Animatus II: The Descent

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming!

Previously:

"Did they give me a sodding soul with this chip?" He wondered as he bent down and scooped the Slayer up in his arms.

"What're you doing?" Buffy asked, weakly attempting to push him away, while Spike tightened his grip.

"I said that I'd help you," Spike replied, "and I'm going to. I don't care if I have to carry you the rest of the way through this bloody compound. Now let's find the cure."

Chapter Nine: Rekindling Hope:

"What's the code?" Spike asked as he shifted Buffy in his arms to free one of his hands. He was standing in front of the number pad outside of the door leading to Sublevel Three. Buffy lifted her head and whispered a series of numbers into his ear. He knew without looking down at her that she was fading fast. If she did not receive the cure to the virus ravaging her body soon, she would succumb to it. Typing the numbers into the keypad, he grinned when the door slid open silently. "Ah, modern technology," he muttered.

He stepped across the threshold of the door and sighed. Directly in front of him waited a guard's station. Blood was smeared over the front of the desk and a dead radio lay on the floor in front of his feet. The door slid closed behind him after a few seconds and, turning back, he saw bloody hand prints desperately smudged on the metal. He could imagine some panic stricken Initiative employee banging on the door, screaming at the top of his lungs for someone to help him, as zombies descended upon him and ripped apart his flesh. Shuddering, Spike moved forward. Though he was a vampire, and friend to most demons, he did not enjoy the company of zombies. Demons were able to think and reason. They decided upon a course of action through logical choices. Zombies, however, had no rational capability of which Spike was aware. While he could talk his way out of a confrontation with a fellow demon, he could not charm his way out of a confrontation with a zombie. He did not relish the prospect of being eaten alive by nothing more than an animated corpse.

Spike moved around the guard desk and glanced down at it briefly. The computer monitor stared blankly back at him. Blood lingered on the keyboard. Looking away, he halted briefly. "Which way do we go?" He asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know," Buffy mumbled, burying her face in his chest. Her eyes were squeezed shut and Spike could see sweat glistening on her forehead. She was fighting with all of her strength, but he knew that she was losing.

"Alright," Spike reasoned. Looking to the left, he saw a hallway labeled Corridor A. Looking to the right, he saw a hallway labeled Corridor B. "If I was an anti-virus where would I be?" Moving to the right, he started down Corridor B. The hallway was lit with the same blue emergency lighting illuminating the entirety of the Initiative complex. Though Spike could not hear the moaning that had been prevalent in the stairwell and the main floor of the compound, he did not trust the silence. It crept up the walls, hanging in the air and stifling him as he walked down the hallway. The sound of his boots thumping on the floor echoed on the walls and rang in his ears. He felt completely vulnerable, as though every zombie in the Initiative could hear him. He almost wished to hear something scratching its way down the corridor while groaning hungrily for flesh.

Buffy shifted in his arms and he tightened his grip on her. Her skin burned like a furnace. The hallway seemed to stretch on before him forever, but finally, he saw a directory hanging on the wall. "Labs in Corridors G and H," he said softly. "Hostile and specimen storage in Corridors B, C, and D. Guard supplies in Corridor A. Supplies in Corridor E and F. Hostile storage," he scoffed. "I was a bloody hostile. Looks like we want G and H."

Following the arrow, he continued down another hallway. Eventually, he spotted another guard's desk standing sentinel to the entrance to Corridor D. "Bloody maze," he muttered as he approached. He had traveled down Corridor B only to find Corridor D. He wondered where Corridor C was located. "I'll be lucky if I ever find this damn thing." A rotten smell reached him and, moving around the desk, he grimaced at what he saw. A body lay on the floor underneath the piece of furniture. A pool of cold, stagnant blood surrounded the head of the body of a man. A gun lay a few inches away from his hand. "Shot yourself, did ya?" Spike murmured. "Not that I blame you, mate. I would have done the same if I was you." The man's face was obliterated. The image of pounded hamburger meat flashed through Spike's mind and he swallowed dryly in disgust. A wedding ring rested on one of the man's fingers. He wondered what had happened to the man's wife. Leaning down, he picked up the gun. Buffy groaned and shifted in his arms uneasily.

"Listen up, Slayer," Spike said, moving around to the front of the desk. "I'm gonna have to do something that you're not going to like. But it's the only way either of us are going to get out of this place alive," he added. "Well," he reconsidered, "it's the only way you're getting out of here alive. Not bloody likely to happen for me," he joked. When Buffy did not react, he sighed heavily.

"What?" Buffy murmured, her head rolling back and resting against the desk. Her eyes fluttered open, but they did not focus on him as Spike kneeled down in front of her. He almost felt bad for her. However, he found it difficult to sympathize with the woman who was supposed to be his arch enemy. He may have had a chip in his brain to prevent him from hurting humans, but he was still a vampire and he knew how to act like one.

