CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Time for Plan B…
It was dark and quiet as Buffy walked her patrol, but then it was always dark and quiet right up until that moment when she suddenly found herself fighting for her life. She was using the information that Willow had provided as a lead and she was walking her patrol through the industrial area of town tonight. She hoped to track down the robot, but the problem was that there were so many buildings and places to hide.
She tried to concentrate on her patrol and search, but her mind kept drifting back to the picture of the demon that the Mayor was going to ascend to. She shuddered every time she thought of that picture and how big it was. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and focused on her patrol and the reason she was in this end of town tonight.
Hmmm… I think I can eliminate the buildings that are in use… The robot would probably prefer something abandoned or not used very often to hide in… That may help narrow the search…
As she checked out buildings, her mind finally drifted to other thoughts, but they weren't any happier.
There was just so much happening right now... Slayer or no Slayer... it just seems so overwhelming for a teenager…
Angel had already told her that he was leaving Sunnydale for LA after graduation. He'd said that he couldn't stay because it hurt too much to be around her and not be able to be with her. The risk of him losing his soul and turning back into Angelus was too great. A part of her understood his reasoning, but that didn't make it any easier as her heart and soul was torn at the thought of him leaving.
Buffy sighed and muttered, "At least Faith and I still have something in common…lousy luck with men and love."
She hadn't found any signs or evidence that the robot was in this area, though she wasn't sure what kind of trail a robot would leave.
Not like it would leave a trail of batteries for me to follow…that would be too easy…
She had already gone through a number of abandoned buildings, but there were a lot of abandoned and empty buildings—still leaving her lots of places to check.
There's another abandoned warehouse further up ahead… It'll have to wait until tomorrow. I need to talk to Giles and then check in on Angel and Faith…
She changed her direction and headed off towards Giles's place.
oOoOo
It had been a long day for Giles and he was exhausted as he made his way home. His tired mind was trying to process everything that had happened—Faith confessing her work for the Mayor and then finding out what demon the Mayor will be ascending to.
Finding out she had been working for the Mayor had been a major blow at first. But with it now appearing that she'd had a "change of heart" and had provided them with their first bit of solid information had been an optimistic moment—at least until they had seen what demon they would have to deal with.
His thoughts drifted back to Faith. If she was truly repentant and was taking responsibility for her actions then there was hope for them all, but she was going to pay a price. The Watchers Council frowned upon Slayers turning evil and they would probably extract a heavy price from her. Giles felt some sympathy towards her. He knew what it was like to find that someone special and then lose them. He saw the look of pain and loss in her face and he knew from bitter experience that nothing could heal it—except maybe time.
Time… that was the one commodity that they were all in short supply of right now. If Faith was being truthful then there wasn't a lot of time left as graduation was only a week away. At least they had more information to go on now than they did yesterday.
Giles was relieved when he finally reached his apartment. He was looking forward to sleep as he walked into his dark apartment and put his keys down. He was thinking of fixing himself a drink as he flipped on the lights—he literally jumped as he was greeted by the sight of the robot sitting in his living room and apparently making himself at home.
"Hello Giles… I'm hoping you brought me some good news." the robot said in a disconcerting cheery tone.
Giles found himself immediately feeling flustered and off balance. It seemed unreal as he saw the robot sitting on his sofa like he was relaxing. He was struck by the strange thought if the robot was an actual human then he would probably be smiling and laughing at him right now.
All he needs to do is put his feet up on my table and be holding a drink…
Giles shook his head to try and compose and refocus himself, "We've gone through all the books available and we couldn't find any specific information to this 'Staff of Uman'."
"You said no specific information? What did you find?"
This robot is quick and intelligent or whoever is controlling it is, Giles thought trying to gauge and get a handle and better understanding of this unknown player.
Giles shrugged tiredly, "We did find vague references in some texts to the staff you are looking for. The references talked about something called 'The essence of Time' and mentioned a doorway… That was all we could find."
Giles was a little surprised and shocked as he watched the robot proceeded to hold his chin with his fingers like it was thinking. He heard the robot mutter, "Well that would make sense…"
The robot looked up at Giles and then stood to walk around. Giles was trying to hide his discomfort at being around such a huge and powerful creature as he paced. The robot stopped and turned to face Giles.
