Chapter 36: Break

Bauer, Buffy and Dawn spent the next day planning. According to Bauer, Winsloe's security system was hardwired with the identities of all compound staff. This hardwiring ensured it was almost impossible for a captive to tamper with the computer, adding his own retinal and fingerprint scans. Of course, that meant it was equally difficult to remove an ID. Which mean Bauer's ID would still be in the system. Since she had top clearance, she could enter and exit all levels of the compound with two unauthorized guests.

Would Bauer be leaving with only two companions? The answer was no, of course Bauer wouldn't know that, not yet. Buffy and Dawn had planned on taking Savannah. Ruth had said to leave her come back for her later with the Pack. But Buffy didn't want to leave her daughter behind.

They planned to escape that night at ten-thirty after the guards brought their bedtime snack.

Buffy and Dawn spent the early part of the evening telepathically going over the plan.

But there was a hiccup in the plan, at Nine-twenty the door to their cell opened. Too late for Matasumi. Too early for their snack. Xavier was gone. That left Winsloe. They looked toward the door, but no one was there. Shifting into a semi-crouch, Buffy edged the door open an inch, then another, then a full foot and peered out the door. Someone was in the hall. She jerked back, and then realized who she'd seen and leaned out again. Bauer stood outside her cell, looking one way, then the other. When she saw Buffy, she straightened.

"Did you two—?" she whispered.

Buffy shook her head as she and Dawn stepped into the hall. Before they could say anything, a door opened at the opposite end of the hall and Savannah came out. Seeing them, she rubbed a hand over her face and yawned.

"What happened?" Savannah asked.

Buffy motioned for silence and beckoned Savannah closer. "We're leaving," she whispered. "Bau—Sondra can get us out. Sneak back to your cell and get your shoes."

"We're going now?" Bauer whispered.

"We're out, aren't we?" Dawn whispered.

Savannah scampered back to her cell, as Bauer turned toward her cell intending to grab her shoes but found the door locked.

"It should open," Bauer said, panic creeping into her voice. "It has to open. There's no external lock."

"I can't get back in my cell," Savannah said as she ran back to them. "The door's stuck."

"So is this one," Dawn said. "I guess if a mechanical malfunction can open them, it can jam them shut, too. We'll have to leave as we are."

"What about Leah and Mr. Zaid?" Savannah asked. "Shouldn't we get them out?"

"If we can," Dawn said with a glance at Buffy.

They couldn't. They started with Curtis Zaid. The Vodoun priest lay huddled atop his bedcovers, fast asleep. His door was shut tight.

"Jammed," Dawn said.

Savannah raced across the hall and tried Leah's door. "Same here."

"They'll have to stay behind for now," Dawn said. "Sondra, the exit by Savannah's cell is the one with the guard station, right? The one by mine only has a camera linked to the station."

Bauer nodded.

"Good," Buffy said. She looked to Dawn who nodded in understanding. Whatever they did Dawn would make sure Savannah was safe. She headed for the exit on Savannah's side.

Bauer grabbed Buffy's arm. "That's the guarded one," she said.

"I know," Buffy said.

"But you can't—we can't—they'll shoot us!"

Buffy disengaged Bauer's hands from her arm and met her wild eyes. "We discussed this, remember, Sondra? Both doors link to a common hall with the elevator at the midpoint. If we go out the camera-monitored door, the alert will notify the guards. They'll see us through the camera and meet us before we can get on the elevator. With the other door, the guards will be right on the other side. They'll have only seconds to react before I burst through. They won't have time to call for help. I'll disable them and we can sneak upstairs."

Buffy nudged Bauer toward the door as something fell from the ceiling. She lunged forward, knocking Bauer out of the way. The object hit the floor with a sharp pop and tinkling of glass.

"Just a lightbulb," Savannah said. "You sure moved fast."

Crack, crack, crack! The whole row of lightbulbs smashed to the floor, plunging the hall into darkness. Bauer yelped.

"It's okay, Sondra," Dawn said. "Your eyes will adjust. You have night vision now. The light from the security door will be enough. Move toward it and—"

Savannah shrieked. Dawn whirled and reached into the darkness to calm her. Something tickled her left arm. She slapped her right hand over the spot and felt blood welling beneath her palm. Bauer screamed. As their eyes adjusted, they saw a whirlwind of broken glass flying around them.

