Spoilers: Everything is fair game
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
AN - Thanks to everyone who has given such positive feedback on this fic.
Note - thoughts
Choices We Make
Chapter Six
The inside of the Initiative was bursting with activity. Scientists were busy as they resumed their work on various daemons while technicians were scurrying from location to location in effort to the repair systems that were damaged in the incident concerning the civilian, Alexander Harris.
Professor Walsh herself was overlooking the reconstruction of one of the surveillance stations that was destroyed. When she noticed Forrest Gates enter the compound with two of his men Walsh left the stations and waited for them to approach. "Agent Gates," Maggie said as Forrest and his men came to stop in front of her. "Were you able to aquire any useful intel on Mr. Harris from the owner of that.. establishment?"
Forrest stared blankly for a second before responding. "No ma'am. The owner, Willy, didn't know much. He said that his only had contact with Harris was when he would come in with Summers. He said that he never had any personal contact with Harris."
Walsh considered this as she took in the men's appearance. "It looks like you have been in a fight. Any problems, gentlemen?"
"Just a couple of vampires ma'am. Since the bar was a very public place, I decided that capture would probably draw too much attention so I had my men take care of them."
Walsh studied the men briefly, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Fine. For now, report to the infirmary. I want you and your men checked out."
"Yes Ma'am!" Forrest barked out.
Walsh nodded and walked off leaving the three men standing there. Forrest turned to his men and motioned them to follow Walsh's orders and go to the infirmary. When they left, Forrest proceeded to the nearest vacant computer station and started typing.
* * *
In the Lowell House, Riley was laying on his bed as he stared blankly at the ceiling. It has been several hours since his debriefing with Professor Walsh and he was feeling restless. Walsh had ordered him to stay away from the Buffy and her friends until this business with Harris was finished. Only there was one problem.
Riley didn't believe that Buffy was safe as long as Xander was on the loose.
"Screw this," Riley muttered, deciding to disobey his superior's orders. Riley left his room and made his way past the people enjoying themselves on the main floor. He passed through the party going on in his building, waving at some people that he knew but mainly ignoring everyone else. Riley even heard some of them were talking about where they wanted to go next as if they didn't have a care in the world. Shaking his head, Riley went out the front door.
Riley's exit didn't go unnoticed. Two people, one at each end of the room, extracted themselves from the crowd and followed the blonde soldier. One of them, John Hess, roughly pushed people out of his way as he walked to the door. Stopping to look over his shoulder, John watched as his twin sister Jane effortlessly navigated her way through the mass of bodies from the other side of the room without any trouble.
Jane stopped next to her brother. Tying her long, jet black hair into a pony tail, she looked at her brother. "Was that Finn?"
"Yeah. He didn't look too happy though."
"Probably something to do with the his girlfriend." Jane patted her jacket down, making sure that she had everything. "Well I suppose we-" Jane was interrupted by a loud ringing coming from inside her jacket. Pulling out her cell phone, she flipped it open and answered. "Yes?"
[ Riley just left his room. ]
Jane instantly recognized Maggie Walsh's voice. "Yes Ma'am. We just saw him leave."
[ Follow him. He'll probably try to contact Summers. ]
"And if he does?"
[ Just follow, observe and report back to me. ]
"Understood." Jane hung up and headed for the door, her brother following silently behind her.
* * *
Maggie Walsh sat back into her chair as she watched the security video of the two agents following Riley into the night. She was idly watching the rest of people in the building above the complex when a middle aged man in a white lab coat approached. "Professor Walsh?"
Maggie turned away from the video screens. "Yes, Doctor Angleman?"
"There is new information about the daemon you were inquiring about," he said, handing her a folder.
Maggie opened the folder and sifted through the papers within. She stopped at one and studied it intently. "Are you sure that this information is accurate?"
"The boys upstairs believe so," Doctor Angleman replied. "They also think that they have a possible location as well."
"Good, this could be a prime subject for Project 314." Maggie said to herself, then closed the folder and turned to the man. "I'll have a team assembled for a SaC mission."
"Who will head the team for the Search and Capture of this hostile?" the man asked.
Walsh thought for a moment. Normally this type of mission would be headed by Riley Finn but right now, with current events as they are, Maggie didn't believe that Riley was in the right state of mind to be dependable. That left her with only one real choice. "I will assign Agent Forrest Gates to lead the team."
* * *
Father Michael was pacing among the pews of his church as he waited to hear from his young friend. He hadn't heard from Xander since the young man left and he was starting to become worried. A soft noise interrupted his thoughts. Looking at the church's entrance, Michael thought he saw someone standing outside. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Stepping closer, Father Michael thought he could hear giggling coming from the other side of the closed doors. Tentatively, he pulled one of the double doors open and a sense of deja vu washed over him. This brought memories of when he first met Xander and Michael hoped that he wouldn't find himself in a similar situation tonight.
Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the night, Michael cautiously approached the steps in front of the church. His attention was drawn to a pair of tail lights belonging to a truck heading down the street. After finding no one else, Michael turned to re-enter the church. Before he got to the door, a hand shot out from behind him and clamped onto his shoulder.
"Boo."
Cursing out loud, Father Michael twisted around and thrust a cross at the intruder. The priest expected to be facing some kind of demonic hell beast and was surprised to find a young woman doubled over in laughter. Michael inched closer, still holding the cross before him and leaned down to see the woman's face. From behind the mass of shoulder-length brown hair, Michael saw an equally brown pair of mischievous eyes that he would know anywhere. Kayla! Michael shook with both anger and relief at the sight of his young friend.
"Oh.. You should've.. seen your.. face. It was.. it was.." Kayla couldn't continue as a fresh wave of laughter erupted from within her.
Father Michael stared sternly at the woman, waiting for his heart to calm down. "Kayla." he growled and the young woman looked up at him but whatever she saw in his face only caused her to burst out in a another wave of laughter. Michael knew that after dealing with Xander for the last couple of years, the only thing he could do was to wait for Kayla to settle down by herself or she'd never stop laughing.
When Kayla did finally calmed down enough, she looked at the older man with an impossibly wide smile. "It's really great to see you Father."
"Don't you mean 'scare me' Kayla?" he asked in a flat voice.
Kayla adopted a thoughtful pose. "Well there's that too," Kayla watched as Father Michael's face hardened and she tried to placate him. "Aw, don't be like that. I was only having some fun," Kayla pouted.
"I see, scaring an old man is fun especially in a town like this," he said with a wave of his hand to the neighborhood. "I swear you and Xander must share the same personality."
At the mention of Xander, Kayla sobered up. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him back into the church. "Why don't we go inside and you can fill me in on what Xander's been up to."
Father Michael nodded his head in approval before checking the area in front of the building. "Where's your car parked?"
"Don't worry. A friend dropped me off here. He'll be by later."
"Is that wise this late at night?" Father Michael asked concerned.
"It's okay, he can take care of himself," Kayla said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Turning back, Kayla began grilling the older man for information on what's going on with Xander as the two of them disappeared behind the closed door of the church.
* * *
Anya was tossing and turning on the couch inside of Rupert Giles' home. She subconsciously heard the quiet arguement that Giles had with Willow and Anya's anxieties skyrocketed when Willow mentioned that she knew where Xander was. Xander. The young man's name echoed endlessly in her mind. Anya's soft whimpers, that went unnoticed by the others, left little doubt that she was beginning a dream that would lead into a nightmare.
In her dream, Anya found herself sitting on a large rock in the middle of a field of tall grass that was surrounded by trees. She had a strong feeling that she was being watched by something that was hidden among the trees. Something's wrong. Anya moved off the rock and started to wade through the waist high grass to the tree line. Anya didn't get far before she tripped over something hidden in the grass, landing hard on her hands and knees.
