"Without error there can be no brilliancy." - Emanuel Lasker

Sitting in the cast iron chair, Buffy kept the soldier boy in place with a foot to his neck. Any time he tried to get away, she depressed her foot enough to make him grunt. When she heard the telltale signs of people leaving for work, Buffy was forced to let him up.

"You so much as look at anyone for help, I'll let you go, but I'll hunt you down and kill you later, Riley Finn."She tossed his wallet at him.

"Yes, ma'am."

They sat staring at each other for over an hour. People came and went not paying them any mind. When Giles and Xander showed up, they said nothing as she led Riley away, and they said little as they walked with them. When they got to Buffy's destination, Xander asked, "Why here?"

"No one's using it." She shoved Riley to the ground. "Look familiar?"

"It's a crypt. With a cage for some reason." Riley shrugged. "So?"

"My friends were taken from here last night. I want them back. Now. And you will tell me how I can do that."

"Major Riley Finn 478-98-3654."

Buffy didn't punch him hard enough to break anything, but her temper was off the charts. "You will tell me what I want to know. And if you lie, I'll kill every midnight paintball player I can find until you tell me the truth."

"What kind of demon are you?"

"Funny, I'm not one. And neither were my friends. A locked up werewolf and a witch are people, you creep. Now tell me how to get them back!"

Giles cleared his throat before she could hit him again. "Beating him to death won't get you what you want. However, we'll hold him until he talks. Xander, get a sturdy chain and lock we can use on the cage."

"On it."

After Xander left, Giles said, "And if either Willow or Oz are harmed in any way, I'll help you torture Major Finn to death. There is something we need to talk about first, however."

"And what's that?" Buffy asked as she pushed Finn into the cell.

"Faith's awake."

"Maybe she's…"

"She killed the two officers standing guard over her."

"I so don't have time for her. I need to get Willow and Oz. Of course she'd wake up and still be evil at the least convenient time ever."

As midday hit, Faith knew she'd found a partner in Spike. His glee reminded her of Wilkins even if it was more of an ornery happiness. Ornery was what Wilkins would call her from time to time, and she felt it fit Spike to a T. The way his eyes lit up as he ordered breakfast and the grin as he killed the diner patrons were a kid at Christmas for sure. They were driving around in the cart the meter maid used and running over random things to see if the cart could perform. Everything was going great, up to and including where he ran the cart into a ditch.

As they got out, Faith asked, "So what's the big plan?"

"Take down the American government for starters." Spike laughed. "After I bleach my hair naturally."

"Naturally the hair comes first. And you don't start small do you? The big US of A is a tall order don't you think? I mean the corporations that run it wouldn't stop for an apocalypse, or they'd start one if they could get their heads out of their asses for five seconds."

"While I know ending stupidity seems like a hard target to hit, I have the best plan. Use their ignorance against them." Spike lit a smoke. "The morons picked the evil demon capital of the world for their research and development. They've got an underground bunker filled with demons they think they tamed. Some of those demons aren't even evil, but I can tell you one thing. Demons of any sort don't go for the controlled by wankers bit except for the ones without higher thought. So there's a ready made army, inside and waiting. I need to do some recon, as they call it, then I can move."

"Got any outside firepower?"

"I have an Old One, and every demon I've chatted up about this topic ready and willing to die for the cause if needed. Now I have a Slayer, which should help keep the blonde one off my back while we work." Spike tossed an arm around Faith's shoulders. "And you're human enough for what needs to happen next."

"And what's that?"

"I need you to join the commandos, be my inside man."

"Hey, I'm not your Private Benjamin."

"Not asking you to dress in camo or anything, love. Only asking you to spy and fight."

"Just so we're clear, I'm not your minion. We're partners or nothing. You let me in on every aspect of your plan, and I have the same amount of decision making power as you. We got a deal?" She stood arms akimbo.

He rolled his tongue in his mouth as he smirked. "Yeah, we got a deal."

Her hands ran up his chest before she kissed him forcefully. Spike pulled her body to his by grabbing her ass. Her moan was appreciative.

Walsh stood over Hostile 29, a gun to Hostile 28's head. "You do what I say or he dies. I believe the silver ammunition in this gun will do the job."

"Willow, no!"

One of the army guys hit Oz over the head and blood oozed from his scalp. "Shut up, demon."

With tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry, but I can't let them hurt you."

"You're doing the right thing 29." Maggie's smile was frightening. "Now what I need you to do is magically infuse life into this dead flesh."

Willow's eyes widened. "That'll take months of research and some impossible to get ingredients."

Maggie shot Oz in the foot. "You have a week or I start amputating parts of your dog."

Oz didn't give Walsh the satisfaction of screaming, but his breathing got harsh and labored. "Willow, don't do this."

"Oz. I'm sorry."