Chapter 103: Primeval
Buffy sits on the edge of her bed, looking alone and worried. She is holding a framed photo of her, Willow and Xander, arms around each other, grinning. She stares at it and doesn't notice Piper coming in until she sits down next to her.
"You want to tell me what happened?" Piper asks.
"You remember that demon that got you, me, Prue, and Phoebe so mad that it split the triquetra and stripped out powers?" Buffy asks as Piper nods. "That's basically what happened last night at Giles' except no demon. I don't understand Piper, how to make it all better."
"You start by going and apologizing, Buffy. I don't know what the argument was about. But I know Willow, Xander and even Giles are your friends. They have stuck beside you for four years. Friends like that come along once in a lifetime. Go talk to them." Piper says.
Buffy sighs, "I need some time to think, thanks Piper."
Piper nods as she heads out of the room.
Buffy sighs and then flames out and into the cave she and Forrest met Adam in. She walks through the cave looking around wondering what Adam was doing here. She comes to a widening in the cave. This could be it. She takes a deep breath powering up a fireball and walks into what is obviously Adam's lair. Luckily Adam is not there. Her eyes quickly scan the space, landing on a bank of computers that are dark and abandoned.
Buffy makes her way out of the cave at an urgent pace. She comes to a point where it branches off in a few directions. Suddenly sensing something, she stops, whips around throwing a fireball at Spike, who dives out of the way.
"Easy, Sheriff. Watch where you point that thing." Spike says.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asks.
"Looking for a little weekend getaway place. Shove off." Spike says.
"Adam's been using these caves. I found his lair." Buffy says.
Spike stops, reacting with feigned shock. "What? Cripes, that's all I need - running into that goon. I ducked in here last night. Soldier boys were out in force. Lots of activity."
"And Adam's cleared out of here. Whatever he's planning, it's about to go down." Buffy says.
Spike nods, "Look at little Nancy Drew… What about those disks I nabbed? They oughta tell you something."
"The disks? Oh, I - Willow has them." Buffy says.
"Well, I'd get on that. Can't ignore valuable information just 'cause you two birds fell out, can you?" Spike asks.
"Right…" Buffy says.
Spike starts off down one of the cave branches. Buffy eyes him as he goes. "'Course, you do what you want. No worry of mine, now is it?"
Buffy pulls out her cell phone and dials.
"Hello?" Tara asks.
"Is Will there?" Buffy asks.
"Um, yeah, she's right - I mean let me check." Tara says.
"Yeah Buffy?" Willow says.
Later on campus Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles all warily approach each other from four separate directions.
"Where's Anya?" Buffy asks.
"Oddly, Anya opted not to join us despite all the fun we had at our last meeting." Xander says.
"And I don't think Tara felt welcome." Willow says.
"Why? Because of the things we said?" Buffy asks as Willow nods. "Will - who told you we were talking behind your back. Specifically?"
"I - well –" Willow says. "Spike - specifically. But –"
"And who told you we thought you'd be better off joining the army?" Buffy asks Xander.
"That's not… exactly what he said." Xander says.
Buffy looks to a blustering Giles.
"You know, Spike can be quite convincing when he - I'm very stupid." Giles says.
"He played us. He wanted us to fight. To split us up." Buffy says. "That's where it all came from. The stuff we said last night."
"Of course. Piffle. Let's move on." Giles says.
"I'm moving." Xander says.
"Me too." Willow says.
Buffy sighs, "Good. Great."
But there is no joy in their reconciliation. It's clear from the uneasy silence that there's still a lot of hurt between them.
"So - why do you think Spike made with the head games?" Willow asks.
"He's all dressed up with no one to bite? He's got to get his yaya's somehow." Xander says.
"I think it's more than that. I think it's Adam." Buffy says.
"Spike is working for Adam?! After all we've done for –" Xander says. "No good. I can't even act surprised."
"I went to Adam's lair just now. Adam was gone and Spike "just happened" to be there. He made a big noise about how I should check out the information on those encrypted disks –" Buffy says.
"Oh! Hey - I decrypted them!" Willow says. "Well. They decrypted themselves but I almost had it."
"Decrypted themselves? Kinda defeats the purpose, yah?" Xander asks.
"What did they say?" Giles asks.
"A bunch of stuff we already knew about 314 - but it also said there's some "final phase" where Adam manufactures a bunch of creepy cyber-demonoids just like him. There's a special lab down in the Initiative, but it didn't say where it was." Willow says.