"Are you okay?" Anya looked up to see Xander as he made his way to where she had fallen. His kind eyes shown brightly with a deep affection that made her feel warm inside. Reaching down, Xander pulled Anya to her feet. Then, taking one of her hands into his, Xander began to, ever so gently, rub the dirt off it. That action sent goose bumbs up her arm and spread along her back.
"Yes," Anya softly replied as Xander brought her hand up and kissed her palm. His warm breath washed over her hand adding to the sensations already going through her. Anya closed her eyes, losing herself as the sensation of Xander's hands running over her hands and arms. When she felt a hand touch her legs, Anya looked down to find Spike laying on the ground between her legs.
"Ready for the next round luv?" Spike asked.
"What?" Confused, Anya looked to Xander but he just dropped her hand and turned his back on her. Anya reached out for her boyfriend but he shrunk away from her touch. "Xander? I -"
Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she experienced flashes of her having sex with Spike. In these flashes, Anya felt this immense need for Spike. She had tried to fight the compulsion but the need, the hunger increased until she didn't have the strength to fight it anymore and finally succumbed to it.
Anya squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to block out the images. Anya didn't know why she would want Spike like that but she couldn't control herself. It was if something was pushing her to take Spike. In the deep recesses of her mind, Anya thought she could hear laughter.
"I can't believe you would hurt me like that," Xander said shaking Anya from her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see that Xander had turned around and was glaring at her with cold eyes.
"I thought that you cared for me."
Anya wanted to tell him that she did care. She wanted nothing more than for Xander to take her into his arms and tell her that it was all going be okay. That he forgave her and loved her but then she saw the expression that was on Xander's face. That look, so full of hurt and betrayal, stopped her from saying what she wanted to say. That she loved him.
Xander waited impatiently for an explanation that she couldn't give. Xander shook his head in disgust. "Fine!"
Xander grabbed her hands and tied them together with one end of a long piece of rope that appeared out of nowhere. He then dragged her by her hands until they reached a tall tree at the edge of the grassy field. Xander pulled her under the tree and threw the rest of the rope over a high, thick branch. Before she could get her bearings, Xander yanked hard on the other end of the rope, hoisting her up into the air. She begged him to stop but he just ignored her as he tied the rope to a stake in the ground.
Looking down she could see that she was hanging less than a foot off the ground, her bare feet lightly brushing against the shorter grass that grew around the tree. From behind her, Anya thought that she had heard someone speaking in a deep whisper but when she twisted around, Anya found no one there.
"Anya," She jerked in surprise when Xander said her name. She looked at Xander and he pointed down at her feet. Something under the ground was moving, causing several ripples of dirt and grass to appear. Her head whipped around her trying to follow each ripple as numerous things were moving underground in every direction.
"What's down there?" she asked, fear evident in her voice.
"Your punishment," was all Xander said before the ground collapsed to reveal thousands of bunny rabbits.
"Nooooooooo!" Anya screamed as the rabbits swarmed over her feet.
* * *
Giles was waiting for Willow to reveal Xander's location when a scream erupted from behind him. Everyone rushed into the room to find Anya curled up at one end of the couch frantically brushing at her legs and feet. Giles grabbed the girl's hands in an effort to get her attention.
"Get them off me."
Giles held her hands apart. "Them? Anya there's no one on you."
Anya looked up, noticing for the first time that she was at Giles' and everyone in the room was watching her. "Oh God, it was just a dream," Anya sagged in relief.
"What was just a dream?" Willow asked but Anya just ignored the redhead as she anxiously looked around the room.
Giles noticed the girl's nervousness but after listening as Anya talk in her sleep, Giles had to ask. "Anya, Did something happen between you, Spike and Xander?"
Anya's eyes darted back and forth and meekly asked, "Is Xander here?"
Joyce sat next to Anya and hugged her, feeling the younger woman's body shake. Joyce threw a worried look at Giles as she answered, "No Anya. Xander isn't here."
Giles didn't miss Joyce's look which amplified his own growing feeling of dread. Anya had buried her face in her hands. Giles gently pulled her hands away revealing a sight that surprised him. Anya was crying. He couldn't remember ever seeing Anya cry before. "Anya, please tell us what happened."
"Xander found me at Spike's and.." Anya shuddered and spoke with a voice that dripped with sadness. "we were having sex."
Giles look around, taking in the shocked faces in the room. A detached part of him was thinking that aside from Anya's soft crying, the room was far too silent. That was until Giles saw the look on Willow's face.
"Oh dear."
* * *
Everyone was still in a state of shock over Anya's revelation. Everyone but Giles as he stared at Willow.
Giles saw the stony expression on her face but his attention was drawn to her eyes. He saw the color slowly bled from them until only blackness remained. It reminded him of Amy Madison during that awful love spell debacle. He could still see Amy's black eyes as Xander clamped his hand over the girl's mouth to keep her from casting a spell on Jenny Calendar.
Moving quickly, Giles stood in front of Willow just as a shimmering wave of force flowed out of the wiccan. Giles met the wave head on and was frozen in place. Willow simply stepped around the immobile man and focused her sights on the ex-daemon. Joyce Summers stood up to block Willow but one glance from the smaller woman sent Joyce back down on the couch.
Willow's black eyes flitted between Joyce and Giles for a second. Satisfied that neither would be able to stop her, Willow turned back to Anya only to find her path blocked once again. Willow's face changed from impassive to confusion when she realized who was before her. "Tara?"
Tara nervously held her ground. She had felt a dark power rise up in Willow that scared her witless and while Tara didn't want to know what Willow was planning to do to Anya, she couldn't just stand by and let the first true friend she's ever had destroy herself. "W-W-Willow. Please d-don't do this."
"Get out of my way Tara." Willow whispered.
"No." Tara replied with a surprising amount of firmness.
Willow raised her hand but Tara stood her ground. Determined to stop Willow from hurting herself or Anya, Tara clasped Willow's hand with one her own. To Tara's shock, she could feel the power that was fueled by the redhead's heated emotions flow into her. The sudden influx of energy threatened to consume Tara and she instinctively redirected the energy back through her connection with Willow.
Willow's eyes widened as she felt her own power falling back into her. The energy filled almost to the breaking point before moving back through the girls' hands and into Tara. This feedback loop continued as the intensity of the energy grew.
With Willow distracted, Giles found himself able to move once again. Glancing to the couch, Giles found both Joyce and Anya unharmed but what caught his attention was Willow and Tara. They stood face to face, each holding the others hand seemingly paralyzed while a red glow passed back and forth between the two. The girls' faces were screwed up in pain though neither uttered a sound and each time the glow centered on one of the girls, the brightness intensified. Giles grabbed the arms of both girls attempting to pull them apart.
Anya recovered enough to shout a warning to Giles but was too late. The former Watcher was sent flying across the room, repelled by the energy holding the two Wiccans. Joyce went to check on Giles leaving Anya alone on the couch to stare at Willow and Tara.
"Anya," Joyce yelled, getting the girl's attention. "Giles is unconscious. What can we do?"
Anya turned back to the witches. The exchange of energy between the two sped up considerably after Giles tried to interfere. She knew that Giles had the right idea but he went about it all wrong. Some magiks can only be controlled with a trinity. Forgetting her pain and despair temporarily, Anya moved next to Tara and grasped her free hand in her left one.
"Don't touch them Anya!"
Anya heard Joyce's scream as she grabbed Willow's free hand in her right forming the connection with the other two. Instantly Anya was flooded with an immense power that threatened to tear apart her very being. The energies were wild and unfocused. Almost primal. The power that Willow had called upon was dark but what should have been a simple spell had changed into something more powerful than anything Anya had ever seen a mere mortal conjure.
