Chapter 32: Winsloe
"What did you do to Ms. Bauer?" Matasumi asked.
Guards had collected Bauer soon after Buffy and Dawn started shouting. Twenty minutes later, they'd returned with Matasumi.
"We told the guards." Buffy said. "She injected herself with our saliva."
"And why would she do that?" Matasumi asked.
"The bite of a werewolf is one way of becoming a werewolf," Dawn said.
"I realize that. But why—" Matasumi stopped. "Oh, I see. You both claim Ms. Bauer injected herself—"
"The syringe is on the floor," Buffy said.
His eyes flickered to the needle. "You claim she used this syringe—"
"We don't claim anything. We're telling you what happened. She injected herself in the arm. Look for the needle mark. Test the contents of the syringe," Dawn said.
The door opened. Carmichael hurried inside, lab coat billowing behind her. "We don't have time for this," she said. "I need to know what to do for her."
Matasumi waved Carmichael aside. "First, we must establish the exact nature of Ms. Bauer's ailment. It's all very well for Ms. Danvers and Ms. Danvers to claim—"
"They're telling the truth," Carmichael said. "I saw the needle mark. I need to know how to deal with this. Sondra's unconscious. Her pressure's dropping. Her temperature's skyrocketing. Her pupils won't react to stimuli. Her pulse is racing and becoming erratic."
"There's nothing we can do," Buffy said.
"You two have been through this. You two lived through it."
"We don't know how we lived through it," Buffy lied. She and Dawn did know how they lived through it. But the reason they survived, their immortality, would not help Bauer and they knew it.
Carmichael advanced on Buffy and Dawn. "She's dying. Dying horribly."
"It'll only get worse," Dawn said.
"You two are going to help her," Carmichael said. "If it were you two up there, I wouldn't stand by and watch you die. Tell me how to help her."
"You want to help her?" Dawn asked. "Put a bullet through her head. Skip the silver variety. Regular lead will do."
"My God, you two are cold," Carmichael said.
"No," Buffy said. "Just realistic. You might get lucky and find female mutts. I know there are a few as I've personally ran into one, once a long time ago." She thought back to the only female mutt she had ever ran into. It was during her first year in college back in Sunnydale. "But Dawn and I are the only Pack females in existence for a reason, because female werewolves are rare. And we don't know for sure how we survived."
"This isn't helping," Matasumi said. "Treat the symptoms as you see them, Doctor Carmichael. That's the best we can do. If Ms. Bauer inflicted this misfortune on herself, then all we can do is treat the symptoms and leave the rest to fate."
"That's not the best we can do," Carmichael said.
"What exactly do you think we can do?" Dawn asked. "Buffy and I don't run around biting humans and nursing them back to health. Do you know how many newly bitten werewolves we've met? None. Zero."
Sure, they had met bitten werewolves. The ones Marsten, Daniel and Cain had bitten. But they hadn't been newly bitten they had been bitten several months before they had come to Bear Valley. So, they didn't know how they had survived. The same would be said for their friend Oz and his cousin Jordy. They didn't know if Jordy was hereditary. They didn't know how Oz had survived being bitten.
"And we've never even been around a hereditary werewolf who's come of age. We don't know what to do," added Buffy.
"You two have been through it."
"We don't know how we survived," Buffy said again. "I remember very little I was unconscious for most of it. My body was trying to heal itself at the same time that it worked the changes. I was for all intents and purposes in a coma. I was bitten at a rave. Clay helped me back to the car where I passed out. The next I knew I woke up and I was told hey you're now the second female Pack werewolf."
"Do you know what I remember?" Dawn said. "I remember Hell. Complete with fire and brimstone, demons and imps, red-hot pinchers and bottomless pits of lava. I remember what I saw up here." she smacked her palm against her forehead. "I remember what I imagined, what I dreamed. Nightmares, delirium, that's all there was. I don't know shit about temperatures and blood pressure and pupil response. Someone else dealt with that. And when it was all over, I didn't want to know what he did. All I wanted was to forget. And believe me for ten years I did forget."
