Chapter 32: The I in Team
February 8, 2002 – Friday
Harris Home
"I implore you, Neisa, blessed goddess of chance and fortune," Willow chanted with her eyes closed as she sat comfortably on Xander's folded-up sofa bed in his basement. "Heed my call. Send to me the heart I desire," she prayed, her hands clasped in front of her as she held five cards in front of her.
"You know, magic at the poker table qualifies as cheating," Xander informed his long-time friend as he sat across from Anya on a large bean bag. The three of them sat around the coffee table that was loaded up with their poker chips and bowls filled with potato chips and pretzels and cans of soda for them to snack on whilst they played.
"That wasn't magic," Willow denied the accusation. "I was praying. Two please," she requested and Xander dealt her two cards.
"Five," Anya requested, causing Xander to give a little sigh.
"Ahn, I keep telling you, four's the max, and only if you have an ace," Xander explained once again.
"Ok, four," Anya requested as she shifted agitatedly on her own large bean bag.
Xander recognizing the signs gave her a look. "Let's see the ace," he demanded, causing Anya to pout, before she sighed in annoyance.
"Three," Anya mumbled as she discarded the three cards that were the most useless to her. "What a stupid game," she grumbled as she accepted her three new cards from Xander. "All these rules just to win little plastic disks."
"Chips, they're called chips. They represent money. Since none of us has any money to represent money. But that's gonna change once my merchandise hits the street," Xander explained as he pointed toward the boxes that he had stacked up on his workbench; his expression pleading with his girlfriend and best friend to ask him about the boxes as he turned his head back toward them.
"Hmm!" Willow murmured through her mouthful of pretzels. "Whatcha got in the boxes, drugs?" she asked after she had swallowed down her mouthful. Her carefree expression turned serious. "It's not drugs, is it, Xander?" she asked him suddenly scared that her best friend had resorted to drugs to earn money.
"Not drugs," Xander assured her as he got to his feet, the bean bag threatening to make him fall back down into it, as the hand he'd used to help push himself up, sank deeply into the bean bag. Managing to keep his balance he walked over to his workbench and grabbed the closest box and started back toward his bean bag. "You are looking at the new local distributor for Boost Bars. 'The natural food bar that provides a nutritional energy boost for active, health-conscious people,'" he quoted as he sat back down on his bean bag. "Want one?" he asked hopefully as he opened up the box and took out one of the bars.
Willow couldn't help but make a face at the offer. "No. Thanks," she declined. "Those things usually taste…kind of tasteless. And then leave a bad after-tastelessness," she explained her nose crinkled with her distaste.
"Well, don't let the healthy scare you," Xander prompted unwilling to give up just yet. "Check out these ingredients." He flipped up the tab at the back of the bar to reveal the ingredients. "See?" he pointed to it. "Loaded with fatty goodness," he assured her.
"Come on," Anya suddenly spoke up unable to contain her impatience any longer as the two continued to talk instead of focusing on the game. "Somebody bet already. I got three 'K' cards," she informed them, hoping to encourage them into continuing the game so that she could win. Willow and Xander looked at her for a moment, before sharing a look themselves, both wondering how it was possible that Anya had won yet again.
Almost in unison Willow and Xander dropped their cards down onto the table; folding their hand, their hands unable to beat three kings. Anya smiled happily recognizing the sign of defeat as she leaned forward and began sliding her spoils across the table toward her and her already large pile.
Xander gathered the cards back together and began the task of shuffling the cards for their next game. "Wish Buffy and Faith could've made it. This three-hand poker is not quiet the game."
Willow shrugged not overly concerned by Buffy's absence. "I think they're with Riley tonight. Something to do with the Initiative," she admitted.
"And you know how?" Xander asked.
"Because Faith is my cousin," Willow answered. "Or have you forgotten I am now Peyton Willow Halliwell," she reminded him. She had hacked in and changed her birth certificate, making sure to leave clues that there had been a legal name change proceeding and adoption by Piper and Leo. (A/N)
"Talking about that," Xander said. "Am I the only one with a big floating question mark over his head about Buffy and Faith getting involved with those guys?"
Willow's expression turned thoughtful. "Well, they do seem to fall into the 'good guy' camp," she murmured a little tentatively. "I mean they are anti-demon." Anya glared in her general direction and Willow attempted to give her a reassuring look. "Probably pro-ex demon."
"Maybe," Anya allowed. "I choose to feel threatened," she murmured firmly as she huddled into her bean bag; feeling a sudden chill. One thing was for sure, if she was Buffy or Faith, she wouldn't be trying to get to close to The Initiative. She'd be running in the opposite direction.
Xander reached across the coffee table pushing the scattered cards back toward him so that he could attempt to shuffle the deck once again. "And why not?" he said with a supportive nod. "There's still heaps we don't know about these commandos. What exactly are they up to?" he asked rhetorically.