Tara changed it somehow. Amplified it. To Anya the rush of energy was intoxicating. She hadn't felt like this since before she became human. Bending her mind to the task at hand, Anya concentrated on the swirl of magical force the was coursing through the three of them.
Anya knew that she had to find some way fast to release the energy soon before it ended up killing her along with Tara and Willow but she kept getting distracted by a small voice in the back of her mind. A voice that Anya remembered hearing as she ran from Xander. A voice that got stronger and louder with each pulse of energy that swept through her, demanding answers as to how she would betray Xander the way she did. A voice that screamed 'Why!'.
Before Anya realized what was happening, the power surged one last time as it latched onto that plea and left her. Anya was dimly aware of her body falling as a numbing darkness swept over her.
* * *
Joyce was scared.
Unable to stop Anya from joining with Willow and Tara, Joyce could only watch as all three girls were enveloped in a blood red haze. Joyce left Giles where he was and moved closer to the girls. Before Joyce got within a foot of the trio, she was blinded by a sudden bright flash of light. When her vision cleared, Joyce found Willow, Tara and Anya sprawled out on the floor.
Joyce went to check on them and breathed a heavy sigh of relief at finding them alive. With everyone unconscious, the elder Summers sank down onto the floor next to Giles and looked about the room at a complete loss of what to do. "Oh Buffy. Where are you?" Joyce asked, wishing that her daughter was here.
Unknown to Joyce, a robed figure had appeared inside the doorway of Giles' bedroom and was silently watching the group from the top of the stairs
* * *
"Uhhh.."
Awareness came slowly to Buffy. She could feel a numbness in her arms and legs in addition to the intense pressure she felt on her stomach. Opening her eyes, Buffy found herself dangling over a thick tree branch, more than a dozen feet off the ground. A wave of vertigo instantly come over Buffy and she unconsciously lifted her hands up to her face. The simple action of lifting her arms shifted her weight on the tree limb. Before Buffy realized it, she slid over the side and landed hard on the ground.
Not moving from where she landed, Buffy remained on her back and stared up at the night sky in a daze. Her hand shakily moved to her throat, feeling the large, wet fabric that was wrapped around her neck. She felt a sliver of fear enter her heart when looked down at her reddish colored hand.
Buffy slowly climbed to her feet. Her body felt like one giant bruise, Buffy leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. She tried to lose herself in one of the meditations that Giles had tried to teach her, hoping that it would let her enhanced healing start to work on her body. An indeterminate time later a sound of a gun being fired off in the distance startling Buffy, reminding her of the fight that she was forcefully ejected from.
Buffy looked around noticing for the first time that several broken tree branches littered the ground in one direction. Buffy gazed at the trees above and saw the jagged edges of broken tree limbs. Guessing that was the way she came, Buffy stubbornly pushed herself off the tree and even though she was physically if not emotionally exhausted, Buffy started jogging back the way she came.
In Buffy's mind, time seemed to crawl to a snail's pace. Buffy could hear the growing sounds of fighting as she got closer and she was worried. Worried about Xander. No matter what was happening with Xander, Buffy didn't want him to get hurt and right now Xander was alone with a chipless Spike.
Buffy heard a scream echo in the night causing her heart to beat faster. Fearing the worst, Buffy ran faster despite the exhaustion she felt. As she ran, an image of what Spike looked like in his crypt appeared in Buffy mind and she remembered Spike claiming that Xander did that to him. No. There's no way Xander could've done that.. to.. Buffy's thought trailed off as she skidded to a halt. Before her was a sight that she thought that she would never see. Xander holding his own in a fight with Spike.
Xander had a small black box in one hand and an Initiative blaster in the other which he was continuously firing as he followed Spike around the clearing, leaving black scorch marks on trees or setting bushes and smaller plants on fire. Buffy watched as Xander managed to clip Spike a couple of times but they were glancing shots at best.
But Spike did give as good as he got, tagging Xander pretty good with a solid punch to the stomach that Xander managed to roll with before touching Spike's arm with the black object he held in his hand. There was a brief crackling noise before Spike jerked his arm away from Xander and backed off.
"What's the matter Spike? Afraid of a little electricity?" Xander asked.
Electricity?
Spike slowed down and began walking in a circle around Xander. "Just biding my time whelp. Your toys will run out of juice sooner or later," he snarled.
Buffy found herself frozen to the spot unable to do anything but watch as the scene before her unfolded. Both Xander and Spike silently watched each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Buffy suddenly had a bad feeling when Xander lowered his weapon. Even Spike, confused at Xander's actions, slowed to a stop as he wondered at what the human was trying to do. He didn't have to wait long.
Xander grinned impishly. "Hey Spike."
"What," Spike answered warily.
"Tell me something. If you're such a 'Big Bad', how come Drusilla dropped your ass for the first slime daemon she saw."
"You little prat!" Spike snarled as he launched a powerful punch at Xander. A punch that missed only because Buffy had rushed forward and knocked Xander out of the way. Then she turned to Spike, delivering a back hand punch to the surprised vampire's face followed quickly by another punch and was soon trading blows with Spike. As the fight continued Buffy could feel her body tiring. Buffy believed that if she didn't find way to get Xander and herself away from Spike then there was a very good chance that they would die.
* * *
Marcus Tyler was seething with anger.
"That Bitch," Marcus muttered. That was only the latest, and probably not the last, barb that he threw the Slayer's way since waking up alone in that crypt. Marcus had wasted a lot of time searching the area around the crypt for any clues as to where Summers or the vampire were and he probably would have given up if he hadn't heard the faint but unmistakable sound of a gun being fired echo in the night.
More sounds erupted in the distance and it didn't take him long to recognize the electrical discharge of Initiative weaponry being fired. Now he was running, wondering that another team close by had come across his hostile or something else. Marcus slowed down when he heard a completely different sound coming from his left. Shining his light at the area, Marcus found a body of an Initiative soldier. Soft moans coming from the prone body told him that the person was alive.
The crackle of electricity erupted from behind Marcus, startling the commando. He paused, indecision about leaving a wounded soldier behind. Running at his top speed, Marcus reached the area and found Buffy Summers fighting the same vampire that was feeding off her before. There was another civilian on the ground behind them and there was several bodies lying about. Marcus recognized their garments as standard Initiative uniforms. Carefully, Marcus withdrew his sidearm from it's holster and fired it up in the air.
"STOP!"
The civilian froze where he was but the vampire and Buffy continued to fight. Marcus went to the two soldiers closet to him and quickly checked for signs of life. Marcus' face was grim as he picked up a discarded blaster. Turning to the fight Marcus stared daggers at the vampire bring the weapon to bear. He raised the intensity of the blaster to it's highest level and fired. The blaster's energy arced forward, striking not the Slayer or Vampire but at the ground near their feet. Clumps of grass and dirt exploded outward, knocking both combatants to the ground.
When the dust settled Marcus got a clear look at the newly healed vampire and with a shock, recognized him. Marcus immediately thumbed on his radio. "Base, this is Agent Tyler. I have an Alpha Blue emergency."
[ What's your situation? ]
"I have located Hostile 17 in Sector Nine. I also have five personel down; one unconscious, two dead and two unknown. Buffy Summers and a civilian are present also."
[ Understood. A team is en route to your position for capture and quarantine. ]
"Did ya hear that Spike?" the boy on the ground asked, laughing. "They're gonna take you back and put you in a leash so tight, you won't be able to hurt anything; dead or alive."
