This chapter marks the start of Season 3, and a whole mass of changes to the cannon. Now, some of you have commented on the fact how I've paid little attention to some episodes or even completely skipped some. I do not do so lightly, in fact, I review every episode carefully and try to determine how my own version of the chars will handle the situation. Now, this will lead to sometimes much shorter time spent on some events in the series, but there will be a lot of difficult times even with the advantages my chars have. For example, the Mayor will still succeed with his Ascension, although he'll have to work a lot harder in my fic. I also introduce Faith in this chapter, and I hope I managed to explain how and why she's different from the cannon version. With that done, all I have left to say is read and enjoy :)
Chapter 6
The summer went by in a flurry of activity for the entire group. Willow and Oz were busy in the factory, trying to determine the usefulness of the ancient factory they had discovered.
The machine, after weeks of experimentation was discovered to be controlled by will alone. Willow, already having experience interfacing with machines thanks to her memories, had no trouble operating it even for hours on end.
Unfortunately, the machine had two very restricting limitations. Their power production was insufficient to produce anything that had a greater mass of five pounds, and the damage to the machine led to the fact that it could only produce objects that were a molecular whole.
This would greatly slow their production, but that still meant that they would be able to produce even the advanced technology of the 41st Millennium.
One of the first things that Willow produced were a number of chemicals that could be used to produce various medicines. Xander for one was very happy that he now had full access to the drugs that were used to regulate his body.
Next, the metal foundries were upgraded, one small part at a time, and now they had access to materials as good as on any Forge-World in the Imperium.
As the new school year approached, Xander found himself once again in a functional Terminator armor, but unfortunately, the machine could not produce the unique material used in force weapons, so Willow instead built a Crozius Arcanum for his use instead. From his memories, he knew how to use that particular weapon with great skill.
Also, for ranged support, Xander also gained a scaled down Incinerator that he could use one handed. Only his armor and experience had allowed him to wield both his spear and the Incinerator during Halloween.
The rest of the group gained a lot of upgrades as well.
Buffy was provided with carapace armor, along with a small bolter and a power sword, which she put to good use on her patrols.
As for the rest of the group, all were given a laspistol, merely as something to have in emergencies.
Also, Willow arranged for a small annex building to be constructed next to the factory, which would provide the group with living quarters, meeting rooms, armories and even a ritual chamber for the use of their magic branch. Xander also insisted that a chapel was added to the annex as well, which he consecrated to the best of his ability.
Kendra, who had stayed for well over a month to train and learn from Buffy, departed from Sunnydale with a brand new chainsword that Willow constructed just for her.
Cordelia, after seeing the weapon, requested one as well, and began taking fencing lessons from Buffy. It was not an easy task for the girl, but after witnessing the dedication and sacrifices her friends had made so far, Cordelia was determined to provide more aid to the group.
Slowly, the summer came to an end, and soon enough, the group was back to school, with the exception of Xander. The school was informed that due to his injuries during Halloween, he would be home schooled from now on.
"Hey mom, what's for dinner?" Buffy grinned as she walked in her home. Just being able to say something so normal greatly improved her mood.
"Pasta. It will be ready soon." Her mother replied.
"So, are you going on patrol tonight?" Joyce asked between bites. She wasn't pleased to learn about everything her daughter had been through over the years, but she had seen first hand how capable they were, and she felt her worry subside a little bit.
"Nah, it is Xander's turn to patrol. Nowadays, vampires run away at first sight from us. I kinda miss the old days, since it just feels wrong to shoot them in the back while they're running away." Buffy shrugged.
"Well, I for one think its better that they do run away. I can't stop you from going out and fighting evil, but I still worry that you might get hurt." Joyce frowned.
"Mom, it would take something much worse than a vampire to hurt me and things like that don't come around overnight. Besides, if anything like that do shows up, I always have Xander to back me up." Buffy grinned.
"As long as you're careful. I'm just glad you stopped having those awful nightmares." Joyce shook her head.
