Caltec, Dr. Robert Lee's lab, 0330 hours.
Anya had teleported into Dr. Robert Lee's lab wearing the balaclava that Willow had once worn as Nighthawk, along with her gloves so that she didn't leave any finger prints. Using the balaclava and the pair of red tinted goggles that Willow had once worn, Anya walked towards a large device in the middle of the room while at the same time using her magic to disable the camera's in the room.
Once all the red lights on the wall cameras had gone out, she reached into her pocket and took out the Galaxy Ranger badge. She looked at the badge and remembered what Giles had told her when he returned dashing into the waiting room after having gone to the lobby with Angel and his friends from Los Angeles.
"If whatever this demon really is able to kill two Slayers," said Giles after he had rushed back into the waiting room. The man reached into his pocket and handed Anya the Galaxy Ranger's badge. He took Anya that she needed to go to Buffy's house where they kept Willow's Nighthawk costume, "so I need you to put on Willow's gloves, balaclava, and the goggles. Then teleport to Caltech, specifically Dr. Robert Lee's lab. Willow told me that the room number was 378, find that room and get inside."
"What do you want Anya to do?" asked Xander as Buffy and the others gathered around as well.
"Willow said that all she had to do was place the badge to the underside of the device," said Giles, "I honestly don't know what will happen, or how long it would take to charge the badge with Alpha radiation. No matter what happens, return to the waiting room by sunrise. Even with a little charge, Willow said the effect can be powerful."
"But…." Said Jenny.
"I'm hoping that the shock of getting her powers activated to a high degree once again will enable Willow to remember who she once was," said Giles, "maybe she won't remember everything, but enough to know she has power to help… she could be the key to preventing Buffy and Faith from dying."
"Will Willow be alright?" asked Joyce.
"I hope so," replied Giles shaking his head, "the truth is I don't know what will really happen. There is no way to know but… but if this prevents… if this gives us even a hope of saving Faith, Buffy, and Willow from being killed or taken back to hell, then I'm taking it."
"I agree," said Althanea as everyone looked at her, "Willow.. the Willow we know would have done everything to protect Faith, Buffy, and any of her friends. She'll take the risk.. I know she will."
After Anya attached the badge on the underside of the machine, she took a step back while noticing the badge giving off a yellow pulsing glow. She leaned back against the wall, and then slipped down onto the floor.
All she could do now was wait as she leaned her head back against the wall. They were about to go against a hell demon they knew nothing about; all with the backing of a vision that showed two Slayers were about to die, and that Willow was going to be dragged to hell once again.
"I hope Giles is right about the badge," whispered Anya, "or else we're all dead."
Willow's Room, Sunnydale Mercy, 0830 hours, hours before Cordelia's arrival at the hospital.
She could hear them.
Screams, growls, and grunts in the dark while she cowered, naked and alone. She would whimper while lying on the foetal position on the wet and sticky floor as the sounds surrounded her, moving all around her. She would open her eyes, looking through the tears and white hair into the darkness beyond. She would see multiple flaming orange eyes looking back at her. And just below the eyes, she could see mouths full of white, gleaming teeth.
Rows upon rows of sharp teeth.
"Get up," said a gentle female voice in the distance.
"It," said a rough male voice right next to her, just before she screamed in pain, excruciating pain because of her escape attempt, from being slashed in her back, "run, it. I want to hunt."
The voice, a deep, maniacal voice, laughed while she screamed again upon as she rolled on something wet, and hard. She sobbed as she looked down at the dark liquid she was rolling in; her blood. She then saw one end of the room lit up, and she screamed upon seeing thousands of skeletons all looking back at her.
Her skeletons.
The skeletons were haphazardly hung on the wall, blood dripping onto them from the ceiling. And 'it' just hung her head and sobbed. She didn't remember who she was, she didn't remember much of anything.. but she felt something in her. And it was that which made her scream again in anguish at where she was.
Hell.
She suddenly gasped as she felt the back of her neck being grabbed by talloned hands. She felt herself being lifted into the air. She looked over her shoulder and saw a being in a black suit and red tie taking form with the talons around her neck turning into fingers. And she knew the man as she screamed.
It was the same man who multiplied her pain. It was Borzan.
He widened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth before striking out with his tongue. It stabbed through her abdomen, and 'it' released a howl as tears came out of her eyes.
Borzan then pulled back his tongue before he licked the flowing blood from the wound, and moaned in ecstasy. He then laughed before he yelled over her screams while pointing at the wall, "Those skeletons are you, It!".
However, just beyond the screams, the young woman called 'It' could still hear a voice. A gentle voice.