"These visions of Hell," Matasumi said. "Perhaps you could describe them for me later. The connection between the supernatural and Satanic ritual—"
"For God's sake, leave it alone," Carmichael said. "For once. Leave it alone." She strode from the room.
Matasumi bent for the syringe, then stopped, motioned for a guard to pick it up, and followed Carmichael.
At midnight, Winsloe walked into the cell, Buffy and Dawn rolled out of bed to see him standing in in the doorway. "So, these are the female werewolves." He stepped inside, flanked by two guards. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Ty Winsloe." When the sisters didn't respond fast enough, he added. "Promethean Fire."
"Yes, we know," Buffy said.
Winsloe smirked as he motioned to the guards to stay put and stepped farther into the cell. He walked around them giving them a once-over. "Not bad," he said as his gaze settled on the sisters' chests. "Nothing a couple of implants couldn't fix. Ever thought of that?"
"We can't have kids, we're both infertile," Dawn said. "But if we could, I'm sure they'd find them quite adequate."
He laughed and looked at their rears again. "Great asses, though." He tossed a bundle of clothes on the table. "You two can leave the jeans on," he said. "I brought a skirt, but I like the jeans. Those asses were made for jeans. I don't like big, flabby asses." Buffy and Dawn glanced at the pile of clothes but made no move to take them. "The shirt has to go. There's a halter top for each of you. Skip the bras."
Buffy and Dawn stared at him, unable to believe what they were hearing. "Take the clothes," he said, all joviality draining from his voice.
Behind him, the two guards stepped forward, fingering their guns as if to remind the sisters of their presence.
"I asked you to put on the tops, I won't ask again," he said.
Buffy and Dawn glanced from him to the guards, snatched the halter tops from the pile and turned around facing away from the guards and Winsloe. They hadn't bothered going into the bathroom because of the see-through wall. The halter tops would have fit a prepubescent girl—a short prepubescent girl. It rode up to both sisters' rib cage and cut furrows in their shoulders. Looking down, they saw that it left absolutely nothing to the imagination. They then turned and faced Winsloe. Winsloe studied their chests for two whole minutes.
"At least they're firm," Winsloe said. "Not bad, really, if you like them small. I think implants are still our best bet, though. Amazing tone." He circled the sisters. "Lean and tight, but no bulk. I was worried about bulk. Muscles on a girl are downright creepy."
"Oh, I have muscles," Buffy said. "Wanna see them?"
He laughed. "That hole in the wall tells me all I need to know. Plus, I saw the video of you and Lake, Buffy, though I guess that wasn't so much strength as cunning. Quick wits. Very quick."
"Oh, you would be surprised how much of that was strength also," Buffy said.
"How's Ba—Ms. Bauer?" Dawn asked, hoping to change the subject.
"You two know about that?" He sat at the dining table. "I guess you two would. Bizarre, huh? No one saw it coming. Sondra's always been so together. Uptight, even. Guess it's the rigid ones that snap the hardest, huh? About that video—"
"How is she?" Dawn repeated. "What's the prognosis?"
"Shitty, last I heard. Probably won't make it through the night. Now, speaking of that video, I have some news you'll like, Buffy." He smiled. "Wanna guess what it is?"
"I couldn't begin to imagine," Buffy said.
"Tonight, I'm sending your fellow combatant to his final reward. The great doggie bone in the sky—or the other direction. We're gonna have ourselves a hunt."
"A … hunt?" Dawn asked.
He stood up. "A hunt. A big ol' wolfie hunt. Tonight. Larry's done with your 'mutt' and we're gonna give him a proper send-off." Winsloe snapped his fingers at the two guards. "Chop-chop, boys. Get on the horn and tell your buddies to prepare the guests of honor. We'll meet them at the lookout."
Buffy and Dawn spent most of the last half-hour gaping at Winsloe. They wondered if he meant what they thought he meant? He was going to hunt Patrick Lake? Release him and hunt him down like the prize quarry at some big-game reserve? Surely not?
"Well?" he said. "Grab those jackets from the table. It's getting cold out there. Wouldn't want you two to catch pneumonia."