"You found nothing else that would give you a clue as to the location of the staff?" the robot asked.
"Nothing beyond what you already know… So what are you going to do now?" Giles asked hesitantly.
"Unfortunately it's time for 'Plan B'" the robot sighed.
"May I ask what your 'Plan B' is?" Giles asked hesitantly, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to know.
"Sufficed to say… Things could get uglier and more dangerous here in Sunnydale."
Giles was stunned as he tried to imagine how things could get "uglier and more dangerous". He picked up on the robot's tone—it almost sounded like there was sadness and regret there.
The robot spoke again, "Do Buffy and Faith know what's going on and what you've been doing for me?"
Giles sighed as he recalled the sore spot between him and Buffy, "Buffy knows that I'm involved with something, but she has no information beyond that. Faith is another matter…"
That seemed to catch the robot's attention, "What's wrong with Faith? What happened to her?"
Giles was surprised and taken aback by the robot's response to Faith. It sounded like there was genuine concern and worry there in the robot's voice. His mind was trying to process everything that was happening.
What's this robot's connection to Faith?
"Faith is fine after sorts… We found out that she has been working for one of our enemies. She has been working for Mayor Wilkins, who is planning to ascend to become a demon." Giles said.
"How the hell did you find out?!" the robot said expressing surprise which shocked Giles that a robot could show such a range of emotions.
"She confessed to us earlier today… It seems that Faith had a change of heart after the Mayor had someone she cared about apparently murdered yesterday." Giles said.
"Shit! This is not how it's supposed to happen!" the robot responded angrily taking Giles by surprise again.
Giles was now thoroughly confused and curious by the robot's reaction to Faith's situation.
I wonder what he means by "how it's not supposed to happen"…
The robot looked at Giles, which caused him to back up a bit, "Where is Faith right now?"
Giles thought of lying, but he had a feeling that something important was going on and he needed to let events play out.
"She's at Angel's place… Buffy thought it would be best to have Faith some place safe for tonight… She was pretty distraught."
Giles paused as he considered whether he should tell the robot about their plans for Faith. He was too curious about this robot's concern for Faith and decided to go ahead, "…I must add that we are going to ask Faith to go back to the Mayor and be our eyes and ears in his office."
His mind worked furiously to figure out what was going on and what the robot's motivations were.
"That's a bad idea." the robot replied.
Giles was surprised by the response, "Why would you say that?"
The robot sighed which caught Giles by surprise, "The Mayor has eyes on her at all times… Odds are good that he may know about Faith crossing him… Plus if what you say is true about her mental state, then the last place she should be is close to him. Either way there's a good chance he's going to suspect her. He could use her to feed you false intel…If he doesn't just kill her."
Giles was surprised about how insightful this robot could be, "How would you know this? You can't be sure about that…"
"I have my own sources of info. The Mayor is no dummy…he's a politician who's stayed in power a long time. If I was in his shoes I would do the same thing. Especially this close to his big day, I wouldn't be taking any chances… He has too much at stake…"
The room was quiet as Giles considered what the robot had said. He gave it some thought and even in his tired state of mind, what the robot had said made sense. They had been so excited at getting information about the Mayor and the possibility that they could get someone on the inside that they hadn't considered that the Mayor would be watching everyone and be planning for such contingencies.
Giles sighed as he realized that the robot's logic was sound, "I have to agree that you present a compelling case, but what choice does Faith have? If the Mayor doesn't kill her then I'm afraid that the Watchers Council's punishment will be most extreme and severe for the crimes she has committed…"
Giles could see the robot tense up and he got nervous and afraid for a moment. From his vantage point if looked like the robot was getting angry and Giles most certainly didn't want to be in the path of that anger.
The robot looked at Giles again, "You have to make sure that Faith stays safe… You have to promise me that you'll protect her if I can't do it."
Giles was again caught by surprise as he heard the pleading and anguish tone in the robot's voice. He suddenly felt a burst of confidence as he finally felt that he had something to bargain with this robot, "Why should I promise that? What's going on with Faith? What's your connection to her?"