Buffy nods, "Adam fed Spike the disks. It has to be. He wants me to know all about his evil guy assembly line. And this lab is in the Initiative?"
Willow nods, "Hidden somewhere."
"Give this demon his due. He thought this one out." Buffy says.
"What do you mean?" Willow asks.
"You know how the Initiative has been so overcrowded? Those demons were too easy to catch. It's like they wanted in that place –" Buffy says.
"The Trojan horse." Giles says.
"The demons are going to attack the Initiative from inside." Buffy says.
"Demons versus soldiers… Massacre massacre…" Xander says.
"…and Adam gets neat piles of parts to start building his army. Diabolical yet gross." Willow says.
They all take this in a moment.
"Does anybody else miss the Mayor? "I just want to be a big snake."" Xander says.
"I gotta shut him down, Giles. The final phase is about to start." Buffy says.
"We need to warn the Initiative –" Giles says.
"They won't listen to me." Buffy says.
"Riley?" Willow asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "They consider him a deserter. Anyway he… he got some bad news, kinda took off. Which is fine with me."
Xander raises his hand, "Okay, I'm confused again. Adam has this evil plan, why's he so anxious for you to know about it?"
"Oh, he wants me down there. Probably figures I'll even out the kill ratio." Buffy says.
"He's not worried you might kill, oh, say, him?" Xander asks.
Buffy shakes her head, "He's really not."
Later back at Giles apartment Piper, Paige, Giles, Willow, Xander and Buffy look over an array of weapons and spell materials, which are laid out on the coffee table, couch and floor…
"We have no lack of supplies - I only wish I knew which ones would kill Adam." Giles says.
"According to Riley, Adam's power source comes from a uranium core embedded somewhere inside his chest. Probably near the spine." Buffy says.
"Great. So we just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery." Xander says.
"What about magic? Some kind of… I don't know, uranium extracting spell." Willow says as Piper shakes her head. "I know. I'm reaching."
"Perhaps a paralyzing spell. But I'm afraid I can't do the incantation for one of those –" Giles says.
"Right. Don't you have to speak it in Sumerian or something?" Willow asks.
"Why can't these spells be translated into English." Buffy says.
Giles sighs, "I do speak Sumerian. The difficulty is, only an experienced witch can incant it - and you have to be within striking distance of the subject."
Piper nods, "Problem is you have several experienced witches but not one of us speaks Sumerian."
"See what you get for taking Spanish instead of Sumerian?" Xander asks.
"What was I thinking?" Buffy asks.
"So - no problem. All we need is a combo Buffy with her witch power and slayer strength and Giles' multi-lingual know-how." Xander says as Giles shoots him a glance. "Yeah, don't tell me, I'm just full of helpful suggestions."
"As a matter of fact, Xander, you are." Giles says. The others now look at Giles. "The spell requires actually three people not including Buffy, who would be the fourth."
Buffy nods, "So who does the spell?"
Giles nods, "Well I should be one."
Willow nods, "I think Paige or I should be another. No offense Piper but your power will be useful defending us from demons."
"That was my thinking also, Willow." Piper says. "I think it should be Paige. Willow your power too would be useful in defending against the demons."
Willow nods, "Okay."
"I guess that leaves me for number three." Xander says.
"Alright were ready to go. Get what you need and I'll flame in with Willow, Giles and Xander. Paige you orb behind us with Piper. We'll go straight into the elevator." Buffy says. "While I doubt many people will notice us flaming in. I still want to minimize the risk of exposure."
Later in the elevator Buffy flames in with Giles, Willow and Xander. A second later Paige orbs in with Piper.
"Nervous?" Willow asks.
"No way. I'm full of that good old Kamikaze spirit." Xander says.
"Xander. Just because this can never work is no reason to be negative." Giles says.
"Game faces, guys. We're going in." Buffy says. "Before we go in I just want to say I'm sorry. I hate that things have been so strained between all of us."
"It's not your fault. Spike stirred up trouble." Willow says.
"But - I think trouble was stir up-able. I think we've all sort of drifted apart this year…" Buffy says. "Don't you?"
"Maybe a little. But, you know, first year of college. Hard to keep the high school gang together." Willow says.
"But I want it together. I miss you, and Xander - and Giles." Buffy says. "And it is my fault. I've been a bad friend. I got so caught up in my own stuff."