"We're going outside?" Dawn said slowly.
Winsloe laughed. "We sure as hell can't hunt him in here."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
The night was cold for late summer. The sisters' wrists were manacled as they exited the building on the ground level. Winsloe walked in front of them, and two guards were behind them. A path wove through thick forest to a clearing. Patrick Lake stood at the base of a wooden pillar.
"Hey," he said as they neared. "What's going on? It's fucking cold out here."
"Finish your smoke," Winsloe said. "You'll be plenty warm soon enough."
"I asked—"
One of Lake's guards jabbed him with a rifle butt.
Lake snarled, lifted a hand to swat the guard, then stopped himself. "I was only asking—"
"It's a surprise," Winsloe said. "Finish your smoke."
"What's she doing here?" Lake waved his cigarette at Buffy.
"It's a surprise," Winsloe repeated. "We'll start as soon as you're ready."
Lake pitched his cigarette to the ground and stomped it. "I'm ready now."
"Then we begin."
"Release point two?" a guard asked.
"As planned," Winsloe said. "Everything as planned. Over there." He waved to the east. "Release point two. Release point one just below. Release point three by the river. The choice of release point depends on the quarry. So far I've done a witch and a half-demon."
"You—hunted them?" Dawn asked.
He made a face. "Not much of a hunt. Especially the witch. You'd think she'd have been more of a challenge, casting spells and all that. In RPGs the magical races can be your strongest players once they gain enough experience. But in real life? She fell apart. Couldn't take it. Cast a few penny-ante spells and quit. Found her curled up under a bush. No survival instinct. Like that old lady they picked up with you two. First sign of trouble and she sinks into depression. Can't take the pressure."
"The half-demon was a minor improvement. At least he tried. Then there was the shaman. I didn't hunt him, though. That was an escape. We fixed the problem soon enough, so don't let that give you any ideas. He didn't get far anyway. Dogs took care of him. From what I hear, he was even worse than the witch. Ran full-out until he collapsed."
"So now—" Buffy said. "So now you're going to hunt Lake."
"A werewolf." Winsloe said. "Cool, huh? The hunter becomes the hunted. That's the trick, the challenge. All that 'Most Dangerous Game' bullshit is just fantasy crap. Put your average modern guy in the woods and he freaks. Take away his tools and his weapons and you might as well go deer-hunting. At least deer have some experience eluding hunters. Humans have nada. But wolves? They are the hunters. They have their own tools, their own weapons. They know the forest. Combine that with human intelligence and bingo: You've got yourself the ultimate big game." He held out a pair of binoculars. "Want to have a look?"
Buffy and Dawn shook their heads.
"Go on. They're night vision. Not that you two would need them, I guess. I hear you guys can see in the dark. That's why I'm doing this at night. Added challenge. Of course, I have all the latest toys, like these. Wouldn't want it to be too much of a challenge."
Buffy handed Dawn the binoculars. She didn't need them at all. Her werewolf enhanced Slayer abilities had made her the ultimate predator. She could see, hear, smell from greater distances than that of a normal werewolf. Her strength and agility had even been increased. She could see that all around them was forest. She looked up when she spotted the flash of a flare.
"The flare," Winsloe said. "They've stunned Lake. Now they'll take off. In ten, maybe fifteen minutes he'll wake up all alone in the woods. If he has half a brain, he'll realize it's a trick, but he'll run anyway. My guess is he'll smell the river and run west. Better be careful, though. If he takes the easy route, he'll find himself in a bear pit." He laughed. "Traps everywhere. Here, here, over here."
Buffy and Dawn turned to see him pointing at places on a laminated map. When they stepped closer, he whisked it out of sight and waggled a finger at them.
"Uh-uh. Can't have you learn all my secrets. You like those binoculars, Dawn?"
"They … work well," Dawn said.
"Of course, they do. I wouldn't buy them otherwise. Wait until you see the rest of my gadgets. And the weapons." He rolled his eyes in near lust. "The weapons. Unbelievable what they come up with these days. I have lockers of them scattered all over the playing field, so I'll have variety. Only thing missing is a nail gun. That's the pisser. The nail gun's always my favorite."