Sunnydale Woods
A hooded commando walked through the trees holding a Taser rifle and leading four of his teammates. At the edge of the clearing, he silently gestured for his team to spread out and for two of the men to move in. They complied, at first using the tree cover, then, with a nod, charging into the brush.
He listened for a moment to the quiet before he finally heard the sound of taser fire followed by some sort of scuffle. Suddenly the commandos who had charged into the brush came flying back out, alive but winded and a little beaten up. The others took in the sight of their comrades before something or rather someone flew out of the woods.
Buffy and Faith flipped in the air and landed on their feet. They moved quickly, taking advantage of the stunned commandos. One fired his taser at Buffy as Faith grabbed the other and threw him around in front of her wife, using him as a shield. He went down and then they deftly took out the other leaving only the leader.
"Lights!"
Suddenly nearby Humvee headlights switched on, the illumination momentarily blinding the couple as Maggie Walsh walked forward. "Took a patrol team forty-two minutes to track you two, and you both neutralized them in twenty-eight seconds...You two are as good as Riley said."
The commandos that Buffy and Faith had hurled out of the woods got to their feet removing their hoods to reveal two of Riley's friends and fellow Agents; Graham and Forrest. The Leader also removed his hood to reveal that he's Riley.
"We were just lucky," Buffy said modestly.
Faith rolled her eyes. "She's being modest," she admitted.
"Well…" Walsh said as she started to walk away. "Very impressive."
"Awesome, Buffy, Faith," Graham said as he and Forrest walked past.
"See?" Riley said as he walked off beside Buffy and Faith. "You two are a hit."
February 9, 2002 - Saturday
U.C. Sunnydale – Rocket Cafe
Willow sat across from Buffy and Faith, a coffee warming her hands as they sat at the table. She was listening as Buffy and Faith told her about what happened the night before. "...so then Professor Walsh says something like 'You two are as amazing as Riley said' and later Riley told us she couldn't stop talking about the move Faith made when she used one of the commando guys as a shield to block a taser blast aimed at me—that's like twelve-thousand volts, took the guy almost two hours to recover."
"How was your night, cuz," Faith interjected to stop Buffy from continuing.
"Like a normal person's," Willow informed them. "Light on the action-packed. Hope tonight's plans aren't too much of a letdown for you two, excitement-wise. You both remember about tonight, right?"
"Bronze," Faith answered. "Of course, we remember…" she glanced toward Buffy, "…right, babe?"
"Right," Buffy agreed as she smiled at Willow. "Faith and I miss you guys. We haven't spent any time together lately."
"You two have been busy. Fighting armies and stuff," Willow reminded them.
"So, tell us more about your night," Faith pleaded with her cousin.
"Well, spent most of it at Xander's, teaching Anya to play poker," Willow informed them.
"Teaching Anya to play poker doesn't sound like fun," Faith admitted.
"It wasn't," Willow sighed. "Somehow she kept winning."
Lowell House / Initiative Base
"We don't have to do this," Riley informed his friends as they made their way through the fraternity house.
"We know," Buffy said as she and Faith followed him.
"If you both are not ready. I mean, if you'd both rather wait..." Riley told them giving the couple a meaningful look.
"We're ready," Faith informed him as she brushed a strand of hair from her wife's eyes. "We want to do it."
Riley gave them a comforting smile. "Okay," he agreed as they came up to a large mirror. He pushed a hidden button and a thin green line of light passed over their faces.
"Retinal scan accepted. New retinal scan recorded: Halliwell-Summers, Buffy. Halliwell-Summers, Faith," said a computer voice as the mirror slid aside and they stepped into an elevator.
"Remind me to ask Professor Walsh how she keeps her secret underground elevators so sparkling white," Buffy quipped as the elevator descended into the base.
"You two are going to do fine," Riley informed them as the couple nodded. "Just a tour."
"Took a tour of Washington D.C. with my parents once when I was eight," Buffy said.
"Before or after Celia…" Faith wondered.
"Before," Buffy admitted looking toward her wife. "We both got lost in the Smithsonian."
"Then it's a good thing we have the buddy system," Riley teased as the elevator came to a stop. He looked at the couple and then indicated the microphone panel near the door. "That panel - Say something into it."
Buffy moved over to it. She opened her mouth and then closed it, unable to think of anything. "My mind's a blank."
"New vocal code recorded and encrypted. Special Clearance – Halliwell-Summers, Buffy. Identity number nine, one, four, two, three," said the computer voice.
Riley looked toward Faith. "You're up next."
Faith smiled at Buffy as they swapped places. "Five by five," she said, using her favorite saying.
"New vocal code recorded and encrypted. Special Clearance – Halliwell-Summers, Faith. Identity number nine, one, four, two, four," said the computer voice as the elevator doors opened.
They stepped out onto a landing and the couple moved to the railing taking the place in. Riley moved over beside them. "My god...You said it was big," Buffy said with awe. "You told us. But you never said it was... HUGE."