The robot paused as if contemplating and then spoke, "There are events in play that I can't tell you about… This situation is going to go sideways soon for all of us… I had hoped to control and manage the situation here, but I've gone and fucked things up seven ways from Sunday."
Giles arched his eyebrows at the language and tone the robot was using to describe his situation. It took him a moment and then the realization hit him.
"You knew that Faith was working for the Mayor before we did… Didn't you?" Giles asked with this piece of new found insight.
The robot sighed, "Yes… But that doesn't change the fact that it is important that she stays safe… She would have eventually redeemed herself, but this time it is happening much earlier."
"What do you mean by 'this time'?" Giles asked feeling a little lost and confused again.
The robot sighed, "I've said too much already…What a cluster fuck this has become."
Giles watched as the robot paused for a long moment like it was thinking and considering the situation and then the robot spoke again, "Things are about to get uglier and messier around here. Whatever happens between now and graduation…just remember I'm working for a greater good."
Giles got a very bad feeling, "What do you mean?"
"It means that I'm going to be crossing some lines and might be doing things that might seem counterproductive to what you are doing…" the robot replied.
Giles watched as the robot opened a compartment on itself and pulled out an envelope and handed it to him, "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this, but events are going beyond my control… This should explain my actions… If something happens to me… You have to keep Faith safe and you can give her the pictures when you feel the time is right."
Giles looked at the envelope in his hands, he was hesitant to open it, but his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the envelope and saw a large number of photos. He was shocked when he saw the first picture and he was looking at a group photo with Buffy, Xander Willow, Faith and several other people he didn't recognize. Everyone appeared different—older in the picture—the picture had been taken at a place that Giles did not recognize. It appeared to be a wedding between one of the people that he didn't recognize and Faith and she appeared to be happy and quite pregnant.
Giles hurriedly flipped through the pictures. The first group of pictures seemed to be of this wedding ceremony and everyone appeared to be happy and having a good time. He thought he had been surprised enough, but when he reached the last group of pictures he stopped and looked in disbelief at a picture. It was a picture of a tired, but very happy looking Faith holding a baby.
Giles moved absently over and sat down in a chair while still looking at the picture, that's when he noticed the date stamp in the bottom corner of the picture—"11062005". He looked up at the robot confused and puzzled.
"What? How? Who are you?" was all that he could manage to say as he looked down again at the picture and tried to believe and absorb what he was seeing.
Giles looked up again at the robot trying to understand what he was seeing, "What does this mean?" he asked holding out the picture of Faith and her child.
Giles was shocked as the robot raised his hands and appeared to remove his head. He found himself speechless as he realized that it was not a head, but actually a helmet as he found himself looking into the face of a man.
It took him a moment to recover, but then Giles realized that he had seen that face before. He quickly flipped back to the beginning of the pictures and looked at the face of one of the people he did not recognize—it was the same man that was standing next to Faith at the wedding ceremony.
Giles looked up again at the man. He saw the faded scar on the man's face—he saw pain and sorrow in those eyes. But there was strength and determination in there as well—the same look that he saw in Buffy, but only more intense and powerful. Giles found himself shudder by reflex as he realized that he was looking into the face of a trained killer—a true predator.
"My name is Michael. Faith is…or will be my wife. Our daughter Adriana is five years old."
Giles was still stunned, but he managed to put a coherent sentence together, "But how is this possible?"
As he asked the question it came to him, "…The Staff of Uman."
Giles saw the man nod in agreement.
"Faith and I were helping Buffy to stop an apocalypse… We managed to stop it, but then things went bad and I found myself here…"
Michael continued, "…I can't give you all the details and trying to explain temporal paradoxes and causality effects results in nothing but headaches. I'm just trying to get back home to my wife and daughter."
It took Giles a moment to absorb and believe that he was actually talking to someone from the future and then a look of concern and worry etched his face, "I'm not an expert on time travel, but you just being here changes…is changing things and affecting the future?"
He watched as Michael sighed, "Yes… There is a high possibility that I have changed the outcome of my and your future time line… I had hoped to minimize my impact…obtain the staff quickly and quietly and get home. It looks like that ship has sailed. Now the longer I stay…the more changes and damage I'm doing to the future."
