The Downside of Elemental Dieseling
Author: Nickeltaffy
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah…These characters are Joss's. I don't own them, never did and never will. Thanks for the loan, Joss.
Spike has just recovered from being a four year old the previous day. While trying to get back to life as usual, what if the stone wasn't done messing with the blonde vampire? Sequel to: Turning the Helical Gear.
…
Chapter 11
"What were the bleedin odds?" Spike grumbled to himself as he rapidly fled from Fred and tried to lose himself in the garage. "The absolute last person I want to see and she literally jumps out in front of me!"
Running with the ungainly relic in his arms, he nervously looked back over his shoulder to see if he had managed to evade Fred. It didn't help that he was still dressed in gold lame ensemble that Shirley had bought for him that seemed to gleam in the slightest light. His small iridescently clad feet slapped against the smooth dark concrete of the garage, creating a hollow echo behind him as he navigated between the parked cars, hoping to stay in the shadows. The unwieldy vase bounced unpredictably in his arms as he tried to lose himself amongst the myriad of levels. As he did, the bulbous edge of the lid would occasionally hit his chin with sharp pain making him inwardly curse the blasted thing. It was so irritating that if he had had his way, he would just smash the stupid jar and be done with it. Of course, it would be too easy. Just his luck! The only thing he had in his favor was that because of his small size, his head was not even visible as he moved in between the vehicles trying to elude his friend.
"Spike! Spike! Come back here! We're your friends!" Fred called out from where she stood in front of the car Gunn was driving. "Don't run away!'
Stretching her neck, she peered into the recesses of the darkening garage for a sight of the small blonde figure. Seeing no indication of Spike or his imminent return, she quickly turned and climbed back into the passenger seat of the car, pointing Gunn to drive forward slowly to search for their friend.
"Yeah, tha's prolly not the best idea, pet." Spike thought as he re-adjusted his arms around the urn as he quickly moved in the tight space between the garage's wall and the parked cars.
After a few minutes of running amongst the cars to elude Gunn and Fred, Spike finally paused in his escape in a deep shadow cast by a large SUV. He huddled against the industrially textured gray cement wall, making sure to keep out of sight. The harsh ragged sound of his unneeded breathing from his nose seemed to be louder than naturally possible. Holding his breath, he cocked his head to listen to see if his friends were successfully pursuing him. He heard the increasingly distant crunching sound of the vehicle's tires on the concrete as Fred and Gunn slowly searched the levels of the parking garage up above him.
"Good, let them think I'm up there." He thought as he relaxed a bit next to the large vehicle's grill. He placed the relic on the cement floor in front of him as he sat back on his rump to consider his next move. He straightened his legs on each side of the urn as he thought about his current predicament. As he sat there, his eyes landed on some curious marks that his blood from his chin had made visible. It appeared around the lip of the vessel. He peered at the marks closely, his nose almost touching the ceramic. He shifted the vessel to one side to see them clearer. There was tiny writing hidden between lines of design, not easily discernable. It was likely no one would have ever noticed it there. Becoming still, he studied the writing on the lip of the urn. His brow wrinkled at the inscription between his hands. He tilted his head and stared off into space as he pondered the meaning. His fingers absentmindedly traveled with a mind of their own over the bumpy surface of the vessel before a grin broke out across his face.
"Well, what do ya know about that!" Spike softly announced with a self-satisfied air. "I guess Spikey gets to be the dashingly handsome hero, after all!"
…
With heightened emotion flushing his face, Angel furiously followed Spike's scent to the air vent screen at the far side of the room. Barely able to keep his demon in check, he curled his fingers around it and roughly pulled it from the wall with a growl. Immediately getting down on his hands and knees, he stuck his head into the opening.
"Spike!" He urgently yelled. "Spike, come back here!"
"Do you see him?" Wes asked, hopefully as his gaze traveled between his friend and the increasing glow coming from the doors to Taras' office.
Angel pulled his head from the opening, frowning and grumbled. "No! I can't believe he pulled this stunt."
Thrusting his head back in the opening, he shouted. "Spike! You better get yourself back here pronto, young man or there's going to be some consequences." He paused listening for movement. Then with renewed irritation, he threatened. "If you're not back her in the next thirty seconds, you're not going to be able to sit down for a week, Mister. I mean it."
"Uh, Angel. I don't think that is the best tactic in this situation. Remember, we do want him and the vessel to come back directly." Wes said softly and patted Angel on the shoulder.
Oh, right…right." Angel retracted his head and looked sheepishly up at the watcher. He turned his head back and called out amiably into the HVAC void. "Uh, Spike! Hey buddy, um…come on back. No one is in trouble. It was just a little joke….Spike? "
It was just then that the sound of humming coming from the glowing office doors intensified, making both men stop and look at increasingly imminent threat at the end of the room.
…..
