"I can't sense two feet in front of me on this island, Xand. We've only got our strength going for us here," Kennedy responded.
"I'm not getting anything," Oz replied. He could still smell. Not well, but it was something. The three of them crept forward into the increasing darkness. The further they went, the tenser Kennedy got.
"There's something seriously supernatural here," she whispered.
"Stop," Xander said, holding out an arm to stop them. They all stood stalk still and waited for a second. Then they noticed that the strange light in front of them was coming toward them. It washed over all of them without any effect, and continued to spread.
"This happens every few seconds?" Oz asked Xander.
"Maybe once every couple of minutes, tops."
"It didn't have any corporeal properties. It was just… light," Oz said.
"It wasn't just light. There is no way that was 'just light'," Kennedy countered. There was obvious nervousness in her voice. Even though she couldn't consciously sense anything, a siren in the back of her mind was going off.
"Should we keep going?" Oz asked. His voice showed that he really didn't want to. None of them wanted to.
"We know what happens when we do," Kennedy said. "Let's take off."
"No," Xander said. "Maybe it'll be different with more of us."
"Xander, you're not a Slayer. You have a different perception of this situation than I do. Let me tell you that whatever is making that light is pure evil."
"We'll meet pure evil. We'll beat it. This can be beaten too." Xander kept going forward, more confidently than he had the first time. Oz glanced at Kennedy and followed Xander. Kennedy, against her will, followed them both, keeping herself in a fighter's stance out of instinct.
Another wave of light passed. Kennedy was convinced she saw something in the trees and gasped, picking up a stick and tossing it abruptly into the trees. It hit a tree and fell to the ground. There was nothing. Starting to think that either she was paranoid or Xander and Oz were insane, she stayed where she was and decided to let them deal with it unless she was clearly needed.
She blinked and they were gone. Another wave of light washed over her. The same illusion presented itself; someone or something was standing in the shadows. With no one to back her up and the sheer number of alarms going off in her head telling her to get the hell out, she decided they were probably right and backed up for a few moments before turning and running back to camp.
MEANWHILE…
Buffy walked back to the beach. She'd searched as much of the forest as she could, but she was getting really hungry. She hoped Oz was back; he'd be able to stomach dealing with the boar way better than she could.
"Any luck?" Dawn asked her sister.
"I found Spike. Turns out Oz's senses were just on the fritz. Didn't see Wesley, though. No sign of him here?"
"Nope. No sign of anyone, actually. You'd think they'd be hungry by now. I know I am," she said, glancing at the pig and being unable to decide if she was disgusted or not. "Anyway, I got the mail. We've got a reward challenge tonight."
"What! That's three challenges in a row!"
"I know. I guess we could make some rice or something."
Buffy took the hint. "Tara, would you mind putting some on? I'll deal with the boar and cook it up after lunch. We'll have a big meal at dinner. I think we could all use some sleep in the interim anyway."
Kennedy ran from the forest, completely out of breath. She stopped at the sight of Buffy and explained wide-eyed. "That light is so wrong. So many internal alarms went off, and neither of the guys seemed to get any. I had to take off. I've gotta… go apologize…" she looked around. "Where are they?"
"What do you mean?"
"They disappeared. I assumed they'd reappear here. It's been, like, half an hour. They're not back yet?" She looked close to panic.
Dawn had been listening. She walked up to the Slayers. "It's just been Tara and me for the past few hours. You two have been the only ones to come back." She glanced at Buffy automatically. "Xander reappeared almost instantly the first time, didn't he?"
"The time frame fits. I thought it was instantly."
"Why are they taking so long this time?"
Buffy frowned. "I dunno. Maybe I should go check it out."
"Don't." Kennedy said, shaking her head fervently. "You don't want to. I think it's just a Slayer thing that we can sense something that evil, but it's not right. You don't want to go anywhere near it."
Buffy believed her. She'd never seen Kennedy freaked out at all before. Not with the Turok-Han even when she wasn't a Slayer, not in the battle with the First. If this was freaking her out, there was something extra-bad about this light thing. She slowly nodded.
"Okay. We'll give them another half an hour, but if they don't show up by then, I have to go look for them."
Kennedy sighed shakily. "Okay. Okay. But I'm not going back. Take a civilian with you to keep you grounded, because believe me, no amount of worry for your friends is going to keep you standing there. You'll want to take off."
Buffy nodded again and instructed Kennedy to sit down. As she turned around, she saw Xander and Oz appear out of thin air.
Both of them were screaming. Just as she'd never seen Kennedy freaked out, she'd never seen Oz obviously scared. Here, he was terrified.
They both stopped at once, looking pale and startled. Oz swayed on the spot and crouched down, supporting himself with one arm. Xander wheezed a couple of times and then ran over to a nearby bush and hurled up the few contents of his stomach.
Tara ran over to Xander as Buffy crouched by Oz with concern. He was still pale. "What happened?" she asked.
"Remember the feeling from the machine from the first challenge?" Buffy nodded. "Multiply that feeling by about a thousand." He shook his head. "We were being torn apart, piece by piece, for what felt like a very long time. We ended up back here totally unharmed, but… it's a humbling experience."
Buffy heard Xander's shaky voice in the background telling Tara he'd be okay. "Do you want to lie down for a while?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, but I'll be good right here. I'm definitely appreciating the sunlight right now." Oz shifted his weight with careful movements and was shortly lying on the sand, limbs splayed. He seemed to be relishing the use of them. Buffy shook her head and jogged over to help Tara support a weak-kneed Xander.
"Did this happen the first time?" Buffy asked him quietly.
