Chapter 11
Lenox opened the water bottle, took a deep drink from it, and then he took
notice of where the sun was in the sky. "Is there anything you want to tell
me before I send you off with my friends?"
Buffy, Giles, Mulder and Scully noticed that the Hunter wasn't even looking
at the man when he asked the question. Barrington and Stacy knew all about
Lenox' methods of questioning. They knew what he was capable of and they
were very much aware that the others might not take his methods too kindly.
Stacy herself still did not like that part about her husband even though she
had learned the hard way how that his methods were necessary from time to
time.
The terrorist spat at Lenox. Then he cursed at him in his native tongue.
Lenox casually pulled out a 9-milimeter pistol, aimed it at the terrorists
head, and he said, "I'm going to count to three. If you tell me something I
need to know before I get to three, I won't pull the trigger."
Buffy stared at him in horror. She looked at Giles as if she expected hime
to stop Lenox. Giles couldn't bring himself to move. He was convinced that
Lenox wouldn't pull the trigger, that the man was just trying to scare the
terrorist.
Scully, however, had no qualms about interfering. "He has rights," she told
Lenox, taking a cautious step forward. "You can't shoot him."
Lenox glanced at her. "A terrorist has only one right. He has the right to
die." He looked at the terrorist, but to Scully, he said, "Now shut up and
let me count. Did I get to three yet?"
"You haven't even said one," Barrington replied. "Are you cheating?"
"Oh, yeah...okay. Silly me."
Scully stared at Lenox. "Mulder! We can't let him do this!"
Lenox ignored them. "One..."
The terrorist glared up at him.
Scully drew her weapon and aimed it at Lenox. "Put the gun down!"
"Two..." Lenox continued.
Mulder stood beside Scully and put his hand on her arm. "C'mon, Scully. He
knows what he's doing."
The terrorist found himself looking straight into the barrel. There was
sweat on his brow and his eyes were wide.
Lenox shrugged as it it didn't matter to him. "Three." At point-blank
range, he fired.
Buffy and Giles backed away, apalled at the atrocity, and Scully shouted,
"No!!"
Lenox fired every round.
But even as he fired, the terrorist cried out with a loud voice, "I KNOW
NOTHING!! PLEASE!! DEAR ALLAH!! NO!! I KNOW NOTHING!! I KNOW NOTHING!!"
He said a lot of other things as well and he continued to speak even as
Lenox casually stepped away from him to reload his gun. This time, he
loaded it with real bullets.
Everyone stared at him except for Barrington and Stacy. The terrorist sat
on the ground, quaking in fear. There was a dark stain on his pants.
Lenox looked at Barrington and Stacy, shrugged his shoulders, and pu away
his gun. "He doesn't know anything. I believe that Jhamel has a backup
plan and I'm sure he was careful about who he shared that plan with."
Barrington nodded. "The other terrorist that Ace and Birdman picked up from
Mulders rental doesn't know anything eithor."
Scully approached Lenox angrily. "They were BLANKS?!" she demanded.
Lenox looked at her as if it should have been obvious. "Yes, Agent Scully.
They were blanks."
"What right do you have--?"
"A terrorist with a nuclear device gives me that right. If we don't find
him and take it from him, there won't be a Sunnydale, California."
Lenox dragged the terrorist to the chopper and he secured him to it. Giles
and Buffy approached, but it was clear that the librarian had something on
his mind.
"Mr. Lenox..." Giles began, "I was...h-hoping to avoid this contraption..."
he indicated the helicoptor. "...but I suppose it should be safer than
Agent Mulder's erratic driving--"
"I heard that!" Mulder called as he stood by the hole.
"Time is growing short," Giles told Lenox. "It appears to me that
s-something is about to take place...something awful. I must return to the
library and look into this."
Lenox nodded his head. "Sure. My guys can get you there in no time."
Giles thanked him and then he turned to Buffy. "Try not to get into any
trouble. Just find Willow and Xander, and bring them home. I'd like to
know what it is that's coming before you face it."
"What a coincidence," Buffy said dryly. "Becuase I'd like to know, too."
"Then try to come back before dark. There may still be time."
She nodded. "I'll try."
Lenox and Barrington took some supplies from the chopper before LeBeua and
Vogel took their prisoners and Giles into the air. Lenox and Barrington
were equipped with new weapons. They not only had guns, they were also
equipped with katana swords made from silver. Barrington had a pouch filled
with throwing stars that were also made from silver.
Mulder picked up a sword and experimented a few swipes and jabs with it.
"Hey, what do you intend to do with these?"
"The silver swords can kill a vampire," Barrington began, "as long as you
swipe off it's head or stab it through the heart." He regarded him. "We
have extra. Why don't you take it?"
Mulder grinned at Scully. "You want one, Scully? AD Skinner never let us
play with toys like these."