"Keep your light away from the darkness," said the female voice as Borzan slammed 'It' onto the floor. The wetness all around her making a disgusting sound as she landed. He then hit her multiple times while she was whimpering and screaming in pain. All the while, she heard the voice in the distance, "push it deep within. You will need it one day, keep it safe… keep your humanity safe. Your memories will be fragmented, your mind will be broken; but not really. They are there, the pieces are deep within you, waiting to be united."
'It' was then picked up by her collarbone, literally, after Borzan dug his fingers into her skin. He then licked his lips while 'it' could only watch through tear stained eyes due to the intense pain going through her body, and the screams that were coming out of her lips. He looked at the brand on her chest, and locked his jaw. Borzan then smiled, saying that he was going to make sure that he brings one of her friends down to Hell.
"I am so close, 'it'," he yelled over her sobbing, "I will bring her here and I will watch your pain after you kill her."
But "It" didn't know what he was talking about. She didn't have anyone; she had dreams of a yellow haired young woman, and a few others, but those would fade due to the intense pain.
As it always has.
Those memories, she didn't know who they were… or why she was having them. But it didn't matter.
She saw Borzan lick his lips, and then slam her back down on the wet floor. He held his grip on her neck, and then pressed down with his other hand on her pelvis. He would then growl into the darkness. And 'it' would hear whines, followed by multiple footsteps running away. Borzan would then look down at her, and say that it was just them again.
"Before I go back to Earth again, my 'it'." That's the last thing he'd say before biting into her entire left side, and then biting down hard. She would scream so loud that the air would tremble as the sounds of bone breaking could be heard. Borzan would make her watch, in her last moments before she was back in her cell screaming in pain, as he ate her flesh.
Usually when she would be back in her cell, she would be screaming on a wet floor. Wet with her blood.
But this time, as she snapped her eyes open and sat up panting and whining, she saw that she was someplace different. She was lying on something soft, surrounding by objects that were attached to her body. She looked at the two people, a man and a woman, sleeping at the end of the room, and her face twisted in fear. She wanted to scream, but there was something telling her not to scream.
She remembered the two of them calling her Willow. She didn't know why they were calling her Willow. But it didn't matter.
The sound coming from the machines was too much for her. Willow pulled out the leads, with several jerking movements, that were attached to her pale skin, and then came the loud long beep. She whined as she covered her ears as the two people in front of her jerked awake. Willow whimpered as they got off what they were sleeping on, and rushed to her. She wondered at the looks of concern on their faces as the man reached somewhere behind her, and then sound went away.
Then came another sound, a disembodied voice that made Willow scrambled up what she had been laying on, and cowered against the wall.
"Crash cart to Room 614! Code Blue," said the voice as Willow whimpered.
"Willow," said the woman gently as the white haired young woman, whose body was shaking in fear, looked up slowly at the older redhead's red eyes. Willow then looked away and shook her head while whimpering. She closed her eyes and whimpered while rocking back and forth, and shaking her head. Willow felt someone sitting next to her, but she was afraid of opening her eyes.
She thought this was another on of Borzan's twisted tricks, and she didn't want to see him.
Then she heard a gentle male voice.
She felt someone gently stroking the back of her head, while someone else gently held on to one of her hands that was covering her ears. Willow opened her eyes to see a teary eyed woman giving her a small smile. She then looked to her right, with fear on her face as her heart raced expecting to see Borzan, instead she saw the man who had just been sleeping. He was sitting next to her, eyes red while wiping tears away with one hand as he stroked her hair with the other one.
"Willow," cried a voice as she cowered, moving away from the man, upon seeing people rush into the room. Willow saw Ira and Sheila looking back at the people who just ran in before saying that she had just woken up, "we… we heard the call and…"
"I need all of you out and… oh," said a man in a white coat who was clearly surprised to see Willow sitting up in bed. He then looked at Buffy and the others, the same people he had ordered out before gently asking them to leave once again. Willow looked at the doctor, and then at the object next to him, and two women in white uniforms. Willow then looked at the blonde, it was the same blonde in her dreams, and at the house last night. She then saw a dark haired young man, and few more people that she didn't recognize. Willow looked at them with fear in her heart, and then looked away whimpering softly.
"We.. we… should leave," said Buffy softly, "we heard the alarm go off and the person called for the cart to Willow's room number and…"
"Ba…aa… ff… ee," struggled Willow as she held both sides of her head while keeping her eyes closed. She recalled that same memory in her mind, of sitting on a bench, and the blonde facing her smiling and waving her hand.
"Hi, I'm Buffy."
"Willow?" asked Buffy as she took a slight step forward.
Willow opened her eyes again, and looked at the blonde young woman, and then back at Sheila and whined.
"She's your friend, Willow," said Sheila gently.
Willow then looked at Buffy, and then at the young man next to him. And Willow closed her eyes and held her head even tighter. She felt something within her trying to claw its way out, when she had a memory flash.
