A/N: Sorry for the whole not accepting anonymous reviewers thing....it was an accident...anyway...it's all fixed now!!! Feel free to review!!! And a special thanks to luvspike/alec for informing me of that teeny weeny mistake.

Fire and Blood

By: human28

Chapter One

Seattle, Washington

2020

The car jolted to a stop in front of a five story building that was blanketed with graffiti. Night had long since fallen, and the streets were filled with drunkards, drug addicts, criminals, and all sorts of treacherous people. But what they did not know that the most dangerous of them all were seated inside the gray, tarnished car.

"We're here," Buffy announced, taking in a shaky breath. Although she hated to admit it, being the eldest living Slayer and all, she was nervous. Way nervous. And from the look on Faith's face, she was pretty much feeling the same way. You couldn't blame them for being nervous.

They had just come from Gilette, to drop off a couple of potentials-turned-slayers when they were stopped in the middle of the road by two teenagers who demanded that they take them to Seattle. The ride had been spent in uncomfortable silence. When Faith had asked them who they were, a brief 'we're soldiers' was all they received. One look from the girl was enough to shut Faith up.

Somehow, both Slayers had gotten a feeling that they were hiding something. Something that involved danger. The sounds that they heard earlier that night had sort of confirmed that thought. And Buffy was not too keen on finding out what kind 'danger' these strangers were running away from.

"This is where you live?" the guy asked, raising an eyebrow. If the situation wasn't so nerve-wracking, Buffy might've actually thought of him as cute. Scratch that. Completely gorgeous. In fact, the two of them looked like they had stepped right out of the pages of a fashion magazine. One might find it unbelievable that these two might actually be soldiers. But the look in their eyes, their stance…there was some sort of perverted discipline about them. And it brought chills running down her spine.

"Yeah," Faith answered hesitantly. The two slayers exchanged a glance. Two years had passed since their battle with the First Evil…since Sunnydale had sunk and transformed into a giant, empty pit…since their home crumbled right in front of their very eyes. The months that preceded that had been rather difficult for them. With more than a hundred Potentials now Awakened, they needed to find new space, fast.

Angel had been a great help for that. He had lent them the Hyperion Hotel for a couple of weeks. After that, everything was history. They had been separated. A group of Slayers and Watchers were assigned on different countries that played host to a Hellmouth. Buffy and Faith had been designated in Seattle, which had been their home for almost a year now.

"Thanks for the ride, but sad to say, we gotta blaze." The girl flashed them a brief smile. It was a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. They exited the car and it wasn't long until they disappeared into the shadows.

Leaving the two Slayers with nothing but a mystery.

…

"So where do we go now?" Alec asked as they ducked inside a phone booth to avoid a passing hoverdrone. They had been wandering around the city for exactly seventeen minutes, trying to come up with a plan. Knowing Manticore, they were not going to stop looking for them, which meant that they had to lay low for a while.

"We get a place to stay, some food to eat, and some cash." Max replied absently smoothing down the wrinkles on her shirt. She looked tired, hell, she looked exhausted. And for a person with Shark DNA, that meant she was feeling pretty dead on her feet. Exactly the same way he was feeling.

"I've got cash." Alec said with a smirk. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of crumpled dollars. Let's just say that he was quite the businessman when it came to the guards back at Manticore.

"Good," Max said grabbing them from his hand. She started to count them at breakneck speed. Alec could practically see the numbers being calculated in her head. "One thousand, three hundred, ninety-five." She nodded, impressed. "Not bad. This'll keep us alive for the next couple of days."

They passed by a dim-lit building that was overcrowded with people. Two black bouncers stood on guard up front. Loud music emanated from within. A nightclub. He thought, catching the smell of alcohol. Expensive cars lined the sidewalks and probably more behind the building. He glanced at Max and saw her eyes light up with mischief. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked in a low tone.

He grinned rakishly as he let his gaze roam over her body. She hit him disgustedly on the arm. "You are such a pig. I really should've named you dick."

"Kidding Maxie, I was kidding." She rolled her eyes and led the way into the parking area. After scanning the area for any sign of guards or surveillance cameras, they inspected the cars with appreciation. There were Porsches, Jaguars, and Ferraris. And all they had to do was take their pick.

"I want this one," Max said coming to a stop in front of a sleek, black Mercedes. The windows were tinted, and their was no license plate, signaling the fact that it was brand new.

