"Sure, Boss. Whenever you need the job done, you let me know." Faith smirked. "So what kinda info can some old guy at the school know? I mean, B told me yesterday Wes and Giles don't have anything on the Ascension."
"They don't?" The Mayor smiled in pleasure. "I bet that's really getting to them. After all, my Ascension is just around the corner."
Shrugging, Faith said, "I hate to be giving you bad news, but Wes isn't the finest example of a Watcher on the planet." She sat up, "What's next?"
"I think we need to move my box to a more secure location," the older man replied. "Why don't you take it upstairs to that unused conference room?" He reached into his desk and pulled out a sealed bottle. "Once you have it in place, pour this in a circle around the box."
"Whatever." The Slayer stood up and grabbed the box. "I'll take my new book and read while I keep it safe."
Her words drew a fond laugh from the Mayor. "Faith, there's no call for you to be up so late. That's what all those vampires are for. Just have a couple of them guard the door. Why don't you head home and get some rest? It's been a busy few days for you."
"OK, Boss. I'll be on my way just as soon as this thing's upstairs." She left the office and strolled back to the main entrance.
"Hey, the Mayor needs a couple of your boys for guard duty," she announced to the skinny vampire behind the desk. The Slayer showed him the box. "Super important ingredients for the Ascension."
Glaring at her with yellow eyes, the demon didn't answer at first. "Just two?" it finally asked.
"Yeah, that's what he said. I'm taking this upstairs to the conference room."
The demon grunted. "I'll send a couple of the guys up in a few minutes, then. Think you can handle it all by yourself for that long?"
Giving the arrogant vampire her best come hither look. "Oh, I think I'll be OK. But, make sure I'm not alone too long. You never know what kind of bad things I could get up to." Laughing at the vamp's stunned look, she sauntered to the stairs. It was a long climb, and Faith used the time to rework her plan. No way was she killing another human. Once, even if it had been an accident, was too much. The Rogue Slayer knew she couldn't risk leaving, though, until she had more information on the Ascension.
Exiting the stairwell, she crossed the hallway and opened the conference room. This was the only entrance. She dropped the box on the gleaming table, poured the pale green powder around it, and turned to leave. Fuck, the door ain't the only way in. Faith looked up. There was a skylight in the ceiling. Remembering Buffy hiding in the bushes outside the building, the Slayer hoped the blonde had called in reinforcements. Short of knocking out the two vampire guards, and giving away her own plans, Faith had only one way to help the other Slayer. On her way out, she locked the door from the inside.
Buffy hopped out of Wesley's SUV and waited impatiently for Angel and Willow to join her. She wanted to get this over with so she could get home and think about the whole "feeling Faith" thing. Once the hacker and the vampire climbed out of the vehicle, Giles reminded them, "Now remember, if anything should go awry, Wesley and I will create a diversion."
The Slayer barely held back her snort of laughter. Right, Giles. Like either one of you will notice something's wrong. You'll be too busy sipping tea and sharing stories of boarding school.
"Gotcha, Giles. Let's go, guys." She trotted toward the emergency ladder. Angel used his greater height to pull it down to street level. Willow climbed first, her progress slow and marked by frequent stops. As soon as she reached the top, Angel and Buffy followed. It was cold and windy on the roof. The three Scoobies huddled close together as they peered through the skylight into the conference room below. The box sat on a table directly beneath the glass.
Angel opened one of the glass panels and Buffy dragged a heavy magic book from Will's bag and handed it to the witch. She opened, and then held onto, a large decanter of powder.
"Thanks," the redhead mumbled, focused on the task at hand. Flipping through the book, the witch frowned in concentration. Holding the book in front of her, she took the glass container and began pouring the powder through the skylight onto the box. As the crystals fell, she chanted in Latin. Where the powder touched the box, blue and green lights flashed. The box appeared to be surrounded by a bubble. Finally, Willow reached the last of the powder. With a flourish of her hand, she finished the incantation. The shield around the box imploded soundlessly. "Oh, yeah, I'm bad," the redhead said triumphantly.
"Four stars, Will," Buffy agreed. "Now," she handed the bag back to her friend, "get gone." The redhead nodded and ran back to the ladder. Angel strapped the harness around the Slayer's waist and she clambered over the window ledge. The slow trip down was harrowing. The pulley apparatus squeaked every time she dropped lower, and Angel's grunts of effort weren't exactly good for her nerves. A few feet from the box, the blonde inverted herself and reached for her prize. As soon she lifted it from the table, an alarm sounded.
"Damn. Angel, it's time to go!" she shouted.
"The pulley's jammed," he called back, yanking impotently on the cable.
Seconds passed as Slayer and box dangled in mid-air. Buffy could hear guards trying to get into the room, but for some reason the door had been locked from the inside. They pounded and kicked at the heavy wooden door, but hadn't yet gotten in.