"Come on, Will," said a little boy while Willow was crying while sitting at a small table and surrounded by children, "it's only a yellow crayon."
The little Willow saw through tear stained eyes as the little dark haired boy reached into a box, and then took out a yellow crayon, and handed it to Willow.
"See," said the little boy with a smile on his face while Willow wiped her eyes, and nodded at the little boy.
"Thank you, Xander," Willow said as the little Xander grinned.
Willow opened her eyes, and found herself surrounded as the nurses approached her, along with the doctor. She looked at them, and then at the young man standing next to Buffy out of the corner of her eyes.
"Xa… ann… da," Willow struggled to speak as she looked at the young man who took a few steps forward, but stopped when Willow whined, and looked at Sheila.
"He's your friend too," said Ira softly.
"It's me, Will," whispered Xander as his voice cracked, "it's me."
"I think we should wait outside," said Jenny as she looked at Willow, whose body was shaking, and her heart broke at the sight. She then told Buffy, and Xander, to follow her before she put her hands in their shoulders and turned then around. Faith and Joyce were still outside, hoping for the best as Buffy and the others walked out of the door.
Joyce ran out of the waiting room, followed by Faith and Anya, who asked if Willow was in danger.
"She.. she just woke up," whispered Buffy, "I.. I should call Giles and…"
"I'll call Giles," said Jenny gently, "you guys should rest."
While Buffy and Xander were telling Joyce, Anya, and Faith that Willow seemed to remember their names, Jenny walked over to the payphone while wiping tears from her eyes. She had to call Giles' apartment where he was still researching Acathla's hell and any minions that he may have; as well as the meaning of the brand on Willow's chest. She had called him a few times already, asking the same questions as he researched with Lily, Althanea, Doyle, and Angel.
But the answer was always the same.
"We have nothing," he would say, "yet."
Back in Willow's room, the white haired young woman was gently being told by Ira and Sheila to tell them check on her. However, Willow would cower and whimper while shaking her head whenever they would approach her. Ira gently held on to Willow's hand, now by her side, and whispered that he and Sheila would be with her while they checked in on her.
"We're right here, Willow," cooed Sheila as she sat on one side of her daughter while gently stroking her back.
"We're not going anywhere," whispered Ira as the white haired young woman looked at him, and then at Sheila. In a few seconds, Willow started to relax as Ira tightened his hold on her hand. The Rosenberg's were with Willow the entire time while she was being checked out, the white haired young woman occasionally panicking… especially when a needle was being taken out of it's plastic covering, to draw blood. Her reaction was swift, with her body trembling while she was moving her lips without a sound coming out.
"The blood can be taken later," said Ira gently while iving the nurses and the doctors a look that silently asked them to give his family a moment alone. Once the doctor discretely nodded his head, Ira turned towards Willow while holding her hand, "Willow."
Willow looked at Ira as he repeated himself in a gentle voice. The young woman then started to calm down while the doctor put the needle away. He and the nurses then continued their surface examinations, and… about an hour later, he had already left… but not before saying that he'll make sure that Willow has something to eat and drink.
"I'll have the blood test results soon," said the doctor, "in the meantime, please see that she gets some water."
"Of course," said Sheila nodding her head before she reached for the bedside table while the doctor and his nurses left the room. The redhead poured some water into a cup; something that widened Willow's eyes before she licked her lips. Placing a straw into the cup, Sheila brought it to Willow's lips. Sucking the cool, clear liquid through the straw, Willow moaned as it hit her tongue and then the back of her throat. She felt her face cool down, and then she felt the cooling sensation going down her throat, and then through her entire body as she finished the water in the cup. Releasing the straw from her lips, Sheila refilled it and then brought it to Willow's lips again. Drinking the water while looking at Sheila, Willow didn't notice Ira had gotten off the bed, and then headed towards the closed blinds. Ira pulled the blinds open as sunlight streamed in, and hit the bed. Upon seeing the light, Willow's eyes opened in wonder as more beams of light hit her feet… and her entire body tingled.
She turned and looked at the brightly lit sky, and the birds on the green leafed trees right outside the window.
Willow couldn't tell why, but she felt alive. As Ira pulled the blinds back and more sunlight streamed in, the white haired young woman felt her body getting warm. It wasn't like while she was in Hell… she didn't feel her skin peeling and then melting away before she was eaten.
This was different.
Willow felt alive. She then saw Ira sitting next to her again. He leaned forward while stroking the back of her head, and placed his forehead on the side of her head. Ordinarily, she would be moving away from anyone… but there was something telling Willow that she was safe.
She wasn't in Hell anymore. And now she just needed to find out who was.
TBC.