"Sweet choice," he said. "But unfortunately, that would bring us too much attention. We're trying to go incognito here Maxie, meaning, we gotta blend in with the common crowd." Max scowled, but both knew that he was right. He gestured towards his left where a rusted, red Mustang stood. He started picking the lock and less than two minutes later, they were speeding down the road in companionable silence.

An hour and a half later, brought them parked in front of a motel with the blinking neon sign: 'No-Tel Motel'. Alec started to climb out of the car when Max's hand stopped him. "I can't go in there looking like this." She gestured at her soot stained cammies, and shot him a look. "Unlike you, I'm not dressed for any dirty missions."

"Not to worry." He reached behind the seat and pulled out a navy blue duffel bag. "I snatched it from the two chicks that gave us a ride. I had a feeling that you were gonna need it." She took it from him gratefully and zipped open the bag. She took out a pair of jeans, a black tank top, a matching black leather jacket, and a pair of heeled boots. She wrinkled her nose at the latter but pulled them on anyway. Alec had to keep himself from gawking at the sight of Max's bare skin as she changed.

Paradise was over five minutes later, and he was rewarded by a – confused gaze from Max. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" she was staring into the duffel bag and he wondered what was inside that could make her look so perplexed. Max was rarely confused.

And with a slight shake of her head, she pulled out a very sharp-looking stake.

"What's a twig doing in there?" he asked, bewildered.

Max didn't reply. Instead, she pulled out a bottle of holy water, a cross, and three more stakes.

"Alright, so the women we hitched a ride from were freaks. So what?" Alec shrugged. "That's the least of our problems right now."

She sighed. "You're right." A troubled look fleeted across her face. "But something tells me that there was something more to those girls than they appeared to be."

…

"Buffy, have you seen my duffel?" Faith walked into the living room where she was lounging with her sister, Giles and Willow. It was still early in the morning, and most of the Slayers were still asleep. Except them of course.

"No. Maybe it's still in the car." Buffy replied.

Faith shook her head. "I double-checked. It wasn't there." She paused as a thoughtful expression took over her features. "You don't think that those two teens took them, don't you?"

"You've been robbed by teenagers?" Dawn snickered. Willow and Giles looked curious as well. The two Slayers exchanged a glance. When they arrived last night, everyone had been asleep, giving them no time to tell their friends about their unexpected and rather, bizarre encounter with the two strangers who had sent more than enough chills running down their spines. Not to mention the place where they had come from.

"Um, you tell them B." Faith suggested settling herself onto the empty spot on the sofa. All eyes turned to Buffy. She sighed and started her story.

"Faith and I were on our way home when these two kids – teenagers stopped us in the middle of the road. And believe it or not, they were dressed in those military-costumes. Camouflage-stuff." Buffy shook her head as she recalled last night. "Explosions and gunshots kept on going off from – wherever they came from. And they jumped into our car, and ordered us to drive. I know it sounds impossible, but they made me totally nervous." Buffy grimaced.

Their audience was speechless. And it was Giles who first broke the gaping contest. "And your saying that they were teenagers? Around what age?"

"Nineteen, twenty." Buffy shrugged. "Couldn't really tell. And I have to say that they were really gorgeous. They could've passed for supermodels or something. Which just adds to the whole freaky-thing."

"From everything that I have stumbled upon in my life, I don't think that I have ever heard of anything like this." Giles wiped his eyeglasses with the hem of his sweater. It was a habit of his. A habit that usually portrayed his apprehension on whatever topic they were discussing.

"That is totally whack," Dawn agreed.

"So where'd they go?" Willow asked, fumbling for her laptop. She had this 'I-may-have-an-idea' look on her face.

"We have absolutely no idea," Faith responded. "All I know is that they're somewhere here in Seattle."

"Who're you calling, Wills?" Buffy asked, eyeing her best friend as she flipped open her mobile phone.

"A hacker-friend of mine," Willow said, dialing. "He loves researching on this kind of stuff. And the last time I met him, he was rambling on and on about some secret-government facility in Wyoming." The two Slayers stared at her. "I have a feeling that this might be it."

"What's his name?" Dawn asked.

"Logan Cale."

…

To be continued…

…

A/N: What do you think? Review and tell me…

Sneak Peak:

"I don't know about you guys, but it's important for me that I find her. You see, 452 has no junk DNA."