DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss, I'm just borrowing them. Couple of OC's in there that are mine.
WARNING: This chapter will get pretty gory pretty quickly. Riley is a monster and acts as so. There are allusions to rape but absolutely no graphic descriptions.
I-E-H
'She won't get here in time.'
Buffy. Oh god. Buffy.
Spike hadn't ever felt this terrified, even at the hands of Angelus at his worst. His body was burning, his mind was slipping. He could smell his own blood and knew there wasn't much left in his body. Riley was going to drag this out, regardless of when the Slayer got there. He knew from the monster's previous words that Adam was no more - Buffy had defeated him. But Adam wasn't the problem. Riley was. A mesh-up of demon and human resentment, his evil knew no boundaries. And Riley had hated him before he had two years of violence to improve his skills.
Franken-Riley was now chattering away to the bound vampire, cutting into his soft pale flesh in numerous places, draining him of any life, just to keep him prone. He was detailing his plan for Buffy, but Spike ignored it. He had faith in his golden goddess, even if he happened to not survive, she would kick this monster straight to the deepest parts of hell. She would avenge him.
He just hoped she could survive after. With the bond being new, her anger would be fresh and raw for a while. But he could only pray to whatever deity would listen, that because it was so new, she hadn't had time to adjust, that she could move on with her life and be happy. Even if he was gone, she had to live the life she'd fought for.
Spike could never deny her that.
'Do you think she'll scream for you, when you're dead and she's violated beyond recognition? I hope she does, just to smell that despair on her.' Riley chortled and the noise would have sent a shiver down Spike's spine. 'I've never had much to do with the hybrid assembly. I didn't think they used vampires. But we've got this neat little drug that will keep you intact whilst I perform the procedure. It's going to hurt. A lot. But afterwards, you'll be perfectly willing to do whatever I say.' He leant in close to Spike's ear, running his hand down the vampire's jerking arm as he continued to seize from the voltage running through his nervous system. 'You'll even rip her limb from limb if I tell you to.'
Spike grunted, trying to deny what Riley was saying. He'd never hurt her. Never lay a finger on her.
'Don't try to speak. Feel free to scream. She will. I'll make sure of it.'
'F-f-fuck y-ou.' Spike stuttered out, blood spitting from his mouth as he forced the expletive out. Riley laughed loudly and grabbed a scalpel, rolling Spike over onto his stomach. The pain of the movement elicited another scream from the injured vamp, and it only served to increase Riley's mirth.
'You won't be in any condition to fuck anyone soon.' He snarled, running the scalpel over the back of Spike's head, exposing bone and blood. There was no struggle, as Spike had none left. 'You'll enjoy this. You ever see The Matrix?'
He picked up a computer lead and attached it to his own CPU panel in his chest, and then peeled back the skin on Spike's skull to show a small hole that had been left, treated so it would not heal after the chip had been implanted three years previous. He pushed the other end of the cable through the hole, smirking as it clicked into place. Spike simply grunted, his body going limp.
'This is one of my favourite games. War games. You can't die in your own head, but I can make you feel like you are.'
I-E-H
Buffy dispatched another hybrid with ease, and then stopped to catch her breath. She was getting tired, and more desperate with every passing minute. She could hear Spike's screams, but they seemed to come from different directions and she suspected Riley was behind it. Trying to make her go the wrong way so she was too late to save her vampire. Tears pricked at her eyes as she feel his pain numbing, terrified that every second his presence dimmed, so did he.
She couldn't lose him. She'd only just found him again.
The hybrids were disorientated. They were nowhere near as hard to kill as they had been. She'd heard one of them saying their commander-in-chief was now Riley, and she hoped that taking him out would end this. The gunfire from outside was echoing inside the complex now, so she could only assume that the army was advancing.
Three of the demon cyborgs were coming towards her, lumbering frames shaking the grated floor beneath her feet. She swiped her machete and took the head off the first one easily, dropping to the floor to swipe out with her leg and knock the second to the floor. The third grabbed her by a leg and an arm and swung her over a railing onto the platform below. She landed with a grunt, and realised her machete was above her. The demon who'd throw her jumped down and she rolled to the side to avoid behind squished.
