Chapter Two

Irina arrived home from the grocery around noon. She had picked up ingredients for a popular Russian veggie soup, salad and wine for Dinner and sat down to make some notes. After a few minutes, she picked up the phone. "Alexander, you have a telegram that outlines my new recipe and I would like immediate feedback." She hung up before the man could respond to her coded message.

The facts she had thus far were, the slayer and demons existed, there was an American underground military operation going on in this town concerning demons, and she had a few leads to get information easily. She tapped her pen on the table, as she looked over her notes once more before deciding to make the salad.

After she hung up with Willow on a decision to meet her at this magic box place, Irina made another phone call. "Marshall Flinkman at your service ma'am." The man said with a big smile.

- - - - - - -

Willow sat in the park waiting for Oz. She had told him to meet her here at 12:30, hoping to have this over with well before 2pm. Her heart ached for what she was about to do but she found no other resolution to their current problem. "Hey Oz," she said softly, as he sat down.

"Will, I," his eyes were downcast, as he looked around the park. "You know I don't have control over the wolf Willow. I would never do such a thing to you and certainly wouldn't hurt you."

"That's the thing Oz," Willow's pained expression was clear to him as she spoke. He coiled away from her as if he knew what was coming. "Oz, I know you care for me and I will always care for you. You can't control the wolf; it could hurt me by sleeping with other wolves or by physical force. This might be a cowardly way out but I have to end things Oz. It would devastate you if you did hurt me and I don't want to do that to you."

Tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke and Oz struggled with tears and anger. He felt Willow was bailing on him without giving him the chance to control things and that was unfair. "Willow how could you do this to us?" He bellowed in the loudest tone he had most certainly ever used.

His features struggled between those of human and wolf as he fought to keep control. "That is exactly why Oz. You love me to much! I am your weakness! If you don't have me, maybe you can learn to control the wolf!" She shouted then ran off, not out of anger but fear of what would happen if the wolf came out.

- - - - - -

"I'm not sure, she's a literature professor and took down Oz and Veruca with ease," Willow was in mid-conversation with Giles when Xander came in with his girlfriend, Anya who used to be a vengeance demon. "Anyhow, I think she might be involved with the initiative but I'm not sure so I invited her here to meet with you."

"Well, perhaps that was the best idea. We need something more to go on then what we have at the moment." Giles asserted thoughtfully.

"Which would be nothing." Xander added dryly. "You said she took down Oz and Veruca? Where is Oz-man at now?"

Willow's eyes dropped to the floor. "It's a long story but," she fought off tears as the front door opened. "I had to call things off, he was losing control of the wolf more and more, and I think I'm the cause."

As Willow spoke, in walked beauty personified in Xander's eyes. A tall, slim woman with dark eyes and long blonde hair which was a wig obtained by Irina to help her cover. "Hi," Willow said, as she tried to wipe her eyes. "Irina, this is Giles, Xander and Anya, guys this is my new friend, Irina Evans."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Giles said, as he shook the woman's hand.

"Yours as well," Irina said with a smile, as she shook all their hands.

"Wow," Xander muttered which garnered him a slap on the arm from Anya.

Would you like a cup of tea?" Giles offered in his best masculine voice.

"No thank you," Irina replied with a friendly smile. "Willow, I am sorry to hear what you have gone through earlier today." She gave the redhead a comforting hug.

"I'll be all right," Willow said relaxing in the strong embrace.

"Willow tells me you know something about demons?" Giles probed to gauge the situation.

"Yes," Irina said cryptically. She spent months in a KGB prison being tortured. This man certainly wasn't going to gain any ground until she was ready.

"What is your extent in studies of demons, have you heard of the watchers council?" Giles decided to play a card but shrugged inwardly when he could read nothing on her face.

"They are an organization that helps in the fight of demonic creature destruction is the extent of my knowledge of this council." Irina answered curtly.

"Let's cut to the chase," Xander cleared his throat, as Willow gave Irina an apologetic look. "You took down the wolves last night, why didn't you kill them?" Xander piped up not trusting anyone of late.

"I don't normally carry bullets for werewolf killing," was Irina's response. Now, what is it that you really wish to know?"

"Irina, I'm sorry, really. I didn't know they were going to grill you like some common criminal or something." Willow said with a distaste-filled tone of voice.

"The council employees a lady to aid them in their fight to rid the world of evil." Anya began with authority in her voice. "We have reason to believe she has defected to this underground operation called the initiative and we want to know if you know anything about it."

"No I do not but it is not expected of you to believe this as you do not know me." Irina said with a smile.

"We don't know that she's defected for sure," Willow added in a very unsure tone. "I can't see Buffy going all evil-y."

"We don't even know how to get into their headquarters. We only have a description of caged demons from Buffy upon her first entrance." Giles said and shrugged his shoulders.

"How long has it been since any of you have seen Buffy?" Irina asked frankly.

"Two weeks tops," Xander offered up in a snarling tone.

Irina shook her head in wonderment as to how these people coped without better organization. "I'll need a map of the inner workings of the campus." She stated as she looked at Willow. She had a few more questions for the redhead but decided those could wait. "We can meet back here after dinner this evening."

