Chapter 39: Return

As Jeremy promised they checked out later that day. They were going back and Buffy couldn't be happier.

For the trip to the compound, they split the group into two carloads, based on the two groups they'd form once they arrived. The plan was for Jeremy, Paige and Kenneth to wait in the background while Clay, Buffy, Adam, and Dawn broke in and cleared all initial resistance.

Paige had made passionate arguments about going with the group going inside first. But the group said that she should stay with the Leaders. There was no need for two witches.

Dawn drove the second car. Before they piled into the car, Dawn noticed Clay shooting glances at Jeremy as he climbed into the other vehicle.

"You can go with him if you want," Dawn said.

"No," Clay said. "He's right. We need to discuss our strategies on the trip, so this makes sense. Besides, it's not like I haven't left him alone before."

"I'm sorry," Dawn said.

"About what?"

"Taking off that day. Not being careful. Getting myself and Buffy kidnapped. Losing contact with you guys. Making you—" Dawn said.

He pressed his lips to Dawn's, cutting her short. "You didn't make me do anything. I chose to come after you and Buffy."

"It's just that I hate …" Dawn trailed off and shrugged. "You know, putting you in a position where …" She cast a look at Jeremy and exhaled. "Making you choose."

Clay laughed. "Making me choose? Darling, we live with the guy. We share a house, bank accounts, even vacations. We're never alone and I've never heard you utter one word of complaint. You have never asked me to choose, and you have no idea how grateful I am for that, because if I ever had to pick, it would be you, no matter what that meant for the Pack."

"I'd never do that to you," Dawn said.

"Which is why I know how much you love me. Yes, I feel shitty about having abandoned Jeremy, but he understands, and I don't regret it, even if you and Buffy did get yourselves free without my help." He pulled back to look first at Dawn and then at Buffy. "Now, Buffy, Dawn are you two okay with this? Going back in? 'Cause if not …"

"I'm fine," Dawn said. "I want to get it over with. I want to finish this, say good-bye to all these nice people, and go home, to our own home, our own beds, and be alone."

"Reasonably alone," Clay said with another glance toward Jeremy and Buffy.

"Close enough."

"I'm ready to get this over with also," Buffy said. "I'm ready to take my daughter home."

"Let's do it, then."

When Buffy, Clay and Dawn had escaped the compound grounds, they'd used the main service road that bisected the west end of the property. Definitely not the safest route, but Clay hadn't been able to find another one. This time they were using an overgrown rutted road that dated back several property owners. Dawn had discovered it by hacking into property records and old surveys.

She had silently thanked Willow for that as her granddaughter had taught her everything she had known about hacking.

The old surveys had shown all previous roads crisscrossing the compound property. We sampled several and chose one that fell midway between secluded and accessible. I drove a few hundred feet along it, then pulled over for our final pre-assault rendezvous with Jeremy.

Twenty minutes later, Buffy and Dawn were talking about what they intended to do for Savannah's first birthday with them as Clay and Adam pored over the maps. Jeremy had given them their instructions and was now discussing last-minute details with Kenneth and Paige. Dawn with Paige's help had improved her telepathic spell to the point that there should no longer be a problem of contact with Jeremy, Kenneth or Paige on the outside. So Dawn would act as telepathic liaison between the two groups, allowing them to communicate without two-way radios or cell phones.

Clay walked up to the sisters. "Jeremy has some last-minute instructions for you two."

"Let me guess," Dawn said. "Be careful. Don't show off. Don't take unnecessary risks."

Clay grinned. "Nah. Jeremy trusts you two. It's more like: 'Make sure Clay's careful,' 'Make sure he doesn't show off,' 'Make sure he doesn't take unnecessary risks.' Baby-sitting instructions."

Dawn and Buffy rolled their eyes and headed for Jeremy. He was alone, leaning over a map spread on the hood of one car. As they approached, he folded the map without looking up.

"You two will be in charge out there, Dawn, Buffy," he said as he turned.

"We know the routine. We look after Clay. We set the tone. We make sure he keeps it under control," Dawn said.

"You two call the shots. He knows that."

"What about Adam? Does he know that?"

