What I've Become
Chapter One: To Meet a Repo Man
"Ugh..." Buffy stumbled, barely conscious. She found herself against a wall, sinking gratefully against the solid surface as she struggled to stay on her feet. Her whole body felt sort of sloshy, like it could collapse under her any moment, and she'd fall apart to nothing but a gooey Slayer pile. The only thing that felt solid was the wall, so she fought to keep herself propped against it as she regained her bearings.
Slowly, the dizziness and nausea began to fade, and Buffy's vision began to clear. The blur of lights and color around her started to clear into comprehensive shapes. She saw that she was in some kind of alleyway; the dirty stone pavement was lit by several glowing signs plastered all over the walls surrounding the alley. The whole area had a very grungy look.
Buffy shook her head, trying to clear it. As she did, she heard a nearby groan that instantly made her more alert. "Giles!" She reluctantly turned away from the wall to see Giles splayed out on the group, shifting groggily and trying to raise his head. The Slayer pushed away from the wall, making her less-than-graceful way over to her Watcher. "Giles, you alright?" she asked quietly, crouching beside him.
The Watcher groaned again. He was slumped awkwardly onto one side, and had to fight to shift himself onto his back. Once there, he lay still for a few moments, one leg bent up and his hands clutching the pavement as he tried to fight the nausea. "I'm alive," he observed wryly, wincing as though the effort of speaking had pained him. After a few more moments of recovery, his gaze began to flit side to side. "Erm, what happened?" he questioned.
"I'm not sure," Buffy admitted. As her head began to clear, she struggled to remember how they'd ended up where they were. Slowly, she recalled, "We were in the graveyard... with the ritual."
Giles's eyes lit up with recognition. "Alkazear," he breathed. "The ritual. It failed, and the portal was summoned."
"And we ended up... here, for some reason," Buffy finished. She glanced back at the grungy alleyway, an eyebrow raised. "I thought you said this Alkazear guy was all death and destruction and doom," she said. "Why'd his energy portal thing send us here instead of killing us?"
Giles finally managed to rise to a sitting position. He cringed at the effort, leaning against his knee with his head lowered. "I'm not sure," Giles admitted. "All the texts I've read point to his return as the destruction of the world. Why it would simply transport us to... oh." He seemed to have finally noticed their less-than-ideal location. "Where exactly are we?"
Buffy shrugged. "Beats me." She glanced over her shoulder, taking a better look at her surroundings. It was night, but the various signs, and a few dingy streetlamps cast a sickly light onto the alley. She saw a few advertisements bearing the logo of a company called GeneCo, as well as a large poster bearing a woman who appeared to be singing. Over the singer were the words "Blind Mag's Final Performance" in large, bolded letters.
The more she saw of this place, she more uneasy the Slayer began to feel. "Wherever we are, it's definitely not Sunnydale," she said. She let out an exasperated puff of air. "Which probably means it's going to take forever to get back home. Joy. As if Mom wasn't already freaked out by the whole slaying the forces of darkness thing, and now it's going to take forever to find a way back to Sunnydale."
"Buffy, I think this is a little more serious than scrounging up enough change for bus fare back to Sunnydale," Giles pointed out firmly. The Watcher still looked pale, but he lifted his head, telling Buffy, "We could be absolutely anywhere, and Alkazear is still out there." He began to try and pull himself up onto his knees, but sank back down with a groan. "We're vulnerable here," he explained, teeth clenched with pain. "We have to move. Maybe we can find some answers if we get somewhere more populated."
Buffy nodded, agreeing easily, "I'm all for leaving the creepy alley. I just hope the rest of this place is any better." She rose easily to her feet, almost entirely recovered from being tossed through the portal. But when Giles tried to stand, he only managed to stumble back onto his hands, wobbling uneasily. Buffy rolled her eyes, then crouched beside Giles, pulling his arm over her shoulders and supporting his torso with her weight, pulling him up onto his feet.