"My only concern is for those two kids down there, Mulder," she told him.
"I don't need any toys to find them."
Buffy looked at her. "Hey! Didn't you hear what Giles said? They are not
kids! They have names. That's Xander and Willow to you. Is there a
problem with your memory?"
Scully hesitated, "I assure you, I don't mean any disrespect."
"Then remember their names."
Barrington and Lenox set up ropes at the mouth of the hole. They knew they
had to have their hands free so they had helmits on their heads that had
flashlights made into the hard hats. Mulder and Stacy took a hat as well,
but Scully was content with her little pocket light.
"Hey, would you like a sword or some other new fancy toy to kill vampires
with, Slayer?" Mulder asked Buffy.
Buffy pulled out her trusty stake from within her jacket. She showed it to
Mulder and smiled wryly. "I'm good."
"Then let's go," Lenox said. He was the first to enter into the hole. The
others followed in after him.
As they were scaling the walls using the ropes and balancing with their
feet, Mulder couldn't help but make a comment. "I don't know about any of
you...but mu spider sense is really tingling."
Buffy, who was climbing down the wall beside him, grinned.
Scully had to respond. "Mulder, if you don't shup up, I'm going to squash
you like a bug."
Mulder winked at Buffy. "I think she likes me. What do you think? You
think she likes me?"
"I didn't think she liked anybody."
"Oh, sure she does. She just likes to be rough."
They reached the bottem and their lights revealed that they were in a tunnel
that branched off in two different directions. To the left, the tunnel went
as far as they could see. To the right, the tunnel seemed to disappear
around a bend after twenty feet.
"What do you think?" Barrington asked Lenox. "Left or right?"
Mulder came over to stand behind them. "I have discovered that when it
comes time for making the really important decisions in life, Eany, Meany,
Miny, and Moe have always worked best for me."
Stacy was facing toward the left tunnel. "There is great evil down this
way," she said softly.
Everyone turned to look at her. Mulder went to stand beside her as he
peered into the tunnel. Then he regarded her. Her face was a mask of
concentration, concern, and fear. Even so, he could see that she was in
control of that fear. "I guess your spider sense is stronger than mine," he
told her.
She turned to look at him. "I-I don't have a spider sense, Mr. Mulder."
He smiled wryly at her. "I know you don't. But there is something
different about you, isn't there?" He paused. "What exactly do you feel
from this tunnel?"
She looked down the tunnel again. "I sense a presence of malice...of
rage...I feel..." She hesitated.
"Go on."
She looked at Mulder. "There-there is a dark presence of hatred for all
mankind."
Buffy took a deep breath. "That sounds really bad."
Stacy shook her head. "Michael..." she said to her husband. "We shouldn't
go down this way."
"But maybe we should," Mulder objected. "We have got to know what's down
there."
"We can't come this far and not continue on because you sense 'great evil',"
Scully commented.
Mulder shot her a look. Then he looked at Stacy and he made it a point not
to say "kids" when he said, "What if Xander and Willow are down there?"
Stacy looked at Mulder. She actually looked relieved. "Xander and Willow
are not down this tunnel." She saw a hole in the tunnel floor and pointed
at it. "They're down there."
Buffy looked into the hole. She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw a dim
light, or was that from them. "How do you know that?"
"I just do."
Mulder paused in thought. "Like you're being guided."
Stacy nodded.
Barrington looked down the tunnel. "They may be down that hole, Stacy, but
I thnk Mulder's right. We should check this out, too."
Lenox regarded Barrington. "We'll split up. Bear, you and I can remain in
contact with our headsets. Stacy and I will take the hole."
"I'm coming with you, too, if you think my friends are in that hole," Buffy
said.
Mulder pointed down the tunnel. "There could be vampires that way," he told
her.
"Oh, I'm sure there's something down there. I'd advise not going. But if
you have to, take a quick look and then get the hell out of there. My only
priority right now is Xander and Willow."
"Let's move," Barrington said.
Barrington began to lead Mulder and Scully down the tunnel as Buffy and
Stacy began to climb into the hole after Lenox.
Mulder, Scully, and Barrington walked side by side in the tunnel.
"Damn it," Mulder swore softly as he shook his head in disappointment.
Barrington glanced at him. "What is it?"
"I was hoping to have Buffy with us."
Scully looked at him as if he were crazy. "Why would you want Buffy to be
with us, Mulder?"
He shrugged. "Well, c'mon, Scully! It's not every day that you get a
chance to watch a sixteen year old girl kick some vampire ass!" He let out
a weary sigh. "Another missed opportunity. And yet the world still turns."
"You need to get out more often," Scully told him.
Mulder frowned. "Well, I am on vacation. Doesn't that count?"
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"Willow, I have to get you out of here," Xander replied as he tilted his
head to look at her face. "Can you walk? Are you hurt any where?"