"It doesn't matter. Adam will follow Clay's lead. Take control and he'll follow."

"We'll try."

"One more thing. Dawn, stay with Clay. If you two separate, you'll both be too worried about each other to concentrate on your tasks. The same goes for you and Clay, Buffy. We both know that he feels for you to an extent as well."

"Yeah I know," Buffy said.

"No matter how bad things get, stick together. Don't take any chances," Jeremy said.

"We know," Dawn said.

"I mean it." He reached out and brushed an escaped strand of hair from Dawn's shoulder. "I know you two are sick of hearing it, but don't take any chances. Please."

"We'll look after him," Dawn said.

"That's not what I mean. You two know that."

Dawn nodded and kissed his cheek. "We'll be careful. For all three of us."

"And Buffy," Jeremy said as he smiled at her. "Bring Savannah home. I'm looking forward to her first birthday with us."

Buffy smiled as she hugged Jeremy.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Step one: Inspect the grounds.

Clay, Dawn, Buffy and Adam followed the overgrown service road for two miles, at which point the road looped north, away from the compound, meaning they had to finish the journey with a half-mile trek through thick brush. Once they were close enough to see the compound, they stopped and circled the perimeter, staying as far in the forest as they could while still being able to see the open strip of ground surrounding the building. They looked, listened, and sniffed for anyone outside the compound walls. According to Clay, from his earlier observations, people came outside for three reasons only: to smoke, to feed the dogs, and to leave the grounds. Leaving the grounds meant driving one of four SUVs stored in a nearby garage. No one left on foot and no one went for walks in the forest. Their walk around the perimeter confirmed that no one was outside.

Step two: Kill the dogs.

During Clay's earlier reconnaissance, he'd found the kennel. It was a cinder-block building tucked thirty yards into the woods, as if purposely placed away from the compound to eliminate noise. These dogs were for tracking and killing, not for guarding. As they drew near the kennel, Buffy and Dawn could tell why. Every few minutes one of the dogs would start a hellish racket, barking at something in the forest, barking at a cell-mate, or just barking from sheer boredom. Although the dogs wouldn't alert anyone to their presence, they still had to get rid of them. they'd seen what they were capable of doing to the sisters as a wolf. Buffy and Dawn didn't want to think of how much damage they could do to them when they were in human form. Once the guards realized they were in the compound, someone would get the dogs, and they'd do what they'd been trained to do, namely rip them to shreds.

They circled the kennel from the south, moving with the wind. The building was roughly twenty by ten with a fenced yard half that size. As Clay had discovered on his earlier visit, no guards were posted at the kennel. Nor were there any security measures in place to protect the animals. Only a garden-variety padlock secured the gate.

Once they were downwind of the kennel, Buffy counted the dogs by separating their scents. Three. As Clay, Adam, and Buffy crept forward, Dawn cast a cover spell, that Paige had taught her. This was the same spell Ruth had cast in the Pittsburgh alley, meaning they were invisible only if they stayed still. When they moved, their images were distorted, but visible. It worked fine with the dogs, confusing them long enough for Clay to snap the padlock and the three of them to get inside. Clay and Buffy killed their targets easily enough. Adam fumbled the choke hold they'd shown him. Not his fault. Most people aren't neck-snapping experts. The dog managed to graze four bloody furrows in Adam's arm before Clay finished the job. Dawn tried to inspect the injury, but Adam sloughed it off and helped Clay drag the dog carcasses into the kennel building.

Step three: Disable the vehicles.

This was one thing Clay, Buffy and Dawn could not do. Why? Because they were all so mechanically challenged Clay and Dawn rarely pumped their own gas for fear they'd somehow screw up and the car would burst into flames before their eyes. And Buffy, well the one-time Buffy had driven a car she had gotten into an accident and to this day had never driven again. Dawn was pretty sure that Buffy didn't even know how to change a tire let alone put gas in a car. Here was Adam's chance to make up for the botched choke hold. After they snapped the door locks, Adam flipped up the hoods, pulled a few wires and metal things, and declared the vehicles unusable. All Clay Buffy and Dawn could do was watch.