"The door!" Buffy yelled. "Sondra! Grab the door!" She grabbed Bauer's arm and yanked her to the exit, positioning her in front of the retina camera. As she reached for the button, she noticed Bauer's eyes were squeezed shut. "Open your eyes!"

Bauer clenched them tighter, pulling her chin into her chest.

"Open your eyes for the scanner!" Buffy said, trying not to curse in front of her daughter. She was reaching up to pry them open when Bauer blinked. She hit the button. The first red light flickered, then died and the whole panel went black. She smacked the button again. Nothing happened. She jabbed it over and over, eyes skimming the panel for any sign of life. Nothing. No lights. No sound. It was dead.

Dawn spun around. At the other end of the hall, a dim red glow reflected around the corner. "The other door still has power," she said as Buffy nodded. "Let's go."

"I can't," Bauer whispered. "I can't."

Buffy ignored Bauer. "Savannah, run to mine and Dawn's cell. We didn't shut the door. Get inside while we unlock the other exit." She grabbed Bauer with both hands, and half-carried, half-dragged her down the corridor.

In the darkness and her haste, Buffy passed Savannah, and arrived at her cell ahead of her. She saw the door was closed. How had that happened? They didn't have time to worry about it. She shoved Bauer toward the other exit. The hall filled with deafening static, as if someone had cranked every intercom up full blast. Savannah brushed against her.

Buffy squeezed her daughter's shoulder and tried to tell her everything would be okay, but the static drowned her out. Giving Savannah one last reassuring pat, she grabbed Bauer and propelled her in front of the security door. Bauer positioned herself in front of the retinal scanner and hit the button. The red light flickered out, and for a moment everything went dead. Then a green light flashed. Bauer grasped the handle and the second light changed from red to green. She yanked open the door and flew into the hall.

Dawn slammed the door behind them. A few stray shards of glass fell harmlessly to the floor.

"What happened in there?" Savannah whispered.

"I don't know," Dawn said. "Is everyone all right?"

Buffy, Savannah and Bauer nodded. Voices echoed from the other end of the hall. Savannah's head jerked up.

"We aren't going to make it," Savannah whispered.

"Yes, we are," Bauer said. "I am not going back in there. I'm out now and I'm staying out. Dawn and Buffy will take care of the guards. We'll stay here where it's safe."

As Buffy started forward, Savannah grabbed her shirt. "I'll help," she whispered. "I'll cast a spell."

Buffy looked to Dawn who nodded indicating she would lend her magic to her niece in hopes of making any spell work. "Okay," she said. "As long as you can cast it from beside Dawn. Keep down and quiet."

Buffy crept forward as a crash shook the hallway. Then another. Then smashing glass, louder than the falling light-bulbs. Then pitch dark.

"Goddamn it!" a voice—presumably a guard's—hissed. "First, exit one dies, then the camera at exit two, now this. A fucking power failure."

"I'll grab the flashlight," a second voice said.

"We both will. I'm not standing around in the dark."

Light darted from around the corner a second later. The guards had found their flashlight.

Behind Buffy, the elevator doors creaked open. A voice called out, not in front of her, but from the rear. She froze in mid-step. The guards rounded the corner, flashlight beam bouncing off the walls. Someone behind her shouted. She whirled, saw a gun, and dropped to the floor. Shots rang out from front and back. A bullet grazed her leg as she crawled to the side of the hall. Buffy glanced up. The guards were shooting at each other, the two from the station firing at three by the elevator. Two more lay on the floor, one screaming and writhing. Bullets whizzed past Buffy. She got up on her hands and knees, pitched forward, and ran doubled-over to the others. She raced right past the second group of guards. They didn't even notice.

"Go back!" Buffy yelled to Dawn, Savannah and Bauer. "Get inside!"

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Bauer pushed past Savannah and flew through the security sequence. The exit opened and all four of them clambered through. Buffy slammed the door behind them. Savannah shouted that the door was now open to the empty cell across from Buffy and Dawns and they dove inside.

"I was peeking around the corner," Savannah said. "When the guards came with the flashlight, I saw the other ones get off the elevator. I cast a confusion spell so you could get past them. It worked pretty good, huh?"