Willow glanced at her hands. "M-my hands are a little numb...I'm...I-I
guess I'm still a little shaky...but I can walk."
Xander smiled encouragingly. "Good, Will. Because I really want to get you
out of this place and back home...where you can be safe."
Willow gazed up at him. "Oh, Xander! You want to take me away from it all.
That's so sweet!" She smiled.
*God, she has a beautiful smile!* Xander thought. He got to his feet and
then he helped her up. She stumbled once, but he caught her and held her to
him. "You okay, Will?" he asked.
"J-just a little dizzy..." She looked puzzled. "I-I don't know what makes
me so dizzy..."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...whether I-I'm dizzy because of...of what I've b-been going
through...or..." she looked into his eyes, "...or whether I'm dizzy because
of you."
He looked at her. "I make you dizzy?"
She nodded. "Sometimes you do." She smiled wryly. "I-it's that Xanderish
affect you have on me...I'm defenseless against it."
"Well, I promise you, Will...if you get to dizzy, I'll just pick you up and
carry you."
She looked at him closely. "Y-you will?" She pictured him doing just that
in her mind and it made her smile. "That would be nice."
"Willow, you just hang onto me and I'll get you home." Xander reached down
to pick up the lantern. That's when he felt her tense up, and a word
escaped from her lips softly.
"Angel..."
Xander looked up and he saw Angel walking toward them. But Angel wasn't
alone. He had Spike with him. He picked up the lantern as if it were the
only weapon he had, and then he made certain that Willow was behind him.
"Just stay back!" Xander demanded menacingly at the approaching vampires.
"I have a lantern! It's loaded, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
Angel stopped and he held up his hands. "Xander, it's me. Angel."
"I know it's you, Sunshine. Or should I say it's Mr. ICan'tStandTheLight
since you..." he hesitated as he tried to think of a pun. He couldn't come
up with one so he continued with, "..can't stand the light." Then he
pointed at Spike who was standing beside Angel. "You're with Spike, Angel!
And we know he's really bad...Don't we, Will?"
She nodded her head as she stayed behind Xander. "Uh-huh. Angel, it's
true! S-Spike is bad."
Angel took a step closer. "Spike and I have a truce--"
Xander held up the lantern as if it were a cross. "I said STOP!!" He
glared at Angel. "You want me to trust you with Willow's safety? I don't
think so. You and Buffy may have something going on but I know what you are
and I will never change my mind about that." He took a deep breath as he
tried to reign in his anger. "You're no different than Spike, Angel. Even
if you do have a soul. Now I'm telling you to keep your distance from us.
I may not have a cross or holy water, but I have this lantern. I'll smash
this over you, hotshot, if you come any closer. Not even you can survive
fire."
Spike shook his head. "I don't bloody believe this! We have other
problems. There are terrorists who want to blow up Sunnydale!" He looked
at Xander. "I did not come down here to hurt either one of you! I came
here to help rescue Willow."
"I believe I've got that pretty much covered, thank you." Xander moved his
head toward the way the vampires had come from. "Now move along. Take a
hike."
Angel was looking at Willow who was watching from behind Xander. He was
astonished at the sight of her. She looked so frail, so scared. There was
a look in her eyes when she looked at him that was never there before.
Fear.
Willow was afraid of Angel. It tore at his heart. He felt his heart aching
as he realized that he was causing her pain. "Willow..." he said softly.
"I'm not here to hurt you. You have to believe me."
She hesitated. Then, she nodded. "I-I do..."
"We came to bring you home. You have to trust me. There are other things
down here that will come after you and Spike and I can handle them." He
looked at her. "Please don't be afraid of me. You weren't before."
"Willow's been through a lot, Angel," Xander told him. "Maybe this
experience has opened her eyes to what you truly are."
Angel didn't know what to say.
Spike let out a weary sigh. "If we don't get out of here, those terrorists
will find you."
Angel nodded. "Spike is right. You have to follow us." He glanced at
Willow.
"Lead the way!" Xander exclaimed. "Just remember...My lantern can go off at
any time. I have a nervous lantern-finger...if that makes any kind of sense
to you at all." He thought of something. "Where are you leading us
anyway?"
"To the factory."
"Wait a minute...why there? Isn't there some other way out?" He pointed up
to the hole they had fallen through. "Can't you get us back up that way?
I'm sure you can handle a bunch of gun-toting, American-hating terrorists."
"Not in broad daylight, we can't," Spike told him. He rolled his eyes.
"For the last time! Enough bloody talking! We can make it through the
tunnels fast enough. Once we get to the factory, we'll let you out into the
sunlight. Then you're on your own." He looked at Xander. "Would that
satisfy you?"
"All right..." Xander said as he put his arm around Willow and gave her a
reassuring squeeze. "Lead on."
