"Can you read a demon mind?" Giles asked Xander.

"Telepaths can read alien minds, so theoretically." Xander answered, as he approached the demon whose eye Cordelia had destroyed, it was the only one still alive. "I'll see what I can find out, you guys see to Jenny and Oz."

"Both will need to be examined at the hospital." Giles decided. "Oz is still unconscious and Jenny's throat is damaged from being squeezed."

Xander lowered his barriers and then said. "I'm not sensing any minds outside. Amy, go with and guard them. Tor, help Willow with Oz. The rest of you dispose of the dead ones. I'll see what I can find out from this guy. Be careful, just because I can't sense any minds doesn't mean there aren't any more demons out there. I do have a range, after all. They could be just outside my range. We have no idea how much they know about any of us."

"We should take Oz's van." Willow suggested. "It's a lot faster than Giles' car and we can lay them down in the back. Giles can monitor Jenny and Oz, Amy watch over them, Tor can ride in the passenger seat and I can drive. It's out back."

"Then let's hurry." Giles decided, picking up Jenny. "The sooner they get checked, the better." He carried her towards the back of the building and Oz's van. Tor helped Willow pick Oz up and between the two of them got him out to the van. Amy led the way keeping watch for any trouble and opening the back of the van. The two injured members of the group were laid on the floor in the back and Tor and Giles climbed in behind them, Amy followed them in. Willow climbed behind the wheel and Tor took his own seat and Amy climbed in the back last and closed the door behind them. "Go." Was all she said, her magical senses extended, as alert as Xander's telepathic ones were.

The dead demons were being dragged out and Xander crouched near the injured one. "You're going to die anyway." He told the demon. "You attacked us with the intent to kill. You've gained knowledge we can't let whoever sent you here have. You could save us both the trouble and just tell me who sent you."

"A vampire." The demon answered. "He said you were an annoyance that he couldn't get to. That's all."

"I have no intention of torturing you, you know. At least I don't intend to."

"I figured. I was paid to attack you, I have no loyalty to anyone but myself."

"A test?" Xander asked, thinking of the beings that supposedly tested humans.

"All he said was you were an annoyance he couldn't get to."

"I need to make sure." Xander told the demon and taking a deep breath, centered himself and touched the demon. It hurt, but he pushed mentally into its mind and saw -

- A vampire 'These humans have protections my guys can't get passed, but demons like yourselves should be able to. Can you handle it?'

'As long as the pay is good, I see no problems. It's not like one of them is the Slayer, right? I heard she was dead.'

'The Slayer died a couple of months ago.' The vampire confirmed. 'These humans were friends of hers and are making a nuisance of themselves. Just kill them before they become a bigger nuisance.'

Xander saw other images, the demon and its human prey. He pulled out of its mind and grabbing a sword, stabbed it and then moved to a chair outside the training mats and sat down.

"Are you alright?" Cordelia asked.

"No." Xander said, as he rubbed his face. "It was telling the truth, it didn't know anything more than a vampire hired them because the vampire thought we were a nuisance. The vampire knows about our connection to Buffy. Getting into its mind was painful, it's very different from a human mind. But I also saw how it has hurt and enjoyed hurting humans. New nightmares to add to the ones I already have."

"None of us are getting out of this without nightmares, Xander." Heidi told him. "And some of us already have them, remember. But you've been very honest with all of us and we knew before we signed on to this endeavor of yours that it was not going to be easy. This may just be the opening shot of the war, one that could last a long time."

"It's already lasted centuries and nothing has changed. If we're ever going to move forward, it has to change. We can't keep being afraid of the Dark. Children are afraid of the Dark, if we're ever going to grow up, we need to stop being afraid."

"And ignorant, it would help if the world at large knew about the demons and stuff, but I also understand, that could cause more problems, panicking humans and all that. But we know and we're going to do exactly what you suggested when you proposed all of this. When you quoted John Sheridan:

'Tell them that from this place, we will deliver notice to the parliaments of conquerors that a line has been drawn against the darkness, and we will hold that line, no matter the cost.'

"Like I said, Xander, you were honest with us, we know the potential cost of this war, but we also know, the cost of not doing anything is even bigger. And we're not just going to hold the line, we're going to wipe them out. No more demons, no more vampires. We're going to make sure they know, we refuse to be prey to monsters, of any kind."