"B, he's a choir boy," Faith reminded her wife. "He probably didn't want to brag."
Buffy nodded. "I had no idea, this is incredible. Not that I thought this was some, I don't know, fly-by-night operation…Unless it is. I mean, if you guys fly. At night. With those jetpack things. Have you got those?"
"She's seen too many spy movies of late," Faith told Riley while rolling her eyes.
"You have to agree it's unreal, Faith," Buffy said as she turned to her wife.
"So. You two like our little operation?" came a voice from behind the couple. Buffy and Faith turned to see Maggie standing there in a lab coat and carrying a clipboard.
"Yeah. It's very... clean," Buffy said meekly.
"Welcome to the Initiative," Professor Walsh said. She handed both Buffy and Faith their visitor's passes. "Your Visitor's pass. And I've assembled some reading material for you both. Help bring you both up to speed." She gave them both a small stack of stapled pages.
"Oh. And here I was thinking I'd never get homework from you again," Buffy quipped.
Faith rolled her eyes. "I don't think we can take it home with us, babe," she said looking at Professor Walsh for confirmation.
"Faith is right," Professor Walsh agreed. "Classified material. Highly sensitive. When you two are through reading these pages, you both will have to eat them."
Buffy and Faith looked at Professor Walsh's stoic expression trying to determine if she was joking or not.
"She's joking," Riley informed them as the couple looked at Professor Walsh for confirmation.
"Don't worry; it doesn't happen often," Professor Walsh admitted. "Shall we?" She led Buffy, Faith, and Riley to the lip of the operating theatre. "Much of our hands-on research with the HSTs is performed here. We call this the Pit."
Buffy and Faith saw a couple of muscle-bound low-level warrior demons restrained to two operating tables and flanked by armed guards as the scientists examined them.
"What do you call those?" Faith wondered motioning toward the demons.
"Tough," Riley answered. "Took eight of us to bring those two down."
"They'll be under our control soon enough," Professor Walsh said before looking at one of the scientists. "Dr. Angleman…" He looked up at her and waved before returning his attention to the demons. "He's head of our science team, a leader in the field of xenomorphic behavior modification."
"Behavior modification?" Buffy asked as she looked at Faith.
"We've made significant advancements reconditioning the sub-terrestrials," Professor Walsh told them. "Bringing them to a point where they no longer pose a harmful threat."
"We've seen," Faith admitted as Professor Walsh looked at her, sharply.
Buffy quickly covered for her wife. "On the Discovery Channel. With gorillas. Or sharks. They made them all nice, you never saw that?" she asked as she walked over to a wall of chain link lined with all sorts of weaponry.
Faith followed Buffy taking in the impressive arsenal, like a kid in a candy shop.
Buffy spotted a gray earpiece with a tiny lens on the rolling stand of a nearby monitor. She picked it up and looked at it. Faith chuckled as Buffy's face appeared on the monitor with a fisheye effect.
"The armory," Professor Walsh answered. "You both will have to be cleared for use on each of these weapons. The more advanced arsenal can be complicated, but I'm certain, in no time, you both will pick that up." She noticed Buffy was still holding the earpiece. "Don't pick that up."
"What is it?" Buffy asked looking closer.
"Well if you turn around you'll see," Faith informed her wife.
Professor Walsh annoyed took the earpiece from Buffy. "Roughly twenty-thousand dollars," she informed the Slayers.
"It's a prototype for a COM-CAM," Riley said trying to soothe the ruffled feathers of Professor Walsh. Faith and Buffy look at him with raised eyebrows. "Communications camera. Soon to be standard issue. Gives us a direct com-link to Control when we're out in the field."
"Also monitors the heart rate of the wearer. A valuable tool for research in stress and combat conditioning," Professor Walsh told them. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you the HST containment area."
Buffy and Faith looked at each other as they followed Professor Walsh.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Now, there are just a few other things to give you—" Professor Walsh said as they returned to where the tour started.
"What's in there?" Faith asked having spotted a steel door door off to the left.
Professor Walsh followed Faith's gaze to the door as a woman swiped her ID before walking through the door. "Research area," she answered. "Very restricted for security reasons."
Buffy and Faith watched as Professor Walsh removed their visitor's badges and handed them both a card with a magnetic strip and two sleek black pagers.
"Your security card and pager…" Professor Walsh informed the couple.
"Oh, hey, we were thinking about getting a couple of these—" Buffy reminded her wife.
"Your right," Faith agreed.
"We're the only ones with the number," Professor Walsh informed them. "That's the way it stays."
"Right," Buffy and Faith agreed.
"Lose either one and there's hell to pay. And down here we mean that literally," Professor Walsh said as she held out her hand. "Again, welcome to the team."
First Buffy and then Faith shook Professor Walsh's hand before the woman walked off. They looked at one another pleased at the intel they had so far gathered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Professor Walsh walked up to the door marked 314, after entering a code into the keypad she entered the room.