"Shut up Harris!" Hostile 17 growled. "I'm free of that sodding chip and I'm going to stay that way."
Harris? Marcus stared at the boy, surprised at his luck in finding both H-17 and C-36.
Marcus turned his attention back to the vampire when it's words 'I'm free of that sodding chip' registered in his mind. If the chip that was implanted in Hostile 17's head is no longer functioning, that puts a whole new spin on this. To Marcus the recapture of Hostile 17 took precedence over recovering an escaped civilian.
"Base, the civilian is C-36 and Hostile 17 is uncontrollable. I repeat; Uncontrollable."
[ Understood. ]
* * *
Laying on the ground where she fell, Buffy was half-listening to the commando's conversation as her body tried to recuperate from all the injuries she's sustained today. But when Buffy heard the word quarantine mentioned, her mind instantly became alert, recalling a time from back before she knew about the Initiative.
~Flashback~
The lights were out as Buffy entered the hall of her building. Several Commandos wearing night vision goggles are wrestling with Spike in the hall in front of her dorm room. Spike slams one Commando into a wall. "It's on me!"
Spike tries bite him but grabs his head in pain. "Aah!"
"Move!" The commandos moved in on Spike. The vampire struggles but is eventually contained.
"Bag it, tag it. We're gone. Sir, civilian. Could have turned." the commando said motioning to Willow sitting in the corner by her door.
"Leave her."
"We can't neglect quarantine, sir!"
~Present~
"Wait a minute." Buffy Summers faced the commando. "What exactly do you mean by 'quarantine'?"
Marcus took a step backwards, keeping his weapon pointed at her. "Back up Summers. Now."
Buffy simply stopped where she was. "Answer me."
"Exactly what it sounds like," Xander spoke up. "A team will come in, capture a vampire or daemon and take along with any civilians in the area that might have been infected back to the Initiative. Isn't that right Agent Tyler?"
Marcus nodded, "Which is where you're supposed to be Harris."
Xander shrugged. "What can I say? The beds were uncomfortable, I mean you might as well be sleeping on the floor not to mention that the room service was terrible"
Spike laughed. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Droopy here is wanted by you guys? Is there a reward?"
Xander barked out a laugh. "Yeah Spike, They'll give you a new shiny chip for that sorry excuse for a brain of yours."
"SHUT UP!" Buffy demanded, throwing a glare at both Spike and Xander before turning back to the commando. "Is Xander right? Do you guys capture regular humans too?"
Marcus studied the Slayer for a second. "It's SOP that any possibly infected humans found in the vicinity of a capture are to be taken into custody just like your friend Harris was." Marcus then turned to Xander. "By the way, you managed to stir up a hornet's nest when you escaped. Walsh wants you back badly."
Xander shrugged. "It's so nice to feel appreciated by your enemies if not by your friends."
Buffy winced at the comment but kept attention on the commando. "Are you telling me that the Initiative took Xander against his will?"
Xander snorted loudly as Marcus simply said, "It's Standard Operating Procedure for that type of situation."
Buffy felt her heart clench. The whole scene with her, Riley and Xander flashed in her mind leaving her lost in a swirl of emotions. What Xander had said to Riley the other night echoed in her mind. ('I was captured and brought to your base. Then I was put through God knows how many tests. Now I'm being hunted like a dog just because I don't like to be held against my will.')
Xander was telling the truth.
Buffy coudn't believe that Riley would lie to her. Angry tears started to fall but then she remembered what Xander had said to her. ('I told you what happened and I did my best to get here and warn you that Riley was going to be lied to by his Army buddies. I'm trying to save you a lot of grief when you learn the truth of what happened.')
Guilt caused by the irony of that last statement overwhelmed Buffy. Xander had come to help her and Riley that night but she didn't want to believe him and now things were all wrong. She had fought with Xander and with Willow straining both friendships. Even though Buffy wished that she could go back and do things differently, a small voice in her mind kept reminding her that something about Xander was different. That Xander's sudden ability to fight was not normal.
So wrapped up in her emotions, Buffy barely heard Xander as he spoke to Spike. "Wow, just when you thought dealing with me was bad enough, now you have to deal with both the Slayer and the Initiative also. Your night keeps getting worse and worse doesn't it Spike."
"I hate to spoil your fun but," Marcus said, preventing Spike from responding. "I'm taking both you and the Hostile 17 back."
"Like hell you are." Both Xander and Spike said at the same time. Both the human and the vampire glared at each other then Xander grinned. "Awww. Is poor widdle Spikey afraid of the big bad commando?"
"That's it wanker!"
Spike tackled Xander to the ground. He pinned Xander's arms to the ground and was just about to bite him when he was dragged off of Xander by his feet. Twisting around, Spike freed his right leg but found the other firmly held in Buffy's grasp. Spike yanked his leg away from Buffy and then, using the same leg, kicked her in the gut. Buffy staggered back several feet which gave Spike time to get up.
Marcus watched as the two stared at each other like two tom cats fighting over territory. It didn't matter to him if they fought since it kept them here. He knew that it wouldn't take long for a team to get here from the base. Sooner if there was a team already in the field.
* * *
Riley moved quietly from graveyard to graveyard hoping to either find his girlfriend or relieve some serious stress on the local undead. So far he had managed to eliminate a couple of fledglings but he didn't know where Buffy was.
Not wanting to give up just yet, Riley decided to call Willow for help. He was just pulling out his cell phone when it shrilled loudly in his hand. Riley stared blankly at it for a few seconds as shivers of dread went up and down his spine. "Finn."
[ Riley. ]
Graham. Riley felt himself relax a little, but only a little. "Yeah Graham. What's up?"
[ Just wanted to let you know that one of our people found your girlfriend in Sector Nine and she was fighting with Hostile 17. ]
"The chipped vampire that escaped? Well Buffy shouldn't have any problems -"
[ You're wrong. Reports say that the chip isn't working. ]
Riley gripped the phone hard. "What do you mean Hostile 17's chip isn't working?"
[ The agent that called it in witnessed H-17 made it very clear that the vampire was uncontrollable and that's not all. At least two of our people are dead. ]
"Damn! What does Professor Walsh plan to do?"
[ She doesn't know yet. I wanted to let you know first before I reported to her. ]
Riley thought for a moment. "You said they're in Sector Nine?"
[ Yeah, the east end, near the cemetery entrance. ]
"I'm not far from there. I'm heading over there now." Riley hung up, running at full speed.
When Riley disappeared into the night a man and a woman walked out from behind a large headstone. "Hostile 17," John said to his sister.
"This could be interesting," she replied with a smile and they both moved to follow Riley.
* * *
Elsewhere, a dark room was suddenly flooded with light as a door opened revealing two men and a woman.
"No," One of the men spoke in an exasperated tone of voice that indicated that this was an old arguement. The man turned on lights in the room as he strode towards a desk. "Sunnydale is off-limits for now. Ray isn't taking you or anyone else back there tonight."
The other man stood off to the side as the woman followed the first man. "But my dear boys are having fun without me and I want to play." The woman whined, stamping her foot like a little girl.
"I said no." the man sternly spoke as he picked up the phone off the desk. He dialed a number and waited for the line to be picked up. "Sir, everything is set up in Sunnydale... Yes, that group will be under your control soon... Yes sir, I'll ask her." The man cupped the phone in one hand and turned back to his companions only to find himself alone in the room.
"Damn!"
He set the phone down and dashed into the hallway. Finding it empty, he walked back inside the room and reached for the phone. He waited a second to calm down before speaking. "Sir, we may have a problem."
* * *
Disclaimer: This is a fictional story. Joss & ME own the characters, I own nothing and make nothing from this story. In other words; Don't want them. Don't need them. Couldn't afforded them if I did.