Willow shakes her head, "You're the Slayer and a Charmed One, Buffy. Your stuff is pretty crucial."
"I mean Riley. And - Riley, mostly." Buffy says.
"I wasn't exactly Ms. Available either. I kept secrets. I hid things from everyone." Willow says.
"That's not your fault. I mean, you were going through something huge –" Buffy says.
Willow nods, "I wanted to tell you. But I was so scared…"
"You can tell me anything, Willow. I love you. You're my best friend." Buffy says.
"Me too. I love you too." Willow says.
Through all this Giles, Xander, Piper and Paige have been listening and smiling.
Buffy looks at everyone, "Let's promise to never not talk again –"
"I promise. I promise…" Willow says.
"As do I, Buff." Xander says.
"And I." Giles says.
"Shall we do this?" Piper asks as she raises her hands using her exploding power on the elevator doors.
The doors are forced opened with Piper's exploding power and Xander and Giles wrench them open the rest of the way.
"Okay. If we stick together, we'll be fine. Everybody ready?" Buffy says as everyone nods. "Good. Let's –" A dozen armed commandos face them, their rifles pointed at them. "…do this."
Moments later in the Command center Piper, Paige, Buffy, Willow, Giles and Xander stand before Colonel McNamara who's looking the things through Giles' leather bag. They're surrounded by the armed soldiers.
"Colonel –" Buffy says.
"Shut up. Got some nerve, lady." Colonel McNamara says.
"You've got to listen –" Buffy says.
"You think you and your friends can just keep waltzing into a government installation, brandishing weapons like, like-" He removes and old fossilized gourd with numerous symbols and etchings inscribed upon it. He squints at it.
"It's a gourd." Willow says.
"Magic gourd." Giles says, sheepishly.
Colonel McNamara eyes them all. "What kind of freaks are you people?"
"Adam is here, Colonel. In the Initiative." Buffy says.
Colonel McNamara hesitates. "Nice try."
"Those overcrowded containment cells of yours? Compliments of Adam. He's pulling a Trojan Horse on you, Colonel. Waiting for his moment –" Buffy says.
"Every inch of this installation is under constant, twenty-four hour surveillance." Colonel McNamara says.
"Including the secret lab?" Willow asks.
"Including everything!" Colonel McNamara says. "What secret lab?"
"The one Adam's using. The one built for the final stage in the 314 project." Buffy says. "And you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
"I know everything that goes on around here. A tick on a mouse couldn't get in without my knowing it. And if Adam wants to try, we're ready for him." Colonel McNamara says.
Piper shakes her head, "Exactly how do you plan to get close enough to Adam to remove his power source?"
Colonel McNamara looks at her for a beat before answering. "Hit him simultaneously with multiple taser blasters. Incapacitate him with as much voltage as we can muster."
"Great plan. Right up there with "duck and cover"." Xander says.
"I've seen Adam hit with a taser blast, Colonel. He feeds on it. And now you want to provide him with an all-you-can-eat buffet." Buffy says.
"You telling me my business?" Colonel McNamara says.
Buffy takes a step forward, laying into him. "This isn't your business. It's mine. You, the Initiative, the boys at the Pentagon… You're in way over your heads. Messing with primeval forces you've got no comprehension of."
"And you do." Colonel McNamara says.
"I'm the Slayer and a Charmed One. You're playing on my turf." Buffy says.
Piper looks at Buffy and shakes her head.
"Maybe up there. Down here I'm the one in control." Colonel McNamara says.
With that - FOOM! The lights go out. Darkness. Replaced immediately with blue-gelled emergency lights, revolving red lights above the doorways.
"Sir, the power grid's down. Backup's not responding. We're locked in." Dixon says. Buffy and her friends exchange a look. "Colonel. Containment Area's been breached. Hostiles are loose."
"How many?" Colonel McNamara says.
Dixon looks up at him, ashen-faced. "All of them, sir."
Colonel McNamara swallows hard.
Buffy crosses to him. "It's Adam." Colonel McNamara looks at Buffy, shaken. "I'm the only one who can stop him now and you know it. Let me handle Adam. You just get your people out of here."
Nervous soldiers eye their commanding officer expectantly as do Buffy and her friends.
"Sir. Awaiting orders." Dixon says. "Sir?"
Colonel McNamara snaps out of it and addresses the commandos. "You men… follow me. We have to take the armory. Now!"
