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jesterladyficThe gang stood before the hidden door to the Initiative bearing weapons, nerves and a giant magic gourd. Buffy turned to Jonathan and Andrew.
“Ok guys, this is where we leave you. Since it’s sunlight you won’t have to worry about vamps, observe my husband cowering under the tarp.” Spike shot her a dirty look, but she ignored him and continued. “But other nasties might break out. Keep your heads and remember the sword patterns Spike
taught you.”
“We will,” Jonathan said nervously, clutching his sword.
“May the Force be with you and the grace of the Valar watch over you,” Andrew said, majestically inclining his head toward them. Jonathan poked him in the ribs with the not pointy end of his sword.
“You can’t go mixing universes like that, bonehead!”
“Why not? Both are valid forms of blessing given to departing warriors.”
“They cancel each other out.” The others left, hurrying away, as Andrew began to swear in a language that could only be Klingon.
***
Buffy’s entrance into the Initiative was brought up short by the gun leveled in her face. They were surrounded by soldiers with weapons and were quickly deprived them of theirs.
“You’re under arrest,” said the soldier who had Buffy under his gun. “Including you, Finn. Take them to the Commander.” They were marched to the communications center where their gear was searched and Buffy fought to reign in her temper.
“Commander, Adam is here. He is trying to start a war using your soldiers. You have to get your men out of here!” The Commander sneered and moved to face her.
“Listen, Miss…Slayer, I know every inch of this facility. If Adam were here, I’d know it. Maybe Maggie Walsh went in for all that mystic Slayer crap, but I know differently. You little kids are in over your heads, playing at killing demons. Time to stop playacting and resisting those who actually know what they’re doing. We are fully capable of taking care of Adam. If what you say is true, that he’s trying to start something, we’ll handle it. Meanwhile, you and your little friends and Agent Finn, who apparently is a traitor, can wait here till we decide what to do with you.”
“Oh, that’s gonna go real well.” Xander rolled his eyes. Buffy silenced him with a look, and then turned back to the Commander.
“You listen. I’m not the one playacting. You, everyone here, the government, is out of their league. Congratulations, you figured out demons are real. Now stand down before you all get massacred. You’re messing with primeval forces you have no comprehension of. I’m the Slayer; it’s our destiny to take care of these things and we little girls have been doing it since the dawn of time. So back off and let me kill Adam.” He started to argue again but a call from an operative at a screen stopped him.
“Sir. Sir, we’re losing control of the system. All the containment cells are opening and all exits are locking up.”
“It’s Adam. Please take your men out and let me stop him.” The Commander ignored her and galvanized his men for action. Leading them, he left two on guard, whom Buffy and Spike took care of in short order. Spike set to work gathering up all their stuff again and Buffy turned to Willow.
“Will, can you get us to the secret lab place? Open the doors on the computer?”
“No need,” said Willow, her hands on the keys. “The only locked doors are the exits. Adam was really serious about that wanting you to be here part. And the stay here part.”
“Then let’s go fight that evil!” Spike said, obviously itching for some violence.
“Stay the bloodlust. I dare say you’ll get more than your fair share before this is over, Spike,” Giles admonished absently, gathering candles and his gourd into a bag.
“Come on,” said Buffy.
They moved to the open pit of the lab and stared for a moment at the carnage and horror opening before them.
***
In his lab, Adam watched the monitors with an almost gleeful look.
“Mother would be proud. And I do appreciate violence.”
***
Buffy rocketed into motion as they fought their way across the floor. Buffy and Spike were two superhuman blurs of speed and grace, against demon and soldier alike. Willow and Tara used magic to propel enemies out of their way. Xander and Riley, equipped with guns from the fallen soldiers, used them to the best of their military training, however fading on Xander’s part. If anything could be amusing in such a fray, it was the sight of the small Oz hurling himself with less skill than berserk force, at his foe, and the tiny, blonde Anya, obviously drawing up memories of similar brawls, howling with enjoyment, and whirling her surprisingly good sword skills like a dervish.
They reached the Authorized Personnel Only door and dashed through. Beating off escaping demons, they came to Room 314 and barricaded themselves in.