The vampires turned around and they began to lead Xander and Willow through
the tunnels. As they walked, Willow pressed herself as close to Xander as
she could and she had her arms around him. She didn't intend to ever let
him go.
xwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwx
Chapter 12
LeBeau and Vogel dropped Giles off at the library, and then they took their
prisoners to a safe house where they would be dealt with accordingly. At
the Rosenberg Residence, the phone rang and Jenny Calender answered it.
"Rupert!" she exclaimed, relieved at hearing Giles voice. "Where are you?"
Cordelia watched Jenny from the sofa. She was hoping that Giles was calling
with good news.
"I-I've returned to the library," Giles answered Jenny's inquiry. "It
appears that-that something is about to happen and we must be ready for it.
I would like it very much i-if you and Cordelia could meet me here to do a
little research."
"Okay," Jenny responded, glancing at Cordelia. "That sounds like a plan.
Maybe we can convince Billy to come with us. He's absolutely amazing with
the computer." She hesitated, "Rupert...you haven't said anything about
Willow. Is she okay? Did you find her?"
There was a pause. "No. I'm afraid we did not find her."
Jenny closed her eyes because she didn't want to ask the next question.
"The blood, Rupert...Was it--?"
"No, Jenny. Of that I am most certain of. The blood was not Willow's."
She let out a deep sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God." She ran a nervous hand
through her hair. "Well...what about the terrorists? Has that threat been
neutralized?"
Giles let out a chuckle. "'Neutralized'? You're beginning to sound like
one of those government agents, but to answer your question, er-all of the
terrorists save for one have b-been taken out of the equation. The man
known as the Speaker is still a loose cannon as it were, and-and it appears
that he may have some type of nuclear device on him."
"Do you really think this research will do any good then? I mean why bother
if we're all about to be microwaved into ashes?"
"Because it's really rather simple, Jenny. We haven't been microwaved into
ashes just yet."
She smiled. "We'll be over soon. I just enjoy yanking your chain."
Giles sounded puzzled. "Jenny...I-I don't have a chain."
She smiled teasingly. "All men have chains, Rupert. It's a biologicla
fact."
There was a long pause. "Uh...Oh..."
She decided to bring the subject back to where it belonged. "Listen, I'll
send Billy and Cordelia over right away. I have to run home. I may have a
few books that might have references to what we saw on the tape."
"Do you think that's wise going alone?"
"You said yourself, the terrorist threat has been neutralized with the
exception of one man. Besides, I live on the other side of town in the
opposite direction of the school. With Cordelia and Billy there to help
you, you might even figure this thing out before I arrive."
There was a pause. "V-very well. Just...be careful...and do hurry."
She smiled again. "Oh, Rupert...Do you miss me?"
"W-well, i must admit...there are times when I-I can't get you out of my
mind. Sometimes, I-I find it difficult to concentrate on my research."
"Rupert, I am so glad that I have affected you so." She paused. "I'll
admit to that the feeling is mutual. Lately, you're always on my mind. I
think Willie said something like that."
Giles paused. "B-Billy? You-you mean, Mr. Fronk has told you that lately,
you've been on h-his mind?"
She smiled, amused. "No, Mr. Medieval Times. Not 'Billy'. Willie...as in
Willie Nelson. He's a bard."
"A b-bird?"
"A bard!" She chuckled. "I think they call it something different today.
He's a country-western singer. You really need to get out of that library
every now and then, Rupert. You're getting as musty as those old books of
yours." She glanced at Cordelia. "I should go now. Cordy is shooting me
with those looks of hers. I'll see you soon."
"I-I look forward to seeing you...here."
She smiled and then hung up the phone.
"Cordelia, you and Billy need to get to the library."
Cordelia looked at her. "What about Willow?"
Jenny hesitated, "They haven't found her yet, but the blood we saw on the
tape wasn't hers."
"Oh, thank God." Then, she frowned. "Why do I need to go to the library
with that Crazy Man guy? What if he goes psycho on me?"
Fronk was standing in the doorway and he was eyeing Cordelia with heavy
suspicion. "I was just about to ask the same thing of you, my dear? What
if you go psycho on me?"
Cordelia looked at Jenny. "Puhlease don't make me go with him!!" she
pleaded.
Jenny just looked at her.
A short time later, Cordelia and Fronk left the Rosenberg Residence and they
headed for the library. Jenny took her car and headed for her home. But
when she arrived, she discovered a disturbing scene.
Her front door was ajar.
Carefully, she pushed it open and slowly entered her home. She immediately
saw that her living room had been trashed. Cabinets were open, her floor
was littered with broken items, and every where she looked there was a mess.
She stood there in astonishment as she realized that her home had been
burglarized! There were terrorists and vampires in Sunnydale, and on top of
that, now there were burglars! Her home had been ransacked by thieves.