It aimed a gun-turret arm at her as she stood, as she spun, effectively tore the arm from it's socket and plunging it through the hybrid's midsection. It snarled at her, before she ripped out the CPU on it's chest and it dropped to the floor dead. She grabbed the platform she been throw from without a pause and hoisted herself up onto it, coming into a defensive stance in front of the last member of the attacking group, only to find herself skewered by it's arm. She yelled in pain, snapped the offending weapon, pulling it from her own abdomen and jamming it through the monster's eye.
The hybrid hit the floor gurgling and Buffy sagged against the railing, holding her wound with both hands. Blood trickled through and she whimpered as she fell to the floor.
She never hit, as Angel caught her before she connected with the solid metal grating.
'Angel.' She whispered.
'Buffy.' He acknowledged and she hissed as he pulled her hands away to inspect the wound. 'It hasn't gone all the way through.' It's maybe an inch deep.'
'Good thing he wasn't closer. Fuck it hurts.' She snarled, looking down.
'Where's Spike?' He asked, trying to keep the venom from his voice.
'Don't start.' She said, pulling herself to her feet. She reached down for her discarded machete, wiping the blood and demon guts on the railing, ignoring Angel's look of distaste. 'I'm trying to find him.'
'Buffy...I can't sense him. That normally means...'
'Don't even try to tell me he's dead. I know he isn't. I can still feel him. He's hurt...but he's not dead.' She pointed the machete threateningly at her ex lover.
'The claim. It's still fresh. It may not be right. Buffy, he's my family, if I can't feel him...'
'Then what? He must be dead. You never gave a shit about Spike, so how do you know that your bond with him, or whatever you call it, hasn't diminished purely because you're an arrogant asshole?' Buffy turned away from him. 'I would know if my mate was dead, Angel. I wouldn't be far behind him.'
'You can't mean that.' Angel scoffed, following her as she picked her way down another corridor. She whirled to face him.
'What? Because it isn't you? Because I'm yours?' She snorted in an unladylike fashion. 'Puh-lease. Do one, Peaches.' She turned away again, smirking at her inner-channelling of Spike.
'Buffy, it's Spike. Even if he is alive, he's not going to be any good for you. It's his fault this happened...'
'Don't you dare!' She turned and punched Angel for all he was worth, sending him flying into a pile of demon body parts. 'He had little to no part in this whole Armageddon. Spike fucked up his part of the plan and turned against Adam to help me live. He got me out. And he carried on being good, even when there wasn't much incentive left. He helped people, he helped me and dammit, he loves me, without conditions, unlike you. You put me on a pedestal, the perfect little Slayer, built me up and tore me down and left me to die! You abandoned our love Angel, you gave up on me. Spike never quit on me. He could have convinced me to run from this, but he's faced it by my side and now he's paying the price. So don't you dare tell me any of this is his fault!'
She took a breath, wiping at the tears flowing down her cheeks, calming herself down as she quietened her voice. 'I will always love you in some way Angel.' She approached him as he lay gobsmacked on the ground. 'But Spike was right a long time ago. We're not friends and never will be. I don't know you, I don't particularly like you. But I will always love you. And if you care about me, you'll help me find the man I am in love with.' She held her hand out to the downed vampire, helping him up. Angel brushed himself down and then took a breath as if to speak but Buffy interrupted him.
'And so help me, if you say he's not a man, you won't have the equipment left to say you are.'
Angel went silent and if possible, even paler than before. He nodded in acquiescence and Buffy tightened her jaw, turning away and heading down the corridor before them. It was a few minutes of trudging in silence before the vampire dared speak again.
'Maybe we should try and regroup with the military. Attack in force to retrieve him.' He left out any doubt as to the other vampire's survival.
'There's no time.' Buffy replied curtly, stopping abruptly as a hybrid stepped out in front of them.
-Hello Buffy-
Riley's voice. Coming through the hybrid in front of her.
Creepy.