"You hunt with a nail gun?" Buffy asked.
"Not out here. In games, of course. The nail gun is the absolute best. The shredding factor can top grenades."
"Games," Dawn repeated. "You mean video games."
"What other kind is there?"
"Well?" Buffy said as she waved at the forest in front of them. "We kinda figured this was a game for you. A real-life video game."
"One step up from virtual reality. Actual reality. What a concept." He grinned. "Let's move. The game is afoot."
They met Lake's two guards before they reached the main path. They confirmed that the release had gone smoothly. Dawn wondered if she could teleport her and Buffy up here, or if the blocking spell protected the playing field as well. She didn't risk trying for the singular reason that the guards might shoot before they could disappear.
"Where's his clothing?" Winsloe snapped as Buffy and Dawn looked around. "This is release point two."
"Yes, sir," said one of the front guards, pulling a map from his pocket and holding it out.
Winsloe smacked the map to the ground. "I wasn't asking. I was telling. I know this is release point two. I want to know if you morons know it. Is this where you released Lake?"
The guard's jaw tightened, but his voice remained deferential. "Of course, sir."
Winsloe spun. "He has to undress to Change into a wolf, doesn't he? Either that or he'd rip his clothes, right?" he asked as Buffy and Dawn nodded. "So, either way, there should be clothes here. Where are they?"
The sisters made a show of looking around, though they could tell with a single sniff that Lake hadn't left anything behind. "If they're not here, then he hasn't Changed forms," Buffy said.
Winsloe wheeled to one of the rear guards. "Pendecki. Checkpoints."
Pendecki pulled a device from its holster and flicked a switch. "The target has passed checkpoints five and twelve, sir."
"We have visual at five," Winsloe said.
"Yes, sir. Checkpoint five has a motion-sensor camera and—"
"I'm not asking! I'm telling!" Winsloe said. "Show me the fucking tape!"
Pendecki gave another device to Winsloe, who looked at a small back-and-white screen watching a playback. "He's not a wolf," he said, lifting his head. "Can someone tell me why he isn't a wolf?"
Of course, no one could. Except Buffy and Dawn. They waited until all eyes turned their way, then Dawn said, "A lot of non-Pack werewolves can't Change on demand."
"Non-Pack," Winsloe said. "So, Lake can't shape-shift when he wants. But you two can."
"It depends on—" Buffy said.
"Of course, you two can," Winsloe said. "I saw the tape."
Buffy and Dawn realized then why they were here. He was warning them. If they screwed up, if they displeased him, Patrick Lake's fate would be theirs.
"He'll Change if he's frightened," Dawn said as she looked at her sister. The survival instinct buried in their wolves prodded them into helping Winsloe.
Winsloe smiled, all teeth. "Then let's frighten him."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Checkpoint eight four minutes ago," Pendecki said.
Winsloe glanced over his shoulder at the sisters. "Just so you two know, I don't use checkpoint tracking when I hunt. Not terribly sporting, old chap. The camera setup wasn't even my idea. Tucker insisted on it. You know Tucker? Head guard?" Buffy and Dawn nodded. "Old-style military. So rigid you couldn't shove a dog tag up his ass. After the shaman got loose, he figured we needed these trip-wire cameras. Later, when we got Lake, I decided the cameras might come in handy for my hunts. Like I said, not to use them for tracking, but to make sure he stays within the perimeter of the playing field. We have miles to go until we reach the edge of the property, but I figure werewolves are the one monster that might be able to run that far."
"What if he does get that far? Will you let him go?" Buffy asked.
"Oh, sure. A hundred yards beyond the perimeter is home free. That's my rule. Of course, with these cameras, we pretty much ensure he'll never make it that far."
"Checkpoint twelve, sir. Sorry to interrupt, but we're close enough that there's no delay on the signal."
Winsloe nodded. "He just passed it?"
"Affirmative."
Winsloe grinned. "Pick up the pace, then."
As a group, they jogged along the path.
"Checkpoint twelve again, sir."