"Colonel –" Buffy says.
"These people are under arrest. Do you understand?" Colonel McNamara says.
The guards nod as he exits, followed by a group of commandos. The doors shut. Dixon and Stavros watch them go. And the second they turn back…
CRACK-CRACK! Buffy clocks Dixon with a right cross, and in the same follow-through motion, kicks Stavros in the head. They're both out cold before they hit the ground.
"We've got to find Adam." Buffy says.
"On it." Willow says as she moves quickly to a terminal and starts typing.
"Buffy, in order to perform the enjoining ritual we're going to need a place that's close to you and quiet." Giles says.
"Uh, checking the monitors, I'd say world war three just broke out. A quiet little corner won't be easy." Xander says.
"First things first…" Buffy says as she looks over Willow's shoulder as Willow works.
Xander peers out the window on the door, keeping watch. Muffled explosions, getting louder, come from outside. "Anybody else getting that warm, sitting duck feeling?"
"How we doing, Will?" Buffy asks.
"Hold on, hold on, look at this. According to this, there's air ducts and electrical conduits all running into…" Willow says as she points at the monitor, "… there."
"So?" Buffy asks.
"So, there's no there, there. Look." Willow says.
Willow points out a blank area of the screen, next to the schematic.
Piper, Buffy and Giles look over Willow's shoulder.
"It's Adam." Buffy says.
"Are you sure?" Piper asks.
"Right behind room 314." Buffy says.
"What?! Are you telling me a top secret government operation has rooms they're not telling us about? If we survive, I'm writing my Congressman." Xander says.
"Is it unlocked or does Paige and I need to get you guys in?" Buffy asks.
"It's unlocked… Every lock in the Initiative's been disengaged." Willow says as she looks up. "Except the exits."
"Demon open house." Xander says.
"Great. So we know we're going to 314. Now all we have to do is get there." Buffy says. "Question is which would be better trying to cross from here to 314 or just flaming and orbing there."
Piper shakes her head, "We might want to walk, Buffy. You need to save as much of your magic and strength for Adam."
"You're right, walking it is." Buffy says as she walks out the door.
Xander grabs a fallen blaster as he, Piper, Paige, Giles and Willow follow Buffy out.
They move low and fast through the war zone that used to be the Pit.
A demon rears up before them. Buffy swiftly gives it a hard kick to the kneecap, cracking it. The demon goes down, cradling its injury. Buffy slams it in the face and it's out. They continue.
A hairy demon comes running at them, Xander blasts it, not even stopping. It falls to the ground, writhing in charged agony.
Further on, a round of machine gun fire is fired at them. Buffy tackles Willow, the others also hitting the deck.
"Come on!" Buffy says as she leads them to the entrance to the Restricted Area, just six feet away. She yanks the door open and hustles the others inside.
Moments later they burst into the lab. Close the door behind them. Buffy checks around. She studies the area of wall, she runs her fingers across it. "It's here."
Willow joins her. "How do we open it?"
Buffy finds the seam in the wall and pulls the doors open, flooding the room with light. She peers into the connecting corridor to the secret lab, then turns back to the others. "Once I'm in - barricade it. Giles - this place okay to be Magic Central?"
"It … should do." Giles says as he peers out the 314 door."
"Long as we don't get all blowed up or nothin'." Willow says.
"And what are the odds of that?" Xander asks.
"How long before the ritual kicks in?" Buffy asks.
"Five minutes, give or take." Giles says.
"I'll move fast, then." Buffy says as she looks at Willow and Piper. "I'm counting on you two to protect them when they cast the spell."
Piper and Willow nods as Buffy crosses to the door.
"Buffy, I still don't like you going in alone." Xander says.
Buffy stops and looks at him. "I won't be." She gives a small, enigmatic smile then enters the corridor. Closes the heavy doors behind her. Giles and Xander work together to shove a laboratory table over to the doors, barricading them.
Explosions and the sounds of carnage grow louder outside as Paige kneels to the floor, unzips Giles' bag and removes various ritual supplies. She starts spreading them out around the floor…
Buffy enters the secret lab from the corridor, and immediately freezes when she sees Riley, across the room, sitting. "Riley?" Riley slowly looks up at her. She runs to him. Then realizes… something's wrong. "Are you hurt? Say something."
Riley struggles for a beat, trying to form words. But he can't. He then looks past Buffy, his eyes registering alarm. Buffy spins around, ready to trade blows, and comes face to face with Professor Walsh and Dr. Angleman who are now zombies.