"How did the tour go?" Dr. Angleman asked from where he stood at the sink washing his hands.
"I'm not sure," Professor Walsh admitted. "They're…unpredictable."
"They're an unnecessary risk," he agreed.
"Possibly," she said as she walked over to the large examining table. "And how's our baby doing today?"
"Adjusting nicely. Reflexes, motor functions…all off the charts," Dr. Angleman informed her excitedly.
"That's what I like to hear," Professor Walsh said as she looked down at a monster lying on the examining table, covered by a surgical sheet. "Almost time to wake up, Adam. And take your first look at the world. I know you're going to make me proud."
The Bronze
"Suzi, is it?" Xander said smoothly as he stood next to the bar chatting to a lovely young woman. "I can tell you work out. Obviously, take good care of yourself. So, I think I know what you need." He held up an energy bar. "Honey Nut Yogurt Crunch—Welcome to carbo-load country. Just a measly buck-fifty..."
Willow and Anya who sat a table watched as the girl shook her head and walked away from Xander. "Okay, another no-sale, but he's doing better," Willow admitted.
Anya nodded in agreement. "She didn't throw a drink in his face…"
"He's on a roll," Willow stated as she checked her watch before craning to look at the entrance to the club.
"Xander," Anya said as he approached eating the unsold energy bar. "You haven't been paying any attention to me tonight—just peddling those processed food bricks. I don't know why."
Xander looked at Anya pointedly. "Let me put it in a way you'll understand… Sell bars, make money, take Anya nice places, buy pretty things."
Anya smiled. That does make sense," she reasoned. "All right, I support you. Go sell more."
"This was the only one I had on me," Xander said motioning to the energy bar in his hand. "Besides, it's getting late. Maybe we should go."
"Go?" Willow said obviously worried. "You can't go. Buffy and Faith haven't gotten here yet."
"Face it, Will," Xander said as he turned to face his redheaded friend. "They're almost an hour late. I don't think they're coming."
"They are," Willow countered knowing Faith and Buffy well enough. "They told me they were looking forward to quality time with just us," she admitted before spotting the couple in question making their way toward them. "See? Here they come." She frowned when she spotted Riley as well as a few other guys behind her cousin and Buffy. "With Riley. And some other guys."
Buffy and Faith came to a stop with Riley, Forrest, Graham, and two other members of their squad behind them.
Anya looked at the men instantly uncomfortable that they might suspect she was an ex-vengeance demon.
"Hey," Faith said as she stopped beside Willow and pulled her cousin into her arms for a tight hug.
"Sorry about the late-itude," Buffy added.
"Late? Really? Huh, hadn't noticed," Xander told them, not that anyone actually believed the lie.
"Hope you don't mind us tagging along," Riley informed the group.
"No, no, of course not," Willow said with a glance at Buffy and Faith. "The more, the… more."
"This is Forrest, Graham, that's Tuck and he's Mason," Riley said introducing his squad mates. "We're going to get some drinks. Anybody wanting?"
"Diet Coke," Buffy stated as she smiled at him. "Please."
"Just waster, Riley," Faith said.
Willow shook her head. "I'm good," she insisted as Riley and his squad looked expectantly at Anya.
Feeling anxious, Anya stood and motioned toward Xander. "We're going away. To dance. Over there."
"We are?" Xander said as Anya pulled him toward the dance floor.
Riley and his squad headed for the bar leaving Willow, Buffy, and Faith alone.
"Anya seems a bit on edge," Buffy admitted.
Willow nodded. "She's a little antsy around commando-types. Ex-demon issues."
"Sorry about Riley and his friends," Faith told her cousin. "They were throwing us a party in our honor."
"Made it, like, impossible, not to invite them," Buffy added sheepishly.
"That's neat about the celebrating but… this was just supposed to be, you know… us. The Scooby core," Willow reminded them. "I mean, I could've invited Tara if I knew it was going to be an open free-for-all.
"Then go and invite Tara," Buffy insisted. "My cousin is part of the Scooby core as you call it. She should be here as your date if you want her to be."
"I didn't think. I'll call her later, see if she wants to do something," Willow admitted as she remembered that Tara was Buffy's cousin from the Spellman side of their family. "So, what are we celebrating?"
"We're in," Faith informed her.
"Professor Walsh gave us the grand tour—and we're talking Grand as in Canyon," Buffy added. "You'd never believe the size of it."
"Is Dad right about them, do you know?" Willow questioned remembering what Leo had told them.
"Don't know yet," Faith said. "But it does look like it."
"We'll know more soon hopefully so we don't have to remain undercover for long," Buffy added. "We want to find out for sure what their ultimate agenda is. Especially that 314 deal Ethan told Giles about."
Suddenly Buffy and Faith's pagers went off as the couple looked down at them. They could hear the echoing of five others from the area of the bar.