"Circling," Winsloe crowed. "Perfect. Good doggie. Wait right there."
"We're coming up to twelve—"
Winsloe raised his hand for them to stop. He pointed to the northeast, where Buffy and Dawn could smell Lake about seventy feet away. The guards nodded lifted their rifles. He pulled out a grenade and pulled the pin, pitching it through the air. The moment he released it, the rear guards took off, each circling in opposite directions around the grenade's path. The front guards pointed their rifles farther afield. As the grenade detonated, the guards fired.
"Run, fucker, run," Winsloe chortled. "Think that'll scare him?"
"If it didn't kill him," Buffy said.
Winsloe waved aside Buffy's pessimism, then paused and grinned. "Hear that? He's on the move. Fall out, boys. We have a runner." After a few minutes of chasing Lake they stopped. "Gotta give him a chance to Change forms."
"Good idea, sir," Pendecki said.
"Is the air thinner up here?" Winsloe asked.
"Could be, sir."
"So, he'll Change forms now?" Winsloe asked.
"He should," Dawn said.
If he's not worn out, both the sisters thought. They knew the outcome of this hunt would play against them either way it went. If Lake Changed and managed to survive long enough. Winsloe would likely look for other werewolves to hunt. And being the only other two that had been captured that fell to Buffy and Dawn, despite his sexual intentions. If Lake failed to Change because he was too exhausted. Well the likely outcome was the sisters would be deemed useless and he would have them killed. In the end the results were the same, they would be dead.
A moan shivered through the trees. "Wind?" Winsloe mouthed as Pendecki shook his head. He grinned and motioned them toward the noise. They crept through the forest until one fore-guard lifted his hand and pointed. Through the brush, something pale flickered. Buffy and Dawn inhaled, then choked on a sudden gasp. The stink of fear and panic flooded the clearing.
Winsloe hunkered down and inched forward.
"No," Buffy hissed, grabbing the back of Winsloe's jacket. "He's Changing."
Winsloe grinned. "I know."
"You don't want to see that," Dawn said.
The grin broadened. "Oh yes, I do."
"Believe me you don't," Buffy said. "Unless you want to be sick. It is the one time we don't see each other naked, literally."
Out of the entire Pack only Buffy and Dawn had witnessed each other Changing. And even then, they tried not to watch. The Change from human to werewolf was not pleasant to see.
A guard circled past Winsloe and tugged a sheaf of greenery from Lake's hiding spot. "Jesus Christ!" the guard yelled. "What the fuck—!"
Buffy looked to Dawn. "We warned them," she said as Dawn nodded.
As the guard jumped up, he'd torn the fern from its roots, exposing the clearing. Lake rolled to the ground, legs up, protecting his underbelly. For a moment, he moved too fast for anyone to see more than skin. Then he lay still and everyone saw more. Much more.
"What the fuck happened to him?" the guard shouted, still falling back, hand going to his gun.
"He's Changing," Dawn snarled. "What the hell did you think it looked like?"
"Not like that," Winsloe said. "Holy shit. Can you believe that? That is the most disgusting—"
"I told you," Buffy said. "It would make you sick. For us this is not something we want others to see."
A guard poked his rifle into the clearing and prodded Lake.
"Stop that!" Dawn shouted, turning on the guard. "Back off and let him finish."
Lake writhed on his back; clubbed hands crossed to protect his vital organs. The guard pushed his gun forward again.
Pendecki lunged and grabbed the barrel. "They're right," he said. "If you want your hunt, sir, I'd suggest we do as they say. Back off and let him finish … whatever he's doing."
Winsloe sighed. "I suppose so. But some time I've gotta see this."
"Wait a few days," Dawn said. "If she lives. You can watch Sondra Bauer go through it."
"If she lives," he echoed with a sigh. "Okay. Stop teasing the brute, Bryce. About-face, boys. Fall back."
Pendecki and the two other guards backed out of the clearing. Bryce ignored the command.
"Jesus!" Winsloe said.
"Get back," Dawn hissed. "He can't—"
Winsloe waved Dawn into silence and inched forward. Lake's head spun wildly, trying to watch Winsloe. The Change suddenly stopped; he was permanently trapped between forms. The ultimate horror for any werewolf.