"I have to leave you here," he said. He saw panic light up Buffy's eyes, but he smiled. "It's okay," he added. "I'm coming back. I can't get out of here without you, remember?"

"Where…," Buffy started, but lacked the strength to finish her sentence.

"You're slowing me down," Spike explained. "If I'm gonna find this cure and bring it back to you before you start turning on me, I have to move fast. I can't do that trying to carry you. Besides, I can't bloody well fight with you in my arms."

"Don't leave," Buffy pleaded, her eyes drifting shut again. "I need you…Faith," she murmured.

Spike chuckled. "I'm not your girl, Slayer," he stated. Slipping the guard's gun into her hand, he grabbed Buffy's gun out of the waistband of her jeans. "I'm not sure if that works. But I need something that does. If anything happens, at least I'll be able to sleep better at night knowing you have a weapon," he smirked. "Of course, I'd probably sleep just as well knowing that you were dead," he added, smiling when Buffy rolled her eyes at him.

"Hurry," Buffy whispered. "I'm so tired." Her eyes fluttered closed again. Her breathing was shallow and Spike did not imagine she would last much more than another hour.

"Don't go anywhere," Spike joked. Rising to his feet, he cast a last look down at the broken Slayer and started running. Buffy's eyes fluttered open when she heard him leave and she gazed down the hallway where Spike had disappeared. The world was crashing down around her. Her life was lying in the hands of a vampire, whom she had fought bitterly on several previous occasions. She chuckled mirthlessly to herself, wondering if everything was over. She had tried so hard to reach Sublevel Three; yet, once she had found it, she had not even possessed the strength to walk through the door. She always had imagined herself dying heroically. Now, as the echoing of Spike's feet disappeared down the corridor, Buffy realized that there was nothing heroic about dying at all, and she was terrified.

………………………

"You ever been down there before?" Faith asked as the group jogged down the stairs, passing by the door to Sublevel Two.

"To Sublevel Three, you mean?" Jay asked.

"Yeah," Faith answered.

"Twice," Jay stated. "I brought two hostiles down there. I didn't know what for. The guys thought the scientists experimented on them. They were right, I suppose," he added thoughtfully. "We knew that they did experiments with the chips to make sure that they would work on a variety of demons. I didn't know that they did other experiments down here."

"Did anyone else?" Faith asked.

"People talked," Jay said, smiling grimly. "Said some strange things about what went on down here. The guards that were stationed there didn't last long. They usually got transferred within a year. The ones that stuck around said that they could hear screaming in the middle of the night. The scientists would come and go, but they never said a word about what was going on."

"Creepy," Faith shuddered.

"Yeah," Jay agreed. "We ignored all of the rumors because we thought that we were fighting the good fight, you know, neutralizing demons so that they couldn't hurt people. I never would have come here if I knew what they were really doing."

"Makes you wonder what else was going on down here that never got the chance to bust free," Faith commented.

"How are we doing on time, Mark?" Jay asked.

"We've been in Sunnydale for almost twenty-four hours now," Mark answered. "I'd say that we're ahead of schedule."

"We have four more days to find the anti-virus and get the hell out of here," Diego added.

"I don't think getting the anti-virus is going to be the hard part," Faith commented. "I think it's getting out that'll be difficult."

"I agree," Jay nodded.

"Here we are," Diego announced. The group collectively slowed to a halt in front of the door to Sublevel Three. Mark punched a series of numbers into the key pad and the door slid open. Stepping across the threshold, Faith surveyed the room, clutching her gun tightly in her hands. A guard's desk stood before them. Blood adorned the front. The door slid closed behind them and Faith saw that it too was covered in blood. A massacre had occurred in the Initiative and, everywhere she looked, she saw signs of it. Faith wondered if anyone had survived.

"Which way do we go?" Diego asked. Faith noticed that two hallways spread out in opposite directions from them – Corridors A and B.

"Which one leads to Corridor H?" Mark asked, looking back at Jay.

Jay shrugged in frustration. "I don't know," he answered. "This is the farthest I've ever come down here. They took the hostiles from me at this guard desk and I went back upstairs. I never saw anything else."

"We should split up," Mark suggested. "We'll cover more ground."

"I don't know," Faith said uneasily. "Splitting up always ends badly."

"These sublevels are mazes of hallways," Jay explained. "Mark is right. It'll take too long if we stick together."

"We'll meet back at this point in approximately two hours. If we haven't found anything, we'll search together," Mark instructed. "Remember, shoot anything that moves. I don't want any casualties down here."

"Yes, sir," Faith replied jokingly. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Diego, you're with me," he said, ignoring Faith. Diego nodded and moved over to Mark. "We'll search Corridor A and those that connect to it. You guys search Corridor B."

"See you in two hours," Jay said as Diego and Mark started down Corridor A. "You ready?" Jay asked, looking over at Faith.

"Always," Faith replied, following her friend as he started walking.

"I think I'd like to go home for a while when we get out of here," Jay said.