Buffy stares at them in terrified revulsion. After a shocked beat - she turns to Riley, fear and suspicion crossing her features. "Riley? What is this? Why won't you talk to me?"
"He can't." Adam says.
Buffy turns to see Adam, standing in the doorway. Advancing on her, slowly. He has all the time in the world.
"He's not programmed to. He's part of the final phase now, as you were supposed to be –" Adam says.
"Me?" Buffy asks.
"You should be fighting the demons. Evening the kill ratio." Adam says.
"Sorry - Maybe it's the Slayer or the witch in me, but I don't jump through hoops on command. I've never been one to toe the line." Buffy says.
Adam considers this. "Oh. Kill her."
Before Buffy can react, Forrest shoots out a hand and grabs her from behind.
"I thought you'd never ask." Forrest says.
Buffy shakes her head, "Do you remember my show and tell?" She flames out.
She flames in behind Professor Walsh who has a bone saw. She kicks her, sending her flying against a wall. The concussion causes a glass beaker on a wall shelf unit to fall and shatter on the surgical table next to Riley.
In 314 Willow and Piper stand watching the door as Paige, Xander and Giles sit cross-legged on the floor, in a triangular configuration, mid-ritual. Both doors now barricaded. The petrified rune gourd between them, surrounded by four burning candles. On the floor, to Paige's right, is a deck of tarot cards and she refers to a thick, decrepit book in her lap.
"By the generous will of the Ancients, the almighty power of the Divine Spirits… Your supplicants humbly beseech thee to behold us, and that which we possess… the moieties of the One, the Avatar…" Paige says.
In the secret lab Buffy turns and engages Forrest, though his considerable strength puts Buffy more on the defensive as he drives her back.
Riley, who, fueled by his concern for Buffy, forces out a single word, "B-Buffy!"
Forrest taunts Riley by slamming Buffy with a brutal punch. "Shut up and watch me kill your girlfriend, Finn. That's an order."
Riley as, through sheer will and sweaty concentration, he creeps his hand along the table, over to the largest piece of broken glass.
In 314 Paige turns over a tarot card and lays it down before her. "Spiritus… The Spirit…" She turns another card and lays it before Xander. "Animus… Heart…" She turns over another and lays it down before Giles. "Sophus… Mind…" She lays a final card down in the center, at the base of the gourd. "And Manus. The Hand."
Giles, Paige and Xander close their eyes as Paige continues, "We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel - the hand - daughter of Sineya, First of the Ones."
Orange light begins to spill out of cracks in the gourd, dimly at first, gaining in intensity.
In the secret lab Forrest grabs Buffy, lifts her high in the air. Instinctively, she grasps at an overhead wire, which gives way, sparking.
Riley grimaces as his fingers try to grip something inside his open wound. Then, with a grunt and mighty effort, he yanks his hand up in front of his face. Held between his thumb and forefinger is a dark gray circuitry chip, attached to a piece of metal and dripping with blood. He turns his attention over to Forrest and Buffy.
Buffy flames out just as Forrest tries to slam her down onto a surgical table. She flames in and kicks Forrest as Walsh and Angleman come at Riley.
Riley yanks the tubes out of their chests. Both zombies fall to the ground in writhing heaps. Then Riley slugs Forrest, who barely registers it.
"Look who's come off the bench." Forrest says.
Forrest is about to strike back at Riley, forgetting about Buffy for the moment. She takes the opportunity to give Forrest a hard kick to the kidneys and pull Riley to the side.
"I need to get to Adam. Like now. Are you able -?" Buffy asks.
"Go." Riley says.
Buffy nods and exits into the monitoring room. As Forrest recovers, Riley readies himself to take him on.
In the monitoring room Adam is at the monitors, watching the carnage on the floor. "Mother always knew you were going to prove to be a threat to her work." He turns around.
"Yeah, well, Professor Walsh was no dummy. A little light on the sanity, yeah –" Buffy says.
Adam attacks as his skewering arm juts out and he attempts to impale her. Anticipating it, Buffy manages to grab and break off the skewer.
"Broke your arm." Buffy says.
"Got another." Adam says. And with that, his other arm transforms - in an Iron Giant-like fashion - into a machine gun/rocket launcher combo. "I've been upgrading."