"I guess we've come to accept who we've become. The memories aren't so scary anymore." Buffy replied. The truth was, the nightmares were still a nightly occurrence, but the mind-numbing terror that had accompanied them had faded away.
"Alright. Now, if you're done, help me hang this mask up." Joyce pulled a rather scary mask from a box.
Buffy only touched it once before flinching away.
"Where did you get that, mom?" Buffy asked.
"A friend of mine gave it to me, why?" Joyce noticed the concern in Buffy's voice and eyed the mask warily.
"I get a bad vibe from it. I'll call Giles and have him take a look at it." Buffy replied.
Sure enough, Giles managed to identify that particular mask, and told them that it was possessed by a demon and had the power to bring the dead back to life.
That was all Buffy needed to hear before she broke it to bits.
"So, you're sure about this place?" A black haired girl turned to her escort as they walked towards a large factory on the city's outskirts. Large plumes of smoke could be seen wafting out from the large chimneys.
"Don't worry. You'll be safe with my friends, Faith." Angel assured his nervous companion.
"So, you're back in town, Angel?" The pair jumped to the side in shock as a deep, mechanical voice boomed just next to them.
"Holy burning shit on a stick." Faith exclaimed as she saw Xander, and wondered how the hell had he managed to sneak up to them. Meanwhile, Angel was doing his best not to look at him as his body began emitting wisps of smoke.
The reason for this were the large amount of holy icons adorning Xander's armor, all proclaiming his devotion to the God-Emperor and his hatred towards the enemies of humanity. The most striking piece was the large parchment hanging from his belt, inscribed with various Litanies.
"Oh, right. Follow me, then." Xander noticed that their vampire ally was getting it full blast from his armor, and turned around to lead them. Since all he had on his back was his power pack, Angel had no trouble with following him.
"I see you've made some changes, not to mention improvements." Angel commented on the annex and Xander's armor.
"It's been a busy summer. So, who's your friend?" Xander had taken his helmet off and had wrapped a curtain around himself in order not to aggravate Angel.
"She's a Potential Slayer I met in Boston. A vampire called Kakistos had learned she's a Potential and had captured her for some entertainment. I sprung her out and brought her here." Angel replied.
"She's welcome to stay here; we have a few spare rooms. You'll be sticking around?" Xander shrugged.
"At least for a while. Is Buffy around?" Angel asked.
"She's out on patrol. Want me to call her? I'm sure she won't mind the distraction, things have been pretty dull around here." Xander shrugged.
"I wouldn't mind catching up." Angel admitted. He may have given up on any chance of romance with Buffy, but he still cared for her a great deal.
"Do you have anything to eat around here?" Faith finally overcame her shock and surprise and managed to speak.
"The kitchen is to the left, second door to the right. Help yourself to anything in the fridge. Just clean up when you're done." Xander gave her a warm smile before he put his helmet back on to use the vox unit to contact Buffy.
A working vox network was probably the first thing Willow had constructed once she managed to create the necessary components. A breakthrough in their trouble with electronic circuitry was discovered when they analyzed the ancient constructor in the cave. The crystals it used were superior to even the technology of the Imperium, so Willow was quick to employ them in their equipment, especially since the constructor could manufacture entire circuit boards on a single crystal.
Fifteen minutes later, Buffy arrived in the meeting room. Angel and Xander were busy exchanging stories, while Faith was sitting quietly to the side.
Normally, she was a lot more forward and aggressive, but her experience with Kakistos had all but destroyed every shred of confidence she had in herself.
Oh, she fought at first, quite bravely in fact, and even managed to take down two of the elder's goons, which was quite impressive for a young girl without any mystical enhancements, but against Kakistos, her best efforts never even scratched him. The vampire had been greatly amused by her resistance, and on several occasions, let her escape, having first branded her with his mark, always snatching her back just as she thought she was safe.