AN - Thanks to everyone who has given such positive feedback on this fic.
Note - thoughts
Choices We Make
Chapter Six
The inside of the Initiative was bursting with activity. Scientists were busy as they resumed their work on various daemons while technicians were scurrying from location to location in effort to the repair systems that were damaged in the incident concerning the civilian, Alexander Harris.
Professor Walsh herself was overlooking the reconstruction of one of the surveillance stations that was destroyed. When she noticed Forrest Gates enter the compound with two of his men Walsh left the stations and waited for them to approach. "Agent Gates," Maggie said as Forrest and his men came to stop in front of her. "Were you able to aquire any useful intel on Mr. Harris from the owner of that.. establishment?"
Forrest stared blankly for a second before responding. "No ma'am. The owner, Willy, didn't know much. He said that his only had contact with Harris was when he would come in with Summers. He said that he never had any personal contact with Harris."
Walsh considered this as she took in the men's appearance. "It looks like you have been in a fight. Any problems, gentlemen?"
"Just a couple of vampires ma'am. Since the bar was a very public place, I decided that capture would probably draw too much attention so I had my men take care of them."
Walsh studied the men briefly, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Fine. For now, report to the infirmary. I want you and your men checked out."
"Yes Ma'am!" Forrest barked out.
Walsh nodded and walked off leaving the three men standing there. Forrest turned to his men and motioned them to follow Walsh's orders and go to the infirmary. When they left, Forrest proceeded to the nearest vacant computer station and started typing.
* * *
In the Lowell House, Riley was laying on his bed as he stared blankly at the ceiling. It has been several hours since his debriefing with Professor Walsh and he was feeling restless. Walsh had ordered him to stay away from the Buffy and her friends until this business with Harris was finished. Only there was one problem.
Riley didn't believe that Buffy was safe as long as Xander was on the loose.
"Screw this," Riley muttered, deciding to disobey his superior's orders. Riley left his room and made his way past the people enjoying themselves on the main floor. He passed through the party going on in his building, waving at some people that he knew but mainly ignoring everyone else. Riley even heard some of them were talking about where they wanted to go next as if they didn't have a care in the world. Shaking his head, Riley went out the front door.
Riley's exit didn't go unnoticed. Two people, one at each end of the room, extracted themselves from the crowd and followed the blonde soldier. One of them, John Hess, roughly pushed people out of his way as he walked to the door. Stopping to look over his shoulder, John watched as his twin sister Jane effortlessly navigated her way through the mass of bodies from the other side of the room without any trouble.
Jane stopped next to her brother. Tying her long, jet black hair into a pony tail, she looked at her brother. "Was that Finn?"
"Yeah. He didn't look too happy though."
"Probably something to do with the his girlfriend." Jane patted her jacket down, making sure that she had everything. "Well I suppose we-" Jane was interrupted by a loud ringing coming from inside her jacket. Pulling out her cell phone, she flipped it open and answered. "Yes?"
[ Riley just left his room. ]
Jane instantly recognized Maggie Walsh's voice. "Yes Ma'am. We just saw him leave."
[ Follow him. He'll probably try to contact Summers. ]
"And if he does?"
[ Just follow, observe and report back to me. ]
"Understood." Jane hung up and headed for the door, her brother following silently behind her.
* * *
Maggie Walsh sat back into her chair as she watched the security video of the two agents following Riley into the night. She was idly watching the rest of people in the building above the complex when a middle aged man in a white lab coat approached. "Professor Walsh?"
Maggie turned away from the video screens. "Yes, Doctor Angleman?"
"There is new information about the daemon you were inquiring about," he said, handing her a folder.
Maggie opened the folder and sifted through the papers within. She stopped at one and studied it intently. "Are you sure that this information is accurate?"
"The boys upstairs believe so," Doctor Angleman replied. "They also think that they have a possible location as well."
"Good, this could be a prime subject for Project 314." Maggie said to herself, then closed the folder and turned to the man. "I'll have a team assembled for a SaC mission."
"Who will head the team for the Search and Capture of this hostile?" the man asked.
Walsh thought for a moment. Normally this type of mission would be headed by Riley Finn but right now, with current events as they are, Maggie didn't believe that Riley was in the right state of mind to be dependable. That left her with only one real choice. "I will assign Agent Forrest Gates to lead the team."
* * *
Father Michael was pacing among the pews of his church as he waited to hear from his young friend. He hadn't heard from Xander since the young man left and he was starting to become worried. A soft noise interrupted his thoughts. Looking at the church's entrance, Michael thought he saw someone standing outside. "Hello? Is anyone there?"
Stepping closer, Father Michael thought he could hear giggling coming from the other side of the closed doors. Tentatively, he pulled one of the double doors open and a sense of deja vu washed over him. This brought memories of when he first met Xander and Michael hoped that he wouldn't find himself in a similar situation tonight.
Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness of the night, Michael cautiously approached the steps in front of the church. His attention was drawn to a pair of tail lights belonging to a truck heading down the street. After finding no one else, Michael turned to re-enter the church. Before he got to the door, a hand shot out from behind him and clamped onto his shoulder.
"Boo."
Cursing out loud, Father Michael twisted around and thrust a cross at the intruder. The priest expected to be facing some kind of demonic hell beast and was surprised to find a young woman doubled over in laughter. Michael inched closer, still holding the cross before him and leaned down to see the woman's face. From behind the mass of shoulder-length brown hair, Michael saw an equally brown pair of mischievous eyes that he would know anywhere. Kayla! Michael shook with both anger and relief at the sight of his young friend.
"Oh.. You should've.. seen your.. face. It was.. it was.." Kayla couldn't continue as a fresh wave of laughter erupted from within her.
Father Michael stared sternly at the woman, waiting for his heart to calm down. "Kayla." he growled and the young woman looked up at him but whatever she saw in his face only caused her to burst out in a another wave of laughter. Michael knew that after dealing with Xander for the last couple of years, the only thing he could do was to wait for Kayla to settle down by herself or she'd never stop laughing.
When Kayla did finally calmed down enough, she looked at the older man with an impossibly wide smile. "It's really great to see you Father."
"Don't you mean 'scare me' Kayla?" he asked in a flat voice.
Kayla adopted a thoughtful pose. "Well there's that too," Kayla watched as Father Michael's face hardened and she tried to placate him. "Aw, don't be like that. I was only having some fun," Kayla pouted.
"I see, scaring an old man is fun especially in a town like this," he said with a wave of his hand to the neighborhood. "I swear you and Xander must share the same personality."
At the mention of Xander, Kayla sobered up. "I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and steered him back into the church. "Why don't we go inside and you can fill me in on what Xander's been up to."
Father Michael nodded his head in approval before checking the area in front of the building. "Where's your car parked?"
"Don't worry. A friend dropped me off here. He'll be by later."
"Is that wise this late at night?" Father Michael asked concerned.
"It's okay, he can take care of himself," Kayla said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Turning back, Kayla began grilling the older man for information on what's going on with Xander as the two of them disappeared behind the closed door of the church.
* * *
Anya was tossing and turning on the couch inside of Rupert Giles' home. She subconsciously heard the quiet arguement that Giles had with Willow and Anya's anxieties skyrocketed when Willow mentioned that she knew where Xander was. Xander. The young man's name echoed endlessly in her mind. Anya's soft whimpers, that went unnoticed by the others, left little doubt that she was beginning a dream that would lead into a nightmare.