Step four: Get inside the compound.

Okay, now things got tough. When Clay had scouted the compound during Buffy and Dawn's captivity, he'd discovered that guards engaged in that sacred ritual of workers everywhere—the hack pack: die-hard smokers condemned to huddle together against the elements. Obviously even nefarious secret projects were smoke-free these days. Having determined there was only one way into the compound, they needed to get past the security system. That meant they needed a valid hand and retina. Since they didn't need a good pair of lungs, one of the smokers would work fine.

They positioned themselves in the woods beside the exit door and waited. Twenty-five minutes later, two guards came out and lit up. Clay and Dawn each targeted one and killed him. Neither guard even saw them, perhaps being too enraptured by that first flood of nicotine. They dragged the corpses a hundred feet into the woods. Then Clay dropped his and pulled a folded garbage bag from his back pocket.

Clay held his right arm out straight and bracing it with his left hand. Sweat dappled his forehead as the muscles beneath his forearm began to pulse.

Adam stared at Clay's hand as it began transforming into a claw. "That has got to be the coolest thing I've ever seen. Or the grossest."

Buffy and Dawn looked away; they didn't really want to see what Clay was about to do. There was a wet tearing sound, then a dull thud as the guard's decapitated head hit the ground.

"Nope," Adam said. "That was the grossest. Hands down."

"Heads down," Clay deadpanned. "The hand is next." A moment later he stepped from the woods. "Okay, I'm ready. We're going in."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

They headed for the exit, checking first to ensure no one else had come outside for a nicotine fix. Once there, Clay removed the head and hand from the bag. Dawn took the hand. As he lifted the head to the camera, she poised the still-warm hand beside the door handle, ready to grab it as soon as the first light turned green. Instead, the indicator stayed red and something beeped. Dawn turned to see a numeric keypad attached to the wall. "ID#?" flashed on the tiny screen.

"Shit!" Dawn said. "A key code. How did I miss that? Buffy?"

Buffy shrugged.

"Because you two were breaking out, darling, not breaking in," Clay said. "I didn't notice it either. Must be added security for getting inside."

"No problem," Dawn said. "Let's break this down logically. First, find the number of digits." She started pressing the "9" button.

"Don't!" Adam said, snatching Dawn's hand. "If we punch in the wrong code, we might set off an alarm."

"I know that. All I'm doing is seeing how many digits it'll accept. Looks like five. Okay. So, let's go back to this guy's body and see if we can find a five-digit number," Dawn said.

"Maybe tattooed on his chest," Adam said.

"No need for sarcasm," Dawn said. "He might have a card or something with the number on it. Even if it's a secret, like a PIN, lots of people write it down and hide it in their wallet. We just look for anything with five digits."

"This is stupid," Adam muttered.

"No," Dawn said. "It's logical. I'll run back—"

"We don't have time!"

"We'll make time," Clay said. "Buffy, you and Adam step into the woods and stay hidden."

Buffy nodded.

Clay and Dawn returned to the headless corpse and searched the pockets, finding neither a wallet nor anything bearing a number of any sort. When they returned, Adam was pacing just beyond the forest's edge.

"Nothing, right?" he said.

Dawn nodded. "And without a laptop and a lot of time, I can't hack in and break the code."

"Can't you teleport?" Adam asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I haven't the foggiest. Remember when Buffy and I were held captive the sorcerer made it so I couldn't teleport out of whatever room I was in. I don't know if he knows I am back or not."

"Dawn, try," Buffy said.

Dawn nodded as she took Clay and Buffy's hands. She looked at Adam. "Have to hold on to me or Clay and Buffy. Adam nodded as he took Buffy's free hand and the four of them disappeared in a flash of green and reappeared on the other side of the door.