"Why do you need a pager?" Willow wondered.
"Walsh gave them to us," Faith answered as Riley made his way over to them.
"That's our cue. Mother wants us," Riley stated.
Buffy looked at Willow, apologetically. "Will…"
"I know," Willow insisted. "If I need you, I'll call."
Faith pulled Willow into her arms and hugged her again before she and Buffy followed Riley out of the club. "So, what's the big emergency?" she asked.
The Initiative
Buffy and Faith sat amongst the team that had been gathered for the mission. "This is your objective. Sub-T: 67119. Demon class Polgara species." Walsh began. "Though visual confirmation has not yet been made, we're confident of the target's approximate position as it leaves behind a distinct protein marker. Dr. Angleman will brief you on its defenses." She stepped aside to give the floor to the doctor.
Buffy and Faith forced themselves to keep focused, any information they could obtain the quicker they would be done with this bunch.
Doctor Angleman took his spot in front of the projected image of the demon they were going after. "When threatened… bone skewers jut from the creature's forearms during the battle. It's imperative when ensnaring it not to damage its arms. That's all you really need to—"
"Question," Buffy said cutting him off as she raised her hand.
Angleman looked at Walsh wondering if she had heard Buffy right.
Walsh stood up from the chair she had taken. "Buffy."
"Why exactly can't we damage this Polka thing's arms?" Buffy asked, giving them her best blonde act. "Not that I want to. Just, in my experience, when you're fighting for your life, body parts get damaged. And better its bits than ours."
Everyone with the exception of Faith stared at her stunned. Angleman looked again at Walsh helplessly. Then he returned his attention to Buffy. "We wish to study the physiology of every subterrestrial's natural defenses. Part of the research we do here. Now—" This time it was Faith who raised her hand. "Yes?"
"What do they want?" Faith questioned.
"Want?" Angleman said confused.
"Why are they here?" Buffy asked explaining Faith's question. "Sacrifices, treasure—or are they just gettin' rampage-y? Because it's easier to predict their responses if—"
"They're not sentient," he replied as Buffy and Faith snorted. "You find that funny?"
"Demons are sentient," Faith said. "Believe me, Buffy and I know that better than anyone. Because I was held hostage for eighteen years before finally being reunited with my mother and my aunts. I was abducted by one who had ulterior motives, a long-range plan. You can't tell me they're not sentient."
Angleman looked at Walsh for help.
"Regardless if they are sentient," Walsh informed them as she looked at the couple who unlike the rest of Riley's squad had yet to suit up. "They do have keen eyesight. I'd think you two would want to be suited up for this."
"We are," Faith said. "We have found slaying works better with clothes that can move with you. And the fewer things we carry the better. We'll take one of your stun guns if you like, but that's it."
Maggie looked at Riley, who offered her an embarrassed smile. "Well, why don't we just give Dr. Angleman our attention."
"Actually, I'm finished," he informed her.
"Right, thank you Dr. Angleman. Agent Finn, deploy the teams," Walsh ordered.
Riley hesitated a moment before he nodded and stood from his seat, drawing everyone's gaze to him as he walked to the front, standing in front of Walsh. "Ok, listen up." He began all businesslike as his training took over. "We'll be going in four squad setup. Team leaders: Gates, Taggart, Stavros... Alpha Team, you're with me."
"Report to TLs for assignments and weapon requisitions," Walsh informed them. "Reminder: this is a zap and trap, people - capture, not a kill. Any questions?" She regretted the moment she asked the question as she looked at Buffy who had her hand up. "Buffy."
U.C. Sunnydale
Tara opened the door to her dorm room seeing Willow on the other side. "Willow," she said.
"Funny thing happened with my prior social engagement," Willow said contrite. "Buffy was like I should have invited you."
"Yeah, she's always thought of others," Tara admitted as she smiled shyly at Willow. She let Willow into the room and closed the door behind the redhead. "Dates back to when she was four and she had the vision of Faith. Being unable to save Faith back then all she wanted was to protect those she loved."
"Then you and she lost your sister," Willow said as Tara nodded.
"Yeah, Celia's death hit us both hard," Tara said sadly as she walked over to her dresser and picked up a picture of herself, Celia, and Buffy when they were seven years old.
"You three were close," Willow said as she moved over beside Tara and looked at the picture.
"Best friend close," Tara confirmed. "We did everything together. Then Celia died and Uncle Hank and Aunt Joyce moved away with Buffy and finally my dad…"
"I know talking from Buffy that it was rough," Willow admitted as she went to lay a kiss on Tara's cheek. Tara turned at the last second and the kiss landed on the blonde's lips instead.
Woods
Riley, Faith, Buffy, and three other members of Riley's squad moved through the woods quietly. Despite what Faith had said back at the Initiative base both Buffy and Faith wore military gear over their clothes.
"So, I guess she hates Faith and I now," Buffy stated looking at Riley, trying to bait him into revealing anything about Walsh.
