I am starting to get into events of Ironman 2. The events are not actually early considering Pepper is CEO of the company, and he's working on Rhodey's suit. It's about on schedule mostly…
Chapter 21: Death Knocks
******Where We Left Off******
Faith felt the bullet hit shoulder and the other hit her in the chest. Two more shots came out as someone shot the man firing the gun at her.
"Faith!" Buffy yelled as her sister slayer fell backward against her. When Buffy saw the gunman fall forward, she spotted Natalie, who shot the man that was trying to kill them. Faith's watcher came out of the front door behind Natalie. Seeing that Faith was hurt, she pulled out her phone to call for an ambulance.
Natalie was the one to spot a second man, who appeared behind the slayers from across the street, holding a gun. Although she quickly fired her weapon, he was able to get off one shot before her aim held true. Buffy felt the bullet hit her lower back as she was bent over Faith, and she screamed out in pain. Then she felt numb as more bullets sounded due to Natalie firing her own gun back at the new assailant.
Natalie heard the British woman behind her give a shout and looked toward her. Diane's foot was caught in some type of bear trap. For the first time in a very long time, Natalie didn't know who to help first.
*****New York*****
Tony was home, refusing to stay the night in the hospital. Rhodey called him to see how he was doing.
"Yes, I'm fine," he said. "Got some kinks to work out in my power source."
"What do you need?" Rhodey asked.
"I am nearly ready for you to try on your suit," Tony said.
"I don't care about the suit, Tony. Are you okay? Pepper said you were being poisoned by that thing in your chest," Rhodey said.
"We're working on a solution," Tony said.
"SIR, I have detected emergency calls for Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane from Sunnydale," JARVIS said.
"Rhodey, I gotta go," Tony said. He tapped a screen. His assistant, Natalie, was kind enough to visit the Sunnydale police station and plant a bug, so he could have total access.
"There is a report of a shooter right in front of Slayers Headquarters," JARVIS said.
"Access the cameras," Tony said. He watched the footage and felt sick as bullets hit Faith. His bodyguard-slash-assistant, though, earned her pay as she put the shooter down. However, there was a second who came up behind Buffy and managed to get off a single shot before Natalie shot him. The cops better not give Natalie any trouble as she was clearly doing what she was paid to do. "JARVIS, contact my pilot. I have to get to Sunnydale."
He moved to the hallway to call for Pepper, who quickly came. "Are you okay? Do you need something?" she asked.
"I'm fine. We've got to get to Sunnydale. Faith and Buffy have both been shot," he said.
"What?" she asked in dismay. "Is Willow okay?"
"Yes, she's at the dance, remember?" he reminded Pepper, who noticeably relaxed. "It's the slayers. Both were shot in front of the house."
"Seriously? Since when do vampires and demons use guns?" Pepper asked.
"I don't know. We need to get there. Natalie put down the assailants, and as stupid as the cops are in that town, they may try to arrest her," Tony said.
"Good point. I'll go take care of it," Pepper said. "You are staying here."
"No, I can't possibly stay here," he said, already putting on his pants.
"You can, and you will!" Pepper said, raising her voice. She hardly ever did so, which was why Tony was actually paused in his dressing to look at her.
"Pepper, the girls need me," he said.
"They need you to be alive, Tony!" Pepper said sternly.
"I will be. I'll pay a nurse to come with us—no, a doctor. I'll find a doctor!" he said. He pulled out his phone. "Bruce, I need a medical doctor. I'm in the hospital."
"Then you already have one, Tony," Bruce replied.
"I have to go to Sunnydale. The girls have been shot. Meet me at the airport. JARVIS will send you the address," Tony said.
"Fine," Bruce said.
"See. Bruce is a medical doctor," Tony told her as he began disconnecting cords. An alarm blared, so a nurse came in.
"Mr. Stark, you can't do that," the nurse protested.
Pepper sighed and stepped in to smooth the way.
Thirty minutes later, they were at the airport.
*****Back in Sunnydale*****
Phil Coulson was dancing with his date, the very delightful Joyce Summers when his phone buzzed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he told her when he recognized the number. "I have to take this. It's my sister."
Joyce smiled, nodding as he stepped out into the nearby hall, muting the music.
"Romanoff, what's up?" he asked.
"Buffy and Faith have been shot in front of the mansion. Police have been called. Have Mrs. Summers and Giles get to the hospital," she said.