Giles shook his head as he was still trying to sort out this story, "This is all so confusing… Let's start with the basics… Who and what are you?" he asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…" Michael smirked.
"Try me…" said Giles.
"Okay… My official designation is Michael-113… I am a Spartan-II… A special operations soldier serving in the UNSC… That's United Nations Space Command from the year 2552…"
Giles just stared blankly at Michael.
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me."
"What is a 'Spartan-II'?" and what does it… you do?" Giles asked curiously.
Michael smirked again, but it looked more serious and harder, "To put it basically… I'm one of the meanest and deadliest humans that has ever existed… My job is to protect the human race… By any and all means necessary."
Again Giles found himself speechless, "Oh…" was all that he could manage to say.
There was a long moment of silence, Giles was finally able to gather his thoughts, "What are you going to do now?"
Michael looked Giles directly in the eyes. The Watcher, who had seen his fair share of demons and other powerful creatures, found himself shiver as he looked into this eyes.
"I have to go do something I didn't want to do… I have to go make a deal with the devil." Michael replied in a hard tone.
oOoOo
Michael hadn't planned on telling Giles anything, but when Giles told him what Faith had done and what she would be facing he found his plans unraveling and he needed to think fast. His priority was and always was to protect Faith and Adriana along with the integrity of the time line.
With her change of heart and switching back sides before the ascension, that would definitely have ripple effects in the time line. Her life was now at risk and it was plainly obvious to Michael that he'd had an impact on her and was responsible for her change of heart. It hadn't helped Michael that Giles was pretty smart and started deducing and putting things together. Michael wasn't left with much choice but to tell him what was at stake, especially to get Giles's help with protecting Faith.
Michael saw the look in Giles's face as he outlined his plan and what he was going to have to do now. To say that Giles wasn't happy would be a slight understatement.
"Are you sure this is the way to go? It sounds like a very risky plan." Giles asked worriedly.
"I don't have any options left… The Mayor is my only chance to find the staff." Michael replied.
"…Can you handle your end?" he asked.
There was a pause and Michael could see Giles thinking over everything that was being asked of him. Giles looked at the pictures of Faith and her child and sighed, "I believe so… It may take some convincing to get the others to go along with what you are purposing… It goes against their nature."
"It's important that it all look convincing… Otherwise the plan falls apart and it could get a lot messier…" Michael replied.
Giles shuddered at the thought of how the situation could get worse.
"What happens if you don't find the staff? What will you do?" Giles asked curiously.
"I don't know… But if I don't find my way home then it's going to get very crowded and very interesting in Sunnydale in about six months' time." Michael said with a shaking his head.
Giles looked at Michael strangely, "Huh… What do you mean?"
"Nothing… Don't worry about it… It's my problem."
Giles shook his head, "To get back on topic… Dealing with the Mayor… You do know that he is invulnerable right now and in a week's time he will be changing into a huge demon if we don't stop him."
"I'll handle the Mayor and any fallout… Whatever happens I need you and Buffy to protect and make sure Faith stays safe."
Michael could see that Giles was a little doubtful, "…My family is the most important thing to me…in any universe. I love Faith more than life itself… She is a part of me… If anything happens to her… Well let's just say that the Mayor's ascension will be minor to the destruction that I can unleash… Make sure that the Council is aware of this."
Giles found himself dumbfounded and he actually gulped as he heard the hard serious tone in the Spartan's voice, "You can't be serious… You wouldn't be capable of something like—"
Michael interrupted Giles, "You have no idea who and what I am… You have no idea of what I have done or what I am capable of… I have seen whole worlds burn… I have seen death on a scale you cannot imagine. I have walked through and on the ashes of millions… I've been in the Hellmouth and walked out of there… I don't fear hell… Hell fears me."
Giles was stunned as he looked at the Spartan. Michael hadn't raised his voice while he was talking—that was probably the scariest part. Giles heard the words and tone and he actually believed that the Spartan could actually make an apocalypse seem like a minor inconvenience. Giles saw the look in Michael's eyes, he could swear he could almost see planets burning in those dark eyes.
oOoOo
It was late when Buffy arrived at Giles's apartment. She knew that he was tired and for a moment she was tempted to bypass his place and go straight on to Angel's, but she wanted to talk to him. She was still feeling out of sorts about him hiding information from her and she wanted to give him another chance.
