X5-471

"Buffy," Riley called as he walked into the Magic Box. "I've got something you need to see."

Buffy looked up at him. Around her were the Scoobies but there were some extra people present that he didn't know.

"Ok, let's see what you've got," Buffy said as she walked over to him.

"Can we do this in the back room?" he asked looking at the strangers.

"Ok," Buffy looked over to Giles. "I'll be in back with Riley. Let me know if you find out anything."

"I will, Buffy."

"Here, look at this." Riley said Sliding his lap top over, once they were in the back room.

Across the top of the Screen read..

Manticore

Subject : X5-588952471

Genetic makeup: 49382018238402

This is class: A/R trooper

Conception Date: 4/12/84

This is a trial unit, intended for interception and termination of hostiles. There have been some problems integrating subject with the Unit, but overall is considered a dedicated trooper. Trooper has no anomalies in its Gene makeup, but for currently undetermined reasons, does best on solo missions.

"Ok," Buffy looked Up at Riley, "What's the deal?"

"Just click on the pictures," he said looking at his feet.

Buffy clicked on them. Up popped a close-up picture of Xander in uniform, with the number X5-2904302471 across the bottom.

"What?" she said.

"That's what I wanted to know, too," Riley said looking at Buffy.
Buffy looked back at the file.

Mission Files:

Class 23-4903-83

Disciplined on 12/02/86. Initiated a fight between himself and Trainer when Trainer stuck a barracks mate. He is very loyal to teammates. Trainer was sent to medic with a broken nose.

Sent for Behavioral Modification 5/12/89; Underwent Modifications (Classified)

Doctor Margaret Walsh

9/14/89 Tracking tests. Exceeded expectations. X5-471 killed target of the hunt (Prisoner 2565985698). Prisoner stuck one of 471's barracks mates. See enclosed pictures.) 471 then followed the prisoner for three miles and would not respond to the recall. He found the prisoner ( See enclosed medical report). After termination of the prisoner, then returned to base and explained that the mission was to take out the prisoner, which had higher priority to recall.

Buffy clicked on the files. Her breath left her as she read what had happened to the man. Both arms were broken. A collapsed lung. Burst eye. His face was skinned off and was not recovered. Then she clicked on the pictures. They were of Xander standing covered in blood. He had that little grin on his face, but in his eyes, there was nothing there.

Just like the night he said he would kill me if Willow was hurt, she thought to herself. That was Xander. But how?

She started to read again, about mission after mission. A list of death. He had killed at lest 13 people before he was 10 years old. She pulled up the last mission on the laptop. A man and young girl. There were pictures there.

Buffy sat back, shocked. She could be a twin to the girl and the man looked just like Giles.

"What the hell is going on?" she said.

"I don't know but we need to find out. We have this guy in a cell right now. And if that is him," he said, pointing at the screen, "there is no way I will be letting him out."

Across town

"Baby, I am one the who needs to go get the bike," Xander told Max.

"It's MY bike that you left there."

"I know. That's one of the reasons I want to get it, to make up to you."

Willow just sat and watched Max and Xander's Interplay. It was strange. He was Faith and talked and acted like Xander.

And Max was carrying his child.

They called her Aunt Willow. Would I be the cool one or the strange one that kids never wanted to visit, she thought to herself.

"Also, they're looking for you. Not me," Xander told her.

"But the Council is, and it's here."

"Not to worry. I can get around them. They're looking for a Slayer, and I am so not the slayer."

"OHH! We need to mask you guys. The Council goons here are using a tracking spell, but it's messed up and has you in two places at once."

"Two?" Xander thought. "Faith! Where is she?"

"Looks like she was back at the Initiative, But we weren't sure. We had a hit here and there, and I knew this was your place. So I came here to see."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"No, but Tara knew something was going on."

At the same time.

"471, tell me how you did it?" White said in a calm voice.

"Did what?" Faith said looking back at White across the table.

"You broke your condition."

"The only conditions I ever used came with the shampoo."
"That's funny," White said with a small laugh. Then he balled his fist and stuck Faith across the face, knocking her from the chair.

"Now, 471, tell me how did you break the conditioning."

Later at the Magic shop.

Riley and Buffy were still in the back room. The Watchers Wetwork team were sitting around, looking at a map.

"Look, she's here and here and there, all moving to the same spot. So let's get a team over there," Walter Spencer said. "Pull the team from the warehouses and move them to the college. We'll catch her there."

Willow who had just entered the shop let a little 'eep.'

Causing Tara to look at her with an upraised eye brow.

What was Willow doing over there? Tara wondered as the redhead dug around the counter picking up this and that. Spell components? What was she up too? She hadn't even look at anyone in here, just started to pick up things. Once she had what she needed, Willow moved to the door.