“Okay, set up here. This place is as good as any,” Willow instructed.
“Any port in a storm,” Giles agreed.
“Your door should be over there, Buffy.” Willow pointed to the back of the
room. Buffy and Riley lifted aside the filing cabinet against the wall and swung open a section of it.
“Riley, Oz, let’s go. Spell’s in five, right?” Giles nodded. Oz squeezed Willow’s hand tight. Spike took hold of Buffy.
“Careful, love. Kick his ass, yeah?”
“Don’t worry; I won’t be alone and I will.” Buffy grinned and the three disappeared through the door. Spike and Xander put back the wall and cabinet behind them. Giles and Willow quickly set up the spell while Spike issued orders to Tara and Anya.
“Right, barricade’s not gonna hold against anything really strong, so we will be fighting.” He grinned in anticipation. “Red’s probably gonna need the most protection doing the mojo, so I’ll guard her. Glinda, you wanna get the Watcher? Cause I do believe Demon-girl’s gonna claim the boy.”
“Darn right,” Anya said sternly. “If anybody comes near him, they’ll wish I were an actual vengeance demon and didn’t take their messing with my man so personally.”
Giles, Willow and Xander sat in a triangle with candles burning and the gourd in the middle. Spike, Tara and Anya took up their positions in back of them. Willow started the incantation and handed a card to Giles and Xander each, representing mind and heart. She lay the spirit before herself and put the hand in the middle for Buffy.
***
Buffy had run into a snag. Just outside 314, there was another lab filled with zombies. They had tubes attached all over keeping them alive and their faces were disfigured, their eyes milky-blue, moving slow and trancelike, but undoubtedly strong and unrelenting. She recognized only a few, some soldiers around the campus, the doctor Adam had skewered and to her surprise, Professor Walsh. Beside her, Riley almost dropped his gun in shock and horror as he saw many he knew, some good friends and Maggie, his mentor.
The zombies noticed them and seemingly some inner brain command caused them to turn and walk toward the three with a less than friendly air. Buffy looked around and saw another door on the far side of the room.
“Can you guys hold them off while I find Adam? The spell’s gonna hit soon.”
“Go,” Oz replied, already looking a little less like himself and more like a primal beast. She leapt over the zombies, swinging on some overhead light fixtures as Oz crashed into the first wave, pulling tubes out left and right with claw-like hands as Riley used his gun to incapacitate them.
***
Adam sat before a monitor, watching the battle with evident enjoyment. Buffy leaned against the wall behind him.
“Too scary out there for ya? Prefer to sit back, hide and wait for assembly
line time?” He turned to face her, annoyed at her presence, but clearly not surprised or worried.
“I am living my destiny as are you. I know why you are here. It is why your vampire lover could not keep you from coming for me. It is a Calling deep within your blood, established for time immemorial, yet as changeable as humans themselves. That is why I am here. Demons are unchangeable, irreversible, forever and unmoving. Humans are weak, predictable, mortal and subversive. I will change all that; make them whole and together. This is the vision my mother had for me, one I have studied and now accepted. It will be just as she designed. And you too, are a part and one that was predicted.” Buffy rolled her eyes.
“Will you put a sock in it? You think I want to hear your typical evil villain speech? Know how many of those I’ve heard? But look at that, I’m all bored with nothing to do. Can we get to the fighting already?” Adam grinned.
“Yes. It will be interesting to see this scenario played out.” A skewer protruded from his arm and advancing on her, he thrust it towards her chest.
***
In 314, there was a flash, three heads as one lifted upwards abruptly.
***
The skewer stopped; the tip was a hairbreadth from Buffy’s stomach, held there by an invisible force field. Adam tried to pierce her with it with no success. Buffy’s eyes glowed a bright orange and she moved with a strange, ethereal grace. Her hand reached out calmly and snapped the skewer. Adam recoiled and then attacked with new fervor. Buffy evaded every blow with ease. She lifted Adam with one hand and smashed him against the wall. He dropped toward the floor and his hand fell upon a gun lying discarded. He picked it up and opened fire on her.