She was about to knock on the door, when she thought she heard voices talking inside the apartment. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she thought she recognized Giles's voice. Buffy was a little mystified who Giles could be visiting with at this time of night. She was tempted to barge in, but a little voice inside her head told her to try and sneak a look first. She told herself that she wasn't spying on Giles—she was just checking the situation out first.
Buffy wasn't prepared for what she saw when she peeked through the window. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Giles talking with the robot they had been looking for. What was even more shocking and disconcerting for her was that the robot had a human head.
Buffy's first instinct was that Giles was in danger and was getting ready to crash through the window, when she realized that Giles wasn't in any danger—they were just talking. She couldn't believe what she was seeing—Giles had been working with the robot…man or whatever he was.
God knows how long Giles has been working with him… I wonder what they are up to? Buffy thought as she kept watching Giles and the man talk.
She could see it was an intense discussion and Giles didn't appear very happy. She wished that she could have heard their conversation clearer, but she did pick up the odd word—Mayor… Faith.
She saw Giles turn pale several times, so that didn't indicate good news. As she kept watching she felt her anger grow towards him and how he had lied to her and hid this from her.
How could Giles exclude me from this…? He better have a very damn important reason!
As she spied on them, she was considering what her next move should be.
Should I confront both of them or should I watch and follow the robot… uh… man and get more information first before confronting Giles?
Buffy managed to get a close look at the man that was talking to Giles. She'd encountered the robot/man before, but she hadn't paid that much attention. She noted that Faith's observations were a lot better than hers. She could see the man and how strong and powerful he must be. Now seeing his face, she could tell that the man was wearing some sort of armored suit.
She got a good look of his face. He was an older guy—in his forties or even fifties. He had a dangerous look to him and she couldn't help but notice that he did give off a certain vibe. She could tell that who or whatever he was, he was dangerous and very serious.
Buffy saw the man pick up his helmet and put it back on. She realized that he was getting ready to leave. She finally decided what she was going to do—she would follow for now to find out more and then confront Giles.
oOoOo
As Michael left Giles, heading off into the night, his motion sensors immediately picked up a target following him—it was green. He had an idea as to who it was, but to be sure he picked up the pace and saw the target move faster to keep up.
Damn it! Buffy must have seen me come out… Now she's trying to follow me…
Things were going sideways tonight on Michael and he was torn over what he should do. He could just lose Buffy and leave her behind, but his thoughts drifted back to Faith and how things had changed for her.
Having Buffy on her side wouldn't hurt… Especially if things go bad… Maybe it's time to have a chat with her...
Michael started moving faster. He could see Buffy start to fall behind. When he figured he'd put enough distance between them, he changed direction and started sprinting. He stayed in range to keep her on his motion sensors as he circled around to come up behind her. He could see on his sensors, as she at first struggled to keep up and then stopped when she had lost his trail. Michael swept around moving back on Buffy's position—he could see clearly in the darkness. He saw Buffy standing there with a look of frustration on her face as she was trying to figure out where he'd disappeared too and what to do next. She was unaware that Michael was approaching her.
oOoOo
Buffy was swearing to herself, she thought she had played it right and stayed back far enough to follow the man and see where he was headed. Evidently she needed to work on her James Bond skills as the man started speeding up and she tried to keep up—next thing she knew he was gone. She found herself standing there trying to figure out what to do next.
As she was thinking what her next move would be, her senses kicked in. She suddenly felt she was being watched. She didn't show any change in her behavior, but she started making subtle changes as she got herself ready for a fight. She lowered her breathing and cleared her mind. She tried to listen for any sounds of attack—nothing but the regular sounds of the night. She began to slowly shift her weight and change her position as she got ready to strike or defend herself. The last thing she expected was a voice calling from the darkness.
"I think it's time we talked…"
oOoOo
Buffy found herself in awe and a little afraid as the man came quietly out of the darkness. She quickly appraised the man's body language and she relaxed a bit when she saw that he was approaching her non-threateningly, but then things weren't always as they seemed and she stayed on guard.