"Is it bad?" Phil asked.
"Yes," she said, disconnecting.
Phil took a breath before stepping back into the gym, looking for Giles and Joyce.
"Is something amiss?" Giles asked as she saw Coulson looking around.
"Yes, I just heard that there was a shooting. Faith and Buffy are hurt. Get to the hospital," he shared.
"What? Are you sure?" Giles asked.
Joyce joined them. "What's wrong?" she asked, reading their body language.
"My sister listens to the police scanner and called to tell me two teenage girls were shot, wanting to know if they were my students," he said.
"Buffy?" Joyce asked, trying to wrap her mind around it.
"I'm afraid so," Phil said. "Let's get to the hospital."
*****The Hospital*****
"Two gunshot victims. Seventeen and sixteen," the paramedic told the approaching ER doctor.
"Gunshots? Seriously?" the doctor said in bemusement. "We never have those. It's actually mundane."
Both were conscious. "What are your names?" he asked.
"This one is Faith," the paramedics said. "She's got a potty mouth."
"This hurts like a mother f****!" Faith said. "Get these bullets out!"
"She's not coughing blood, so the bullet in the chest probably didn't hit a lung."
"It's my stomach, you f***ing morn! And my shoulder," she said.
"Let's get her into surgery," he said. "Faith, I'm Dr. Taub, chief of surgery here at Sunnydale Memorial. I'll be operating on you."
"Take Buffy—she matters more than I do," Faith said.
"Don't listen to her," Buffy said from her stretcher. "I don't feel a thing, so I'm obviously fine."
Dr. Taub exchanged a look with another doctor. "We've got plenty of good surgeons, don't worry," he said.
"Take her to get x-rayed," he told the nurse with Buffy. "I'll work with Faith. Get the portable x-ray."
"So, doc, what did you do to get sent to this hell-hole?" Faith asked the doctor. He was short with a big nose but kind, intelligent eyes.
"My old boss quit or died—depending on what you believe, and I was sick of the snow back east," he said. "My wife decided to take a job in San Diego, so here I am." What he didn't share was his infidelity nearly destroyed his marriage, but he loved his wife. He agreed to sex addict counseling and the move. Although he knew he could make a killing doing plastic surgery in Los Angeles, he worried that the lifestyle would tempt him too much. The offer of chief of surgery in Sunnydale seemed like a godsend. After two years, though, he was glad they had rented their Sunnydale house. The town was seriously messed up. Nearby San Diego was safer even if more expensive.
"I hope you don't live in the city limits," Faith said.
"Not anymore," Dr. Taub said grimly. He maneuvered the scanner as he spoke with her. He ordered some pain meds for her.
Faith grinned. "Smart man," she said, watching the nurse inject some meds into her IV. "The town is full of evil. Buffy and I were on the way to a school dance when these whack jobs started shooting."
"The police are waiting for a statement," a nurse said.
"Tell them that we have to go into surgery to remove the bullets. She has one in her left shoulder and one in her stomach," he said. The stomach one worried him. "Why aren't you bleeding more?"
"I heal wicked fast," she said with a grin. "You might say freakishly fast." The pain meds had her flying high.
"That's good. I've seen too many people in this town die from blood loss," he said. He frowned when the young woman snickered. "That's not funny."
"No, but that people are so willing to believe the lame ass excuses cops give them is," she said. "Vampires. The town if full of vampires."
Dr. Taub, paused, considering her words. Then he shrugged. "That would explain a lot."
******In the Waiting Area******
Joyce was trying to get information from the doctor about Buffy, but she was in surgery.
"Where's Faith's watcher?" Xander said, looking around. The dance had been nearly over when Giles told him and Willow what had happened. Cordy drove him directly here while Oz drove Willow.
"She is hurt," Natalie said, coming up to them. "I just left her. She nearly had her foot taken off by some kind of animal trap."
"What?" Giles asked in dismay.
"I heard the shot and came out of the front door at the Slayers' HQ. Diana had called me and told me what Faith had said about some vamp kidnapping them and that they were in Miller's Wood. Would call her if they needed help," Natalie shared. "When the shooting started, I came out first, but Diana stepped in the trap trying to get to Faith."
"I will go check on Diana," Giles said. Then he headed toward the ER patient pod.
"Is the damage great?" Joyce asked.
