7: Out and about.
After the 'incident' with the deputy mayor, Buffy had found sleep elusive. And when it did come it was always accompanied by nightmares of drowning. The next morning, Buffy had gone to find Faith, to confront her about what happened. Her response: "I don't care."
Faith had told her that they were 'in this together'. Now Buffy had no idea what to do.
After worrying her way through morning classes she'd decided to go to the library, hoping that she could muster the courage to talked to Giles. When she arrived she found that Giles was not alone.
"Well...hello." said the stranger. His accent was defiantly British and Buffy somehow got the feeling that he was from the watchers council.
"Watcher?" she asked Giles.
"Sort of." he answered.
"Wesley Wyndam-Price." he took a step forward and offered his hand. Buffy remained where she was. Feeling awkward, Wesley withdrew his hand. "It's very nice to meet you. And no, I'm not here as a watcher. I was actually sent here as part of the investigation into Quentin Travers' death."
"The head of the watchers gets run through and they send...you?" Buffy's sarcasm was obvious, even to Wesley but he ignored it.
"I was sent here to collect evidence and send my finding back to the council. They'll be doing the real detective work." he looked through some of the notes scattered on the table in front of him. Buffy recognised some of them as the notes Giles had made. "I've...er...examined the evidence and I find mister Giles conclusion to be valid. Mister Travers and the girl...miss...Kendal. They were both killed by the same individual."
"Thank god your on the case." said Giles.
Wesley was about to say something but he stopped when the library door opened once again.
"Ah, this must be Faith."
Buffy turned round. She hadn't spoken to Faith after their meeting in her flat. It was not something she remembered fondly.
"New watcher?" asked Faith
"Investigator, techinqly." answered Giles.
"Yes, speaking of which. There's been another murder, the ,erm, Deputy Mayor." Buffy's heart practically stopped. She'd heard that the body had been found on the news but now this new watcher was looking into it.
Giles rolled his eyes. "The Modus operandi is different. Harmony and Quentin were killed using a far larger weapon. Mister Finch's death is the result of human malice not a daemonic assassination."
"None the less, I feel it requires investigation." said Wesley, sounding frustrated at being overruled.
"No problem." said Faith. "Wouldn't mind kicking a little extra bad guy butt anyway."
"Yes...I've also been going over Mister Giles' reports and I'm very interested in this...'Dark Side'. These ,erm, powers you described...we don't have anything like them recorded in the watchers archives. I don't suppose you could bring him in for an interview."
"Bring him in?" asked Giles in a mocking tone. "Were not a secret police force you know."
"Hey...if we find him. We'll tell him your interested. Right B?"
"Yeah...sure." replied Buffy. She had no idea where to find Darkside during the day. He'd probably be somewhere making a fool of himself.
Los Angeles. The offices of Wolfram and Heart. Lindsey McDonald was listening to yet another client trying to make a deal with the law firm. The client himself was probably the youngest he'd ever interviewed. He couldn't have been more than eighteen. The deal itself was certainly interesting, even by this firms standards. As a result his boss, Holland Manners and one of his colleges, Lilah Morgan had been called in to help finalise things.
"So...your plan is to make an army of monsters?" asked Lindsey, once the client hand finished.
"Well...yes. But I need people to do it...lots of people."
"And you want us to supply them?" asked Lilah. "You realise that we would expect a large payment. Making a large number of people disappear, no questions asked, isn't cheap."
"Ok...sixty percent of any and all plunder and I'll give you the secret to making the monsters yourselves. I'm sure they'd make invaluable shock troops...or terror weapons."
Lindsey looked at Manners. His boss seemed to mull the it over for a moment before coming to a decision.
"Mister Darkside. We have a deal."
"Excellent." said Lilah. "I'll get a team stated on the logistics. You can expect delivery by...Friday."
"Oh, wait...hang on." the lawyers had been about to get up before their client interrupted. "I'm afraid there's been...some kind of misunderstanding here."
"And that would be?" asked Lindsey.
"When I said Wolfram and Heart would supply the people." He started smiling in a way that made Lindsey feel uneasy. "I meant Wolfram and Heart would supply the people."
All three of the lawyers laughed at that. You really couldn't blame them. From their point of view they were completely safe and unassailable. But just believing something does not make it so.
After they stopped laughing Manners pressed the intercom for security. "Dennis, would you please escort our 'guest' from the building."