"What's wrong?" Winsloe asked, not taking his eyes from Lake.
Lake rolled from side to side, panting and sweating and making ghastly mewling sounds. He looked straight at sisters as they turned away.
"Shoot him," Buffy said quietly.
"What the fuck?" Winsloe glared at Buffy. "Who's giving the orders around here? You don't tell me what to do. Not ever."
"He's caught," Buffy said. "He can't finish and he can't Change back."
"We'll wait."
"It won't—" Dawn said.
"I said, we'll wait."
"Kill him," Buffy said. "Now! He is caught between forms, permanently. If you won't do it, I will be more than happy to. Put him out of his misery."
Winsloe grunted and shot the sisters another lethal glare, he ignored Buffy as he waved the others back, though the other three guards were already ten feet from the thicket. Bryce couldn't resist one last prod. As he pushed his rifle forward, Lake's hands flew to his sides.
With an inhuman shriek, Lake pushed off on his arms and flung himself at Bryce. Buffy with the speed of a Slayer turned werewolf stepped quickly and grabbed Lake around the neck twisting it. He fell down to the ground dead.
"What the hell are you doing?" Winsloe bellowed. "You killed him!"
"Your man would have died," Buffy said. "As the Slayer I am supposed to protect you and all other humans from supernatural threats. Because of what your people did. He became a threat. He would have started killing each of you if he could till one of you stopped him. How many deaths do you think it would have taken before one of you did what had to be done?"
Winsloe spun on the sisters. "Get them out of here," he said. "Take them back to their fucking cage. Go. All of you. Get out of my fucking sight before I—"
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
When the guards returned Buffy and Dawn to their cell, they sat on the edge of their bed and didn't move for three hours. Dawn tried using the telepathy spell that Ruth had taught her to contact Jeremy. Nothing happened. Then Buffy and Dawn had the thought try Paige with the same results. So, Buffy and Dawn waited for Jeremy or Paige to contact them. And waited. Breakfast came. They ignored it. Breakfast went.
At nine-thirty, Paige tried to contact them. Or Buffy and Dawn thought she did. It started with a head ache, like the day before. On the first twinge of tension, Buffy and Dawn had leapt into bed, stretched out, closed their eyes, and waited. Nothing happened. The head ache decreased, vanished, then returned a half-hour later. They were still in bed, afraid even to change position for fear they'd screw up Paige's transmission. Again, nothing happened. they relaxed. Imagined opening themselves up, imagined talking to Paige, imagined every possible bit of conducive imagery they could. Not so much as the barest whisper rewarded their efforts.
At lunch Buffy told the guards they wanted to see Carmichael. A half-hour later, as Buffy and Dawn had begun to suspect their request had been ignored, the guards returned with Matasumi. They persuaded Matasumi to take them upstairs.
Bauer lay on the first bed, appearing as if she were dead. Only the graceful rise and fall of her chest told the sisters they weren't too late, that they hadn't laid Bauer out for a viewing.
"Peaceful, isn't she," Carmichael's voice said from behind them.
"She's not restrained," Dawn said as Carmichael walked around the bed.
Carmichael shook her head. "The sides of the bed are high enough to prevent accidents."
"Not the type I'm thinking of. She needs arm and leg restraints. The best you can find," Dawn said.
"She's sleeping soundly. I'm not—"
"Restrain her or we leave," Buffy said looking at her sister. She wondered why Bauer need to be restrained, she hadn't. Then she remembered. Her change from human to werewolf had not been like others Jeremy had said. For one she had been in a coma for the better part of a day. He had even said her experience had been nothing he had ever seen before.
Carmichael stopped checking Bauer's pulse and looked up sharply. "Don't threaten me, Buffy. You two have admitted to Doctor Matasumi that you can help Sondra, and you will, with no conditions. At the first sign of a violent reaction, I'll restrain her."
"You won't be able to," Buffy said.
"Then the guards will do it. I want her to be comfortable. If that's all I can do, that's good enough."
