It was warm outside, but that didn't stop Jacob Traeten from shivering as he sat in Professor Walsh's classroom, facing her, Riley, Giles, and Buffy. It was the morning after Hostile 100's violent and destructive escape, and everyone wanted answers. And, since he had supervised the modifications to the creature's cell- the modifications which had mysteriously shut down, releasing the Xenomorph- they were looking at him for those answers.

"Y'know, I seem to recall some crazy guy telling me that thing was never, ever going to get out. Guaranteed it, actually," Buffy's words dripped venom. "You might have seen him- guy about your height, really nice suit, smiles a lot?"

Traeten made a helpless gesture. "I really don't know what went wrong. One second the shield was functioning perfectly, the next there was no power at all. There's no clue what caused it, or even where the power failure originated from. All the circuits and mechanisms are in perfect working order."

Walsh regarded the man coolly, making him resist the urge to squirm. Even with a cold pack pressed against her head- a souvenir of her too-close encounter with Hostile 100- the Professor was intimidating, and she was especially threatening now that her own life had been endangered. Riley wasn't happy either.

"Is that what you want me to tell the men?" he demanded. "Jones was one of our best new recruits, and one of Forrest's favorites, and now he's dead. We're sending him home to his family without a face."

"We've lost Hicks too," Walsh said grimly. "He'll be lucky if he ever walks again."

"Damn… I liked Hicks," Traeten said. "And Riley, believe me, I understand the bond between comrades in arms. My Daddy served in 'Nam, and he always told me how he and the boys in his unit were like brothers. I know that all the men are hurting right now, especially since the thing that did this to you got away. I really wish I could tell you more, but I just don't know what happened. I promise I'll do whatever I can to help set things right."

The intense sincerity and remorse in his voice mollified Riley. Buffy suddenly felt pangs of guilt within her. She might not have Traeten all figured out yet, but it wasn't fair to be helping Walsh treat him like a scapegoat- especially since she had been the one who let the Xenomorph get away. She excused herself from the room. Giles followed her.

"Buffy, I do hope you aren't feeling in any way responsible for what happened last night." Giles said to his Slayer in the hallway. He knew her well enough to tell when she was taking a setback in stride, and when she was taking it personally.

"The thing's bigger than an SUV Giles, and I managed to lose it. More people will probably die because Slayer powers don't include night-vision. Meanwhile I'm in there helping Walsh lynch some businessman just because she has a grudge. And Riley's angry about that guard getting killed..."

Giles recognized the root of Buffy's anxiety. "Buffy, not only am I certain that Riley doesn't blame you for this incident, I'm willing to bet that the thought hasn't and never will even occur to him to hold you responsible. I'm sure the only reason he was in that room was because he and his men want answers, be they from Mr. Traeten or anywhere else. And about Traeten..."

Giles paused to clean his glasses before continuing. "I know he seems very likable, especially when compared to that…shrew. And it is refreshing to meet an American who has an interest in books beyond those of Tom Clancy… But he is a businessman, a representative of a corporation which specializes in shady dealings. I think we would do well to keep in mind that for someone in his field, it's oftentimes imperative to act likeable in order to achieve your goals. I for one think his enthusiasm rings somewhat false."

Buffy was suddenly reminded of how the man had reminded her of Ted, and the look in his eyes when he'd been gazing at the pupa. "I don't know what's up with him, but there's sure more to him than just some guy in a suit," she mused. "Maybe-"

Riley entered the hallway. "Hey, it looks like they're wrapping things up in there." He noticed the serious looks on Giles and Buffy's faces. "What's up?"

Buffy smiled. "Nothing," she said. "We were just talking about Traeten. Do you know why Walsh is being so hard on him?"

"From what I hear, he occasionally overstepped his authority while working on Hostile 100, and Maggie just hates to be upstaged, even a little." He sighed. "Remind me to apologize to him once she's done grilling him, will you? I just got a little frustrated. I didn't know him well or anything, but Jones was a very promising guy."

"Is there anything I can do?" Buffy asked.

"Besides helping with alien-hunting, I don't think so." He smiled. "I know where to reach you if I need you. I've got to go, the men will want to know about the lack of answerage."

"Okay." Buffy kissed him before he left.

Later that night, after classes and patrolling, Buffy discussed the day's events with Willow in the dorm room.

"I guess it was pretty silly of me to think Riley would suddenly hate me just because I couldn't stop the thing with my bare hands," the Slayer admitted. "But Riley's the first stable relationship I've had who hasn't tried to destroy the world. I was afraid of losing him."

"Hmm. Do you think Giles was right about Traeten?" Willow asked. "I mean, I think he's really nice. He treats us like real grownups, instead of a bunch of kids who don't know what they're doing."

"Yeah, but the way he treated the alien gives me the creeps." Buffy said.

"What are we going to do about the alien, anyway? Now that that thing's loose… well, yikes. It's not like we can steal another rocket launcher," said Willow.

"I don't think the Initiative's going to lend us one, either. Actually Riley says there are still charges pending for the last one we stole- though he said the Initiative would take care of those. What worries me is finding the thing in the first place. For something so big, it sure knows how to keep a low profile. And the longer we spend looking for it, the more time it has alone to do… whatever it is killer aliens do when they're running around."

Willow yawned. "I'm too tired to think of alien-busting. Maybe morning will bring new light," she said perkily before turning in.

Or a higher body count, thought Buffy, but she kept it to herself as she closed her eyes.