Anya was watching Willow like a hawk when she started to pick up stuff.

"That will be $12.96," Anya called as Willow moved to the door.

"I'll pay you tomorrow." Then she was out the door.

Tara moved to follow her, since no one was really watching her. Most of the action was taking place around the table, where the Council was getting their weapons ready.

Once outside, Tara saw Willow at the corner. She had her cell phone and was talking to someone.

"...Gone already?" Willow was saying.

"..."

"Well, they're on their way. Can you call him?"

"..."
"Ok, I'll trust him," she said as she hung up her phone.

Turning around, she jumped a little.

"Uh, Hey baby...How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. What's going on? And don't say nothing," Tara said, looking Willow straight in the eyes, something she didn't like doing. She was usually very non-confrontational, and would only take peeks at Willow's eyes. The only time she would look in her eyes for any length of time was when they were making love.

"I am helping Xander. Something has happened."

"Was he hurt?"

"Yes. No... I can't go into it."

"Are you in danger?"

"No but he is."

"Then I trust you. If you need me, I'll be here."

"Thank you. You know I love you?"

"Yes, And I love you."

Sunnydale U

Xander walked across the parking lot toward Max's bike, humming the theme song to Mission Impossible. As he walked toward the bike, the hairs on the back of his neck started to stand on end.

Something was off.

Then it clicked - the guy walking behind him. He had been there for the last block, but every time he stopped, the guy was reading a book or looking in a window. He had never looked at him, not once.

Now, I know I am guy. BUT I look damn good as a girl, so either the guy was gay or he was a tail. And not a good one, Xander thought to himself.

So the question was, where was the back up? Up ahead? There was another face he had seen before. Always ahead of him. Two down. The guy ahead of him glanced at a dark colored van that was parked near by.

OK that's the team. These guy's are a joke. I could do a better job then this when I was 7.

Xander looked at the bike. I could get it but there would be a fight and the bike would be scratched and then I'd have to explain to Max. And sleep on the couch, because I don't have a dog house. So I need to remove them.

Walking over to a dorm, he forced the door open. Walking inside, he went to the first door and knocked on it.

A guy opened the door.

"You alone?" Xander asked.

"Yea, What.." was as far as he got when Xander knocked him into the room, pushing the door closed behind him.

The student look up at the gorgeous girl that knocked him down.

"What in the hell is going on?" he asked.

"Man, keep it down."

Just then Xander heard the door open in the hallway, so he spun around, putting his ear to the door. The student reached to touch Xander to get his attention back as Xander suddenly pulled the door open and pulled someone from the hall into the room.

What kinda freaky shit is going on here? the student thought.

The dark haired girl tossed the guy across the room and onto the bed, then jumped on top of him. She pulled a gun from under his jacket.

"Who are you?" Xander asked. He needed to know if they were Council or FBI or someone else entirely. Hell, they could have been Red Faction for all he knew.

"Slayer Faith, you are to come with us for judgment."

"So got the wrong guy. She did a spell and is in my body right now."

"You really expect us to believe that you are not you?"

"Well, yeah. It's the truth." The guy just looked at him with an upturned eyebrow.

"Oh hell." Then Xander hit him, knocking him out.
Looking at the student, he said, "Bad first date." Then he left the room.

"I could have stayed in New York, but no, I have come to California." the student said.

Outside

"Slayer Faith, in the name of the Council you are under arrest!" called out a voice from behind him.

Xander ducked behind a tree. "Not going to happen, Wesley Jr."

"I am nothing like your watcher. I'm here to bring you in, one way or another, and anyone that gets in my way will go down, too."

"You don't want to go there," Xander called back as old Manticore training started to kick in.

"Take her."

Magic Box.

There was a knock at the back door. Buffy went to open it. Riley and Tara followed. Nothing was supposed to be delivered this late and with all that was going on, it was better to be safe.

Opening the door, Buffy came to a complete stop.

There was the Council's Goon Squad. Nude and tied into very friendly positions. They were all unconscious, and looking like a gang bang gone wrong; that was good thing. She didn't know what she would have had done if they were moving too. And there was a pile of pictures on the ground around them. A note was taped to Spencer's forehead.

Buffy pulled the note off and read it.

Next time, it will hurt.

When she stopped reading the note, a motorcycle started up. At the end of the alley, looking at the noise, Buffy saw Faith on a motorcycle. She looked at Buffy. There was a little smile on her face. Someone else she knew smiled like that, and as for the bike, she had seen it before.

Faith blew Buffy a kiss and drove away.

I don't believe it. She took out the whole squad. And no one's dead.
"Was that Faith?" Riley asked

"Don't know. Never met her myself," Tara said.

"Yes, it looked like her..."

That smile – that was Xander's smile, and the motorcycle was the one Xander was riding.

How was hooked up into this.