Xander shook his head. "I was just transported the first time. None of this epic torture thing. It's like the first time was a warning, and the second time was the punishment. I'm just sorry Oz was involved." He stopped trying to walk and blinked hard. "Uhhgh. I think it's time to lie down now." Buffy and Tara lowered him down and he went all limp on the sand. Buffy noticed the incredible lack of colour in Xander's face. He looked dead. Angel and Spike may have been pale, but Xander was beyond ashen.
"You need some nutrition. Would you eat some rice?"
Xander winced. "I'm not so sure that's a good plan right now, Buff."
"You haven't eaten in a while, and what you have eaten is obviously no longer in your system. You need something. Just try a little bit, and if you're not feeling better, you don't have to eat any more, but I think it'll help."
Xander nodded and tried to steady his breathing, closing his eyes. Buffy glanced with concern at Tara, and noticed tears welling in her eyes as she looked at Xander. Buffy took her by the arm away from Xander. "He'll be okay. He's tough. Hasn't died yet."
"I'm not sure he will," she whispered. "When h-he was… throwing up…" she swallowed. "There was b-blood, Buffy. More than a little bit."
Buffy looked over at Xander as she heard him cough. It was very wet sounding. Dawn had had bronchitis one year, but she had sounded better than Xander did now. Oz was a werewolf, but Xander was just human. She hugged Tara consolingly as she watched Dawn run over to Xander with some water and help him up to drink it. "We'll fix him up, Tara. He's always been amazingly strong. If he had plans for dying, he'd have done it already." But even Buffy wasn't so sure anymore. He was in rough shape, but she'd still seen that ambition in his eyes. He wasn't done with the source of the light yet. He intended to go back. And that's what worried Buffy most of all.
MEANWHILE…
Riley glanced at the woods for what must have been the dozenth time in an hour. Finally he swallowed his pride and strode up to Angel's leaf. The sun was just starting to set.
"What is it, Finn?" Angel said exasperatedly. He was getting stir crazy.
"I thought you couldn't sense anything on the island."
"I felt the vibrations of your combat boots."
Riley sighed and bit back a retort. "I'd counter that, but there are more important issues at hand. Cordelia disappeared into the woods before noon and she isn't back yet."
Angel was completely silent for a second. He was remembering the future. "Did you look for her?"
"Not me personally. Faith did a sweep maybe an hour ago to no avail. I just thought you should know, especially judging by what happened last time she was in the woods alone."
Angel nodded under his shelter. "Thanks." As Riley walked away, Angel stuck a hand out into the sunlight. As expected, it promptly overheated and burst into flame. He brought it back beneath the shelter and winced. He'd thought maybe, since this was an alternate dimension, he'd be okay in the sunlight, but apparently it was worse here rather than better. He sighed frusteratedly and maneuvered himself so that he could waddle forward on his feet. He'd gone maybe a yard before he realized that he wouldn't get anywhere trying to find Cordelia this way. He sat back down and swore under his breath, waiting for the sun to go down.
Faith came up to him a few minutes later. "She ain't nowhere, Angel. I covered what ground I could, but there's no evidence of her being there. I followed footprints, but they just stop. I'm not sure there's much point in looking."
"There's always point," came his angry voice. "I'll find her."
"We've got a challenge in a couple hours anyway. We need to head out."
"You're not getting it."
"If we want any chance of winning this challenge, we need you on our side. We had a few spoonfuls of rice for lunch, Ange. We need whatever we can get."
At that moment, the sun set. Angel felt it. He threw the leaf off him and backed the Slayer against a tree, keeping a grip on her neck. "I don't care. I'll hunt for you if I have to. But not before or until I find Cordelia."
A look of anger crossed Faith's face as she batted the arm pinning her to the tree away and punched Angel abruptly across the face. "You've got prioritizing issues, bud. Cordelia's gotta be on this island somewhere, right? And we'll find her. Let's just beat this challenge first, and then I'm sure all of us will help you."
Angel backhanded Faith and sent her reeling. "You're still not getting it, Faith. I have to find her. This island is screwed up. You know it, and I know it. She could be anywhere, being held captive. We don't know. But I intend to find out. And I don't need your permission to try and save someone."
Faith turned back angrily and kicked Angel backwards, promptly grabbing his jacket and sending him toward the forest. Angel stepped up and took another swing at Faith, which she ducked easily and countered by bringing her foot around to make Angel trip. Angel kicked his way back up and delivered a sharp blow to her chin. She took the blow well and backflipped to her feet, throwing another punch Angel's way.
Willow ran up to the sparring pair holding a piece of bark. "Guys, stop it! Hey! Look, oh…" she trailed off, ducking out of the way as Angel ducked another of Faith's kicks. "More mail, okay? It's about the challenge… we have to find someone we lost."
Angel stopped paying attention to Faith immediately and allowed himself to get punched across the face. He grabbed her other incoming fist easily and brought her in, turning her around and holding her in place. "Finding Cordelia is the challenge."
"That's… um… what it says. At least, I think. Here," she said, stepping hesitantly forward. "Um, it says, 'A member each had gotten lost somewhere within the wood; We found them though, and so shall you, to ensure their livelihood.' "
"Let go," Faith said angrily, wrenching herself away from Angel and panting angrily while glaring at him.
Angel looked more broody than usual. "You're sure about this."Willow raised her hands in a surrendering motion. "The bark says it, not me."
Angel nodded. "Let's go, then." He set off into the woods. The rest of the tribe, who had come running when they heard the fight, exchanged significant glances and followed the vampire into the forest. (Ripper only went because he wanted a million dollars.)