"Very good," Buffy said as she looked at her daughter with pride. Then another thing hit her. What had Ruth taught her daughter? A teenage witch shouldn't be casting those kinds of spells.

"Hey," a voice said from the doorway. "Did I miss my party invitation?"

They all jumped. Leah stepped inside, yawning and raking her fingers through her sleep-mussed hair.

"Don't close that!" Bauer said, grabbing the cell door.

Leah walked to a chair and slumped into it. "Cut my damned foot walking down here. There's glass all over the floor. And how come the doors are open? Not that I'm complaining but—Whoa, what happened to you guys?"

"Flying glass," Dawn said.

"Geez. Not sorry I missed it. Is anyone hurt? I know first aid."

"We're fine," Bauer said, moving to the bed.

While they talked, Savannah leaned out the doorway. "I don't see anyone. Are they all dead?"

"Dead?" Leah repeated as Buffy yanked Savannah away from the open door. "Who's dead?"

Dawn explained what had happened. As she spoke, Leah kept shooting discreet glances at Savannah, who'd collapsed onto the carpet and didn't seem to notice.

"… we should stay in here," Dawn said. "Remain calm and hope they do the same. No sudden moves. Nothing to set them off."

Savannah pushed herself up from the floor. "I know this calming spell—"

"I'm sure you do, hon," Leah said. "But maybe that's not such a good idea."

Savannah's face fell. Leah put her arm around the girl's shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Dawn, Buffy and I can handle the guards," Leah said. "We'll find a safe place for you, hon, in case there's trouble when the guards arrive."

"We're not leaving her," Buffy said.

"Buffy, I know you don't want to leave your daughter …" Dawn stopped as Savannah looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" Savannah asked.

"Good going Dawn," Buffy said. "I would have preferred to wait till we were out of here. Honey I'm your mom. Eve adopted you from me."

"What?" Leah and Savannah asked.

Buffy ignored Leah as she knelt beside Savannah. "Look at me honey. We have the same eyes, the same hair color, the same nose. You are my daughter."

Savannah looked at Buffy, really looked. She saw in Buffy's face all the characteristics that were in her own. The characteristics she had never seen in Eve's. It was then she knew that Buffy was telling the truth. Buffy was her mother. "You're my mom?"

"Yes," Buffy said.

Savannah smiled and hugged Buffy.

"Buffy, Leah has a point though. We need to make sure Savannah is safe. You don't want her getting hit in the crossfire as we take the guards," Dawn said.

Buffy sighed and nodded. "Alright." She looked at Savannah. "Don't worry we're going home together. We won't be separated again, okay."

"Okay, mom," Savannah said with a smile.

"Sondra, how about you go with Savannah?" Leah said. "My cell's open. Hide in there."

Bauer sat on the bed, knees pulled up, staring at the wall. Back to whimpering jellyfish. "I'm fine," she whispered.

"You've had a rough go of it," Leah said. "Dawn, Buffy and I can handle this. How about you take Savannah and—"

"I'm fine!" Bauer snarled, head jerking up, lips curling. Then she froze, as if realizing what she'd done. She closed her eyes and shuddered. "I'm fine," she said firmly. "I want to help."

"Maybe we can talk to the guards," Dawn said. "Explain what happened. Is there an intercom, Sondra? Some way we can communicate with them?"

Bauer shook her head.

Outside the cell, something thudded against the exit door. They all stopped to listen. Two more thuds in quick succession, then silence.

"They can't get in," Bauer whispered. "The exit door must have lost power or jammed."

"So much for hoping they were all dead," Leah said. "How many guards are there in total?"

"Three doz—no, thirty," Bauer said. "We—they started with thirty-six, but there's been casualties."

"Lousy odds. Well, let's get Savannah out of here before things get bad," Buffy said.

Leah reached for Savannah, but she ducked and ran to Buffy.

"I want to help," she said, looking up at Buffy. "And I'm not leaving, mom."

"We aren't trying to shut you out, Savannah. I know you can help. That confusion spell," Buffy said as she smiled at her daughter. "Well, I was impressed, I'll tell you that. Just like your aunt."

Savannah looked to Dawn who smiled. "You're not the only witch in the family. When this is all over, I'm going to teach you, okay?" Dawn said.

Savannah nodded and moved to Dawn, "Okay, Aunt Dawn."