There was a pause for a moment, then Dennis, the current chief of security, answered. "M-mister Manners...we're getting killed out here sir...these things they just came out of nowhere. We couldn't defend...their coming out of the goddamARRRGHH-"
The line went dead, but that didn't stop Manners from trying the intercom a few more times. "Dennis? Dennis!?Anyone!?" only static answered him.
"Mr Manners" Lilah's tone made Holland look up. Five black creatures had risen up from the floor behind where Darkside was sitting. He was now the only one in the room still smiling. He stood and walked towards the trio, the creatures following behind.
Lilah backed away into a corner, Lindsey was slowly moving towards the windows, leaving Manners where he was. "Now...I'm sure we can-"
"I don't need you. Get him." Before Manners could move all five Heartless leapt at him simultaneously.
Lindsey didn't see what happened next. He was too busy looking at Darkside, who was walking his way. Lindsey tired to back away further but found that he couldn't. He'd already backed up as far as the windows, there was nowhere else to go.
"Lindsey." Darkside slammed his palm on the glass next to Lindsey's head. "I need to talk to the senior partners. And you're going to get me an audience."
Lindsey fought the overwhelming fear and tried to think rationally. He knew that this boy couldn't beat the Senior Partners, no one could. He'd lose and when he did the Partners would remember whose side Lindsey took. "Not a chance." he said.
Darkside stopped smiling "Not the answer I was looking for." The glass started to crack around his palm. "You have two ways off this building Lindsey, express or coach. You're choice."
"I have nothing more to-" Darkside gave Lindsey a push. His darkness enhanced strength smashed Lindsey through the already weakened glass and out into the void beyond. For a moment he hovered where he was, then he plummeted down.
"How about goodbye?"
Darkside moved away from the window and headed for the corner that Lilah still occupied. There were six Heartless now, arranged in a semicircle around Lilah, staring at her with unblinking yellow eyes.
"Now, Lilah. I'm sure you'll be far more cooperative than Mister McDonald."
Lilah looked at the hole in the glass where Lindsey had been. It didn't take long to make up her mind.
"If I help you. You'll let me live?" she asked.
"Get me to the senior partners and I promise I'll let you go."
Lilah was not reassured but as long as there was a chance that she'd live through this, she'd play Darkside's game. She lead him to the elevator and pushed the button of the White Room.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Money, power? Whatever it is, the partners can give you more."
Darkside laughed at that. "This isn't about money or power. This is about purpose."
Lilah was about to inquire further when the elevator chime signalled that they'd arrived. The doors slide open to reveal that blank space of the White Room. Darkside Walked in, seeming to know where he was going.
"Wait! What about me?" asked Lilah "You said you'd-"
"I said that I'd let you go. I never said that I'd call the Heartless off." Darkside turned to face Lilah, who was still standing in the elevator. "There's not much I care about Lilah, but one of the things I value is loyalty. Another is purity of intent. You have proven that you have neither." with that he continued on his way. "I reckon you get five steps before one of them gets you."
Lilah was about to call after him, try and make a case for herself but she stopped when she realised it was pointless. 'Maybe there's a chance I can make it.' she told herself 'If I'm fast enough I can get out before those things catch me'. She pushed the button for the ground floor.
Darkside heard the elevator doors close behind him with a slight whoosh noise. His path was momentarily blocked by a little girl in a red dress, the partners conduit. Mesektet.
"Well, haven't we been causing-"
"Thundagun." Mesektet screamed as a lightning bolt struck her. There was a flash of bright light then the room was empty once more. Or so it seemed.
"I know your there." Darkside turned round to face the Senior Partners. There were three of them. All dressed in the same red robes and wearing hoods that obscured their faces.
"What is the meaning of this?" Hissed the one in the centre.
"Does there have to be meaning. Can't I just be evil for evils sake?" asked Darkside, childishly.
"If you are evil then we are on the same side. We can come to an arrangement." this time it was the partner on the left.
"Wrong. You're not evil. You know what I see. Failures. You feed of those weaker that you. Your pathetic."
"And what are you going to do little boy." now it was the one on the right. "Do you really think you can hurt us?"
"Hurt you. Haven't you been paying attention. The deal was that Wolfram and Heart would supply people to make my Heartless. Nothing in that excludes the three of you."
A small Shadow rose up next to Darkside. And another. And another. Soon the entire white room was heaving with shadows. All waiting for Darkside's command.
"Gentle men. You have a front row seat." The partners watched as he raised his hand. "To the beginning of the dark ages." He snapped his fingers and the Heartless charged.