Chapter 3.

The Master picked up the shuriken that been imbedded in Darla's forehead prior to her near-instant decomposition. He sniffed it a couple of times. Then, he grinned.

"Sterling silver dipped in essence of garlic. An effective paralytic for the younger of my kind! But, as you saw for yourself, poor Luke was barely even half-slowed. And, you obviously missed me, completely."

"But, I definitely _won't_ miss you when you're gone," replied Dart One.

"Ah! The ' feeble banter ' portion of the fight. So nice to see you honoring that tradition, as well, my dear. Shall we get started, then?"

The Newcomer and the vampire elder began circling each other.

STORM DRAIN 227,

L. A. SEWER SYTEM

(JUNE 30, 1996)

She had been born Rosita Cruz. And, up until ten years ago, she had worked as a prostitute for Esteban Reyes of East Los Angeles. But, when her cocaine habit had begun to cost more money than she earned, he kicked her out on to the street. Now, she was what used to be known as a "bag lady." Her day-by-day struggle to survive (which usually included pan-handling and petty theft) having already contributed to making her look twice her actual age!

She had been sleeping in an alley way. Using a blanket, two plungers, and the right end of a dumpster to improvise a lean-to. So drunkenly exhausted was she that she did not even sense the intrusion. . .until the pain of her ankle being bitten into finally registered in her subconscious.

Slowly, her eyes opened. And, when it finally dawned on her that something was dragging her along a wet, smelly surface, she somehow managed to sit up. Her blurred vision took an additional minute to clear up. When it did, her recognition of the facial features staring at her immediately caused to her scream at the top of her ravaged lungs!

The creature reacted accordingly. It silenced her, by biting off her head with its massive jaws! It had then returned to feeding on the rest of her right leg. When it was done, it cached both itself and what was left of Rosita's body inside a monstrously huge cocoon.

SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA

(MARCH 9, 1997)

It was initially quite frustrating for the Newcomer. Try as she might, every blow she had aimed at the Master he had evaded with ridiculous ease. Either literally bending backward, to avoid a lateral strike to his neck. Or, pulling in his stomach, as he _leaped_ backward, to avoid being gashed across his midriff.

"Oh, I don't know when I've had such a better dance partner!" he taunted her: "But, now, I think I should take the lead."

If she had blinked like a human, she would have missed it. Suddenly, the Master was behind her! Having run around counter-clockwise in a veritable blur! And worse, still? He had pushed her down on the ground. Pinning her there; fangs bared. . .and ready to suck.

He was interrupted, however, before he could even pierce her skin. Interrupted by a noose made of razor-sharp piano wire, dangling from a ten foot-long wooden pole!

"Hurry. . .up!" shouted the owner of that pole: "Before. . .he breaks. . .loose!"

The Master was momentarily stunned by the familiarity of that voice.

"An. . .gel. . .us-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s?!"

Vanessa Helsing was even more startled than the Master by this fortuitous intervention. Although, not to the extent that she was going to forego taking advantage of the opportunity. She sprang back on to her feet, and ran up to the Master. Deliberately putting herself nose to nose with him.

{ "I hope you dance as well with Tagdot Kooriha'ya." }

The Master, of course, failed to understand one syllable amongst all her clicks and glottal stops. But, the gist of the message became all too clear. The clawed hands that were trying to loosen the noose, she chopped off at the wrist. A second later, she followed suit with his screaming head!

Naturally, the sudden emptying of the noose was like an opposing tug-of-war team letting go of the rope. Angel fell flat on his butt! To his credit, however, he used the momentum of the fall to keep going and somersault backward into a crouch. One that allowed him to easily stand back up and dust himself off.

"I'm Angel, by the way. And, you're welcome."

Vanessa Helsing considered him for a minute. Then, she smiled. Offering her free right hand for shaking.

"I'm Leeloo Songjet. . .the Vampire Slayer. And, thank you."

SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL,
(THE VERY NEXT DAY)

Everyone who had been part in the previous night's "escapade" (as Lennox had facetiously dubbed it) met in the school library. There, introductions were made under the supervision of the head librarian, Rupert Giles.

"Contrary to popular mythology," explained the expatriate Englishman: ". . .our world did not begin as a paradise. It was once the personal playground of unfathomable beings known as the Old Ones. When they lost their purchase on this reality, however, they left behind certain vestiges. Certain magicks; certain creatures. Vampires, among them."

"For thousand years of since, their kind has been battled by the Slayer. A special girl- -one born in each generation- -with the strength, speed, and stamina to vanquish these creatures. Unfortunately, there has been an unprecedented break-down in this chain of succession. Hence, the recruitment of Miss Songjet. . .who will be working here, at the school, as the administrative assistant to Principal Flutie."

* * * * *

"Please, Mr. Giles!" exclaimed Alison: "It's Ms. Wonderland for the duration of my employment, here. And, 'Vanessa Helsing when I'm on patrol, at night."

"No offense," replied Xander: "But, while I can understand why a vampire hunter might need a secret identity, don't you think the vamps already living here will tumble to it if. . .?"

"Is it alright if I faint, now?" Willow interrupted.

"Breathe, Wills."

"Breathe?"

"Breathe! Now, where was I?"

Alison smiled: "You were about to tell me how the local vampires will eventually discover Van and I are one and the same. Since, thus far, I'm the first-and-only Newcomer in Sunnydale!"

Xander pointed to his nose: "Bingo!"

"Not to worry. Even as we speak, the Initiative is secretly arranging with the BNA to have a small group of pre-Celinist Newcomers move here.* "

"Pre-Celinist?" echoed Giles.

Alison nodded: "Celine and Andarko are the Founding Mother and Father of my people. A sort of deified Adam and Eve. But, some Tenctonese still worship a much-older creator goddess called 'Ionia.' Chief among them are the Eeno caste. They were the slaves of lowest rank aboard the Gruza. Always given the worst of jobs by the Kleetzantsun. And, always shamefully treated by most of the. . .other slaves."

She lowered her head in guilty embarrassment. Prompting Giles to take off his glasses and nervously polish them.

"Ah! Yes, well, uhm; I would guess that you now have to go join Sergeant Finn and his men for debriefing at that base you're setting up at UC-Sunnydale."

Alison nodded again: "We're modifying a series of old fall-out shelters left over from the early days of the Cold War. And, whenver you need me, you can reach me there through Sergeant Finn! As he'll officially be a member of the campus ROTC unit."

"Splendid!" exclaimed Giles: "With this pooling of resources, I have no doubt we can make life less hazardous for the diurnal residents of Sunnydale."

"We could help, too," offered Xander: "Wills is a whiz at web-surfing!"

Willow blushed at her old friend's high praise.

"I would be most appreciative of that," replied Giles: "Because, computers are to me what crosses are to vampires; extremely repellent!"

tbc

*BNA: Bureau of Newcomer Affairs. The Federal agency set up to help the Tenctonese integrate into Earthling society.

Kleetzatsun: the Tenctonese word for "overseer." The wrists of their right arms were usually tattooed with a substance immunizing them to the jabrokah gas.