"Noble sentiments. Ever wonder how comfortable we are in the cell block? Or don't we count? Not being human and all, I suppose we aren't covered under the Hippocratic oath," Dawn said.
"Don't start that." Carmichael resumed her survey of Bauer's vital signs.
"You have your reasons for doing this, right? Good, moral reasons. Like everyone else here. Can I guess yours? Let's see … discover unimaginable medical breakthroughs that will benefit all of humankind. Am I close?" Dawn said.
Carmichael's mouth tightened, but she kept her eyes on Bauer.
"Wow," Dawn said. "Good guess. So you justify imprisoning, torturing, and killing innocent beings in the hopes of creating a human super-race? Where'd you get your license, Doctor? Auschwitz?"
Carmichael's hand clenched around her stethoscope and looked past the sisters to the guards.
"Please return Ms. Andrews and Ms. Andrews to their—" She stopped and looked at the sisters. "No, that's what you two want, isn't it? To be sent back to your cell, relieved of your obligations. Well, I won't do it. You're going to tell me how to treat her."
Bauer's body went stiff. One tremor shuddered through her. Then her arms flew out, ramrod straight. Her back arched against the bed, and she started to convulse.
"Grab her legs," Carmichael shouted.
"Restrain her," Buffy said.
Both Bauer's legs flew up, one knee knocking Carmichael in the chest as she leaned over to hold her down. The guards jogged across the room and fanned out around the bed. One grabbed Bauer's ankles. Her legs convulsed, and he lost his grip. The other two guards looked at each other. One reached for his gun.
"No!" Carmichael said. "It's only a seizure. Dawn, Buffy, grab her legs!"
The sisters stepped away from the table. "Restrain her," Buffy said.
Bauer's upper body shot up, hurling Carmichael to the floor. Bauer sat straight up, then her arms flew up, wind milling in a perfect circle. When they passed her head, there was a dull double snap as her shoulders dislocated.
Carmichael grabbed the slender straps that hung from the bedsides. The guard who had grabbed Bauer's legs earlier took a tentative step forward. "Get back!" Dawn and Buffy snarled.
The sisters walked toward the end of the bed, ignoring Carmichael's frantic efforts to attach the bed restraints, paying attention only to the movements of Bauer's legs. As they passed the spilled cart, Dawn picked up two rolls of bandages. They counted the seconds between convulsions, waited for the next one to subside, then Buffy grasped both of Bauer's ankles in one hand.
Buffy tied Bauer's left leg to the bedpost as Dawn tied the right one. Carmichael picked up another bandage roll from the floor and reached for Bauer's arms.
"Count off—" Dawn began.
"I know," Carmichael snapped.
They managed to get Bauer's arms, legs, and torso loosely tied to the bed, so she could convulse without hurting herself. Then she started to seize again, torso arching up in an impossibly perfect half-circle off the bed. Carmichael ran across the room to a tray of syringes.
"Tranquilizers?" Dawn asked. "You can't do that."
Carmichael filled a syringe. "She's in pain."
"Her body has to work through this," Buffy said. "Tranquilizers will only make it harder the next time."
"So, what do you two expect me to do?"
"Nothing," Dawn said as she and Buffy collapsed into chairs. "Sit back, relax, observe. Maybe take notes. I'm sure Doctor Matasumi wouldn't want you to ignore such a unique educational opportunity."
Bauer's seizures ended an hour later. By then her body was so exhausted she didn't even flinch when Carmichael fixed her dislocated shoulders. Around dinnertime they had another mini-crisis when Bauer's temperature soared. Again, they warned Carmichael against any but the most benign first-aid procedures. When nothing else happened by ten o'clock, Carmichael let the guards return the sisters to their cell. As Dawn showered, she and Buffy talked.
"I wonder why my transformation from human to werewolf was so calm in comparison to hers or yours?" Buffy asked.
"Jeremy thought it was a result of your Slayer healing," Dawn said. "You know as well as I that he had never seen anything like it before."
"I know, but it doesn't make sense," Buffy said.