She let out a sigh and shook her head in disgust.
There would be no time to call the police. She had to grab her books and
head out to the library. Then she hoped that her books hadn't been stolen.
She turned to go to her home office and that's when she came face to face
with her burglar. Before she could get a good look at him, however, a lamp
came crashing down on her head. She collapsed to the floor in blissful
unconsciousness.
Abhar Jhamel and two other terrorists stood over her.
ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
Giles took off his glasses as he thought about what he had just read from
the Codex. The Codex was a book that had been given to him by Angel and it
had a great deal of written prophecy concerning the Master. He should have
read into it further before now. He should have but he didn't because he
had thought the threat of the Master was over when Buffy had sent him
crashing through the skylight over the library.
The Master was dead.
He was not coming back.
However, there did in fact appear to be an Heir.
"I really really hate it when you do that!"
Giles looked up and saw Cordelia watching him from the doorway. "I-I'm
sorry?"
She sighed and tossed a hand dramatically into the air. "When you stand
there and take off your glasses with that far-a-way 'the earth is doomed'
look on your face! I hate that because it usually means that it's the end
of the world and my dates are canceled and Buffy gets to be hero-slayer-girl
again! Can't you find something that doesn't involve slaying?"
He put his glasses back on and frowned. "I-I wish it were that simple,
Cordelia. I really do. Unfortunately, simple is not the world in which we
live." He looked at his watch and frowned. "Jenny should have been here by
now. Perhaps I-I should call her."
"Oh, she'll be here soon enough. Maybe she's making herself look pretty for
you."
Giles took off his glasses again and looked at Cordelia. "Er...uhm...I'm
sorry...w-what did you say?" He tried not to look flustered.
"J-Jenny...Miss Calender is not m-making herself look pretty...for me, I can
assure you, Cordelia, b-because...well...I-it comes natural for her to look
p-pretty."
Cordelia smiled knowingly. "So you really do like Miss Calender."
"O-of course, I do. Strictly on a professional level, of course."
"Of course," Cordelia repeated with a nod. "But since a girl can always
tell when someone really likes someone else, she knows things. She'll be
here soon enough and then you'll find it really difficult to do any
research." She smiled. "I suggest that you find what it is you're looking
for in those books before she gets here." She turned and walked out of the
office.
Giles sat there and puzzled over the whole conversation. Then he shook his
head and went back to his research on the Heir.
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
Jenny regained consciousness and immediately wished that she hadn't. Her
head hurt so bad that it made her nauseous. There was blood in her hair and
the room would not stop spinning. That was only a small part of her
dilemma. Her hands were bound behind her back and her ankles were bound to
the legs of the kitchen chair that she found herself sitting on.
She looked up and saw that she was not alone.
There were three terrorists in the room with her and one of them was the
Speaker. Jhamel was watching her closely as if she were a rat in a maze and
he was studying her. He held something in his hand, something small enough
for his fist to close completely over it. She couldn't see what it was.
She did see, however, the gun lying on the kitchen table.
*Oh, my God,* she thought. *He's going to kill me.*
"You are a gypsy witch, are you not?" Jhamel asked her casually.
She didn't answer him. There was no reason to prolong this.
He regarded her silently for a moment. Then he shrugged. "It doesn't
really matter, does it? I don't really care what you are, nor do I care
about the evil that you do. You will be dead before I leave this room."
Her thoughts immediately went out to Giles. She was going to die without
ever really getting to know him as she wanted to. She wanted to scream at
the terrorists but she knew that it would do no good, so she continued to
remain silent.
Jhamel smiled wryly and shook his head. "This is very sad for me. I should
have kidnapped you in the first place instead of that young and weak-hearted
little girl named Willow Rosenberg. You appear to be so much stronger. I
imagine it would take me days or even weeks to break your spirit." He
leaned closer to Jenny. "It took only a few short minutes to break poor
Willow."
That struck a nerve. Jenny glared at him. "You bastard."
Without warning, he slapped her with the back of his hand. "You will speak
respectfully or I will cut out your tongue!"
She glared at him again. "You really like tying up women and beating them,
don't you?!" she exclaimed. "Does that really turn you on? Is that--?!"
He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head back. "Your taunts will not
unsettle me, witch. There is nothing you can do or say that will cause me
to err from my path." He released her and stepped back.
She tried to calm her breathing as she continued to glare up at him. "You
are a coward!"
He turned to look at her. Surprisingly, he made no move toward her.
"I know you're going to kill me. Tell me what you did to Willow."
"Now why would you want to know that? I believe that if I did tell you what
I did to Willow, then that would unsettle you." He watched her.
Her eyes blurred. "Did you kill her?"
He paused for affect. "Yes. I did."
Jenny closed her eyes and she cried.