"What?" Riley asked glancing briefly at the couple.
"She means all of the questions we ask," Faith informed him.
"It's... a little unusual," Riley told his friends. "She's just not used to it. Maybe because both of you rarely ever opened your mouth in her classroom. But I know she likes you both. In fact, she liked you both before I did."
"Really?" Faith asked surprised.
Riley nodded. "Told me so herself. Can we talk about this later? There's a dangerous Hostile out here and since I don't have either of your reflexes or either of your powers, I kind of need to focus."
"Right," Buffy agreed. "What do you mean Professor Walsh liked us before you did?" she asked receiving no response from Riley who kept marching on. She glanced at Faith wondering if Walsh had suspected them before they had revealed they were both Slayers and witches to Riley.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Buffy and Faith stood with the rest of Riley's squad staked out looking for the demon as Mason walked over carrying a walkie-talkie to Riley. "Graham's on the talkie for you," he told his commanding officer. "Reception's not too good."
Riley nodded as he took the walkie-talkie. "This is Alpha Team, go ahead," he said speaking into it.
"Yeah, we... a sighting," Graham's voice said, sounding tiny and garbled. As he talked what he was reporting was punctuated by static. "Hostile… tagged… and are in…"
Riley stepped away from the rest of his squad, trying to get a better signal. "Say again, Beta team. You're breaking—" he was cut off by a loud roar.
"Riley!" Buffy yelled having spotted the Polgara demon charging him.
Before Riley could react, the demon slammed into him knocking him to the ground and sending the walkie-talkie flying. The demon moved in on Riley.
Buffy sent a flying kick at the Polgara demon to its head, knocking it back away from Riley.
"Stay back," Faith instructed the rest of Riley's squad as she moved beside her wife just as Riley stood and whipped out a telescoping wand. Side by side she, Buffy, and Riley rushed the demon.
Mason and Tuck moved in with netting as the third commando aimed his taser rifle at the demon, waiting for a clear shot.
The demon took some hits from Riley, then swatted him away. The demon then grabbed Faith, lifting her off the ground, her feet dangling in the air.
"Faith," Buffy cried. She spun into a roundhouse and sent a kick at the demon staggering it and causing it to drop her wife. She and Faith began to pummel the demon with sharp punches.
The demon raised its arms and its skewering bones jut out of its arm. It swiped at the couple, both of whom barely managed to dodge the sewers at every turn.
Riley grabbed his taser and addressed the third commando. "Conner! On my mark!"
Buffy and Faith sent a kick at the Polgara in the gut with both feet and fell onto their backs.
"Now!" Riley cried as he and Conner fired, blasting the demon and dazing it.
Mason and Tuck threw the net over it, enraging it.
Buffy and Faith jumped to their feet and sent a final blow to the demon, knocking the Polgara out.
Riley, Faith, and Buffy were breathing heavily when Mason and Tuck dragged the unconscious demon away. "Finish up here," Riley ordered Conner, who nodded eagerly. He turned toward Buffy and Faith. "You both did well today," he complimented.
February 10, 2002 – Sunday
The Initiative
Riley suited up and loaded with his gear passed the door the security door to room 314. He hesitated, then walked over to it and peered through the window.
"Lose your way, Agent?" Maggie said as she came up behind him.
"No, ma'am," Riley answered.
"I've instructed Beta Team to suspend pursuit of Hostile 17 until your arrival," Walsh informed him. "I don't want any slip-ups, that's why I'm putting you in charge." She handed him a slip of paper. "You're too rendezvous with them at these coordinates."
Riley nodded as he started for the nearest base exit.
"Riley…" she called after him and he turned back to face her. "Make me proud."
"Yes, ma'am," Riley echoed as he turned and headed out.
Walsh watched him, dispassionately before turning and walking over to the door to 314.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Angleman brought up the bone saw he had been using as it whirred to a stop.
"I think we've got a situation," Walsh told him.
"The Slayers?" Angleman questioned.
"They're becoming a liability," she admitted.
"We knew that was a danger. Do they know about the project?" he wondered looking back down at the body on the table.
"They know it exists," Walsh answered as he looked back at her. "And they already hold too much influence over Riley—over Agent Finn. He values their friendship."
"We move to the contingency scenario?" Angleman asked.
Walsh nodded. "Right away."
"It's too bad. They could have been powerful allies," Angleman admitted sadly.
"I know," Walsh agreed with genuine regret.
"And if you are right that Finn values their friendship. He will take it hard," Angleman told her knowingly.
"That's why sooner is better," Walsh stated.
Angleman nodded as he turned back to the body on the table and removed the Polgara demon's arm.
"It's better…" she finished sadly.
U.C. Sunnydale
Buffy and Faith appeared in a swirl of fiery flames in Willow's dorm room just as Willow walked through the door.
"Oh. Hi," Willow greeted them.