Reluctantly, the Watcher allowed himself to be led down the alley by Buffy. "Whatever brought us here, it feels rather like a terrible migraine," Giles grumbled.
"At first maybe," Buffy said breezily. "I feel fine now." She teased her Watcher, "I guess it's takes longer once you get older."
"Or it has something to do with the fact that you've got a Slayer's strength and healing," Giles replied testily. Buffy figured the return of her Watcher's snark meant he was heading towards recovery.
She just grinned, despite the grim situation. "Whatever you say." Together, they made their way out of the alley, and out into the main streets of the city.
It was immediately clear that this wasn't any city of their own world. The various billboards and signs were far too high-tech, broadcasting holograms and showing various ads for new technology. On many of the billboards, Buffy saw the woman from the poster, Blind Mag. While she sang, her voice overlapped her song, announcing, "Hello, I'm Blind Mag, the voice of GeneCo." Whatever else she was saying was lost under the noises of the crowded streets, and the various other ads.
If the setting itself wasn't weird enough, even stranger were the inhabitants. Every person on the street seemed inhuman, somehow. They were either too perfect in appearance, too strange, or too disfigured. Everywhere Buffy looked, she saw hair of various wild colors, eyes that flashed with a strange, metallic light, grungy clothing, unrealistic proportions and features.
Giles let out a low, "Dear god," beside her. Buffy had to agree - she'd seen the wild, rebellious teen look before. But here, everyone seemed to be wearing it, and to truly ridiculous extents.
Slowly, Buffy helped Giles out onto the sidewalk, moving through the crowd. The Watcher was mostly able to stand on his own now, allowing Buffy to look around a little better. She glanced around warily, before finally spotting what appeared to be a newspaper vendor, stuffed between various other ships and stalls.
She steered Giles in the direction of the vendor. When they reached him, Buffy asked, "Excuse me, how much for one of those?"
The vendor, who bore many colored streaks in his spiked hair, gave a price. She passed him the money, and he handed her a newspaper. Buffy briefly scanned the headlines. "Huh. New York City. Whatever that Alkazear, he's got some serious juice - he put us on the other side of the continent."
However, something else seemed to have caught Giles' eye. He took the paper from her, staring at it in shock. "Buffy, look at this date."
Buffy glanced at it, only to blink in shock. The paper was dated two days ago. She glanced back at the vendor, asking, "This is today's paper, right?"
"'Course," the vendor replied.
Buffy tried not to look too shocked. "Right. Thanks." She and Giles began walking away, back into the crowd. Buffy's head was spinning a little as she tried to reason out what this meant. "So... so what, we've time and space traveled?" she asked slowly. "That Alkazear guy thought it would be fun to toss us into a different city on a different day?"
Giles shook his head slowly. "It's more than just different day and city, Buffy," he said gravely. "I don't know when your last trip to New York was, but I think we can safely assume this is not the New York City of our own world."
Buffy glanced back at the signs for GeneCo, her spirit beginning to sink. She had a feeling her Watcher was right. "So, what are we thinking?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back. "Some crazy demon dimension?"
"Not necessarily," Giles told her. "It could simply be a parallel universe. A world almost exactly identical to our own, but with changes."
"Like everyone looking like they just got out of a goth concert?" Buffy quipped.
Giles inclined his head. "Erm, yes, difference in fashion styles could be one difference, and the look of the city another. Either way, I think it's safe to assume we're not in our own universe."
Buffy took a moment to take that in. "Alright. So, big powerful demon guy who was killed thousands of years ago has one night a year to exact his revenge and bring doom and gloom to the world, and instead he takes two people and tosses them into a parallel dimension. Why, exactly?"
Giles stammered for an answer, adjusting his glasses. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "It doesn't make sense." He paused, expression turning thoughtful. "Although, perhaps this will work in our favor."
"How?" Buffy asked dubiously.
"It's two days before we were taken by the portal," Giles repeated. "Two days before Alkazear's return."