"The poor woman had to wait until the fire department came because I was busy trying to keep Buffy and Faith from bleeding to death. Gut wounds are deadly, and Faith was shot in the stomach," Natasha said. "Faith tried to protect Buffy—that's how she was shot. Then another shooter, who was the identical twin of the other jumped out of nowhere behind Buffy, shooting her in the back."
"Oh, God," Joyce said, sagging against Phil.
"They are both strong and still alive," Natalie warned them. Her phone buzzed, and she looked down at it. "Looks like Tony and Pepper are on their way."
"Mom's coming?" Willow asked, feeling relieved. "That's good."
"I have a call to make," Natalie said, stepping away. She looked at Phil, who nodded.
"Joyce, would you like a coffee?" Phil asked.
"Sure," Joyce said. "Something to put in my hands would be good."
He slipped away before anyone else could try to tag along and caught up with Natasha, who was waiting for him in front of the elevator.
"Cafeteria's on the first floor," she said, pushing the button.
"Have you called the boss to tell him the sit rep?" Phil asked.
"I sent him a text," she said. "I still can't believe there were guns. Faith was conscious when they put her in the elevator, and she said it was some kind of Slayerfest organized by a black vampire named Mr. Trick. I have their phones with the video. Giles has Buffy's phone." She pulled out the phone and played the video for Phil.
The elevator opened, and they stepped out. "That's—I'm not sure really what to say," Phil said.
"Yea, I know exactly how you feel," Natasha said. "We'll patrol tonight and see if we can find the Mr. Trick. How's things going with Mrs. Summers?"
"Good. She's a very nice lady," Phil said.
"Be careful. Buffy will break your bones if you hurt her mother," Natasha warned.
"I'm aware. She already doesn't trust me," he said. "She's a hard nut to crack. Faith is much more open."
"I'd say the opposite. Faith hides behind bravado," Natasha said as they walked into the cafeteria to get drinks.
"Stark is on the way, so I will try to be invisible," Phil said.
"It won't matter. He notices everything," Natasha said. "Even when it seems like he's not paying attention. His mind is always taking in everything."
"So the supportive, unobtrusive suitor it is," Phil said, paying money for the coffees.
Natasha grabbed a few waters and sodas as Willow didn't do caffeine much.
When they made it back up, there was still no word from the doctors as both girls were in surgery.
An hour went by and Dr. Taub came out to give word about Faith.
"She is going to be fine," he said. "The bullet in the shoulder went all the way through, so it wasn't much of problem. The stomach shot missed the lungs and kidneys, so she was very lucky. We'll have her moved to a room in a half hour, so you can see her."
"That's great news, doctor," Giles said.
"What about my daughter? How's Buffy," Joyce asked.
"I didn't do her surgery, but I did stop and check before coming here," Dr. Taub said. "Her case is more complicated. The bullet is lodged in a place that is very close to her spine. Currently, she is stable, but there isn't full mobility."
"What does that mean?" Willow asked. "She's paralyzed?"
"Buffy can't be paralyzed. She's the slayer," Xander said. Cordelia elbowed him. "I mean she always slays in clothes and stuff."
"Is that what you mean? She's paralyzed?" Joyce said.
"We can't say for sure," Dr. Taub said.
"Listen, my mother is Pepper Potts, and her boyfriend is Tony Stark. He is on his way here, so if there's a better spine surgeon you can call, please do so," Willow said.
"Good to know," Dr. Taub said. "I will keep you posted."
"Can I see her?" Joyce asked.
"Not yet," he said. "The doctor is still trying to remove the bullet."
They waited until he left to turn to Giles. "She can't be paralyzed. She's got that super healing thing going on," Xander said.
"What he said," Willow added, nodding.
Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them, feeling wary. This was every watcher's nightmare—their slayer seriously injured.
"Buffy's body can heal," he said. "However, it cannot do so if the bullet remains inside her."
"What does that mean?" Joyce asked. "Can we not tell them to remove it?"
"Sometimes, doctors won't risk full paralysis if it's by the spine," Phil added.
"It's not like we can tell them about her ability," Cordelia added.
Buffy's friends looked at each other. What would they do if Buffy couldn't walk again?
The thought immobilized them.
*****To Be Continued*****
I've been binging House on Amazon Prime, which is why I threw in Dr. Taub, from House.