Verbena, April 2025
"Between Simon, River, and Oz we're pretty confident about the Academy's layout. They're not expecting us. We have the supernatural on our side. Our numbers are more than I dared to hope for. I'm not saying this is going to be easy, but I feel like we actually have a fighting chance. For once, we're not going in half-cocked." Lacey told the Scoobies and the crew of Serenity. Plans for the impending attack on the Academy were in the polishing stages, and those present in this room were the only ones who knew every aspect of the plan… well, nearly every aspect.
"Legacy, we need to talk." Oz said quietly.
"Usually that phrase precedes a break-up, and as you're dating the most powerful woman I've ever met, I accept. No hard feelings." Lacey teased.
Oz didn't even offer a half-hearted smile.
"Āiyā, this is serious, isn't it?"
Oz nodded.
Lacey sat.
"You're determined to take out the Academy?"
Lacey raised an eyebrow, "You saying we shouldn't?"
"No. It needs to be done."
"Then yeah, I'm determined."
"In that case, there are some things you need to know. Specifically, about who runs the Academy."
"You trying to say it's not the Alliance?"
"I mean the individual in charge of it."
"I'm listening."
"You remember D'Hoffryn?"
"King of the Vengeance Demons, D'Hoffryn?"
"Yeah."
"He's in charge of the Academy?"
Oz nodded.
River appeared through one of the bedroom windows, "Blames the Slayer's for breaking his favorite toy."
Lacey paled, "Anya."
River nodded before ghosting out the door.
Lacey turned back to Oz.
The werewolf shifted uncomfortably, "She's right. In theory, no one escapes from the Academy, so information flows pretty freely. D'Hoffryn spent some, er… quality time with me because I was actually a friend to the Slayers, the real Slayers, the ones he blamed for Anya's death. He always held some hope she'd come back to him, then she died helping the Slayers."
Lacey balled up her fists, "So he did what he does best. He plotted revenge. He targeted Slayers."
Oz nodded, "Taking him out won't be easy. He's changed. The exodus from earth gave him new powers, including being able to look human. Turns out earth dying left a lot of people wanting vengeance for… well, anything. They felt cheated and jilted and just wanted someone to pay. He gained a strength he never had on earth."
Lacey nodded wearily, the information sinking in, "Have you told anyone else about this?"
Oz shook his head, grinning slightly, "It would just lead to panic, if not outright disbelief, if everyone knew. Besides, you've the strategist."
Lacey chuckled mirthlessly before shaking her head and gathering her thoughts. "Okay, we need Will. She may know of a way we can weaken him."
"Giles has but face." Buffy voice pulled Lacey back to the present.
"Shénme?" Lacey queried, silently cursing herself for not paying attention.
Buffy wasn't even phased, "You were listing all our advantages, but now Giles has but face."
"What's the old man's face gotta do with a pìgu?"
Faith snorted out her laughter.
"Not like that Jayne. She means it looks like he's about to say something along the lines of 'That's all well and good, but this, this, and this could go wrong.'" Lacey affected a Giles' British accent, smirking at the annoyance in the Watcher's face.
"I don't mean to be a spoilsport," Giles began, "but honestly, we don't know what to expect going in there. You said River had some sort of trigger the Academy implanted to set her off. I think it's safe to assume that is true of the Academy's 'students'. We have no way of knowing exactly what we're walking into."
"Well, you know what they say about assuming." Xander quipped, resulting in chuckles from the Scoobies and a glare from Giles.
Lacey bit off her laughter and stepped in, "Giles, I'm not denying that possibility. But we have to try. Now that we know more about the le –" Lacey cut herself off before she could give away too much, "Knowing what we do about the Academy, we cannot let it go on. Will's pretty sure she can come up with a spell that will render the triggers useless."
A few of the assembled gave Lacey strange looks, but the ones who needed to know what she almost said already knew.
"I can't do anything about D'Hoffryn's strength." Willow said dejectedly.
"Jiàn tā de guǐ!" Lacey slammed her fist into the barn wall.
Willow flinched.
"Sorry, Will… it's not your fault. It's just… if what Oz said is true, I don't know if we'll be able to take D'Hoffryn without something above and beyond the norm."
"I know… look, I understand why you don't want to tell Xander about this, but we need to tell Buffy and Faith."
Lacey nodded and turned to lean her back against the wall.
"Do you want me to go get them?"
Lacey shook her head as she closed her eyes and pushed her thoughts toward River. She felt the girls consciousness ghost an acknowledgment across her mind before reopening her eyes, "River will bring them."
Five minutes later, the four true Slayers and their witch were gathered in barn. Willow cast a quick spell to make sure they wouldn't be overheard and Lacey explained the situation.
Unsurprisingly, Faith was the first to speak, "Tā mā de!"
Buffy just took a deep breath, "You can't weaken him at all, Will?"
Willow shook her head sadly, "I haven't been able to find anything."
"What about making us stronger?" Faith suggested.
"Maybe?" Willow shrugged a little helplessly.
River balanced precariously on her toes on a stall door, "Legion: a vast host, multitude, or number of people or things. Unify: to join; to make or become whole."
The other three women stared at the youngest Slayer. A memory was fighting to surface in Buffy's mind.
Suddenly the blonde gasped. "Adam!"
River beamed.
Faith looked confused, "Adam?"
Buffy rushed to explain, "He was a monster created by the Initiative back on earth. We used an enjoining spell to defeat him."
"So we have a plan." Mal's voice broke through Lacey's thoughts this time.
She nodded exchanged quick glances with Buffy, Faith, River, and Willow before nodding, "We have a plan."
Translations:
Āiyā – shit
Shénme – what
pìgu – butt
Jiàn tā de guǐ – damn it/to hell with it
Tā mā de – f***