"Yeah… It's time that we did talk. What did you want to talk about?" Buffy said as she kept a wary eye on the man.
"How much did you overhear?"
Buffy decided to try and play it cagey and maybe get some more information, "I heard enough… I know that you're not a robot… I know that the Mayor and Faith are involved with all this!"
Michael smirked. He could see that Buffy was overplaying her hand. He had known her—would know her for years. From her body language and bio sensor readings, he could tell that she was trying to bluff him. He'd already made his mind up, but this wasn't the place to discuss the details and he had one more stop to make tonight. It would be up to Giles to tell her when the time was right.
"If you don't mind I would prefer to leave my helmet on for the time being… You just don't know who is watching and listening." Michael paused as he checked his motion sensors.
"…There are things and events happening that you are not aware of… I wish I could tell you everything, but this isn't the time or place. Giles will let you know what is happening when the time is right… He won't keep anything from you…"
Michael saw the skeptical look on Buffy's face, "Right… So what's the deal with you, the Mayor and Faith?"
Michael sighed, "What I have to do with the Mayor is necessary… Just keep your head down until graduation day. Giles will fill you and the others in on what your roles will be…when the time is right."
Buffy shook her head, "So we're supposed just let the Mayor do whatever he wants and let him turn into a demon? I don't buy it!"
"Yes… You need to stay out of his and my way until it is time." Michael said forcefully.
"I'm not about to stand by and let the Mayor destroy the town…"
"He won't… I won't let him… I just need some time."
Buffy found herself unsure and wary about this conversation. She decided to change her approach, "What about Faith?" she asked.
There was a pause. Michael had already processed the implications of his plan and what had happened so far. He knew that if he got back home that things were going to be different, but he knew what was still important to him, "You have to keep her safe… Help her… She has a hard road ahead of her."
Buffy was a little taken aback by the tone in the man's voice—it was almost sad. She wondered what this man's connection was with Faith.
"What is Faith to you?" she asked curiously.
There was another long pause and the voice spoke again with that sadness—a sadness of something lost.
"She… She is my everything… My life… My future…"
With that the man turned and disappeared back into the darkness leaving Buffy standing there with few answers and still so many questions.
oOoOo
Mayor Wilkins entered his dark office. He made his way straight to his desk and turned on the desk lamp. He was chiding himself as he had forgotten some papers he needed for meetings in the morning. He mumbled to himself about getting forgetful in his old age as he looked through his neatly stacked piles of papers and file folders.
Not much longer and I don't have to worry about these mundane matters anymore…
He suddenly stopped his looking and stood up straight. There was a long pause as he stood there frozen. He then spoke to the room.
"I was wondering when you would be showing up at my door…"
Wilkins slowly turned and looked towards a dark corner of his office. He tried to hide his surprise and amazement as a huge figure moved silently out of the darkness.
Michael watched as the Mayor moved very slowly and deliberately, sitting on the corner of his desk—folding his arms trying to look relaxed as he projected an image of confidence.
"You've made quite an impression and a name for yourself… You are most impressive. So what can I do for you?" the Mayor said with a smile.
Michael had checked the area for any threats and he moved further into the room.
Wilkins was initially worried that the robot wouldn't be able to communicate with him, but that worry passed as the robot spoke.
"I'm looking for something… I thought I would see if you knew anything."
The Mayor maintained his smile, not giving away any hint or clue of what he was thinking, "Well I am here to serve the public…even those that are non-human"
"What do you know about the "Staff of Uman"?"
Wilkins studied the robot. He was trying to find something that he could use against it and exploit it, "Hmmmm… I think I might have heard of this object… What do you want it for?"
"It's for personal reasons… If you did have this object would you give it to me?"
The Mayor could not help but admire how the robot was able to dance around in this conversation.
"Why would a robot need something for personal reasons?" he asked.
"My business… Do you have it?"
"I may know something about this staff… But the question becomes why would I want to just give you this item? What do I get out of it?" Wilkins said still smiling and trying to appear relaxed.
