his weapon went deep into the creature. It growled and snarled against the pain and, before it could retaliate, the young man brought his own blade up and sliced against its neck. It collapsed to the ground, dust reconnecting with the earth for a final time.
Gambit raised his pole in a defensive position to block the sword coming along his path, then involuntarily closed his eyes as he heard the shotgun blast behind him. He recovered his wits just in time to block another deadly blow from a sword and began to plot his next move. If his kinetic energy could be used in an explosive manner, then what would it do to vampires? He smiled as the thought went through his mind and blocked another onslaught. He took one hand away from his weapon and reached into his duster, blocking the blows as best as he could, and withdrew a ninja star. He focused his mind on the small disk and felt the flow of energy as it entered his weapon. He backed up a bit and swung his staff sharply to the left, allowing the swing that would have taken his arm off to force the blade into the ground. He threw the star as swiftly as he could and saw it strike true into the demon's heart. It seared a hole into it and he could see the black, beating mass. It nearly took his breath away. The kinetic energy forced the body to explode, turning the beast into dust. He smiled and balled his hand into a fist and thrust his arm up into the air.
Bond pumped another shell into the chamber and released one more shot against the vampires, causing another one to blow up in a cloud of dust. He smiled as he realized that there were none left. Then, he frowned as he heard something come up behind him. He felt something wrap its arm around his waist, then all he could feel was the burning of a blade up against his neck.
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She had driven into the Hellmouth with the intention of finding her old battle buddy. She had been searching for three years now, to find him. During that time, she had trained hard. She parked her father's camper in the middle of the day, often, and trained as hard as she could. She would practice with the sword, the mace, the axe. She would use the cacti as targets for her crossbows and pistols. When she was hungry, she would stop by a diner and take advantage of her knowledge over the vampires to gain a free meal. She would use the blood of a virgin to lure them there, and when they attacked, she would kill them. That way, she got practice and a meal. No one had ever died during that, though some would be injured. Still, the end justified the means. She may not have thought so before but, people change.
So, it had been an oddity for her to drive up to the curb near one of Sunnydale's many graveyards and see three men fighting a group of vampires. One was standing back, using a shotgun to cut down the herd. It was obvious, by his movements, that he was still unused to the weaponry or the battle…but, it was more obvious by the fact that he was in a suit. One of the other two was dressed in a brown leather duster, and he held a metallic battle staff which he used to fend off blows. He had reached into his pocket and brought out, what appeared to be, a ninja star which seemed to glow after a moment. He had then flung it into its heart and it had combusted instantly.
The final one, however, was the most interesting. He had movements that she recognized from old war movies and held, out of all of them, the best stance when it came to fighting vampires. He guarded his neck with the utmost scrutiny, never once giving the enemy a chance to latch on. He used his weapon of choice, a sword, with minor skill. His build and height fitted him better for an axe but, he had a sword and wasn't shy about using it. He obviously had the most experience out of that group. She smiled as the last vampire was sent to Hell. No matter how often she saw a vamp die, it was always a joy to her.
Her smile, however, became a frown as she saw a vampire sneak up behind the suit.
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Xander and Gambit turned around the second they heard James's yelp, the latter withdrawing a star as he did so. Standing behind the young spy in training was one of the vampires they had been killing, his blade held against Bond's throat.
"Put your weapons down," it demanded.
"Go to Hell," Remy responded without thinking.
"No," Xander stopped his friend, "Do what he says."
The thief stared at him in shock, but complied and slowly placed his staff on the ground. Xander followed suit and placed his sword beside the staff, then slowly stood up. He kept both arms at his sides, not wanting to give the vampire too much leverage before it died.
"Good," it said, "Now, me and your friend here are gonna be headin' off."
"Oh, I don't think so," Xander countered, "Look behind you."
The vampire glared at him, wondering if it was a trick, but knew it wasn't when he heard the sound of an arrow being loaded into a bow.
"I'd let go of him, if I were you," a feminine voice suggested.
The vampire knew, however, from the sound of the weapon that if she launched it at this range, it would ram into both him and the suit. It knew, also, that if it turned completely around to put some distance between itself, the boy, and the woman, it would get his head sliced off. So, it did the first thing that came to its mind: it twisted its own body around to see who it was without forcing the boy to move.
Bond realized what it was doing and acted. He gripped his shotgun tight and rammed it backwards into the vampire's side. It groaned against the pain and, before it could react, the young spy drove the butt of his weapon into its forehead. It flipped over onto its back from the sheer force and, before it could get up, the woman fired her weapon and the arrow embedded itself deep into its body. It turned to dust before it could even blink.
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Xander and Gambit bent down and retrieved their weapons quickly as the woman reloaded her weapon. As a sign of peace, Xander sheathed his weapon and Remy placed his staff behind his back and used it to support his arms. James saw this for what it was and did not pump another shell into his shotgun chamber. The woman, however, did trail an arrow against them, though they could all see that the safety was on.
"We come in peace," Xander said in a squeaky voice.
"What the Hell was that," Remy asked.
"You know, from the movie," he sighed, "No one has any consideration for the classics."
"Shut up, please," the woman demanded from the window of her camper, though he could see a glimmer of a smile on her face, "Who are you?"
"Bond, James Bond," the young spy introduced himself.
"You do that too well, Jimbo," Gambit said, "LeBeau, Remy LeBeau. But, you can call me Gambit, Cher."
"Harris, Xander Harris," he finished off, "See! I can do it, too!"
"And just who are you," James asked politely.
She was smiling openly now and obviously thought that they were lunatics. A British gentleman, a bayou bastard, and a Californian boy were hunting vampires together without much worry or care. She couldn't remember when she had last been carefree. This was about as close as she had come in a long time. She slowly brought her smile down to a grin and put away her weapon. She left the window and walked outside her camper to meet them.
"Fuller," she introduced herself, "Kate Fuller."
For the most part, the three young men found it hard to not stare at her. She was dressed in a pair of low-cut brow jeans and a Nike sports bra, with knives and stakes all over her belt. She had on a pair of biker gloves that had silver crosses against her knuckles. A gold cross dangled from her neck, giving them the excuse to stare at it and claim they weren't staring at her cleavage…which, surprisingly, none of them were.
"Well, Kate Fuller," Remy started, "Just what exactly are you doing out here on this fine night in a camper?"
"Looking for a friend," she answered honestly, "Where's your car?"
"About two miles away," James answered, "Ran through the graveyards chasing down vampires. Would you mind giving us a lift?"
"Sure," she stated calmly, knowing that she could probably handle the trio, "Climb aboard."
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Buffy and Faith had started off blindly, uncertain where to start looking for Xander. Then, they had heard the shots. They had taken off running without a moment's thought, going probably near twenty miles an hour through the tombstones to find out what was happening. When they reached the sight which held the scent of gunpowder, they could see a camper take off down the street.
"What the Hell is going on in SunnyD," Faith asked no one in particular.
"Don't know," Buffy took it upon herself to answer, "But, I mean to find out."
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A/N Bestest List: Thanks. Glad to see I've been coming along. And, for the record, I am still trying to move along with 'The Grey League.' If I can get it back on track, I'm going to...but, writer's block ain't wantin' to move. If needs be, I will restart the series. Thanks for your support.
AS