In her dream, Anya found herself sitting on a large rock in the middle of a field of tall grass that was surrounded by trees. She had a strong feeling that she was being watched by something that was hidden among the trees. Something's wrong. Anya moved off the rock and started to wade through the waist high grass to the tree line. Anya didn't get far before she tripped over something hidden in the grass, landing hard on her hands and knees.
"Are you okay?" Anya looked up to see Xander as he made his way to where she had fallen. His kind eyes shown brightly with a deep affection that made her feel warm inside. Reaching down, Xander pulled Anya to her feet. Then, taking one of her hands into his, Xander began to, ever so gently, rub the dirt off it. That action sent goose bumbs up her arm and spread along her back.
"Yes," Anya softly replied as Xander brought her hand up and kissed her palm. His warm breath washed over her hand adding to the sensations already going through her. Anya closed her eyes, losing herself as the sensation of Xander's hands running over her hands and arms. When she felt a hand touch her legs, Anya looked down to find Spike laying on the ground between her legs.
"Ready for the next round luv?" Spike asked.
"What?" Confused, Anya looked to Xander but he just dropped her hand and turned his back on her. Anya reached out for her boyfriend but he shrunk away from her touch. "Xander? I -"
Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she experienced flashes of her having sex with Spike. In these flashes, Anya felt this immense need for Spike. She had tried to fight the compulsion but the need, the hunger increased until she didn't have the strength to fight it anymore and finally succumbed to it.
Anya squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to block out the images. Anya didn't know why she would want Spike like that but she couldn't control herself. It was if something was pushing her to take Spike. In the deep recesses of her mind, Anya thought she could hear laughter.
"I can't believe you would hurt me like that," Xander said shaking Anya from her thoughts. She opened her eyes to see that Xander had turned around and was glaring at her with cold eyes.
"I thought that you cared for me."
Anya wanted to tell him that she did care. She wanted nothing more than for Xander to take her into his arms and tell her that it was all going be okay. That he forgave her and loved her but then she saw the expression that was on Xander's face. That look, so full of hurt and betrayal, stopped her from saying what she wanted to say. That she loved him.
Xander waited impatiently for an explanation that she couldn't give. Xander shook his head in disgust. "Fine!"
Xander grabbed her hands and tied them together with one end of a long piece of rope that appeared out of nowhere. He then dragged her by her hands until they reached a tall tree at the edge of the grassy field. Xander pulled her under the tree and threw the rest of the rope over a high, thick branch. Before she could get her bearings, Xander yanked hard on the other end of the rope, hoisting her up into the air. She begged him to stop but he just ignored her as he tied the rope to a stake in the ground.
Looking down she could see that she was hanging less than a foot off the ground, her bare feet lightly brushing against the shorter grass that grew around the tree. From behind her, Anya thought that she had heard someone speaking in a deep whisper but when she twisted around, Anya found no one there.
"Anya," She jerked in surprise when Xander said her name. She looked at Xander and he pointed down at her feet. Something under the ground was moving, causing several ripples of dirt and grass to appear. Her head whipped around her trying to follow each ripple as numerous things were moving underground in every direction.
"What's down there?" she asked, fear evident in her voice.
"Your punishment," was all Xander said before the ground collapsed to reveal thousands of bunny rabbits.
"Nooooooooo!" Anya screamed as the rabbits swarmed over her feet.
* * *
Giles was waiting for Willow to reveal Xander's location when a scream erupted from behind him. Everyone rushed into the room to find Anya curled up at one end of the couch frantically brushing at her legs and feet. Giles grabbed the girl's hands in an effort to get her attention.
"Get them off me."
Giles held her hands apart. "Them? Anya there's no one on you."
Anya looked up, noticing for the first time that she was at Giles' and everyone in the room was watching her. "Oh God, it was just a dream," Anya sagged in relief.
"What was just a dream?" Willow asked but Anya just ignored the redhead as she anxiously looked around the room.
Giles noticed the girl's nervousness but after listening as Anya talk in her sleep, Giles had to ask. "Anya, Did something happen between you, Spike and Xander?"
Anya's eyes darted back and forth and meekly asked, "Is Xander here?"
Joyce sat next to Anya and hugged her, feeling the younger woman's body shake. Joyce threw a worried look at Giles as she answered, "No Anya. Xander isn't here."
Giles didn't miss Joyce's look which amplified his own growing feeling of dread. Anya had buried her face in her hands. Giles gently pulled her hands away revealing a sight that surprised him. Anya was crying. He couldn't remember ever seeing Anya cry before. "Anya, please tell us what happened."
"Xander found me at Spike's and.." Anya shuddered and spoke with a voice that dripped with sadness. "we were having sex."
Giles look around, taking in the shocked faces in the room. A detached part of him was thinking that aside from Anya's soft crying, the room was far too silent. That was until Giles saw the look on Willow's face.
"Oh dear."
* * *
Everyone was still in a state of shock over Anya's revelation. Everyone but Giles as he stared at Willow.
Giles saw the stony expression on her face but his attention was drawn to her eyes. He saw the color slowly bled from them until only blackness remained. It reminded him of Amy Madison during that awful love spell debacle. He could still see Amy's black eyes as Xander clamped his hand over the girl's mouth to keep her from casting a spell on Jenny Calendar.
Moving quickly, Giles stood in front of Willow just as a shimmering wave of force flowed out of the wiccan. Giles met the wave head on and was frozen in place. Willow simply stepped around the immobile man and focused her sights on the ex-daemon. Joyce Summers stood up to block Willow but one glance from the smaller woman sent Joyce back down on the couch.
Willow's black eyes flitted between Joyce and Giles for a second. Satisfied that neither would be able to stop her, Willow turned back to Anya only to find her path blocked once again. Willow's face changed from impassive to confusion when she realized who was before her. "Tara?"
Tara nervously held her ground. She had felt a dark power rise up in Willow that scared her witless and while Tara didn't want to know what Willow was planning to do to Anya, she couldn't just stand by and let the first true friend she's ever had destroy herself. "W-W-Willow. Please d-don't do this."
"Get out of my way Tara." Willow whispered.
"No." Tara replied with a surprising amount of firmness.
Willow raised her hand but Tara stood her ground. Determined to stop Willow from hurting herself or Anya, Tara clasped Willow's hand with one her own. To Tara's shock, she could feel the power that was fueled by the redhead's heated emotions flow into her. The sudden influx of energy threatened to consume Tara and she instinctively redirected the energy back through her connection with Willow.
Willow's eyes widened as she felt her own power falling back into her. The energy filled almost to the breaking point before moving back through the girls' hands and into Tara. This feedback loop continued as the intensity of the energy grew.
With Willow distracted, Giles found himself able to move once again. Glancing to the couch, Giles found both Joyce and Anya unharmed but what caught his attention was Willow and Tara. They stood face to face, each holding the others hand seemingly paralyzed while a red glow passed back and forth between the two. The girls' faces were screwed up in pain though neither uttered a sound and each time the glow centered on one of the girls, the brightness intensified. Giles grabbed the arms of both girls attempting to pull them apart.
Anya recovered enough to shout a warning to Giles but was too late. The former Watcher was sent flying across the room, repelled by the energy holding the two Wiccans. Joyce went to check on Giles leaving Anya alone on the couch to stare at Willow and Tara.
"Anya," Joyce yelled, getting the girl's attention. "Giles is unconscious. What can we do?"
Anya turned back to the witches. The exchange of energy between the two sped up considerably after Giles tried to interfere. She knew that Giles had the right idea but he went about it all wrong. Some magiks can only be controlled with a trinity. Forgetting her pain and despair temporarily, Anya moved next to Tara and grasped her free hand in her left one.
"Don't touch them Anya!"