"Perhaps we should step into the training room for a bit so that I can give you a quick brush up course." Giles offered.

"Very well," Irina said and stood to accompany Giles to the training room.

"We may have just walked into a huge trap." Xander said not liking the demeanor of the beautiful woman.

"Yes I agree," Anya replied with a smug look on her face.

"Will, why don't you do a background search on this woman," Xander offered out of desperation for any answer. He wanted some inkling of hope that not all was lost.

"I trust her but I will do it for you all." Willow said and turned on her laptop.

"Why don't you try and contact Buffy. Just in case she still cares," Anya offered to her worried boyfriend.

"Yeah I think I better do that. Will probably got us in way to deep." Xander mumbled under his breath and headed for the phone.

- - - - - -

Willow and Irina arrived at her apartment and sat down on the sofa. "So, I will go make this soup and you get me the map?" Irina asked flashing a big smile at Willow.

"Sure, I think they have a top-notch security system too. It might take me some time to get in, I know computers, but well, some things are hard." Willow blushed not wanting to seem to geekie.

"Just get the map as now," Irina pulled out her laptop. "There is no need for you to go after your computer. This one has very good programs for mapping out entrance points and so forth."

Willow worked on the map while Irina finished making dinner. It would have been easier if she had known more of the infrastructure of the lab the initiative used. She managed to map out a good entrance area but it would most definitely entail shutting down their security. "Have you finished?" Irina asked with a smile, as she looked down at Willow's work. "Dinner is ready," she moved the computer from Willow's lap and gestured towards the kitchen.

"It smells yummy," Willow said with a smile, as she followed Irina in the kitchen. "I have the map but there is no way in without breaking their security code."

"The easiest way to do this is to shut down power in the entire town. Once I get close enough, I will let you know to disable. This will give me a short time before a possible generator kicks in to enter the facility." Irina said not wanting to show off so much of her knowledge but she had to get inside that place and gain access to whatever information she could find. Buffy wasn't her main priority by any means but a good reason to get a little back up while going in.

Willow got the distinct impression that Irina had done this before in some fashion but there was no time for questions. She needed answers about or from Buffy no matter what. "That sounds like a plan. Buffy never had good plans and so it took us quite awhile most of the time to get something finished minus your run of the mill staking and beheadings."

Irina chuckled with a grin on her face. She recalled the training room earlier, where Giles was trying to train her with primitive weapons such as a stake and sword. She had calmly gone along with his session but knew he would soon be surprised as to her weapons of choice. She shrugged her shoulders at the thought of this Council organization sending a young girl to fight with such primitive weaponry. Certainly, the girl had an added bonus of extra-human strength but her life would have been so much easier had she been given some form of clearance to use modern weaponry.

As they ate dinner, they discussed Oz. Willow told Irina how things had been shaky of late, about Veruca and what she saw them doing before Irina rescued her. This news was pleasing to Irina because she had to gain Willow's full trust and felt there was slight sexual sparks between the two. "It is sad that you had to call things off with him. You are so right though Willow, many people allow love to control the mind and this could become fatal for Oz given his situation." Irina placed her hands on Willow's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "The main lesson in life is to never second-guess a decision you have made. It is a sign of weakness and if you plan to help this slayer in her quest to defeat these creatures, you can not show your weaknesses to them."

As Irina looked into Willow's eyes and firmly massaged her shoulders, Willow felt weak in the knees. It was as if this woman had total control of her emotions. That would normally rattle Willow's nerves but her head was too fogged by Irina to let anything nerve her. She didn't know what else to do but listen to the woman speak and relax in her gaze.

Irina judged Willow's body language and knew she had scored an easy target. She felt a fondness for the young girl but shoved it away, as she gently brushed her lips to Willow's. There was no sign of the girl backing off so she deepened the kiss slightly. She didn't want to rush nor frighten the girl off before she had the information she needed plus the added bonus of a night or two of pleasure.

Willow surprised herself when she welcomed the entrance of Irina's tongue in her mouth. Somehow, this all felt right and nothing else mattered. She jerked slightly when Irina's cell rang then Irina smiled and pulled away. "Yes?" Irina said, as she cleared her throat.

"Ira, Maggie Walsh, initiative." Alexander said cryptically then hung up.

Irina's gaze gave nothing away as she spoke to Willow. "I suppose if we want to find your friend Buffy, you should get going and tell your friends where we shall meet." Irina kissed Willow lightly so as not to give the young woman the impression she was brushing her off.

"Yeah I guess you're right," Willow said with shock still evident on her face, as she left the apartment.

Irina's face seethed with anger once she was alone. Maggie Walsh had been Jack's new lady for the last few years. The question she asked herself was, did he know what she was doing? Was Sydney in any danger? She decided that if Sydney were in any danger, she would kill them both; cover be damned. She gained control of her moment of rage long enough to briefly study Willow's diagram. She then put on a leather jacket with some very small looking weapons in the pockets. She also got a small camera, which looked like a watch, ready to start filming. "Time to rescue a slayer." She laughed and headed out the door.