"It was very painful for her, too. She screamed and begged for mercy." He
shrugged. "But I am a terrorist and I showed her no mercy. Would you like
the full details, Miss Calender?"
Jenny glared up at her tormentor. "She-she was just a sweet girl, you
bastard! She was so young...she had her whole life to live!" She shook her
head in frustration. "May you burn in hell for this!"
Jhamel paused. "It is you who shall rot in hell. You are doing the work of
Satan and you do not even realize it. Fool! Even Christians in this
so-called great country of yours would despise you for the evil that you do!
Your entire home is a den of devilry!" He revealed to her what he was
holding in his hand. "You have such things as this item. I believe that
this is an orb of some kind?"
She stated at it. "Th-that's an Orb of Tesa!"
He nodded. "Yes, it is. To you, this orb has powers of magic that you can
tap into. For what, I do not know, nor do I care." He held it up to his
face and looked at it. "To me, it has a different kind of power. A power
so immense, so awesome, it could destroy this town into dust." He looked at
Jenny. "This is what I was after all along. You're precious little Willow
Rosenberg was nothing more to me than a decoy."
Jenny stared at him, horrified. "What?"
"You see, I knew that you had this. So I came into town, caused everyone to
look elsewhere and then I waited for the right moment to come for my true
prize. Now when I put this little orb into the device of mass destruction,
it will be the same as if I were using nuclear radiation. It will have the
same results once implemented." He smiled. "It will destroy Sunnydale,
California, and it will open the Hellmouth. And it is you, Miss Calender,
that I will have to thank for."
Jenny was so stunned, she was at a loss for words.
"You know..." Jhamel replied conversationally, "if I hadn't of come here to
kill you today, then your very own evil, gypsy ways would have eventually
come back on you and killed you anyway." He picked up the gun from the
table. "You should really thank me. I am doing you a favor. Ahh, but then
again...you are about to be killed because of your evil, gypsy ways."
She stared in horror, helpless to stop him.
Jhamel leveled his gun at her, and he fired.
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Chapter 13
Lenox dropped down into the cavern and turned his head about, letting the
light from his hard hat search through the darkness. He discovered a work
station, but there was no sign of Willow or Xander any where.
"C'mon down," he said as he looked above him.
He saw Stacy's legs coming out of the hole above and he helped her down.
Then, Buffy came down next, but she landed on her feet and she didn't
require any assistance. Stacy looked at the only tunnel branching out from
the work station and she thought she saw Jeremiah standing there. She
blinked and he was gone. She turned to her husband.
"Michael, we're going the right way," she said.
Lenox looked into the tunnel. "What did you see?"
"I saw him. I saw Jeremiah."
Buffy looked as well. She shook her head. "I...don't see anyone."
"He's there," Stacy said softly as she moved into the tunnel. "He's there
and he's leading us to Xander and Willow."
Lenox and Buffy began to follow.
Buffy tried to keep up with Stacy. "So...this Jeremiah is going to lead us
right to them?"
Stacy nodded. "Yes."
"Then Xander is really down here with Willow? How do you know all of this?"
"Jeremiah told me."
Buffy frowned. "But who is this Jeremiah? Why can't we see him?"
"Jeremiah is an angel, Buffy. He is an angel of the Lord."
She stared at her as she tried to comprehend this. "You mean...an angel
angel? Of the Lord? As in...God has sent an angel name Jeremiah to lead us
to Xander and Willow?" She paused. "That kind of angel?"
Stacy glanced at her. "Yes. That kind of angel."
Buffy paused in thought. "Like a guardian angel."
"Yes. You could say that."
Lenox followed behind them, listening to their conversation as well as
keeping a look out for any trouble.
Buffy regarded Stacy as they walked. "You know, I couldn't help but notice
that you don't carry any type of weapon around with you. Not a gun, or a
sword. And yet here you are, leading us weapon-toting warriors onward
without so much as a worry." She hesitated, "Well, you don't look worried
anyway. Are you?"
"No," Stacy replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm not worried. I know that
Jeremiah is leading us for a purpose. I can admit to you that I am scared
because I don't know what the outcome will be...but this is about a battle
against evil. It has to be fought."
"What evil?"
"I...I don't know. But I'm afraid we will find out."
"Yet you still carry no weapon. Why?"
She smiled. "I don't need a weapon, Buffy. My faith is all I need."
They continued on into the darkness with what light they had to lead the
way. A few times when they came along intersections, Stacy would clearly
see Jeremiah and head for him. Then he would disappear and they would walk
along the tunnel. They soon came to a four-way intersection and they were
almost overwhelmed by a strong odor.
Lenox brought his hand up to his mouth and nose. "Had to happen sooner or
later. The sewers."
"Wait!" Buffy grabbed Stacy's arm and halted their movement. She was
peering intently ahead of them. "There's something up ahead of us."