Anya heard Joyce's scream as she grabbed Willow's free hand in her right forming the connection with the other two. Instantly Anya was flooded with an immense power that threatened to tear apart her very being. The energies were wild and unfocused. Almost primal. The power that Willow had called upon was dark but what should have been a simple spell had changed into something more powerful than anything Anya had ever seen a mere mortal conjure.
Tara changed it somehow. Amplified it. To Anya the rush of energy was intoxicating. She hadn't felt like this since before she became human. Bending her mind to the task at hand, Anya concentrated on the swirl of magical force the was coursing through the three of them.
Anya knew that she had to find some way fast to release the energy soon before it ended up killing her along with Tara and Willow but she kept getting distracted by a small voice in the back of her mind. A voice that Anya remembered hearing as she ran from Xander. A voice that got stronger and louder with each pulse of energy that swept through her, demanding answers as to how she would betray Xander the way she did. A voice that screamed 'Why!'.
Before Anya realized what was happening, the power surged one last time as it latched onto that plea and left her. Anya was dimly aware of her body falling as a numbing darkness swept over her.
* * *
Joyce was scared.
Unable to stop Anya from joining with Willow and Tara, Joyce could only watch as all three girls were enveloped in a blood red haze. Joyce left Giles where he was and moved closer to the girls. Before Joyce got within a foot of the trio, she was blinded by a sudden bright flash of light. When her vision cleared, Joyce found Willow, Tara and Anya sprawled out on the floor.
Joyce went to check on them and breathed a heavy sigh of relief at finding them alive. With everyone unconscious, the elder Summers sank down onto the floor next to Giles and looked about the room at a complete loss of what to do. "Oh Buffy. Where are you?" Joyce asked, wishing that her daughter was here.
Unknown to Joyce, a robed figure had appeared inside the doorway of Giles' bedroom and was silently watching the group from the top of the stairs
* * *
"Uhhh.."
Awareness came slowly to Buffy. She could feel a numbness in her arms and legs in addition to the intense pressure she felt on her stomach. Opening her eyes, Buffy found herself dangling over a thick tree branch, more than a dozen feet off the ground. A wave of vertigo instantly come over Buffy and she unconsciously lifted her hands up to her face. The simple action of lifting her arms shifted her weight on the tree limb. Before Buffy realized it, she slid over the side and landed hard on the ground.
Not moving from where she landed, Buffy remained on her back and stared up at the night sky in a daze. Her hand shakily moved to her throat, feeling the large, wet fabric that was wrapped around her neck. She felt a sliver of fear enter her heart when looked down at her reddish colored hand.
Buffy slowly climbed to her feet. Her body felt like one giant bruise, Buffy leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. She tried to lose herself in one of the meditations that Giles had tried to teach her, hoping that it would let her enhanced healing start to work on her body. An indeterminate time later a sound of a gun being fired off in the distance startling Buffy, reminding her of the fight that she was forcefully ejected from.
Buffy looked around noticing for the first time that several broken tree branches littered the ground in one direction. Buffy gazed at the trees above and saw the jagged edges of broken tree limbs. Guessing that was the way she came, Buffy stubbornly pushed herself off the tree and even though she was physically if not emotionally exhausted, Buffy started jogging back the way she came.
In Buffy's mind, time seemed to crawl to a snail's pace. Buffy could hear the growing sounds of fighting as she got closer and she was worried. Worried about Xander. No matter what was happening with Xander, Buffy didn't want him to get hurt and right now Xander was alone with a chipless Spike.
Buffy heard a scream echo in the night causing her heart to beat faster. Fearing the worst, Buffy ran faster despite the exhaustion she felt. As she ran, an image of what Spike looked like in his crypt appeared in Buffy mind and she remembered Spike claiming that Xander did that to him. No. There's no way Xander could've done that.. to.. Buffy's thought trailed off as she skidded to a halt. Before her was a sight that she thought that she would never see. Xander holding his own in a fight with Spike.
Xander had a small black box in one hand and an Initiative blaster in the other which he was continuously firing as he followed Spike around the clearing, leaving black scorch marks on trees or setting bushes and smaller plants on fire. Buffy watched as Xander managed to clip Spike a couple of times but they were glancing shots at best.
But Spike did give as good as he got, tagging Xander pretty good with a solid punch to the stomach that Xander managed to roll with before touching Spike's arm with the black object he held in his hand. There was a brief crackling noise before Spike jerked his arm away from Xander and backed off.
"What's the matter Spike? Afraid of a little electricity?" Xander asked.
Electricity?
Spike slowed down and began walking in a circle around Xander. "Just biding my time whelp. Your toys will run out of juice sooner or later," he snarled.
Buffy found herself frozen to the spot unable to do anything but watch as the scene before her unfolded. Both Xander and Spike silently watched each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Buffy suddenly had a bad feeling when Xander lowered his weapon. Even Spike, confused at Xander's actions, slowed to a stop as he wondered at what the human was trying to do. He didn't have to wait long.
Xander grinned impishly. "Hey Spike."
"What," Spike answered warily.
"Tell me something. If you're such a 'Big Bad', how come Drusilla dropped your ass for the first slime daemon she saw."
"You little prat!" Spike snarled as he launched a powerful punch at Xander. A punch that missed only because Buffy had rushed forward and knocked Xander out of the way. Then she turned to Spike, delivering a back hand punch to the surprised vampire's face followed quickly by another punch and was soon trading blows with Spike. As the fight continued Buffy could feel her body tiring. Buffy believed that if she didn't find way to get Xander and herself away from Spike then there was a very good chance that they would die.
* * *
Marcus Tyler was seething with anger.
"That Bitch," Marcus muttered. That was only the latest, and probably not the last, barb that he threw the Slayer's way since waking up alone in that crypt. Marcus had wasted a lot of time searching the area around the crypt for any clues as to where Summers or the vampire were and he probably would have given up if he hadn't heard the faint but unmistakable sound of a gun being fired echo in the night.
More sounds erupted in the distance and it didn't take him long to recognize the electrical discharge of Initiative weaponry being fired. Now he was running, wondering that another team close by had come across his hostile or something else. Marcus slowed down when he heard a completely different sound coming from his left. Shining his light at the area, Marcus found a body of an Initiative soldier. Soft moans coming from the prone body told him that the person was alive.
The crackle of electricity erupted from behind Marcus, startling the commando. He paused, indecision about leaving a wounded soldier behind. Running at his top speed, Marcus reached the area and found Buffy Summers fighting the same vampire that was feeding off her before. There was another civilian on the ground behind them and there was several bodies lying about. Marcus recognized their garments as standard Initiative uniforms. Carefully, Marcus withdrew his sidearm from it's holster and fired it up in the air.
"STOP!"
The civilian froze where he was but the vampire and Buffy continued to fight. Marcus went to the two soldiers closet to him and quickly checked for signs of life. Marcus' face was grim as he picked up a discarded blaster. Turning to the fight Marcus stared daggers at the vampire bring the weapon to bear. He raised the intensity of the blaster to it's highest level and fired. The blaster's energy arced forward, striking not the Slayer or Vampire but at the ground near their feet. Clumps of grass and dirt exploded outward, knocking both combatants to the ground.
When the dust settled Marcus got a clear look at the newly healed vampire and with a shock, recognized him. Marcus immediately thumbed on his radio. "Base, this is Agent Tyler. I have an Alpha Blue emergency."
[ What's your situation? ]
"I have located Hostile 17 in Sector Nine. I also have five personel down; one unconscious, two dead and two unknown. Buffy Summers and a civilian are present also."
[ Understood. A team is en route to your position for capture and quarantine. ]
"Did ya hear that Spike?" the boy on the ground asked, laughing. "They're gonna take you back and put you in a leash so tight, you won't be able to hurt anything; dead or alive."