Buffy's eyes widened as she realized what the librarian was hinting at. "Alkazear hasn't returned yet," she realized. "We can still stop him from coming back."
"And, if we're lucky, we can ride the portal back to our own dimension," Giles concluded.
The Slayer tipped her head, questioning, "Wouldn't the portal open up in Sunnydale? How are we going to get there in time for the portal to take us back?"
Giles shook his head. "Not exactly. With the right spell, I can summon Alkazear's essence to us. We can bring the portal here, ride it home, then complete the ritual in our own universe and stop Alkazear's return. I just need to find the right materials for the spell."
They had been strolling down the various streets of the city as they spoke. Their walk had taken them away from the crowds, and back into the dimly-lit, secluded side-streets. The street was deserted, besides a few figures slinking in the shadows, or slumping against the walls. Buffy kept a wary eye around them; she didn't like the look of some of the characters hanging around.
"We'll need somewhere secluded to summon-"
Without warning, Giles was cut off by a nearby scream. Buffy and Giles both froze, instantly on high alert. The scream had been one of utter terror and desperation. But they seemed to be the only ones who had noticed; the others in the alleyway either ignored the scream completely, or glanced away, as though uncomfortable.
Buffy didn't give herself time to question their reactions. She took off, bolting down the alley as fast as she could push herself, Giles right on her heels. The screaming was closer now, and more distinct. "Let me in! Someone, help me!" There was a thumping noise, as if the screaming woman was banging on doors, trying to find refuge. As they ran, Giles managed to pull a stake from his rucksack – he passed it to Buffy, who kept it in a firm grip in one hand.
The Slayer and Watcher rounded a corner, and promptly collided with a young woman running right into them. She nearly knocked them over with the sheer speed that she'd been fleeing, but Buffy managed to keep Giles from toppling over, while Giles reached out to steady the woman. They managed to right themselves, but the woman was utterly hysterical. She clung to Giles, blubbering desperately. Buffy kept a wary eye out for whatever the woman had been fleeing as Giles attempted to calm her. "Slow down," he said, gently grabbing hold of her arms to try and still her. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
She was inconsolable, shaking and blubbering as she gasped, "I promise, I didn't mean to fall behind! He's gonna kill me!"
"Who's going to kill you?" Buffy asked carefully.
The woman started to answer, only to freeze in absolute horror, her gaze drawn to something behind Buffy and Giles. "By him," she breathed. "The Repo Man."
Buffy turned to look. There, in the sickly light of the streetlamps, stood a figure. He was cloaked in black leather from head to toe, wearing a long, lab-like coat. His face was obscured by a black helmet, also leather. The only point of color was his visor, which glowed with a blue light. Buffy stiffened at the sight – the way the man held himself, she could tell he had come for a fight, and that he was dangerous.
The Repo Man tensed when he saw her, head tilting just slightly, as though assessing the new threat. The woman was clinging to Giles, curling against him in utter terror. He was turned away, consoling her, as Buffy stared down the Repo Man. She felt a chill as she noticed the glint of a knife in his hand.
"Giles," she said in a low voice, not taking her eyes off the Repo Man. "Get her out of here. Now." She took a step towards the Repo Man, positioning herself in front of Giles and the woman.
Her Watcher hesitated, then gave a nod of consent. "Be careful," he murmured. He took a step to usher the woman away.
Immediately, the Repo Man lunged. He ran straight for Giles and the woman, but Buffy was there first. She blocked the wild swing of his knife with one arm, giving him a quick jab with her knee in his exposed side. "Go!" she ordered, dodging as the Repo Man tried to strike at her head. Giles and the woman ran, disappearing down a side alley.