***
The door to 314 broke open as a hairy creature rammed its way through heading for Willow. It jumped over Spike’s head, who twisted sharply and reaching out, snapped the neck, then once more took up a guard position. The major fighting seemed to be concentrated in the open area, but several demons released from their cells, bloodlust and freedom-adrenaline controlled, noticed the open door and the seemingly helpless
human victims inside.
Tara, foremost, held up her hand and shouted,
“Incinde!” Two vamps before her burst into flame and then were dust. A Krevlak demon headed for Anya and several more demons of various kinds advanced upon Spike. Behind him, he heard Willow, Giles and Xander, all speaking at the same time in a language he didn’t know.
***
The bullets slowed to a stop before Buffy’s outstretched hand and hung in the air. Her mouth spoke strange words in a combination of several different voices. The bullets dissipated and Adam spoke, his words a tad panic-stricken.
“Interesting. But it will not last against what is destiny and preparation.” The Buffy figure laughed.
“It is forever. We are forever. Our power is more and your power will cease.” So saying, she plunged one hand into Adam and pulled out a glowing case of uranium. He toppled to the floor and she levitated the container, spoke Sumerian again and it disappeared in a flash of light. Buffy’s eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed to the floor where, a few minutes later, Riley and Oz found her.
***
Willow, Giles and Xander also collapsed and panted, unable to move, consumed with the spell’s backlash and what had just happened.
“Xander!” Anya called, ducking a claw swipe directed at her head. “Xander! Why are you breathing hard? Are you dying? Stop it!” She had to stop exonerating him to better health when a new influx of demons arrived.
Tara decapitated one with a magically animated surgical tray from across the room. Spike literally tore the legs out from another and Anya impaled hers. For the moment all was quiet and Spike took assessment of the three on the floor.
“Spell’s gone. They’ll live, barring the bloody consequences we’ll wreak. But did it work?”
“Yeah,” said Buffy, coming in through the wall, Riley and Oz behind her. “We kicked his power source.” Everyone was recovered enough now to hug everyone else and rejoice in their success. But it wasn’t over yet.
“We still have to help my men,” Riley reminded impatiently.
“Right. We’ll help them out; can you rally them to follow you?” Buffy asked.
He nodded.
“Then let’s get going team, and win that war!” Spike said in a falsely sincere imitation of what was presumably Military Xander. Actual Xander glared at Spike feebly and leaning on Anya, accepted a gun, scolding and kisses all at once.
“Let’s get outta here,” he said. “Not big with the staying and getting killed at the moment.”
They filed out of the room and down the hall, spread out in what a movie would’ve been the romantic hero’s shot with inspirational, epic music building to a magnificent crescendo.
***
Jonathan and Andrew sat with their backs to the building, clearly bored.
“You think they’re okay in there?” Jonathan glanced at the door where faint sounds could be heard, war cries and metal clashing on metal.
“Of course, Buffy is the ultimate champion, fighting for right on every side, with Spike, the coolest warrior of all, on hers.”
“Batman is the coolest warrior of all.” Andrew considered this carefully.
“Can you really call Batman a warrior? I mean, first of all, he’s just an alter ego, whereas Spike is always just Spike and then you’ve got the whole vigilante thing.” Jonathan conceded.
“True, Spike’s no vigilante. He’s all happy and doesn’t have anything to avenge. Batman’s not really a warrior per say, he’s more like a mysterious, brooding, tortured hero. Like the other vampire Buffy was with.”
“Batman is tragic,” Andrew agreed. “At least the first two, losing Catwoman and his parents.”
“Catwoman.” Jonathan got a glazed look in his eyes. “The epitome of woman.”
“Not really a woman. Dr. Chase was more my style anyway.”
“Don’t be an idiot. Michelle Pfeiffer! Come on!”
“What’s wrong with Nicole Kidman?”
“Nothing. But Chase was too wrapped up in herself and her Batman obsession. Catwoman at least had a purpose other than being the new love interest for him. Chase was just another Bond girl.” Andrew retorted sharply and the conversation continued along the same lines until the others joined them and interrupted the other epic battle that took place that day.