Buffy laughed and smiled. "Okay now we need to get you someplace safe. Don't worry we'll come and get you as soon as we've dealt with the guards."

"I'll take her to my cell," Leah said as she reached for Savannah's hand, but the girl brushed her off.

Savannah hugged first Dawn and then Buffy and then proceeded out the door as Leah jogged after her.

Several minutes later, Leah hurried back. The guards were still beating at the exit door.

"She's in my cell," Leah said. "Hidden under the bed. I closed the door."

Buffy started to nod, and then stopped. "You closed the door? What if it jams? How will we get her out?"

"Right now, I'm more worried about Savannah getting herself out. If I didn't lock her in, she'd be down here in two minutes flat, trying to help us. Do you really want to risk your daughter's safety?"

"No, you're right," Buffy said. "I just hope it doesn't jam. I don't want to leave her behind. I did that once. Gave her up for adoption and I've regretted it ever since."

"Goddamn it!" Bauer shouted. "You two are squabbling over the girl and they're breaking down the fucking door!"

"You think they'll get in?" Leah asked Buffy and Dawn calmly, as if Bauer were some lunatic screaming inside a padded room.

"Eventually," Buffy said.

She sighed. "Okay, then. Time to prepare the welcoming party."

When they'd finished planning, they turned off the light. With their night vision, Bauer, Buffy and Dawn would be fine, and Leah had decided that the overall advantages of darkness outweighed the personal disadvantage of limited vision.

They slipped into the hall, staying behind the corner in case the guards broke through, guns blazing.

"Hello!" Leah shouted. "We're trapped in here! Some of us are hurt! What's going on out there? Can you hear us?"

No one replied. As Bauer had warned, the door was soundproof. Leah tried a few more times, then Buffy motioned her to silence and listened. She could hear only snatches of muffled voices.

"—when's that—getting here?"

"—other door—power out—"

"—radio—again—"

"—off-duty guys?—Matasumi, Winsloe?"

Leah leaned against Buffy's shoulder. "Can you or Dawn tell how many there are?"

Buffy and Dawn looked at each other. "Three, four voices?" Buffy asked.

"Sounds right?" Dawn said. "Plus, those who aren't talking. Wait, do you hear that, Buffy?"

A loud hissing sounded from the other side of the exit. As Buffy and Dawn tried to identify the noise, it suddenly rose to a grating whir, loud enough even for a non-werewolf to hear.

"Blowtorch," Leah said. "That'll work. We'd better get ready."

They never got a chance to put their plan into motion. As Buffy and Dawn swung into the empty cell, the exit door suddenly opened. The guards' shouts of surprise broke into a barrage of commands. Leah darted into the first cell with the sisters. As they wheeled to close the door, they realized Bauer wasn't with them.

"She bolted," Leah said.

"Shit!" Buffy and Dawn said as Buffy threw open the door. Bauer was running down the hall.

"Sondra!" Dawn shouted.

She stopped. Instead of turning around, though, she started pounding on the cell door to her right.

"Open up!" she yelled. "Goddamn you! Let me in!"

She was at the one remaining occupied cell, that of the Vodoun priest. Of course, Zaid couldn't hear her. The wall was soundproof. Despite everything happening out here, the poor guy was probably sound asleep. Buffy leaned out the doorway to tell her to hide, but she was already gone, vanishing into Armen Haig's former cell.

As Buffy closed the door, she realized they had a problem. She, Leah and Dawn were hiding behind a one-way pane of glass. Any guards in the hall could see them, but Buffy, Lean and Dawn couldn't see them. Not good. They were exposed. Any second now the guards would come around that corner—why hadn't they come around the corner already? When Buffy cracked open the door, she heard frantic shouts, then a scream, an inhuman shriek.

"Dawn," Buffy said.

"I'll take a look," Dawn said wishing she could teleport inside the compound.

"Crouch," Leah said. "Stay below eye level."

