"We're ending this tonight," Buffy said to her friends. It was the day after the battle at Ravnon's facility, and the Scoobies had gathered at Giles' home as soon as classes would permit. Buffy had just finished telling them about the answers the Initiative had 'extracted' from Traeten. "Hostile 100 has built its nest in the Master's old lair. Tonight, us and the Initiative are gonna clean 'em all out like a can of Raid. By the time this is over, they won't be hurting anyone ever again."
"Makes sense that it would be there," said Willow. "There's not that many other underground places big enough for Hostile 100 to back its exoskeletal butt into."
"The Master liked his places big," Buffy agreed. "And when I first fought the alien- okay, got ambushed by the alien- it was skulking around the mausoleum that leads into the Master's tunnels. The alien must have been scouting out real estate even before it went all jumbo-sized. The Initiative is going in there first, with a relatively small squad; Riley wants to keep lots of manoeuvring room down there. More guys would make it way too crowded in those tunnels and cause all kinds of problems. We're going to be their backup in case anything goes wrong."
By now, Giles was frowning and cleaning his glasses, and Xander didn't look happy either. "You heard all this from Riley?" asked Giles.
"Yep," said Buffy, "and I know what you're thinking. Why's Professor Walsh so eager to let us in on her super-secret organization's super-secret doings all of a sudden?"
"Yeah, and inviting us civvies along?" said Xander. "I got the impression that these Initiative guys don't work with anyone but these Initiative guys."
"Is the Initiative still trying to take the aliens alive?" Willow asked. "'Cause I'm starting to notice a connection between 'captive alien' and 'bad things happening'."
"I believe the words Riley used were 'total extermination'," said Buffy, "which is just fine by me. I, for one, have had more than enough of acid-spewing two-mouthed Martians, and am completely ready to go back to weekly supernatural apocalypses."
"I told you!" said Xander. "Right at the beginning of all this I told you. Good-old-fashioned slayable demons are much more preferable than ray-gun wielding terror from beyond the Solar System." He paused. "Though I may not have been right-on with the ray guns."
Willow smiled and shrugged. "The day is young."
Buffy smiled too. "I don't know why Walsh is letting me in on this, but we are in, and we should be. We were in on this at the beginning. Heck, I helped bring Hostile 100 into this world, brought its egg home. Least I can do is be there when it gets taken out."
"We'll all help you bring it down," Xander said. "I for one found out last night that Anya nagging me about putting myself in danger is kinda hot."
"Thanks for the support Xander- and for telling us all things we most definitely did not need to know- but I've had trouble taking these things down, and I'm the Slayer," she said. "I'm thinking that it might be best if you guys stay away from the combat on this one, maybe coordinate with Professor Walsh while me and Riley are underground."
"Walsh or killer aliens," mused Willow. "Tough call."
"Excuse me!" Xander said. "Quick poll of the Scooby constituency. Raise your hand if you've killed an adult alien here!" Xander raised his in the air. "No one else? No?"
"You had a machine gun." Buffy pointed out.
"You have superpowers!"
"Buffy, considering that you'll likely be encountering multiple full-grown Xenomorphs, I insist you take us with you," Giles said. "I believe that with the proper weaponry, equipment, and planning, we may be able to overcome the aliens' advantages." He paused. "Besides, I almost wound up being buggered by one of those… buggers. I'd dearly like to help finish them for good."
"Okay, you win," Buffy smiled again. "If you want to go toe-to-toe with killer aliens this badly, I guess I can't keep you away. We'll stop these things together. Honestly, I'll feel better with you guys with me than I would with a dozen Initiative guys with rocket launchers. Speaking of which: Giles, I believe there was talk of weapons?"
They began preparing for the end.
"Timing is crucial," Professor Walsh briskly told the assembled commandoes. "We have to assume that the five Ravnon employees have been taken alive and impregnated. If we don't move quickly, we'll have five new adult hostiles to deal with by tomorrow. So we must completely eradicate the infestation tonight. Your objectives are to rescue any people still alive down there, and eliminate each and every last Xenomorph. Riley?"
Riley took Walsh's place at the front of the squad. The seven men in front of him represented the Initiative's best… except for Graham, who hadn't fully recovered from the concussion he'd received during the attack on Ravnon's facility, and so was absent. Riley was sure he'd be sorely missed on this one, and was glad that Forrest had been well enough to be among the soldiers in front of him. This was a lot different from taking down a single hostile with a squad. This was a direct assault on the enemy's turf- an intelligent, vicious enemy that was worse than any subterrestial Riley had seen yet.
"Okay guys, I think we've all been waiting for this a long time." There were nods and murmurs of agreement in the group. The Initiative rarely got personal about things, but when it did, God help you. Riley knew that after being hurt and betrayed as a result of these aliens, the troops were in a mood for blood. Even if it was acidic.
"This could get nasty- we know the opposition is unpredictable. So we need to use our advantages and not let the hostiles get the drop on us." He nodded to Dr. Angleman, who put an overhead on the projector. A rough sketch of the tunnels surrounding the Master's cathedral appeared.