"Morning," Buffy said.
"Out all night, huh?" Faith said with a knowing smirk.
Willow nodded. "Took you up on what you said, Buffy," she admitted. "I went to see Tara after you left."
"So how was it?" Faith questioned and Willow's blush was her only answer.
"Sorry, we bailed on you guys at the Bronze…" Buffy admitted.
"Buffy, don't worry about it," Willow informed her friend, cousin by marriage and Whitelighter. "If Dad is right then we need all the information we can get about them. I understand."
"Okay," Buffy admitted as hers and Faith's pagers went off.
Faith glanced down and then back up at Buffy. "Walsh."
"I know you two are only doing this to get information, but they sure do keep you both hopping," Willow admitted.
"Yep," Buffy and Faith agreed. "We're heading to the student union. Want to come with?" Faith asked.
"Thanks, but I think…" Willow informed the couple.
"Of course," Faith said as she winked at her cousin. Then she and Buffy headed out the door.
Willow watched them leave just as her phone rang. "Peyton Halliwell," she said as she answered it.
"Willow," came Giles voice from the other end of the line. "You're there, at last. We have a problem. I need you to call for Buffy and then have either her, Faith, or both of them come here."
"I can't call for her as Walsh might get suspicious if she suddenly has to leave," Willow answered. "Anyways they just left intending to head to the student union after flaming here from the Manor. As they were leaving they got beeped and are now heading back to the Initiative base. Want me to go after them?"
"No need, I can use your help instead," he replied.
"Really?" Willow asked. "What do you want me to do?"
The Initiative
Walsh walked through the lab as Buffy and Faith trailed behind her. "It's a small job, reconnaissance," she told them. "Probably a waste of a Slayer's abilities, but my boys are on assignment, and—"
"No, it's fine," Faith said as Buffy nodded in agreement. "We're up for some action."
"I doubt either you will get any on this one," Walsh said as they came to a stop before a map mounted to the wall. "We've had readings of a Class 3 sub-terrestrial moving through the sewer tunnels here," she said pointing to a spot on the map. "Just on the north edge of town."
"Class 3?" Buffy questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Low level threat," Walsh explained. "Minimal aggression, meager defenses. They barely read on our scanners, and very occasionally turn out to be raccoons." She then handed the couple each a taser rifle.
"Wow. You're not crazy about raccoons, huh?" Buffy quipped as Faith chuckled. Faith had always loved her wife's sense of humor.
"We always take precautions," Walsh informed them as she fitted them both a camera. "All I need is for you two to get a visual on the thing. This'll feed us the image and I can advise you from there. I don't want to put either of you in any unnecessary danger."
"Hey, danger is our birthright," Faith said as she chuckled again.
"You know, Professor Walsh, there are still some things about all this that we're not clear on," Buffy stated.
"Well, when you two get back we'll have a talk. All right," Walsh insisted.
Giles' Apartment
Spike lay across Giles' cleared desk; a mostly empty cognac bottle dangling loosely from his fingers. His face was slack, his eyes were fluttering behind closed lids. He was hardly even aware of what was going on around him anymore.
Xander and Anya stood watching as Giles worked with a small wound on Spike's back. While Willow stood to one side with a Book of Shadows, Piper had insisted she start her own book, open in front of her as she held a dolls-eye crystal; drawing on its power to help her complete the spell. "Tropo, strato, meso, aero, iono, exo…" she chanted.
"So, how is this supposed to work again?" Xander asked Giles as he began to feel something like the beginning of a tingling against his skin… a tingling that raised the hairs on his arms and legs.
"If she succeeds her spell will ionize the atmosphere around us thereby disrupting the tracer's signal," Giles answered. Xander gave him a confused look, causing him to sigh. "Buys us time," he said in layman's terms.
"Elements are brought to bear," Willow continued to chant blocking out the conversation. "Wind, Earth, and Water churn amidst the fire. Let the air be burned," she finished and immediately they all jumped as the charge that had been building in the air with her every word burned through the air exploding every bulb within the apartment.
Willow looked around at her friends, fighting to keep a straight face as she took in her friends. "Did it work?" she asked. "Is the atmosphere ionized?"
Xander, Giles, Willow, and Anya looked at each other, and with every movement of their heads, the snap-crackle-pop of the static electricity ran through their hair.
"I'd venture yes," Giles muttered as he imagined what his own hair must look like from taking in the others.
Sewers
"Do you think…?" Faith whispered low enough so the cameras hopefully would pick up her voice.
"I do," Buffy replied as two demons came around the corner of the tunnel.
They raised their rifles and fired. Both rifles sparked and sputtered shocking them both.
"Thought so," Faith snarled as she and Buffy flung the rifles away.
Suddenly a metal gate slammed down behind them sealing the tunnel and supposedly trapping them with the two demons.
The demons split off, one heading for Faith, the other for Buffy. They made the first move as they rushed the demons.