Their next task was to disable the alarm and radio system. From Buffy and Dawn's trips to and from the infirmary, they knew the communication center was located on the second floor, around the corner from the elevator. Several guards were on duty there at all times, manning the equipment. Tucker's office adjoined the guard station. With any luck, he'd be there. Killing Tucker was another high-priority job. Of all the remaining staff, Tucker was the most dangerous. Winsloe was the next dangerous. Once Winsloe and Tucker were dead, they'd be more concerned with fighting individual guards than tracking down the remaining staff members. Oh, sure, Tess might pull a nail file on them, but Buffy or Dawn could probably take her. That left Matasumi, a guy who couldn't fight his way out of a locked bathroom. And then there was the sorcerer. Dawn was sure she'd know Katzen if she saw him. She instantly would feel the magical energy that radiated from him.

They arrived at the communication center without incident. Their luck continued when they found only two guards manning the station. They could only see slivers of their profiles, but it was enough to send a cold thrill through the sisters as they smiled. These were two guards Dawn and Buffy recognized and would never forget: Ryman and Jolliffe, the men who'd helped Winsloe hunt Lake, who'd played key roles in Armen's death, who'd taken such pride and vicious pleasure in their jobs. And now this dedicated duo was so engrossed in their work that Clay and Dawn managed to sneak up behind them without either noticing. Clay grabbed Ryman in a headlock and Dawn snapped Jolliffe's neck. They needed to keep one guard alive and had chosen Ryman, who let loose a stream of vulgarity when Clay grabbed him.

Clay clamped his hand over Ryman's mouth.

Buffy leaned into Ryman's face. "Remember me and my sister?"

His face went white. Buffy and Dawn grinned, baring their teeth.

"These are the two I told you about," Dawn said to Clay.

His eyes sparked, and he returned Dawn's grin. "Good."

Ryman made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a whimper. The sisters flashed him one last smile, then stepped away, leaving him to Clay. As Adam disconnected the communication equipment, Buffy snapped the lock on Tucker's office, leaned inside, looked, and sniffed.

"Seems our luck stops here," Buffy said. "No sign of the colonel."

"That's why we have this one." Clay slammed Ryman's head and upper torso onto the desktop, knocking over a bottle of mineral water. "Let's keep this brief. Where do we find Tucker?"

Blood trickled from Ryman's nose. He blinked, orienting himself, then cleared his throat and lifted his head.

"Paul Michael Ryman," he said, voice clipped, robotic. "Former corporal with the United States Army. Currently serving under Special Operations Colonel R. J. Tucker."

"What the hell is that?" Clay said.

"His version of name, rank and serial number," Buffy said. "Paul, that's really not going to help us."

Clay leaned over, stretched Ryman's hand flat against the desktop, then smashed it with his fist. There was a sickening crunch, like the snapping of bird bones. Ryman shrieked, cut off in mid-note by Clay's hand over his mouth.

"Doctors will have a hell of a time fixing that," Clay said. "I'd call it a write-off. That was the left hand. Next, I do the right. Where is Tucker?"

"Paul Michael Ryman," Ryman gasped when Clay uncovered his mouth. "Former corporal with the United States Army. Currently serving under Special Operations Colonel R. J. Tucker."

"Oh, for pity's sake," Buffy said. "Come on, Paul. We all appreciate your loyalty, but trust me, no one else is going to give a damn. Just tell the man what he wants to know and get it over with."

"Paul Michael Ryman. Former corporal with the United States Army. Currently serving under Special Operations Colonel R. J. Tucker."

"Men," Buffy muttered, shaking her head. "Go ahead, Clay."

Clay spread Ryman's right hand on the desktop. A spurt of static from one set of speakers made Dawn and Buffy jump. Clay only glanced at Adam.

"Sorry," Adam said. "I'm almost done." He backed down the volume on the static-spewing speaker, then bent to look at the wiring on the other one.

"Okay," Clay said. "One last chance."

Ryman looked at his damaged hand. He was loyal to a fault but he valued his life more. He finally relented and told them where they could find Tucker.

Clay gestured from Dawn to Ryman. "You want him?" he asked. He knew Buffy wouldn't care if the man died, not after what he had almost done to her and Dawn. But she would prefer it not be by her hand if at all possible.

Dawn met Ryman's eyes with a cold stare. "Not really. Go ahead and kill him."

Ryman's eyes bulged. His mouth opened but before anything came out, Clay snapped his neck. Once Adam finished disconnecting the radio and security systems, they headed for the gun locker.

