Xander sighed as he stumbled back into his base and started stripping off the heavy armor.
He and Kendra had split the night shift. Taking the first half himself while she ran Iron Gear's patrol, then she caught some sleep and later relieved him of his burden.
He felt bad about leaving her there to watch the reporter's hotel alone, but he had given the young slayer a panic button connected to his suit as he set off for his own patrol before returning to his base for a few hours sleep.
As he peeled the sweat slick undershirt off, Xander looked between the inviting cot and the newest addition to his invention collection. Considering it, he finally sighed and walked over to the coffin like box he had created.
The 'Hyper Chamber' he had created used an audio spectrum pulse along with Infrared LED lights to revitalize the body in only a few hours. In theory it should allow him to work the same hours as a slayer without exhausting himself. That of course was dependant on whether he had gotten the frequencies right. If he was wrong he would be lucky to wake up the next day with only a mild headache and a bad sunburn.
Gritting his teeth, Xander finally turned on the chamber and climbed inside.
Nothing gambled, nothing gained.
--
Tony Stark cursed as the computer report came up the exact same as the fourteen times before it. Sensors Functional, Computer Functional, no anomalies detected.
Looking over at his helmet, the billionaire sighed as it showed, Radar, EM, Infrared and pulse sensors as blank. As far as his armor was concerned he was in the middle of nothing.
Turning off the system, Tony walked over to the bed and collapsed into it before plugging his chest piece in.
In a few minutes the Invincible Iron Man was asleep less then a hundred yards from his target.
--
Kendra the vampire slayer watched the hotel with a hunter's eye as she waited for her prey to show itself.
As she waited, her mind started to wander to her companion. The Iron Knight had been a new addition to the Allies list in the watchers council with orders to attempt 'Peaceful Negotiations' for the continued protection of the Hellmouth.
Kendra remembered the talks she and Mr. Zabuto had shared concerning the man the television media had started calling, 'Gear.'
Thinking of her Watcher, Kendra forced the tears down and turned her full attention back towards the hotel.
She couldn't be distracted like that while on a mission.
--
Rupert Giles closed the last book and sighed. While he was extremely grateful for the earlier warning, he could have wished for more information concerning the Srayer and why she had gone Rogue.
The council itself had always been split concerning the treatment of rogues, the current ruling class favored an immediate strike, killing the slayer before they could join the enemy and calling another before things got out of hand.
The Giles, Price and Biltmore families, on the other hand, led the opposition of this and simply followed a 'watch and wait' strategy. Either the rogue would join the other side and would then be put down, or they would go up against an opponent that they were unequipped to deal with and another slayer would be called.
Rupert Giles, for his part, disliked this idea as well, but it was the lesser of two evils.
Taking off his glasses, the Watcher rubbed his eyes tiredly before glancing up at the clock. With another sigh, he forced himself to his feet and pulled his jacket off the back of the chair before heading towards his car. There wasn't much more he could do.
--
Billy 'Ford' Fordham walked carefully down the steps of the Sundown Club, he and his fellow believers had rented for the coming month.
He wondered what the owners would think once they noticed the door handle had been cut off the heavy steel entrance door but the young teen simply shrugged the thought off. He doubted it would matter, he would be dead in a few days and then he would have what every teenager dreamed of, to die young and leave a good looking corpse.
Looking at the others, Billy smiled as he tried to ignore the pounding headache. Just a few more days.
--
Drusilla stared out into the darkness as the wind whispered by the warehouse doors, she knew that it was dangerous here, the funny Tin Man had claimed this town for his own.
Only he wasn't funny, and every time she tried to warn her Spike, he only laughed and talked about witches and flying monkeys and a wizard. Sometimes Dru wondered why she kept someone as crazy as her Spike around.
Outside she heard the terrified scream of one of Sunnydale's residents before smiling. "That's why." She whispered as her lover returned with her dinner.
--
Alice Case sat on her hotel room bed and quietly rubbed her throat, it wasn't the first time she had been attacked by a vampire but it had almost been the last.
She had found out about the 'darker' side of most stories when she was just starting out in journalism, she had been pulled aside by her mentor and the entire thing had been spelled out for her. What they where, how they had come to be and why no one must ever know.
She had refused to be a part of that massive a cover up, she had shot the footage and prepared to expose the entire thing to the world. She would have too, if her producer had not sat her down and explained what would happen if she did.
No matter the evidence she gathered, it would be found false under sufficient scrutiny, she would never work in the field again and her life would likely be forfeit within a month and in less than a week everyone would forget the whole thing. After all, the masses have a very short attention span and a big lie where everything is fine is easier to believe than a big truth where it's not.
Still rubbing her neck, Alice Case drifted off to sleep.
--
(A/N) Okay, wow… that has to be one of the LEAST exciting chapters I've ever done, but I did have to lay out where everyone is.
Sorry about the long delay and all, but… the small sliver of time I had managed to find where I can write has been stolen, I don't know when or even where I'm going to find some more time to work on all my stories, but I assure you that I will continue.
Thanks for all the reviews in advance.
-Tjin