Lenox stood beside Buffy and peered ahead into the darkness. There was
something up there all right. It was moving under the dim lights above the
sewers. He caught sight of three dark figures moving toward them.
They were standing right in the intersection and Buffy began to notice that
there was movement coming from all of the tunnels. She heard the telltale
hissing and knew that they were surrounded by vampires.
"Stacy..." Lenox began as he looked from one tunnel to the next, his katana
sword gripped in his hands, "where did you see Jeremiah? Which one of these
tunnels did he take?"
Stacy pointed at the one before them. "He went down there."
"Then clear a path for us so we can move on." Lenox was preparing for a
charge any second now. "We'll watch your back."
Buffy frowned. "Look, I can clear us a path. Just stay behind me."
But Stacy moved ahead of them both and she faced the vampires that were
blocking their path. Buffy was about to intervene but Lenox grabbed her
arm. "Give her a chance. Then do your thing if she fails."
Buffy looked at his face.
His expression told her that whatever it was that Stacy was preparing to do,
he didn't believe it was going to fail.
Stacy was standing still as she watched the vampires approach. She kept her
hands to her sides as she gathered her courage and her faith. It was as if
day arrived for her in the tunnel. All darkness evaporated and a bright
circle of light engulfed her.
Buffy blinked in surprise and covered her eyes. Lenox was not surprised but
he covered his eyes as well.
The four vampires that had been advancing toward Stacy abruptly stopped and
they, too, shielded their eyes, crying out in pain.
Buffy tried to look at Stacy, amazed. The woman carried no cross, or no
crossbow. She had no weapons of any kind.
Stacy raised her hand toward the vampires and simply said, "BE GONE!"
Her voice literally echoed through the tunnels.
Suddenly, the four vampires were one second standing there with their arms
sheilding their eyes from the brightness, and the next second, some
invisible force literally picked each one of them up and hurled them down
the tunnel. What Buffy and Lenox couldn't see were the large angels picking
the vampires up and flying away with them down the tunnel. The angels
slammed the vampires into the walls, ripped their hearts out, and turned
them to dust.
Buffy stared in astonishment. "What the hell just happened?!"
Lenox prodded her onward. "Just move it! Run!"
The two caught up to Stacy and they ran. The light around Stacy was gone
and behind them, vampires came out of the other tunnels to watch them run.
They stayed at the intersection, however, and did not follow. They could
sense a power they did not want to deal with. They turned and went back the
way they had come from.
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Xander and Willow had followed Spike and Angel without an incident. They
made it to the factory and were led to the large open area where Spike's
table took up space in the center of the room. Spike was frowning as he
walked up to the table.
Angel didn't like the way his old enemy was frowning. "What is it, Spike?"
Xander and Willow looked at each other. Willow was frightened and Xander
kept his arm protectively around her. He still held onto the lantern with
his other hand and he was willing to start a fire if there was going to be
trouble.
"Dru is supposed to be right here," Spike said as he pointed at the head of
the table where the chair remained empty. In fact, no one was at the table.
"Right here! Where the bloody hell is she? She was supposed to wait for
me here, just as she always waits!"
Angel glanced at Xander and Willow. He shrugged. "So Dru's not here. So
what, Spike?"
Spike glared at him. "Do you think this is bloody funny, Angel? She's a
sick girl, Dru is. She's not herself, as you well know. I'm supposed to
take care of her but I CAN"T DO THAT IF SHE KEEPS BLOODY TAKING OFF LIKE
THIS!!" He looked around the large room, his nostrils were flaring in
anger. "Where could she have possibly gotten off to now?!"
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's not far. If you don't mind, I'm going to
take Xander and Willow to the door so I can get them out of here."
"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Xander replied as he and Willow
moved toward Angel. "Lead on, walking-dead-guy."
Spike waved his hand impatiently into the air. "By all means, go!" He
turned to look at Angel. "You come right back, Angel! We still have to
look for that bleeding maniac who calls himself the Speaker. It'll be dark
in a few hours. Then it will be hunting time and...what the bloody hell is
this?" He was looking past Angel.
Angel looked at him with concern. "What's wrong now?"
"I may have mispoken."
"Mispoken? About what?"
Spike paused. "I don't think you'll be taking Xander and Willow anywhere."
Xander glared at him. "I just knew it! I just knew you wouldn't let us
walk out of here without trying to pick your teethe with our bones!"
Spike looked insulted. "What the bloody hell do you take me for? A
cannibal? Besides, I do have my honor."
"From what? A Crackerjack box?"
"I said that I would keep you and Willow safe, and I still mean to!" He
pointed at something behind them. "I just don't believe that they mean to
keep you safe."
Angel, Xander, and Willow turned their heads and standing there in front of
the only way out were seven vampires. The vampires were looking at them and
grinning hungrily. They were especially looking at Xander and Willow.