'Playing games, Riley?' Buffy snarled, raising her weapon. 'I'm going to cut you into so many pieces when I find you.' The hybrid laughed without laughing, which was even creepier.
-You'll be too busy picking up the pieces of your vampire, I imagine-
She didn't pause as she cut the hybrid in half and continued on her way.
I-E-H
Spike opened his eyes. He was laying on a battered green couch, and the ceiling looked exceptionally familiar.
Which wasn't surprising, as he was in Rupert's old flat in Sunnydale.
He pulled himself up by his arms, finding his wounds and the pain from the chip gone. Confusion at the situation had him frozen for a few minutes as he took in his surroundings. He was alone, or so he thought until Anya popped out from the kitchen. She smiled and he realised he'd retreated into his own subconscious to hallucinate for a while.
'No, no, no.' Anya smiled, handing him a cup of tea. 'You're in your own head, yes, a little world created by Riley. But he stepped out to taunt Buffy for a moment. So he'll be back.'
'Psychological torture? Nice.' Spike grimaced, and put the tea down on the coffee table. 'So why have I imagined you? I'd've thought it'd be Buffy here with me, bit of last minute comfort before robot-boy tears me apart.'
Anya smiled, reaching forward and patting his arm. 'I'm very real. I just snuck in whilst he wasn't looking. I heard you calling, you see, and I thought it was time I broadened my horizons.'
'Heard me...calling?' Spike didn't think he confusion could deepen and it wasn't the first time he'd been wrong.
'I became a vengeance demon again, after we ran from Sunnydale. With Xander dead, I was pretty heartbroken. Adam killed him you know. And Willow. Enjoyed it too.' Spike winced at her matter-of-fact tone. 'I wanted vengeance but couldn't do it myself, especially not human. D'Hoffren knew that eventually I would have my chance, so he gave me back my powers. Just in time to teleport myself away from this nutcase dimension until needed. And then you called.'
Spike nodded in understanding. 'Not a lot I can do. I can't fight Riley alone, he'll tear me limb from limb. I don't know where Buffy is. I can just about feel her, but the claim's new, so there's no telling how it would affect us. The bastard has damn near drained me dry. I'm more useless than a twig at this point.' He sighed. 'If only my connection to Buffy were stronger, over time it'd make us stronger together. She'd be able to find me. She'd be able to destroy Franken-Riley.'
Anya smiled as her face twisted into a veiny grotesque mask. 'Done.' Within the blink of an eye, she smiled again. 'It might take a few minutes.' She glanced warily towards the door. 'And he's coming back. I'd best leave or he'll finish you off quicker. Good luck.' She disappeared, leaving Spike alone as the door thundered open and Riley stormed in. Not demon-pieces Riley, but as he was before he was sliced and diced.
'Hostile 17.' He grinned widely and Spike saw he was still the monster. He shrank back, knowing that Riley was master here and he was hopeless to defeat him.
Not that he wouldn't go down trying.
He pulled himself back up to his full height and threw himself over the sofa at Riley, colliding with a brick wall. His opponent laughed loudly and pulled Spike up by his collar. 'I've something to show you.'
The flat disappeared and Spike found himself bound to the pillars under the stairs of the old Bronze. Directly in front of him, Buffy lay on the pool table, looking just as he'd last seen her, except she was bound by the wrists and pinned by her own weapon through the stomach. She coughed up blood and called for him to help. He strained against his bonds, forgetting that it wasn't real, his only urge to get to his love and help her. He vamped out, snarling and biting at the air as his bonds ripped his wrists.
Riley stepped forward from behind him. 'You won't get free, Hostile. You're my prisoner.' He walked over to the Buffy on the table, running his hand up her thigh. 'Now. Let's see which one of you screams first.'
Spike's eyes widened as he watched Riley attack his mate.
He screamed first.
I-E-H
A/N: Wow this chapter was hard to write. I was trying to describe just how evil Riley has become, and try to convey some of the despair both Buffy and Spike are feeling. I hope it came out okay. I didn't want to be too graphic but...sometimes it has to be done. Hoping to have another chapter up for you tomorrow, thought I'd be finished with this fic by now, but it's got a life of its own!