When Angel finally managed to get her away from the beast, she was a broken wreck, ready to die only to have the torment end. The first days with Angel were difficult, especially when she learned that he was a vampire as well, but now, she felt that she was finally somewhere safe.
"So, I see you've been busy. It's good to see you back, though." Buffy gave Angel a hug, then turned to introduce herself to Faith as well.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, Kakistos and his minions had also arrived in town and were busy setting up a base in an old warehouse.
"What have you learned?" Kakistos turned to his second, Mr. Trick.
"From what I've learned, the Slayer has this place pretty much cleaned of vampires. The few vampires that are still around survive on blood of animals and what they can get from slaughterhouses. Going after humans is considered a death sentence around here." Mr. Trick replied.
"I don't know what sort of weaklings this Slayer has been fighting so far, but now that I'm here, we shall see how strong the little girl is." Kakistos grinned evilly.
The next day, Buffy took Faith to the high school to get her enrolled. Oz quickly took care of the entire necessary paperwork trail, and Faith was able to get started with classes that very day.
"You alright?" Faith turned around to see Xander's massive frame filling her door. Feeling a bit self-conscious about the way her shirt stuck to her sweat-soaked body, she pulled her cover over herself.
"Just a bad dream." Faith tried to shrug it off, but her experience in Boston was still too fresh in her mind.
"Want to talk about it?" Xander asked.
"Well, I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep again, so why not?" Faith nodded.
"Great. Why don't we talk in the kitchen?" Xander grinned.
"Here. I daresay you could use a hot drink." Faith took the offered cup and took a quick sip of the hot chocolate.
"What are you drinking?" The drink in Xander's much larger cup didn't look like chocolate.
"Just some herbal tea. So, what exactly was your dream about, Faith?" Xander asked.
"It's always the same, actually. I'm just going about my day, and when I turn around, he's there ready to take me back, to torture me again…
I see him everywhere, even during the day; I feel his eyes on me constantly. I just can't free myself from that bastard." Faith replied nervously and with the occasional long pause.
"I know it's a bit of cliché, but time does heal all wounds, and I speak from experience." Xander said comfortingly.
"Yes, Angel told me what happened to you. How do you handle it?" Faith asked.
"It's hard. Even now, almost a year later, the memories still bother me sometimes. Willow was the lucky one, her memories contained only two battles, and in both, she acted as a Tech priest attached to a mechanized Guard company fighting against Orks. Buffy and I weren't so lucky." Xander sighed.
"But you didn't break." Faith said bitterly.
"Neither did you. You fought until the end, even though you had no hope of survival." Xander reminded her.
"Didn't help me much. If Angel hadn't been there, it would have been for nothing." Faith shook her head.
"But he was there, and now, here you are. One day, you'll be ready to fight again, I am certain of that." Xander gave her a grin as he finished his tea.
"It is almost time for the morning prayer. Would you like to join us?" Xander asked.
"Religion's not really my thing. I'm not really too big on the whole 'turn the other cheek' thing." Faith shook her head.
"We're not practice Christianity here. We offer our homage to the God-Emperor of Mankind, and we have different tenets." Xander grinned.
"What are they?" Faith asked curiously.
"Kill the alien, burn the heretic, purge the unclean." Xander's voice seemed to fill the room with power, and Faith couldn't help but shiver.
"Maybe I'll check out what you guys are doing." Faith whispered.
The chapel already had several occupants as they walked in. Willow and Oz were there, covered with their dirty white robes, discussing something in hushed tones, and across the room, Buffy and Cordelia were also talking. A few steps away, Amy was standing by herself, eyeing Buffy a bit nervously.
Things between them had warmed up considerably since Amy began attending the prayers and accepted the Imperial Cult, but a certain amount of distance still existed.
As Xander walked in, everyone took a spot before the central area, where a large Aquila and the symbol of the Omnissiah stood side by side, signifying that the chapel was sacred to both aspects of the Emperor.
Once Xander began the ceremony, everyone knelt down, heads bowed low and followed Xander as he recited the daily prayer and gave everyone the Emperor's benediction.