Now, they didn't know exactly where to find the gun locker. Ryman had said level two, which narrowed it down somewhat. From Buffy and Dawn's infirmary excursions, they'd learned that the second floor was laid out much like the lower level, one large block with a single corridor looping around and joining at the elevator. That made it easier. All they had to do was start at one end and check every room until they found Tucker. Getting Ryman to divulge the exact location of the gun locker would have taken too much time.

While searching for Tucker, they found Matasumi in a locked room, Buffy and Dawn smelled him through a locked door. They listened for a moment, and then Dawn cast a minor spell to open it. They eased the door open and Buffy peered inside and saw Matasumi seated at a computer. He was alone. Dawn peered in just as Buffy eased the door shut.

"All clear," Buffy whispered. "He's working at a computer Though from what I see on the desk they maybe in the process of abandoning their base."

"Well he's about to encounter a fatal error," Adam said, grinning. "Mind if I handle this one?"

Dawn nodded to Adam. "Go ahead. We'll cover you. Just be—"

"Careful," Adam said. "I know."

Buffy eased open the door. Matasumi faced the side wall. His fingers flew across the keyboard. As Adam stepped into the room, Matasumi bent to put another disk into the drive. He saw Adam and froze. "Adam Vasic," he murmured.

"You know my name? I'm flattered."

Adam grabbed Matasumi's hand and shook it. Matasumi yelped and yanked his hand back. He stared at the bright red splotches on his palm, then gaped at Adam, as if unable to believe he'd burned him.

"Whoops," Adam said. "Sorry about that, Doc. Haven't quite got the fiery stuff under control yet." Adam turned to the computer. "Whatcha working on? That's some piece of hardware. Dawn, you see this? What is it?"

Adam bent and squinted at the tower box. He reached out and touched it. Sparks flew. Circuits popped. Matasumi jerked back.

"Damn!" Adam said. "That looks bad. Think you can fix it, Dawn?"

"Sorry, I'm not a technician," Dawn said.

Adam shook his head. "Guess we're shit outta luck, then, Doc. Sorry about that. What were you doing anyway? Downloading files?" Adam popped the disk from the drive. It sizzled, then melted like wax between his fingers. "Oops. Hope you have backups."

Matasumi's eyes flickered to a locked shelf overhead. Clay stepped forward and snapped it open. Adam scooped up a handful of disk cases. This time they disintegrated at his touch, leaving only charred bits of plastic and metal.

"See?" he said, showing Clay his fistful of ash. "That's what happens when you help me strengthen my powers. Even worse than King Midas's curse. At least gold's valuable." He turned to Matasumi and shrugged. "Sorry, Doc, but it's really for the best. We can't let that information get outside these walls, can we? Oh, wait. There's one more memory bank I need to shut down. My apologies in advance."

Adam tore a wire from the computer and wrapped it around Matasumi's neck. For a second, Matasumi didn't seem to realize what was happening. Then his hands flew to his throat. Too late. As Adam wrenched the wire tight, it ignited, flared, then died as Matasumi slumped sideways, garroted.

"Finish destroying the files and the computer," Clay said. "Then we move."

Then they left the room and moments later found the gun locker. To their surprise, it was actually a whole room. Buffy snuck up to an open doorway, peeked around the corner, and saw Tucker scribbling on a clipboard. Not only was he alone, but he had his back to them. She backed away from the door switching places with Dawn.

Dawn then motioned to Clay. He crept to her side, glanced around the door, and shook his head. She and Clay broke into a flurry of sign language. Then she nodded, stepped back, and waved Adam forward. Clay glided around the door; shoes silent on the linoleum. When Adam tried to follow, Dawn put out her hands to stop him. Clay could handle this alone. Better if they stayed hidden.

Dawn closed her eyes to sharpen her hearing and tracked the whisper of Clay's breathing, mapping it against Tucker's. The gap between them closed. Then, as she waited for the scuffle of the attack, two loud clicks shattered the silence. Guns.

Dawn lunged into the open doorway. Buffy grabbed the back of her shirt, stopping Dawn just as two guards stepped from their hiding places, guns trained on Clay's head.