That left Buffy alone with the Repo Man. He tried again to pursue the woman, but Buffy shoved him away, pushing the larger man clear with ease. She gripped the stake tighter in her hand, raising it just enough for him to see. He tilted his head at the sight of it, seeming confused. "You know," she commented casually, taking a step towards the Repo Man, "I get the feeling you're not gonna poof into dust if I stab you in the chest with this." He stayed still a moment, watching her warily. Buffy could just barely see his eyes through the blue glow of the visor – they held an utterly cold gleam. She added, "But I'm pretty sure it'd hurt like hell. And I've had a hell of a day, so I'm really not in the mood for a long, drawn-out fight." Her voice hardened as she threatened, "Whatever your beef is with that girl, drop it, before I drop you."
A low, rasping voice emitted from the masked man. "This is a legal repossession," the Repo Man hissed. He stepped towards her, but she raised her stake threateningly, so he paused. "Get out of my way, or you'll die as well."
"Call it whatever the hell you like," Buffy said, "Legal or not, I'm not letting you kill her."
Something in the man's eyes seemed to light up with a cruel delight. "Very well."
He exploded with movement, lunging for her with a frightening speed. Buffy only just had time to dodge a heavy blow that came for her head. She swung out of range, spinning back with a high kick that connection with his chin, sending his head reeling back. The Repo Man recovered quickly, driving his elbow hard into her chest.
It quickly became clear that, while Buffy was the stronger of the two, the Repo Man fought with a brutal strength, the professional timing of his strikes offset by sheer rage and determination. He wasn't wasting any time trying to wound her or wear her out - he was going straight for the kill. His knife barely missed her throat, instead grazing against her shoulder as she twisted away. She felt a blaze of satisfaction as her stake sliced at his side, ripping through the leather. Blood welled from the wound.
The Repo Man reeled back, one arm wrapped around him as his hand grasped over the wound. He glared at her, a furious light in his eyes, but he hesitated to attack again. Buffy grinned, crouching into a fighting stance, with her stake raised. "Ready for another round?" she taunted.
He continued to glare, his grip tightening around his knife. The Repo Man took a step towards her, as if ready to attack, only to pause. Buffy heard footsteps behind her. She stiffened, only to recognize Giles rushing to her side, panting, "She's safe."
The Repo Man stumbled back a step, as though thrown off balance. He seemed to stare uncertainly between Buffy and Giles for a moment. Then, without warning, he turned and ran. Buffy watched his retreating form with bewilderment. What was that about?
When he was gone, Giles relaxed, turning his attention to Buffy. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yeah," Buffy answered distractedly. She hadn't taken her gaze off where the Repo Man had fled. Aloud, she wondered, "Did that seem weird to you?"
"What do you mean?"
Buffy explained, "He was going to attack me again, but one look at you and he's running for the hills? It's just weird."
Giles shrugged. "Maybe he figured he didn't want to take on two people at once."
Personally, Buffy didn't think the vicious creature she'd just fought would be much deterred by the arrival of the tweed-clad, stuffy Englishman into the fight. But with nothing else to go on, she could only guess what the Repo Man's motives were.
She turned away, facing Giles with a determined air. "I want to know what's going on in this world, and I want to know now," she said firmly. "Our best bet at getting answers is that woman. Where'd you take her?"
"This way," Giles said, starting down the alley. Buffy followed after. "She said she knew the place was safe, and deserted."
"Good." Buffy said grimly. "Because she's going to give us some answers."
SCENEBREAK
The Repo Man watched from the shadows as the young woman and the man left the alley. He had no idea who they were, or how they had come to be in his world. But what he did know was that they were a problem.
The girl was strong, impossibly strong, and the stake she had carried... he would have to check a few things, find some answers. And the man with her, his face. It had been impossible. But he knew what he'd seen. He just had to find out why.
The Repo Man slipped back into the shadows, retreating into the darkness he'd adopted. Something in his world had changed, and if necessary, he would defend what he had the only way he knew - through blood.
Ugh, not totally happy with this chapter, but whatever, it's finished. I can't write fight scenes. -_-
Anyway, I forget whatever I was going to say here.
Oh, yeah, I made Repo happen during the same year/days that Buffy did. It makes the whole Alkazear thing easier to deal with.
I'll try to update soon.