"No, it doesn't," Dawn said as she stepped out of the shower and got dressed as Buffy stepped in and took hers. "I guess we'll never know. Do you think our saliva can transmit the Slayer or my magic also?"
"I don't know," Buffy said. "But I doubt it."
"Buffy," Dawn said as Xavier appeared in front of her. "You might want to think about finishing your shower, we have company."
"Get off our bed," Buffy said as she walked out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her.
"Long day?" Xavier asked as Dawn hurled her towel at him, but he only teleported to the head of the bed. "Touchy, touchy. I was hoping for a more hospitable greeting. Aren't you two bored with talking to humans yet?"
"The last time we spoke, you tossed us in with a mutt who challenged me for Alpha. Even though I am officially not Alpha," Buffy said.
"I didn't toss you two in. You both were already there."
Buffy growled and grabbed a book from the shelf. Xavier vanished. She waited for the shimmer that presaged his reappearance, and then launched the book.
"Shit," he grunted as the book hit his chest. "You learn fast. And carry a grudge. I don't know why. Buffy, it wasn't like you couldn't handle Lake. I was right there. If something had gone wrong, I could have stopped him."
"I'm sure you would have, too," Buffy said.
"Of course, I would. I was under strict orders not to let anything happen to either of you."
Buffy grabbed another book.
Xavier held up his arms to ward it off. "Hey, come on. Play nice. I came down here to talk to the both of you."
"About what?" Dawn asked.
"Whatever. I'm bored."
Buffy resisted the urge to pitch the book and shoved it back on the shelf. "Well, you can always turn yourself into a werewolf. That seems to be the common cure for boredom around here."
"No kidding," Xavier said. "Can you believe that? Sondra, of all people. Not that I can't imagine a human wanting to be something else, but she must have a few screws loose to do it like that. It's bound to happen, though. All the exposure. Inferiority complexes are inevitable."
"Inferiority complexes?" Dawn asked.
"Sure." He rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Don't tell me you're one of those who think humans and supernaturals are equal. Especially you, Slayer. Even before you became a werewolf you weren't quite human either. We have all the advantages of being human plus more. That makes us superior. So now you get these humans who, after a lifetime of thinking they're at the top of the evolutionary ladder, realize they aren't. Worse yet, they discover they could be something better. They can't become half-demons, of course. But when humans see what the other races can do, they'll want it. That's the rotten core of this whole plan. No matter how high-minded their motives, they'll all eventually want a piece. The other day—"
He stopped, glanced at the one-way glass as if checking for eavesdroppers, then vanished for a second and reappeared. "The other day, I walked into Larry's office, and you know what he was doing? Practicing a spell. Now, he says he was conducting scientific research, but you know that's a pile of horseshit. Sondra is only the beginning."
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Dawn asked.
"Do?" His eyes widened. "If the human race is intent on destroying itself, that's its problem. So long as they pay me big bucks to help, I'm a happy guy."
"Nice attitude," Buffy said, sarcastically.
"Honest attitude. So, tell me—"
The door opened and he stopped as two guards walked in, led by an older uniformed man with a grizzled crew cut and piercing blue eyes.
"Reese," he growled at Xavier. "What are you doing here?"
"Just keeping our inmates happy. The female ones at least. Dawn and Buffy, this is Tucker. He prefers Colonel Tucker, but his military discharge was a bit iffy. Borderline court-martial and all that."
"Reese—" Tucker started as he looked at the sisters. "You two are wanted upstairs. Doctor Carmichael asked for you both."
"Is Ms. Bauer okay?" Dawn asked.
"Doctor Carmichael asked us to bring you up."
"Never expect a direct answer from ex-military," Xavier said. "I'll take you both upstairs."
"We don't need your help, Reese," Tucker said, but Xavier had already hustled them out the door.
As they passed Ruth's cell, they noticed it was empty.
"Is Ruth okay?" Dawn asked.
"No one told you?" Xavier said. "I heard you two made a suggestion to Sondra before she flipped out."
"Suggestion? Oh, right. For Ruth to visit with Savannah. They let her?" Buffy said.
"Better yet. Come take a look."
Xavier headed down the row of cells.