Disclaimer: The characters or themes mentioned from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel do not belong to me. I am making no profit from this project.
Thanks: To Kathryn for beta'ing, and to everyone who's left a review!
Chapter 2
Sunnydale, 1999
When Buffy had woken up in the sterile cell block, eerily white on every surface except for the front wall which was completely see-through, her first thought was that she was in Germany. Then she remembered WWII was over and Nazism was so passé. Her second guess was the Watcher's Council had finally caught up with her and was making pie charts according to effectiveness of all the ways they could torture her before ultimately bringing her to a slow and painful death. But then, that wasn't really their style, they were quite to the point when it came to things like annihilating the forces of darkness. And also, the presence of the few other miscellaneous demons she could see from her cell indicated she was hostage to someone who saw her as an anonymous demon, as opposed to a mortal enemy.
So with Nazis crossed off the very short (singular, actually) list of collectives that were interested in capturing and manipulating supernatural beings, that meant this organization had to be something new. Buffy wasn't sure if that was going to turn out to be a plus, because she would be underestimated, or if it meant that she was royally screwed because they'd overestimate her and she wouldn't get an out.
What she never would have expected, was that the cute Psych 101 TA was part of whatever group of idiots that thought messing around with beings they would never understand was a brilliant idea. Honestly, Buffy was disappointed. She'd enjoyed the modest flirtations they'd started exchanging. Riley was so cute and sweet and naïve in a way that made her want to bite him, just so she could see the look on his face. It was just so hard to find a nice guy nowadays.
Buffy wasn't going to shed any tears over him, though. She'd probably feel kind of bad if she had to kill him, because he did buy her coffee and all; but when her opportunity came, if he was between her and the exits, she wouldn't hesitate. There was no way she was going to be held captive, regardless of whether her captors were anti-demon GI Joes or looking to get a foot up in the underworld. And that last part really didn't make any sense, because if anything, your foot would be down in the underworld, which by her usage wasn't even a world at all, just the forces of darkness running amuck in the mortal realm.
Riley, ironically, turned out to be her golden ticket out. She didn't know why he let her out, but she sure as hell wasn't going to take the time to find out. The cell blocks with electric see-through walls didn't exactly scream "we come in peace." Now, if she'd woken up in a downy bed, as opposed to the floor, with four opaque non-electrical walls and a complimentary breakfast, she might have stayed long enough to see what they wanted, laugh in their faces, and walk out with a flip of her hair.
Instead she had to wiggle through the ventilation system with a bullet lodged in her shoulder from that stupid security guard until she found what looked like an empty elevator shaft, and climb up six stories on the elevator cables like a retarded monkey.
Finally, at the top, she found a frame where it looked like elevator doors should go, but instead there was a roughly sanded wood panel the size of a doggie door, if it were made for a German Shepherd, that slid into the wall to reveal a small doorway. There was a cardboard box on the other side of the passage way, but she kicked it far enough away from the entrance that she could climb into what appeared to be the back of a storage room.
Buffy covered the secret door back up and left the storage room. She found herself on the campus of UC Sunnydale. At least she had woken up in the same town she was knocked out in. That in itself was curious. Buffy had no memory of being captured, so she must have been rendered unconscious. But how could anyone have gotten close enough to her to attack without her ever noticing? That was a disturbing thought for another time. Right now, she needed blood.
It'd been at least a day and a half since she'd had blood, and while she wouldn't go catatonic if she didn't get any immediately, she was starting to feel a little crazed. Taking a bullet to the shoulder and then climbing six stories to freedom certainly hadn't helped. She could feel the back of her shirt sticking to her where her own blood had soaked it through, ruining it and her favorite sweater. At least for right now her shoulder wouldn't start to heal around the bullet. That was never fun. But she needed blood soon, before her bloodlust grew too strong. And then she had to figure out a way to get that bullet out.
It was incredibly convenient that she'd come out not far from the dorms. Less so that it was a Saturday night and everybody who knew anybody was out partying. But beggars can't be choosers, Buffy supposed. She'd just have to find a geek.
After walking up and down a few halls, she finally found a dorm room that had sappy country music playing on the other side. Buffy knocked on the door and then stepped to the side and pressed herself up against the wall. Her plan was to grab the sucker when they poked their head out the door, but she was rewarded with a "come in," instead. Feeling a tad giddy, which Buffy knew was from her bloodlust but couldn't control anyway, she slipped through the door and closed in on her victim.
She was momentarily surprised when she recognized the redhead on the bed. "You!" Buffy exclaimed needlessly. Willow echoed her in a higher, more strained voice. Buffy almost turned around and left right then. If she killed, or even drank from the Slayer's friend Spike would undoubtedly be on a vengeance mission against all bloodsuckers for at least a month. If he found out the vampire in question was oh, say, her, then she'd have the Council and their pronounced "tool" on her tail, and possibly whatever new wannabes that were camping underneath the school. After her last stint, the Watcher's Council would want her ashes in a zip-lock baggie before they declared anything final.
She almost ran to find the first bus out of Sunnydale, but the residual effects of magic permeated the air and clung to the redhead like perfume. Her signature was light and sweet, teasing Buffy's senses as she breathed in deeply, trying to take in more than there was. The witch-magic would still be running through Willow's bloodstream, flavoring her blood with the demure taste of a fresh strawberry teetering on the edge of ripeness. It was too much. She needed this girl's blood.