"Survival…"
The Mayor sniffed at the response and his eyes rolled a bit, but his smile did not change.
"Well I could kill you and search your office and home…"
Wilkins laughed in response.
"… But I know that you are invulnerable right now and can't die…"
Wilkins shook his head with the smile still on his face, "You're pretty bright… plus if I did have this staff and I knew that you were looking for it… I would've probably hid it where it couldn't be easily found."
"… I could torture you for the location… I have no problem with that…"
Wilkins's smile faded and a frown slowly came to his face, "I am tiring of this conversation… Why don't you get to the point!" he said with the anger obvious in his voice now.
"Okay… Bottom line… I want the staff… You have the staff… You could just give me the staff and I would just leave and be on my merry way and not bother you ever again, but that's not your style… You're a politician… You want something… Nothing comes without a price or reward for you."
The Mayor tried to maintain his composure and keep his growing anger in check, "What are you willing to offer?"
"My services…"
Wilkins's eyebrows arched up in surprise as he hadn't been expecting this turn of events. He now found himself very interested and his mind started swirling as he considered all the implications and opportunities.
oOoOo
Considering the situation and circumstances, Michael was feeling somewhat better that he had confirmed that the Mayor had the staff. There was still the little problem of getting it. He saw that he had the Mayor's interest with his offer, as he tried to keep the sound of distaste and disgust out of his voice as they negotiated. He didn't want to be here, but he had no choice as he was running out of time, "I know that your ascension day is coming up soon… I know that you have many enemies… My offer is to keep your enemies away and you can ascend without any interference in exchange for 'the Staff of Uman'."
Michael could see him considering his offer. It took a moment for the Mayor to respond, "I could use someone like you, but it's not good enough… I want you to destroy my enemies…starting with Buffy."
Michael had anticipated this response. That was the risk. The Mayor thought that he was now in position of strength.
"I would've thought you would want to destroy your enemies after you ascend…figured that someone like you would get more satisfaction from that. My offer is to provide security so that you have no interference from now until your ascension. If anyone threatens your ascension and proves to be an 'imminent' threat to you or the ceremony… I will deal with it."
"Not good enough! I want all of them dead!" Wilkins said barely concealing his anger and hate.
There was a moment of silence as the two adversaries studied each other.
"My offer is what it is… You reject it…" Michael pulled his combat knife from his shoulder scabbard in one quick smooth movement, catching the Mayor off-guard. Michael held the knife blade in front of him and twisted it slowly, so that the Mayor could see it, "…I know that you are invulnerable, but I'm wondering how invulnerable you are? Maybe we could test and see… I wonder how much pain you would feel as I cut you into tiny little pieces…"
Michael could see the Mayor struggle to keep his composure as his eyes were fixated on the twisting knife blade. The Mayor may have thought that he was bluffing, but Michael was more than willing to travel down that road. He'd even considered just grabbing Wilkins and having a nice long chat with him, but with the Mayor being invulnerable—possibly not able to feel pain—it would be a wasted effort. He would probably keep the Mayor from ascending, but he wouldn't be any closer to obtaining the staff and getting home.
There was another long moment of silence. Michael could see that Wilkins was considering all the implications—looking at all the angles—plotting for the advantage.
Wilkins sighed as he could see no way around it—for now, "You guarantee no interference… I'll see that the staff is delivered to you…after the ceremony."
"You have the staff at the ceremony and I confirm that it is the real thing… You can hand it over after you become a demon… Otherwise we'll have a problem."
"It looks like we have a deal then! I would offer you a drink, but I assume that you don't drink." Wilkins said with the smile returning to his face.
Michael turned to leave. He wanted to get as far away from this slime ball as possible.
"How will I contact you?" the Mayor asked.
"I'll be in touch if I need to talk to you… Just remember I'll be watching at all times…" Michael said leaving the rest of the threat unsaid.
Michael knew that the wheels were turning in the Mayor's mind—he was thinking that once he was a demon then he wouldn't need him and kill him. Michael wasn't worried about the Mayor trying to kill him. He would be surprised if Wilkins didn't make the attempt. Michael's main concern was to have the staff at the ceremony—he would deal with the Mayor then.