"We're going in through a tunnel located in one of Sunnydale's larger mausoleums. Resistance should be light until we hit the main chamber, the cathedral itself." Angleman put up another sketch, this one an overview of the Hive itself, and started talking.
"According to Traeten's information from Ravnon's observations of the Hive, the cathedral has been completely transformed by the Xenomorphs," Angleman said. "They are secreting some sort of resin, which hardens quickly. They've covered the walls with the substance, and use it to restrain their captives." He indicated the sketch. "If anyone is still alive down there, you'll probably find them hanging from the walls. Hostile 100 itself has become immobile- it's grown a sort of egg sac to aid in its reproduction. Both the creature and the sac are anchored to the floor by the resin. They're at the far end of the chamber, directly opposite where you'll enter. Hostile 100 is surrounded by dozens of eggs, and to its left is a pit where the larval Xenomorphs grow and feed after they've expelled themselves from their hosts."
"It should also be noted that the eggs in the Hive are much larger than the one which landed in the graveyard; about two feet high. Apparently, the eggs delivered via meteorite are of a different variety than those laid naturally."
Riley took over again. "Once we hit the main chamber, we're going to deploy into a crescent formation, with interlocking fields of fire. We can't use bullet weapons; we're expecting close-quarters combat down there, and using bullets would get us a lovely acid bath. So, everyone except Randall and Flagg get taser blasters. You two," he nodded at Randall and Flagg, the two largest soldiers in the squad, "get the heavy weapons. Flagg, flamethrower. Randall, minigun."
Awed and envious murmurs ran through the soldiers. Riley knew that Flagg, a six-foot weightlifting machine, and Randall, whose hobby was nearly crippling the unwary in arm-wrestling contests, were the best heavy-weapons specialists in the Initiative. He nodded at Angleman, who put another overhead on, this one showing drawings of the various Xenomorph types.
"Our first objective is to neutralize the two adult hostiles- the creature that attacked the hospital, and the creature it rescued, which we have to assume is full-grown by now. We can expect them to come at us hard and fast, so we'll try to slow them down with taser fire- concentrated taser fire; these things can take a lot of voltage. We want to immobilize them enough for the heavies to finish them off at a safe distance. Once the adults are down, we turn the minigun on Hostile 100. Its got armour piercing bullets, and it can fire one thousand of them every minute. It'll turn Hostile 100 into green soup before we can blink. After it's gone, we just have to mop up the little guys, and make sure none of them slip past us. Any questions?" There were none. There never were.
Professor Walsh took over again. "This is a very dangerous mission, so we are planning for every contingency. A backup squad will be standing by at a different entrance to reinforce you in case anything goes wrong. The Slayer and her allies will also be on hand." Excepting Riley, no one looked very happy at this last bit. Walsh spoke firmly to her people. "The civilians were combating the aliens before us, and they've been of… significant help both with the Xenomorphs and Ravnon. They have earned a right to be present tonight."
Suddenly, Walsh broke into a rather uncharacteristic smile. "Finally, in light of the fact that you will be in a dangerous, unfamiliar environment, we are providing you with a guide. Mr. Traeten will be accompanying you into the Hive."
There was a pause. Then, starting with Forrest, the icy professionalism of the Initiative cracked, then shattered as the assembled soldiers all laughed out loud.
As the soldiers trooped off to gather their equipment and weapons, Professor Walsh quickly and unobtrusively made her way through the door separating the research area from the rest of the Initiative, and then through another door, this one made of heavy steel and emblazoned with the number 314.
Angleman was already there, pulling back the sheets on a pair of stainless steel tables lying side by side. "Well?" he asked.
Walsh knew he wanted to know why she was inviting the civilians into such an important, sensitive situation. "The Slayer is a reality we have to deal with Doctor, one way or another," she said. "I would prefer that it be a way that is helpful to us."
Angleman understood immediately. That was one of the things Walsh found most useful about him; he didn't need everything explained to him. "A test," he said as he handed her a sheaf of blueprints. "To see if she can be controlled, if she's willing to play with the team and hang back once in a while."
"Exactly," she said. "I don't think she's ever had to just be the backup before. Once we see how well she's willing to accept that, we'll have a better idea of how useful she can be." She looked through the blueprints, and liked what she saw. A lot. Though she'd never really pictured the project with a tail...
Dr. Angleman looked down at the two bodies on the table and pursed his lips. One was in perfect shape, aside from its demolished head. The still, cold form of the DemonAlien lay on the table, terrifying even in death. And beside it... a being that Professor Walsh refused to think of as a corpse, a being that she found beautiful despite the green, leathery skin, the chrome steel, the hideous stitching...
Adam.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Angleman. "These changes are extremely drastic. It would be like starting over from scratch. If we incorporate the Xenomorph into him, our schedule will be completely thrown off."
Walsh shook her head, still looking at the diagrams. Those exoskeleton patches would do wonders for defence... "I've worked on this for a long time, Doctor. I've given everything I have for this, for perfection." she said. "Uncompromising perfection. For this..." the Professor motioned greedily at the diagrams, "I can work much, much longer."