"Shut up Harris!" Hostile 17 growled. "I'm free of that sodding chip and I'm going to stay that way."
Harris? Marcus stared at the boy, surprised at his luck in finding both H-17 and C-36.
Marcus turned his attention back to the vampire when it's words 'I'm free of that sodding chip' registered in his mind. If the chip that was implanted in Hostile 17's head is no longer functioning, that puts a whole new spin on this. To Marcus the recapture of Hostile 17 took precedence over recovering an escaped civilian.
"Base, the civilian is C-36 and Hostile 17 is uncontrollable. I repeat; Uncontrollable."
[ Understood. ]
* * *
Laying on the ground where she fell, Buffy was half-listening to the commando's conversation as her body tried to recuperate from all the injuries she's sustained today. But when Buffy heard the word quarantine mentioned, her mind instantly became alert, recalling a time from back before she knew about the Initiative.
~Flashback~
The lights were out as Buffy entered the hall of her building. Several Commandos wearing night vision goggles are wrestling with Spike in the hall in front of her dorm room. Spike slams one Commando into a wall. "It's on me!"
Spike tries bite him but grabs his head in pain. "Aah!"
"Move!" The commandos moved in on Spike. The vampire struggles but is eventually contained.
"Bag it, tag it. We're gone. Sir, civilian. Could have turned." the commando said motioning to Willow sitting in the corner by her door.
"Leave her."
"We can't neglect quarantine, sir!"
~Present~
"Wait a minute." Buffy Summers faced the commando. "What exactly do you mean by 'quarantine'?"
Marcus took a step backwards, keeping his weapon pointed at her. "Back up Summers. Now."
Buffy simply stopped where she was. "Answer me."
"Exactly what it sounds like," Xander spoke up. "A team will come in, capture a vampire or daemon and take along with any civilians in the area that might have been infected back to the Initiative. Isn't that right Agent Tyler?"
Marcus nodded, "Which is where you're supposed to be Harris."
Xander shrugged. "What can I say? The beds were uncomfortable, I mean you might as well be sleeping on the floor not to mention that the room service was terrible"
Spike laughed. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me that Droopy here is wanted by you guys? Is there a reward?"
Xander barked out a laugh. "Yeah Spike, They'll give you a new shiny chip for that sorry excuse for a brain of yours."
"SHUT UP!" Buffy demanded, throwing a glare at both Spike and Xander before turning back to the commando. "Is Xander right? Do you guys capture regular humans too?"
Marcus studied the Slayer for a second. "It's SOP that any possibly infected humans found in the vicinity of a capture are to be taken into custody just like your friend Harris was." Marcus then turned to Xander. "By the way, you managed to stir up a hornet's nest when you escaped. Walsh wants you back badly."
Xander shrugged. "It's so nice to feel appreciated by your enemies if not by your friends."
Buffy winced at the comment but kept attention on the commando. "Are you telling me that the Initiative took Xander against his will?"
Xander snorted loudly as Marcus simply said, "It's Standard Operating Procedure for that type of situation."
Buffy felt her heart clench. The whole scene with her, Riley and Xander flashed in her mind leaving her lost in a swirl of emotions. What Xander had said to Riley the other night echoed in her mind. ('I was captured and brought to your base. Then I was put through God knows how many tests. Now I'm being hunted like a dog just because I don't like to be held against my will.')
Xander was telling the truth.
Buffy coudn't believe that Riley would lie to her. Angry tears started to fall but then she remembered what Xander had said to her. ('I told you what happened and I did my best to get here and warn you that Riley was going to be lied to by his Army buddies. I'm trying to save you a lot of grief when you learn the truth of what happened.')
Guilt caused by the irony of that last statement overwhelmed Buffy. Xander had come to help her and Riley that night but she didn't want to believe him and now things were all wrong. She had fought with Xander and with Willow straining both friendships. Even though Buffy wished that she could go back and do things differently, a small voice in her mind kept reminding her that something about Xander was different. That Xander's sudden ability to fight was not normal.
So wrapped up in her emotions, Buffy barely heard Xander as he spoke to Spike. "Wow, just when you thought dealing with me was bad enough, now you have to deal with both the Slayer and the Initiative also. Your night keeps getting worse and worse doesn't it Spike."
"I hate to spoil your fun but," Marcus said, preventing Spike from responding. "I'm taking both you and the Hostile 17 back."
"Like hell you are." Both Xander and Spike said at the same time. Both the human and the vampire glared at each other then Xander grinned. "Awww. Is poor widdle Spikey afraid of the big bad commando?"
"That's it wanker!"
Spike tackled Xander to the ground. He pinned Xander's arms to the ground and was just about to bite him when he was dragged off of Xander by his feet. Twisting around, Spike freed his right leg but found the other firmly held in Buffy's grasp. Spike yanked his leg away from Buffy and then, using the same leg, kicked her in the gut. Buffy staggered back several feet which gave Spike time to get up.
Marcus watched as the two stared at each other like two tom cats fighting over territory. It didn't matter to him if they fought since it kept them here. He knew that it wouldn't take long for a team to get here from the base. Sooner if there was a team already in the field.
* * *
Riley moved quietly from graveyard to graveyard hoping to either find his girlfriend or relieve some serious stress on the local undead. So far he had managed to eliminate a couple of fledglings but he didn't know where Buffy was.
Not wanting to give up just yet, Riley decided to call Willow for help. He was just pulling out his cell phone when it shrilled loudly in his hand. Riley stared blankly at it for a few seconds as shivers of dread went up and down his spine. "Finn."
[ Riley. ]
Graham. Riley felt himself relax a little, but only a little. "Yeah Graham. What's up?"
[ Just wanted to let you know that one of our people found your girlfriend in Sector Nine and she was fighting with Hostile 17. ]
"The chipped vampire that escaped? Well Buffy shouldn't have any problems -"
[ You're wrong. Reports say that the chip isn't working. ]
Riley gripped the phone hard. "What do you mean Hostile 17's chip isn't working?"
[ The agent that called it in witnessed H-17 made it very clear that the vampire was uncontrollable and that's not all. At least two of our people are dead. ]
"Damn! What does Professor Walsh plan to do?"
[ She doesn't know yet. I wanted to let you know first before I reported to her. ]
Riley thought for a moment. "You said they're in Sector Nine?"
[ Yeah, the east end, near the cemetery entrance. ]
"I'm not far from there. I'm heading over there now." Riley hung up, running at full speed.
When Riley disappeared into the night a man and a woman walked out from behind a large headstone. "Hostile 17," John said to his sister.
"This could be interesting," she replied with a smile and they both moved to follow Riley.
* * *
Elsewhere, a dark room was suddenly flooded with light as a door opened revealing two men and a woman.
"No," One of the men spoke in an exasperated tone of voice that indicated that this was an old arguement. The man turned on lights in the room as he strode towards a desk. "Sunnydale is off-limits for now. Ray isn't taking you or anyone else back there tonight."
The other man stood off to the side as the woman followed the first man. "But my dear boys are having fun without me and I want to play." The woman whined, stamping her foot like a little girl.
"I said no." the man sternly spoke as he picked up the phone off the desk. He dialed a number and waited for the line to be picked up. "Sir, everything is set up in Sunnydale... Yes, that group will be under your control soon... Yes sir, I'll ask her." The man cupped the phone in one hand and turned back to his companions only to find himself alone in the room.
"Damn!"
He set the phone down and dashed into the hallway. Finding it empty, he walked back inside the room and reached for the phone. He waited a second to calm down before speaking. "Sir, we may have a problem."
* * *