Slowly getting to his feet, Spike peered around the edge of the SUV out into the nearby garage to see if the coast was clear. From his vantage point, he did not see anyone in the immediate area. Picking up the vase, as he also looked over the short wall of the parking garage out to the street. He was about level with the top of the street lights, which were humming as they powered up, meaning it was just about dusk. He estimated that he was on the second floor, so by the time he got down to street level, the sun would be below the horizon. He had only one more ramp and then he could get out to the street. Then all he had to do was go a few blocks and this latest threat would be resolved. Again he cursed at his size. At his full size, he would have just jumped the short wall and landed on the sidewalk. However with his new shorter stature and the vessel in his arms, it would just be his luck to land on the stupid thing and break a leg. That would be the bloody cherry on the cake of his day! He could tell that the ramp to the street level was just around the corner. It was the narrowest one in the garage with no cars parked on the side on which he could hide. He decided that he would just have to chance to run down it. If he could make it down it without being caught, it would be relatively easy to get to the street. His internal clock is telling him that it was almost sundown. He only had to wait those last few seconds before he could go out and dispose of this blasted urn once and for all.
"Buggar!" He gasped as he heard the rumble of a car motor approaching. Time was running out if he was going to evade Fred and Gunn. Desperate to avoid his friends, he began to run, wildly looking over his shoulder. He whipped around the corner to the ramp and slammed immediately into a man's pair of legs. The impact knocked him flat on his back on to the garage floor. He froze for a moment as he looked up to see one of Taras' bodyguards standing over him.
…..
On the parking garage's top level, Fred held up the meter in front of her face as she hoped it would allow her to track Spike's unique power signature. Her face was illuminated in the blue light coming from the screen. She twisted with the mater hoping that it would sound. Her face filled with disappointment. She had not programmed the meter for such tight quarters. The calibration between the meter and the satellite was not precise enough to lead her to Spike's location. The meter was able to tell her that Spike was still in the building, but not his location within it. She let her hand with the meter fall to her side with a grumble. She turned around to peer at Gunn who was sitting behind the wheel watching her. She walked up to the driver side window as he rolled it down.
"I can't find him. Poor thing, he must be so frightened. I guess we really put a scare into him." Fred said as she leaned down to speak to Gunn. "The meter says he's still in the building. Let's go back down to the first level and see if we can spot him."
…..
Spike looked up stunned at the tall shady looking man that loomed over him as he lay on his back on the cement floor. He struggled to sit up but the urn was so bulky that it was awkward slower process than normal. He had just managed to twist to get to his feet when he felt a large hand grasp the back of his shirt's collar. The massive hard boned hand of the bodyguard lifted Spike upright and away from the floor, suspending him from the ground by a foot. Spike struggled to free himself, but his feet only flailed in the air without gaining purchase. So for all his effort, he was not going anywhere.
"Hey? Whaddya doin down here?" The man's forehead wrinkled in puzzlement as he asked the question. "I bet Shirley is lookin for you. Hey, Benny, give a call upstairs and see."
Another shorter but no less intimidating looking man with a haircut that was plastered down on his head, nodded and went in the small office to pick up the phone. The tall man seemed content to wait on the result of the phone call before he set Spike back down on his feet. Spike twisted and grunted as he tried to break the man's hold to no effect.
"Cool it, kid! Don't be causin us no truble. I don thin they wan you runnin aroun on yur own." The man lectured Spike and then turned to look at the office to see if Benny had any direction from upstairs.
In the next instant, Gunn's dark sedan appeared around the corner. Upon seeing Spike and the bodyguard together, it screeched to a halt. The echoing screech of the tires piercing the air of the garage. Before the sound had time to dissipate, Fred and Gunn quickly piled out of the car to rescue their friend.
"Hey! Let go of the kid!" Gunn commanded as he stepped out of the driver's side door. Fred also exited on her side, her face grim with determination to rescue Spike from his latest predicament.
Slamming the car door, Gunn walks around the front of the car but not before Fred has charged forward to confront the man. Seeing Fred come toward him, Spike redoubled his efforts to free himself from the man's grip.
"You let him go!" Fred exclaims with a ferocity that made the guard slightly pale before he re-gathered himself to face down the young woman.
"Keep out of this, lady" The lanky man shirks as he continued to keep a hold of wriggling Spike. "This ain't got nuthin to do with you."
Before the last word had left his mouth, he pushed Fred away with his other hand. Fred staggered back a few steps in response to the push. In the next moment, Gunn rushed forward and grasped the man by the lapels. Upon Gunn's attack, the bodyguard released his grip on Spike. Spike dropped to the floor with the vessel still clutched in-between his two arms. He crouched for a moment as he looked over to see Gunn and the bodyguard wrestling with each other. He heard a soft voice carry over to him as he saw Fred latch her eyes on him and start to move toward him.
"Spike?"
With renewed determination, Spike jumped up and ran as quickly as he could without dropping the outsized urn in his arms down the ramp. He did not stop until he exited the garage out on to the street where darkness had finally settled. He knew where he had to go as he turned to run down the block. Now, if he could just be lucky enough to avoid his friends or Tara's men for that long, he thought as he ran across the intersection there. He was so intent on his target that he did not notice the flashing red light that surrounded him until a police car pulled up in front of him.