The blonde glanced up at Angel. Things didn't look too promising on the roof. The vampire must have had the same realization. He gave up on the equipment and leaped through the skylight, landing beside the Slayer just as the conference room door burst open. Two vampires in game face charged in. Since Buffy was still trapped in the harness, Angel grabbed the box and swung it at the guards. The Slayer used the extra time to unwrap the waist belt. Jumping from the table, she joined the fight. The two vampires were good, not the run of the mill kind the Slayer usually faced.
The fight destroyed a good portion of the furniture in the room before they were able to pin the guards to the floor with the heavy conference table. Sprinting from the room with the box clutched tightly to her chest, Buffy smiled. Things might not have gone according to plan, but they had the box. Once Willow did her ritual, the threat of the Ascension was over.
Faith hadn't left for her apartment after securing the box. Instead, she'd found an empty office and sat down to read. It wasn't a normal occupation for the self-styled Action Girl, but she desperately wanted to know more about the Ascension. Paging through the old, yellowed pages, the Slayer found little to help her. While it was interesting to learn that Polgara demons discharged wooden spikes from their hands, there was nothing that screamed "read me" to the bored teen. Deciding to call it a night, she stood. Leaving the office, she trudged wearily to a seldom used emergency exit. Stepping outside, she paused to take a breath of fresh air.
Behind her, an alarm sounded. The box! B must have found a way in. She glanced around. None of the Mayor's vampire guards were in the area. Smiling, Faith started to simply walk away. A noise from above, though, caught her attention. Closing her eyes in disbelief, the Rogue Slayer watched Willow climbing down a fire ladder. She'd never gotten along with the fiery redhead, but maybe she could let the witch know about the contents of the box.
Stepping into the shadows, she waited until the older girl was back on the ground before saying hoarsely, "Hey, Red. Nice night for stargazing. How was the view up there?"
She expected a shriek or the trademark babble. She wasn't expecting Willow to flick her right hand and mumble something. A spark of blue fire jumped from the girl's outstretched fingers. If Willow's aim had been better, or Faith's reflexes a hair slower, the brunette would have been more than singed around the edges. Luckily for her, the flame slammed harmlessly into the side of the building.
"Fuck, Willow. Just wanted to make sure you got out of here safely. Leave the hocus pocus for another time," she snarled. Her senses tingled. Damn, a vamp. "Red, this is real important. You gotta play along. One of the Mayor's boys is coming around the corner." She stepped closer to the confused redhead and pulled her knife. "I'll make sure no one hurts you, but I can't let the Mayor suspect I'm helping you out."
She grabbed the witch roughly, pressing the knife against her throat just as the vampire ran around the corner. "I've got this one. Take a look for the others. They were on the roof," the Slayer called out. In a softer voice, she explained to her captive. "I've got to take you to the Boss. Too many eyes here. Stay cool."
Dragging a reluctant Willow into the building, Faith took the elevator to the top floor. Exiting the car, the brunette could hear the Mayor shouting in the conference room about the missing box.
"Hey, Boss," she said huskily from the door. "The Scoobies may have your box, but looky what we got." She swung Willow in front of her. The Mayor's smile at her statement filled her with fear.
Buffy faced Giles and the gang. "How did you…how did this happen?" she demanded.
"We thought she stayed with you," Giles answered. He looked old, worn. The box sat unexamined on the library table. No one even glanced at it. They were too focused on their missing friend.
"They must have found her when she hit the ground," Angel said quietly. "I'm sorry, Buffy."
"Sorry won't get Will back." She started pacing. "We have to go back for her."
"Buffy, I don't think that's prudent. The Mayor will surely expect us to come for her," Giles pointed out.
"I don't care," the Slayer exclaimed. "Giles, it's Willow."
"You're all missing the point." Wesley straightened his tie. "There is far more at stake than one girl's life." He held up a narrow hand to stop the protest. "We must destroy the box."
"No." Buffy was adamant. "The box is our bargaining chip. They won't kill Will as long as we have it."
Wesley's nasal voice rang through the room. "You're assuming they haven't already."
A shocked silence descended on the room. "I need a volunteer to hit Wesley," Xander said.
"Giles, you know I'm right about this," the young Watcher stated.
Angrily, Buffy took a step forward. "Wes, you want to duck and cover?"
The impeccably dressed man spun to face the Slayer. "Damn it. This box is the key to the Mayor's Ascension. Thousands of lives depend on our destroying it."
It was a point Buffy badly wanted to argue. But her conscience nagged at her. No matter how much she disliked the other man, he was right. Dropping her head, she turned away. Oz sat quietly in a chair, face expressionless. "Oz, I swear, no one's going to hurt her."
The young werewolf merely nodded.
In a voice barely above a whisper, the Slayer instructed. "Destroy the damned box. I'm going back to City Hall." She looked at Giles. "If I don't make it back, Faith is the new Slayer. You know what to do."
Lips pressed tightly together, the ex-Watcher nodded. "Indeed, my dear. Be careful."
No one noticed Oz get up during the tense exchange, but everyone looked at him in horror when the urn for the spell shattered against the wall.
"OK. New game plan," Buffy said into the silence. "We make a trade; the box for Willow. Giles, make the phone call."