"Long time, no see," she said to Willow, "sorry we can't catch up, but I'm in a bit of a hurry." She caught the witch as Willow tried to make a run for the door, and covered her mouth to muffle a scream. All business, Buffy went right for Willow's neck, anticipating the sweet blood filling her mouth and pooling in her belly, giving her the energy her body needed to replenish itself. Instead, Buffy received an unpleasant surprise.
Before her canines had even touched the girl's neck, Buffy lost control over her own body as shockwaves zapped her central nervous system. Rapid fire bolts of electricity pierced her brain and caused her muscles to twitch and convulse. She fell to the carpet in a boneless heap, and Buffy was pretty sure that if she had a bladder to lose, she would be in order for a shower and change of clothes.
Embarrassed was an understatement for what she was feeling as she picked herself up off the floor and looked at the witch. "Did you do that?" Buffy demanded, but the answer was obvious from the expression on Willow's face.
"No," she answered, looking confused and terrified.
"Oh," Buffy said lamely, very much wigged. She couldn't sense a force field around the girl, and Willow wasn't aware of doing anything witchy. What had happened?
Figuring blood would be the answer to all her problems, Buffy grabbed Willow again. The witch eeped and squeezed her eyes closed. Once again, Buffy's body seized right before she would've had a mouthful of rejuvenating, magic-laced blood. The electric shocks that pierced in between her ears made her shriek and clutch at her head.
Now Buffy just felt pitiful. She was hunched over with her hands buried in her hair; and Willow wasn't even trying to run away. In fact, the witch didn't look scared at all anymore, just extremely incredulous.
"Um, are you okay?" she asked meekly.
"No, I'm not okay!" Buffy barked, feeling tears she hadn't even known were building slide down her cheeks. "I am so far from okay I couldn't even find it with a map! There is something majorly wrong with me!" She straightened up and tried to look like she still had a piece of her dignity. "I think I should go," she said awkwardly.
"What?" the witch exclaimed, sounding like she was about to cry too. "You can't make something work so you just give up and leave?" It looked like someone had opened up the floodgates in Willow's tear ducts. Her chin wobbled. Buffy was extremely confused. "How incredibly selfish is that?" Willow snapped angrily.
"What are you—"
Both girls jumped when the power suddenly switched off. Buffy could faintly see Willow in the darkness, meaning the witch was completely blind. Within a minute she could also sense heavy footfalls trumping their way through the dorm. Buffy had a sinking feeling she knew who it was.
"Willow," she whispered softly.
"Yeah?"
Before Buffy could respond, the door was kicked open, and several men in storm-trooper getup filed into the dorm room. It was the same freak organization that thought they could lock her up in a giant hamster cage. There was no way in hell she was being captured again.
"What about the civilian, sir?" one of them asked.
"Quarantine," another answered. They were going to take the witch as well, Buffy realized.
Without turning around, Buffy hooked her arms around Willow's waist and jumped backwards over her bed, crashing through the window. They fell together, the screaming witch holding her arms out trying futilely to get a purchase on something while Buffy tried desperately to make sure the other girl's head wasn't going to crack into the pavement when they landed.
She was successful—painfully, at that—and managed to land the four story fall with Willow directly on top of her. Buffy's body took the brunt of the impact. Glass from the window cut into her back and the back of the other girl's head had slammed into her nose. Buffy wondered briefly if she'd shattered her own skull. She would have liked to lay motionless on the pavement for several minutes, but the storm troopers were too close. Buffy pulled Willow up by the arm, and dragged her along as she sprinted across campus.
Ten solid minutes of running found the two girls crouched in the space between a hedge and the side of a house in the residential area, panting for breath. Well, Willow was panting. Buffy was just more exhausted then she could ever remember being.
"I think we lost them," Willow said in between huge gulps of air.
"Uh-huh," Buffy replied distractedly as she tracked the position of the storm trooper that was creeping up on them. She started crawling along the side of the house on her hands and knees. Willow followed for want of anything better to do.
Buffy paused at the end of the shield of vegetation and debated what to do. The GI Joe was slowly closing in on them. They had to get out of the bushes before they were trapped there, but once they left the cover of the hedges they would be visible targets. A dart whistled through the air and plunked into the side of the house, pinning several leaves in the process. That made up Buffy's mind for her.
Grabbing Willow by the hand again, she plowed forward. Too late Buffy realized that this was what the storm trooper had expected her to do, and she felt the sharp pain of a dart lodge in her lower back. One of them tripped, Buffy wasn't sure who, and they both went down in a heap of arms and legs.
Their pursuer was on them too fast, hauling Willow up with his hands underneath her arms. She struggled and tried to turn around to hit at him, but he easily overpowered her. Buffy launched herself off the ground and into the pair, bringing all three of them back down to the ground. Willow managed to wiggle free from the stunned man and Buffy rolled on top of him, pinning his arms down with both her legs.
Taking a deep breath to prepare herself for the pain she knew was coming, Buffy grabbed the commando's head with both hands and slammed it back into the ground. She landed face first in the dirt as her brain exploded with pain and her body jerked from the force of shockwaves running down her spine. Unconsciousness was a welcome side effect.