- - - - - - -

Xander and Giles stood impatiently a safe distance from the compound of the initiative. "So, what do we do if she's on their side G-man?" Xander probed angrily. "I can't believe Will trusts someone we hardly know so fast."

"I don't see that we have much of a choice to trust her at this point. We could be facing dire circumstances inside that operation. I do hope we can find Buffy, I'm growing rather worried about her." Giles shrugged as he spoke. He had not heard one word from his slayer in several days and felt there was need for concern. Even when she had fallen for some guy, she kept in regular contact with him.

"The woman is waiting near the front entrance. We have to head for the back," Anya raced towards the men with instructions.

"Xander, you go with um, what is her name again?" Giles offered.

"No, she said for us to go in the back and she'd take the front." Anya further instructed.

"I will not be ordered around by some foreigner that we don't even know." Xander said firmly. "Besides, she may need someone to watch her as well."

Just then, everything went black. The town's power was successfully shut down. "No time for disagreeing," Giles shouted and rushed for the entrance.

- - - - - - -

Irina moved swiftly through the main entrance as Willow entered a good distance behind her. She used what looked like an ink pen to disable any running cameras minus her own. She then turned down a corridor and zapped two armed guards with an electrical bolt that came from what looked like a ring on her finger. She disarmed both men, took their pass codes, their weapons, and a computer disk from one.

"Red," she heard an English accented voice shout. She turned and noted that a vampire was rushing towards Willow. He looked warn down and badly beaten. She lifted a beeping object from her pocket and examined it. "He's got some form of computer circuit," she said softly and decided this one needed to live for the time being.

"Red, get me out of here, they've chipped me and given me a number. They've got all kinds of demons caged!" Spike shouted in an angered yet frightened tone.

"I can't get you out until you help me find Buffy!" Willow shouted.

"Irina moved quickly away from the two with a smirk on her face. "Silence might help our case slightly," she mumbled to herself.

"Willow! We saw Buffy but can't get to her!" Anya shouted. "There are demons in cages everywhere down there and many guards."

Irina decided she had better go with the gang. She hoped there was enough info on the disk to tell her what to do next, after the rescue. She walked quickly up to the gang. "Irina, this is Spike, he's, well, they've done something to him." Willow offered in way of explanation quickly.

"If you're trained, it's time you show us something believable!" Xander roared, as a big lumbering beast that looked half-human and half demon came at them firing weapons. "Run!" Spike shouted. "That is Adam, a special project as I'm told!"

Irina's beeper went off again letting her know this thing too had some form of computer circuitry. She lifted what looked like a small pistol from her jacket and fired. Adam jolted backwards but fired back at her. She fired again and again but he kept firing back. "That's the creature that almost killed Buffy!" Giles shouted in a maddening voice.

"What are you guys doing down here!" Buffy, who seemed to have appeared from nowhere, shouted with venom in her voice. "Get out now!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Xander shouted back at her as he stood in front of a crouched down Spike.

"We're looking for hostile 17 Buffy! We don't have time for this!" Riley shouted before he realized that Buffy was having a confrontation with her friends.

While all the shouting was going on, Willow stood stock still and watched Irina battle the huge hybrid creature. Upon Riley's shout, she realized Buffy was there and maybe was fully working with Riley and condoning these experimentations to be done on demons. She didn't speak nor make any visible notations of being stunned or hurt by this but felt deep pain for some reason unbeknownst to her.

Adam made several lunges at Irina with his demon-like arm, as he fired weapons out of his other. She was smart enough to sidestep him while she moved some object around his body. She was also able to make mental notes of everything the arguing people behind her were saying. "Buffy we've got to get hostile 17 before he ruins what we've done!" Riley shouted again and Buffy followed him away.

Irina fired at Adam again then turned and ran off with the others behind her. She ran to the caged demons and began shooting the locks off several cages. "Destroy all who are tagged!" She shouted as the gang began killing the creatures before they had time to orient themselves to fight back.

As the number of demons dwindled, more at the hands of Irina then the gang, Spike turned to run from the building that still held many caged creatures. "I think you need to come with us." Giles ordered the bleached-blonde vampire.

"Anything is better than where I was." Spike sniped back, as he studied Irina with great interest.

"It's interrogation time!" Xander shouted with authority, as they all headed for Giles' apartment.

Irina placed her hand gently on Willow's arm. The young woman looked so frail and hurt that Irina did feel for her. "Willow, will you be all right with your friends or would you like to come with me?"

"I think you need to come with us also, you have some answering to do." Giles ordered, as he remembered the gadgets that Irina had used to fight Adam and destroy a large number of demons as they left the complex.

She turned her gaze on the man quickly. It was a gaze of coldness that made him tremble inwardly. "There are answers I can not give you at this time." She said sternly. There was no way Irina was going to allow herself to be ordered around by a bunch of rank amateurs.

"I-I-I want to make sure they don't kill Spike but if you're going to be up awhile," Willow looked away not understanding why she wanted this woman's company so badly.

"Of course I will be up if you need the company Willow." She said in a low soothing voice, as they all parted ways.