"Spike..." Angel began carefully, "I don't recognize any of these guys." He
turned to look at Spike. "Who the hell are they?"
Spike was looking at the group of vampires before them. "Well...I'll be
damned."
"Too late for that, Spike," Xander replied. "You're already damned."
Spike tried hard to ignore them. To Angel, he said, "I don't bloody
recognize them either." He regarded the new vampires with anger. "Who the
hell invited you blokes here? You certainly didn't get an invitation from
me!"
Xander snorted. "Maybe your girlfriend invited them, Spike."
Spike glared at him. "YOU are starting to piss me off!"
"Wouldn't you like to know where she is?" Xander pressed him as he moved to
stand beside Angel and Spike. Willow kept herself behind them.
Spike shot him a look. But then he turned to face the new arrivals. "Who
the blazes are you people and what are you doing in my home?! Speak up!
Were you invited by Dru?"
One of them stepped forward. "We were invited, but not by you."
"That much is obvious! Who invited you?"
He pointed. "She did."
Spike turned around and he froze. "Oh, shit."
Angel and Xander turned around as well. They stared in horror and Willow
did not like the way they were looking at her. That's when she realized
that they weren't looking at her. They were looking at someone who was
standing right behind her.
Slowly, Willow turned her head.
Dru smiled at her and she looked at Willow with such fondness. Her eyes
never left Willow as she spoke to Spike. "Aw, luv..." she said dreamily,
and she smiled seductively, "you've brought me a snack!"
Before anyone could stop her, she opened her mouth and she went for Willow's
exposed throat.
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Chapter 14
"Mulder, we've been through this so many times, I can't understand why you
keep bringing this up," Scully said in exasperation. "Sometimes we see what
we want to see. Sometimes we let our imaginations govern what we want to
experience. But none of it leads to conclusive evidence that would ever
support your theories on government cover-ups, or alien colonization, or
whether vampires are really obsessive compulsives. Things that go bump in
the night are usually just people who want to see something that isn't
there." She let out a sigh as she tried to think of something to tell her
partner of how she truly felt about the X-Files. "Mulder, I want to
believe. I truly do. But I can't believe unless I see with my own eyes
evidence that supports what you see."
Barrington glanced back at them as he led them along the tunnel.
"Scully, your problem is that you are blinded by your so-called scientific
approach to everything," Mulder responded to her comment. "There has to be
a scientific rationale to why the earth revolves around the sun, why the
stars shine bright at night, and why the 49ers cannot make as many
touchdowns as you would like. There has to be a logical reason for the
whole picture. At least that's your take on the whole ball of wax." He
pointed at her. "Well, your science has more loopholes than you can
possibly imagine. Why do you think that there is now a major conflict
within your great science community that they may have been wrong all these
years about how old the earth really is? Because their scientific facts had
giant holes in it!" He shook his head. "If you want the facts, Scully, you
need only open your eyes. Look at what you see in front of you. Don't
challenge it! Last night, I saw four vampires. What did you see? Three
sick individuals who needed medical attention and a guy in a long black coat
who calls himself 'Angel'."
"They were not vampires, Mulder," Scully insisted, letting out a weary sigh.
"Then what were they, Scully? Did you think they were the Village People
looking for the YMCA?"
"They needed medical attention and that Angel chased them off."
Barrington turned to look at them. "Hey," he said, lowering his voice, "are
you two always like this?"
Mulder and Scully looked at each other. Then, simultaneously, they said...
Mulder-"She never listens to reason."
Scully-"He never listens to reason."
They looked at each other again.
Barrington glanced back down the tunnel. Then he turned to them again.
"There's movement up ahead. It looks like there's a fire ahead of us, too.
And to the right, I saw an opening that looks like a small tunnel sloping
upwards. That looks like our best path to take."
"Lead on," Mulder said.
They went through the opening and followed a narrow passage. The passage
angled upward and they moved in single file. They came to an opening and it
was a large hole in the wall that overlooked a very large cavern. Below
them, they saw an altar on a raised platform. Torches were lit all over the
walls.
Mulder, Scully, and Barrington stayed low as they looked out at the
proceedings below.
Scully was staring with her mouth open in astonishment.
"Scully..." Mulder said softly, "do you see it? Please tell me that you see
a political rally or a '60's Convention going on down there because I'd
rather believe that than what my eyes are telling me."
Scully hesitated, "Mulder...that's not a rally or a convention of any kind."
In a hoarse whisper, she said, "That's evil."
About a hundred vampires stood in rows before the raised altar. Three large
vampires stood around the altar where a man was lying upon. That man was
Rueben Julius, the Knife...but he no longer looked human.
"Let's get the hell out of here," Barrington whispered.
Mulder took Scully's arm and led her down the passage. "You don't have to
tell me twice."
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