Buffy takes off across the room as Adam fires the machine gun at her, strafing the wall. She dives behind a console.
Adam aims his "arm" at the console. A rocket rotates into position.
In 314 Piper and Willow half watch the door and half watch Paige, Giles and Xander who are bathed in the orange light emanating from the gourd. They're breathing heavily, faces drenched in sweat.
"We implore thee: Admit us, bring us to the vessel! Take us now!" Paige says as their heads simultaneously snap upward, as if staring at the ceiling.
In the secret lab Buffy is crouched behind the console, desperately thinking of her next move.
Adam fires a rocket at the console. KA-BOOM! He squints into it and sees, Buffy standing up.
But at the same time this is not Buffy, she is now something much more. An Uber-Buffy, exuding enormous power, charged with energy. Her eyes glow a fiery, incandescent orange.
"You can't last much longer." Adam says.
"We can. We are forever." Uber-Buffy says, her voice taking on an eerie quality – sounding kind of like the Borg on Star Trek when they speak, multiple voices at once.
Slowly at first, then more forcefully, Uber-Buffy begins speaking in tongues. Or, more specifically, to incant in Ancient Sumerian, "sha me-en-dan. Gesh-toog me-en-dan. Zee me-en-den. Oo-khush-ta me-ool-lee-a ba-ab-tum-mu-do-en."
Adam is more fascinated than concerned. "Interesting." He fires his machine gun at Buffy.
"Im-a sheng-ab." Uber-Buffy says.
The bullets dissolve into tiny white clouds a few feet from Uber-Buffy as if her aura was made of acid.
Adam is now more concerned than fascinated. "Very … interesting." He launches a rocket at Uber-Buffy.
"Kur." Uber-Buffy says.
The rocket morphs into 3 birds that fly up and off.
Adam raises his arm to fire again, Buffy gives a small wave. His arm weapon morphs back into his demon arm. He is becoming enraged, swings at Buffy. She dodges it, and then starts trading blows with him. This time, as opposed to the past, Adam is on the ropes. She's faster, stronger…
"How… can you…?" Adam asks.
"You could never hope to grasp the source of our power." Uber-Buffy says.
In a last ditch effort to regain control of the battle, Adam rears up, and Uber-Buffy puts her fist through his chest… Adam tries to beat her off, but can't.
After a moment, Uber-Buffy pulls her fist out. "But yours is right here." She opens her hand - inside is a uranium core in its lead casing.
Riley enters in time to see Adam drop dead. "Buffy?"
Uber-Buffy doesn't answer. She holds out the uranium core and opens her hand. The core begins to levitate, rising higher, then hovering. She focuses her brilliant orange eyes at it.
The core suddenly becomes immersed in blue flame and vanishes.
Riley moves to Uber-Buffy, though she doesn't seem to notice him at first as she's lost in some rapture. He touches her face, she looks at him. She moves to kiss him when suddenly she throws her head back and collapses into him.
In room 314 Paige, Giles and Xander's heads snap down to their chests. Their eyes flutter open, as if waking from a dream. They appear as exhausted as they are exhilarated by the experience. They share a spent look.
"Wow… That - that was…" Paige says.
WHAM! The outside door to 314 comes crashing in, the table barricade falls away. And standing in the doorway is the Hairy demon. Piper raises her hands and the Hairy demon explodes.
Suddenly there is pounding on the door to the secret lab, they brace themselves. The door's kicked in by Buffy, who enters with Riley. Piper, Paige, Giles, Xander and Willow react with surprise and relief upon seeing them. And they crowd around them.
"Buffy!" Piper and Giles says.
"Wasn't it amazing?" Paige asks.
"You were great." Xander says.
Buffy shakes her head, "We were great."
"We still got men out there." Riley says.
Buffy all business, starts heading for the door, giving orders to the others as they fold in behind. "You guys get to the exits, get 'em open somehow. Riley, try and organize the soldiers, pull 'em back. I'll take point."
"You up to this?" Willow asks.
"I seriously am." Buffy says.
As she says it a demon appears in the doorway. She powers up a fireball and sends it flying to the demon vanquishing it.
Buffy and Piper battle the demons and vampires, using a combination of powers and weapons.
Riley barks orders to Graham, who hesitates at first, eyeing Riley. Then, after a beat, Graham nods and forwards the orders to the other grunts.
Paige, Xander, Giles and Willow, help with the commando evacuation, guiding the commandos to the elevator and safety.