The Initiative
Walsh smiled as she looked up at the monitors watching Faith and Buffy battle the demons. She smiled as rapid spikes appeared on the monitor that showed Buffy and Faith's pulse rates.
The two demons charged Buffy and Faith who were seemingly thrown to the ground, the image from the cameras becoming dark, blurry, and completely still just as both Buffy and Faith's pulse rates flatline.
Giles' Apartment
Giles' brow was furrowed as he dug into Spike's wound with the tweezers; glad that the peroxide-blond vampire was still out of it so that he wasn't whining and complaining with every touch of the tweezers and cut of the scalpel.
Beside Giles, Anya held a flashlight directed where he was working. She, Willow, and Xander all munched on one of Xander's boost bars each.
"It feels, and looks like," Willow said as she took in the state of the others' hair as the strands took back some semblance of normalcy. "The ionizing spell is wearing off," she commented nervously before taking another large bite of the awful tastelessness of the boost bar to prevent herself from pacing and disturbing Giles in his delicate work.
"Giles?" Xander asked urgently searching for a response; hoping that he was close to finishing his work now that their bought time was running out.
Giles was silent a moment longer his frown deepening before he managed to pull the blinking piece of metal free of Spike's back. Elation filled him at achieving success at long last. "I've got it. I've got it!" he exclaimed with both nervousness and excitement as he held up the tweezers that still clasped the blood-crusted tracker in their metal jaws.
Giles held the tweezers out to the waiting Xander, who took them from the older man. "Um, go!" he ordered as the stillness seemed to last too long.
With his boost bar held in one hand and the tweezers in the other Xander burst into movement running as fast as his legs could carrying him down the hallway. He skidded around the corner, almost losing his balance in his hurry to properly dispose of the device.
Sewers
Buffy and Faith continued to battle with the two demons. "I think we need to think about ending this, Faith," Buffy said.
Faith nodded as a fireball formed in her hand. Just as her demon began to swing an axe at her, she flung the fireball and he burst into flames before exploding in a puff of smoke.
The other demon went at Buffy as another fireball formed in Faith's hand. "Buffy, duck," Faith stated and Buffy dove out of the way as she flung the fireball at the other demon who caught on fire before exploding in a puff of smoke.
The Initiative
Walsh stood in front of the monitors as she signed papers on the clipboard in front of her.
"Regret to report Hostile 17 is still at large," Riley said as he approached her. "I've left the Beta team to comb the area, but the tracers—"
"Riley," Walsh said distraught. "Something's happened. I… I don't know what to say… It's… It's about Buffy and Faith.
"Buffy and Faith?" Riley questioned.
"Two of our hostiles broke free and escaped into the tunnels. They went after them on their own," Walsh informed him. "They're dead, Riley. I did everything I could to stop them. Told them to wait for a backup team. They kept insisting they didn't need any team, they could handle it themselves." She moved to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, before thinking better of it. "I'm so, so sorry."
Riley chuckled as he watched a swirl of fiery flames appear behind Walsh as Buffy and Faith appeared.
"Our death was greatly exaggerated," Faith snarled at the woman.
Walsh spun and looked at the Slayers with wide eyes.
"There is something I didn't mention," Riley informed his commanding officer as he moved beside Buffy and Faith.
"Yeah, that simple little recon you asked us to do?" Faith said with a raised eyebrow. "Wasn't a raccoon. Turns out it was us supposed to be trapped in a sewer with faulty weapons and two of your pet demons on our hands."
"If you think that's enough to kill us you really don't know what a Slayer is," Buffy stated. "Trust me when I say you're going to find out." She looked toward Riley. "You want to get out of here or are you a company man, who believes lies?"
Riley glared at Walsh as he took Buffy's free hand.
"Riley…" Walsh said weakly. "Agent Finn, I order you to stop!" she said as Buffy, Faith, and Riley disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames. "Agent Finn! RILEY!"
Giles Apartment
Giles removed the latex gloves. "It will be dark soon. I think it will be wise for you to leave Sunnydale," he suggested as he adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
But Spike shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until those bastards undo whatever they did to me. Put me back the way I was."
"Sure," Xander exclaimed sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Just explain to the nice scientist guys that you really miss killing and torturing innocent people."
Spike gave him a hopeful look still a bit too drunk to be able to tell sarcasm. "Do you think that would work?"
Xander gave Spike a surprised disgusted look, before simply ignoring him as Giles removed his glasses. "Spike," he began carefully, drawing the vampire's attention. "Lord knows why I'm telling you this… it's for your own good. As long as The Initiative is in operation it's not safe for you here."
"No," Buffy said as she, Faith and Riley appeared in a swirl of fiery flames. Her voice drew everyone's gaze. "It's not safe for any of you," she said seriously.
Author's Note: Mention of Willow hacking is reference to the season 3 episode Earshot which mentioned Willow hacked into the FBI.