"What do you think?" Xander asked Faith once everyone had left.
"It was a bit different than what I'm used to, but I liked it. I might even give it a try." Faith replied.
"As long as it is truly what you want. Not everyone in our group follows the Emperor, and I have come to accept that, but I expect complete devotion from those that do." Xander warned her.
"I figured as much. Well, I appreciate our conversation. We should do it again sometime." Faith gave him a smile and walked out of the chapel.
"Oh no." Willy sighed as he saw his least favorite customer walk in his bar.
"Good evening, Miss Summers. The usual?" Willy greeted the Slayer with almost no tremble in his voice.
"Nothing tonight, Willy. I just want to talk tonight. Word on the street is that we have some newcomers in town. You know anything?" Buffy asked the barkeep as she leaned on the bar casually, observing the few customers the bar had, mostly various demons.
As much as she hated the fact that she wasn't killing all this demonic filth, the fact remained that for the most part, they weren't actually doing any harm, and until they did so, she would let them live, as distasteful the idea was to her.
"I heard that some vampires came in from out of town. Real nasty bunch too." Willy began.
"Let me guess. Kakistos?" Buffy asked.
"That's right. Anything else, Miss Summers?" Willy stammered as she turned to look at him.
"Nothing for tonight. Keep up the good work, Willy." Buffy grinned at him and walked away.
"So, he followed her all the way here. He is certainly persistent." Angel sighed when Buffy told him about what she learned.
"Coming here was a mistake on his part. I'll take Xander with me tonight and give the bunch a really warm Sunnydale welcome." Buffy grinned.
"I agree with the plan, with one change. We take Kakistos alive." Xander added his own idea to the plan.
"Any particular reason for this suggestion?" Buffy frowned.
"He put Faith through hell. If anyone deserves to end him, it should be her." Xander replied.
"I have no problem with it. After all, I won't be the one that is going to be doing the capturing." Buffy shrugged.
That night, Kakistos was busy planning his next move, when with a loud crash, one of the walls of the warehouse they were occupying burst apart, leaving a gaping hole.
"Knock, knock." Xander walked in, his armored feet echoing deeply in the warehouse with each step as his helmet's burning red eyes stared at the group of vampires gathered before him.
"We heard you were in town, and came to offer you a house warming present." Buffy gave them a grin as Xander leveled the Incinerator at the largest group of Kakistos's followers and engulfed them in holy white flame.
Once the flames died out, Kakistos was left with only two servants, as Mr. Trick used the surprise to sneak out with two others.
"I'll take care of the goons. You take the pretty one." Buffy grinned as she drew her sword.
"I will enjoy killing you two." Kakistos sneered as he stood against Xander, but even he couldn't keep looking at Xander's armor for long.
"You shall kill no more, fiend." Xander growled and rushed the vampire. Despite his great power, against Xander's Terminator armor, the vampire was terribly outmatched, and Xander had him subdued quickly.
"You done?" Buffy had also dispatched her foes easily and watched as Xander wrapped Kakistos in several chains and a large dusty curtain before he threw him over his shoulder.
"I don't know if I can do this." Faith was protesting as Xander led her to the room where they had locked away the vampire.
"If you don't face him and defeat him, you will never be able to move on." Xander gave her a hard stare. Faith gave him a nervous nod, but didn't speak.
"What's this? My toy has come back to me? Are you going to kill me now, little girl?" Kakistos laughed as he noticed the sword in Faith's hands.
"I'm not afraid of you." Faith stammered, feeling her resolve fading as she saw her tormentor before her.
"You are stronger than him Faith. I believe in you." Xander's hand on her shoulder stopped her shivers, and her loose grip on the sword tightened.
"Die." Faith screamed and swung the sword, the blessed blade cutting quickly through the vampire's neck. Moments after his head separated from his body, it all turned to dust.
"Thank you." Faith whispered weakly and walked away after dropping the sword.