They hunkered down. Dawn eased the door open. A flash of light ricocheted off her eyes and she jerked back, only to see the beam skitter from wall to floor to ceiling, like someone wildly brandishing a flashlight. Over the screaming, Buffy and Dawn heard a male voice; then a high-pitched alarm swallowed all sound. The sisters sniffed and smelled something so unexpected they doubted my own senses. The acrid stench of burned meat filled the air. As they inhaled again a guard rocketed by so fast Dawn didn't have time to retreat into the cell. It didn't matter. He flew past, mouth open in a scream swallowed by the siren. Something flapped at his side. Dawn squinted in the near dark, then shuddered. It was his arm, almost severed above the elbow, swinging back and forth as he ran.

The flashlight beam continued to bounce around the walls. Shapes flickered, casting contorted shadows on the wall. The siren wavered and gave one last coughing blip. As it died, sound filled the air: the hissing of the blowtorch, shouts from the guards still hidden around the corner, the endless screams of the guard with the severed arm. Another guard stumbled around the corner, the blowtorch flickering beside him. As he passed our cell, he slid on something, his legs flying out. The blowtorch sailed into the air. Then it stopped. Stopped eight feet above the ground and hovered there, spitting blue flame. The fallen guard sprang to his feet. The blowtorch flew down and sliced him across the back. His arms shot up and he pitched forward, screaming as his shirt ignited. The stink of charred flesh and fabric filled the air.

"Open the fucking door!" a guard yelled from around the corner. "Get us out of here!"

"They're trapped," Dawn whispered. "I can't see what's going on. The blowtorch—"

Bang! A gunshot. Then three more in quick succession. Four loud metallic clangs.

"They're shooting the door," Leah said. "We should stay put."

"Trust me. We're not going anywhere," Dawn said.

A sudden roar overlapped the screams and shouts.

"What's that?" Leah asked.

Buffy knew instantly before Dawn even looked down the hall. Bauer had Changed into a wolf. She charged the guards. Dawn threw open the door. Leah grabbed her arm.

"The guards are still around the corner," Dawn said. "I can stop Sondra before they see her."

"Then what?" Leah asked.

Dawn knew Leah was right. Even if she cast a binding spell Bauer would not Change back, not right away.

Bauer reared as she collided with the fiery guard. Yelping, she backpedaled and skittered away from the flames. Then human instinct overtook animal. Wheeling around, she skirted the burning body and continued charging down the hall.

Bauer barreled past Buffy, Dawn and Leah and rounded the corner. A guard screamed. He raced into the main stretch of hall, blood spattering from his torn shoulder. Bauer ran after him. Before they even reached their cell door, she pounced, landing on his back. As they fell, she sank her teeth into the back of his neck, tearing out a mouthful. Blood and gore sprayed.

"I'll use the distraction to run down to the other exit," Leah said. "Maybe it's open now."

"What—?" Buffy began, then realized she couldn't see what was happening, wasn't affected by it.

Leah brushed past the sisters.

"Watch out!" Dawn yelled, but she was gone and Bauer was too engrossed in her current victim to chase down another.

Bauer ripped chunks from the guard's shoulders and back, throwing them into the air. The guard's body convulsed. His face was stark white, eyes impossibly wide and blank. A guard around the corner shouted, as if just realizing his comrade was missing.

Another guard came around the corner, gun raised. He fired. The shot blazed through the darkness and hit Bauer in the left haunch. She lunged at him. He lifted the gun, but she was on him, teeth ripping at his throat. As Buffy and Dawn dived out of the room, two shapes sprang from the darkness. Gunfire resounded down the hall. The sisters dove, twisting around just in time to see the bullets hit Bauer, blasting her in the chest and head.

In that second, even as blood and brain exploded from Bauer's shattered skull, even before her body collapsed to the floor atop the dead guard, they saw the exit door swing open. They saw it and they saw their chance.

Buffy hesitated as she looked down toward the other cells, down toward where Savannah was hidden.

"Buffy, come on," Dawn said.

"No," Buffy said as she started toward Leah's cell where Savannah was hidden.

Dawn grabbed her sister's arm. "We'll come back for her I promise," she said. "But if we don't get out now, we never will. And if we don't get out, neither will Savannah. We have to go now and come back for her later."

Buffy looked at Dawn for a moment and then nodded in resignation.

They turned and dove for the open door. They propelled forward toward the elevator. Once there, Dawn pounded her fist against the button, slamming it over and over, feeling the pain course down her arm and only hitting it harder, punishing herself for talking Buffy into leaving Savannah behind.

The elevator doors opened. Buffy and Dawn stepped in.