Dr. Angleman nodded his acknowledgement. "Any trouble getting Traeten to cooperate?"
She shook her head. "He's not stupid. He knows his only hope now is to make himself useful to us."
"And the Slayer? If things don't go well with her?"
Walsh shrugged, reached for her tools, keen mind already working on ways to deal with the potential threat. "Well... there are always contingencies..."
Traeten eyed the military fatigues he was wearing with distaste. Contrary to the impression he (quite purposely) gave, he wasn't vain at all about his appearance, although he did regret the loss of his suit. It was simply that Jacob Traeten was a man who had dedicated almost his entire life to making The Deal, and with it, the Big Score. And Traeten had found that, by and large, people were shallow. Customers- or victims- were simply more likely to trust and deal with well-dressed and attractive people. It was a subconscious part of human nature, they couldn't help it. It was for this same reason that Traeten had always tried to keep himself as fit as possible, an effort he was now very glad he'd made. He'd have to move fast tonight.
Another skill Traeten had perfected to make The Deal was what he thought of as 'selective communication', as well as 'guiding consumer reasoning'. Or, in plainer terms, lying and manipulating. He'd gotten a lot of practice at both during his time at the Initiative, repeatedly fooling Walsh, who was both smart and paranoid, not to mention all the soldiers, although those brainwashed sheep were almost too easy. Traeten was still amazed that Finn had bought the story of his father being a veteran... The only thing Traeten Sr. had done during Vietnam was help develop Agent Orange.
Despite her discovery of his previous duplicity, Walsh didn't seem to have suspected anything when he'd lied to her yet again. After he'd cracked during the interrogation, she was almost certainly convinced that Traeten was no longer a threat, that he had nothing left to lose by obeying the Initiative completely. So much the better.
The fact was that after giving in to Walsh and spilling everything, he was almost certainly a dead man. He knew that despite its losses, his company, and especially its legal associates, could still reach out and get anyone, anywhere, anytime, even if that anyone was protected by the Initiative. And Traeten didn't think anybody in the Initiative was going to go out of their way for his safety. His only chance to survive this disaster was to get away from these people, get back to Los Angeles, and bring Ravnon something valuable enough to justify letting him stay alive; namely a live Xenomorph specimen. That was why he hadn't told Walsh about the demons.
Shortly before his plan had fallen apart, his company's facility attacked, himself captured and forced to confess to everything, Traeten had viewed some very interesting footage gathered by Ravnon's surveillance team. Four rather large demons had ventured into the tunnels which had been colonized by the Xenomorphs. The listening devices placed by the team had picked up their muttering something about 'getting even for Uglui and Grishna'; Doctor Frasier had theorized that they might have been referring to the demons killed by Hostile 100 following its escape.
At any rate, within moments of entering the central Hive the aliens had been attacked and efficiently subdued, both by the dog-born alien and by the ingenious defence Hostile 100 had placed at the entrances to its chamber... which Traeten had also neglected to tell Walsh about. Their 'children' would almost certainly be full-grown by now… and hungry.
Traeten knew he'd have to act quickly and intelligently to pull this off. The Initiative was expecting a weaker enemy than was actually there, which gave the Xenomorphs the advantage of surprise. Traeten was sure that, despite all the Initiative's planning, there would be a pitched and bloody battle, and during it, he would break away from the chaos, snatch one of the younger aliens, and escape through one of the other tunnel entrances. He knew that there were openings the Initiative knew nothing about, and weren't guarding. He and his alien prize would make a clean getaway, allowing him back into the good graces of his superiors... maybe even a promotion.
The fact that the commandoes would almost certainly die didn't enter Traeten's mind. For Jacob Traeten was a man who always had his eyes firmly on the prize.
Spike had never been so glad to be dead.
Whatever mystical factor it was that allowed vampires to heal better than humans was doing wonders for his chest. The edges of the wound were no longer as ragged, and with the blood and gore washed off, the hole in him left by the alien looked merely hideous, instead of the monument to hell it had been before.
More importantly, his strength was returning. Standing topless in his crypt, Spike sniffed the air, relishing the alertness of his senses, and flexed his muscles. Suddenly, his arm shot out with vicious force and speed, ripping the heart out of an imaginary Slayer. He held his hand in front of his face, and smiled as he curled it into a satisfyingly strong fist. Yep, the Big Bad was definitely on the rebound.
And he knew just what to do with his regained power. He was going to track down the Thing that had done this to him. Tonight, he'd go into the Master's tunnels. The bastard was almost certainly in there, with its fellow creepy-crawlies. He was going to find it. Find it and tear it apart.
Spike shot out his arm again, this time slamming it clean through an imaginary alien. He followed with a low punch, then leapt up, spun and kicked outwards. He laughed exultantly, with the joy that the power to kill brings, and with anticipation at the prospect of taking well-deserved and exquisitely bloody vengeance.
Tonight.
One way or another, it would all end tonight.