"Why'd you leave?" Faith asked.

"I lived in a small town," Jay answered. "Not much going on. Joined the army to get out and see the world. Now it doesn't seem so bad though."

"All this action and adventure isn't what's it's cracked up to be, huh?" Faith joked.

"Not at all," Jay smiled. "What're you doing when we get out of here?"

"Los Angeles," Faith answered. "I know a guy who lives there. He owns this private detective agency. Fights the good fight by solving cases of supernatural origin," she explained. "Sounds like a good place for me."

"It does," Jay agreed.

They walked on in silence down the dimly lit hallway. Faith was unnerved by the silence, though she was relieved by the lack of moaning and groaning. She hoped that the zombies that had inhabited this level of the Initiative all had moved to higher levels during the initial attack, though she knew that some probably lingered within the maze of hallways searching for fresh meat. The echoing of her boots striking the floor filled her ears. She felt like she was moving in a dream. "Or a nightmare," she mumbled to herself.

"What?" Jay asked, looking over at her curiously.

"Nothing," she smiled.

"I see something ahead," he stated, squinting to attain a better view. "Looks like another guard's desk. I think there's a body in front of it."

Faith looked ahead and saw the desk. A body was propped against it. She sighed and fingered the trigger of her gun anxiously. "Think it's a zombie or some poor bastard that killed himself before a zombie could?"

"I guess we'll find out," Jay answered. As they moved closer, Faith noticed the feet of another body sticking out from underneath the desk. She and Jay cautiously moved around to the front, raising their guns as they inched closer. Finally, the person came into view. Faith stopped suddenly, unable to comprehend what her eyes were seeing. "Is that?" Jay asked, his question trailing off into silence.

Faith tried to open her mouth to respond, but could not. Her heart pounded in her chest, echoing in her ears. She felt like she could not breathe. Sitting before her on the floor was Buffy, who she had sworn had shot herself in the head two days earlier after she had been bitten by a zombie. Faith looked down at her girlfriend's arm and noticed a bandage covering the wound. Buffy's eyes were closed, but Faith saw that she was breathing. Kneeling down in front of her lover, Faith hesitantly reached out and brushed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear. "Buffy?" She asked softly. The Slayer's eyes shot open at the sound of Faith's voice. Jay raised his gun, but Faith waved him off. "It's okay," she said to the soldier. "She's not one of them."

"Faith?" Buffy asked confusedly. She had opened her eyes at the sound of her name, expecting to see Spike staring down at her. However, she saw Faith kneeling before her. Love and confusion were shining in the dark Slayer's eyes. "What're you…" she began. "I thought…"

"I thought you shot yourself," Faith stated, her voice cracking with tears.

"No," Buffy replied, smiling slightly. "I couldn't."

"What're you doing down here?" Jay asked.

"I was looking for the cure," Buffy answered with noticeable effort.

"You knew about it?" Faith asked in surprise.

"Riley told me some things," Buffy said. "Rumors."

"Did you find it?" Jay asked.

"I can't," Buffy shook her head. "I'm too weak. Spike is looking for it."

"Spike?" Faith asked in confusion.

"He had been captured by the Initiative. He agreed to help me if I'd help him escape," Buffy explained.

"Shit," Faith muttered. "If Diego and Mark find him, they'll kill him."

"Not if I find him first," Jay said determinedly.

"Where're you going?" Faith asked, rising to her feet when Jay started moving away.

"I'm going to find Spike and the anti-virus," Jay answered. "You're staying here. You can't leave Buffy alone like this and I have to find Spike before the others do."

"You can't go out there by yourself," Faith reasoned.

"I'll be alright," Jay smiled. "Stay here. She needs you more." Before Faith could protest any further, he continued down the hall. Faith looked back down at Buffy, torn between staying with her dying lover and following the man who had become like a brother to her.

"Who am I kidding?" She muttered as she dropped her gun to the floor and sat down beside Buffy. "Come here, B," she said as the older girl slid slowly over to her and snuggled into her chest. It pained Faith to see her lover so weak. Buffy deserved more.

"I can't believe you're here," Buffy mumbled into her chest. "I thought I was hallucinating. I've wanted to see you for so long. I thought I never would."

"I'm here," Faith said soothingly, rubbing small circles into the Slayer's back. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't think I'm going to make it," Buffy said softly.

"You will," Faith answered firmly. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you this time. I promise."

"I love you," Buffy murmured as she closed her eyes.

"I love you too, B," Faith replied, leaning her head against the desk as Buffy struggled to fight off the virus. Faith could not believe how twisted her life had become. Her presumably dead lover was lying in her arms, desperately fighting off a deadly virus, while she sat in the ruined Initiative compound awaiting a cure to be delivered by a vicious vampire that had plagued the world for centuries. She had to chuckle. Buffy was alive and in her arms. The numbness that had settled on her heart was lifting and, for the first time in several long days, Faith felt the seeds of happiness sprouting in her heart.