Part 19
“Xander.” Riley gasps his eyes darting from Angel to Spike and back. As far
as he knew Spike was still chipped and Angel had kicked his ass before so it
was Angel he kept a wary eye on.
“Who’s you friend, Ri?” Xander nodded to Gunn and Angel, they released the
commandos but kept their weapons. Gunn and Spike took up position with the
tasers watching the direction from which the men had come.
“Graham Miller, Xander Harris.” The quick response to Xander’s unspoken
orders seemed to have Riley reevaluating the command structure.
“Welcome to the Hellmouth Mr. Miller. I think I remember you. Didn’t you try
to kill Riley once?” Xander pitched his voice light and conversational, but
warily watched the tall powerfully built commando. ‘This one is dangerous.’
“Xander, what the hell is going on here?” Riley interrupted the two
warriors’ silent assessment of each other.
“You tell me.” Xander said his attention still on Miller. “What’s the cargo?
Why are you storming the Hellmouth?”
“You know we won’t talk.” Miller said quietly
“I know you guys haven’t always shown a strong survival instinct. Frankly
I’m tired of cleaning up your messes. I’m prepared to do whatever it takes
to see that this doesn’t turn into another Adam. Are you sure you’re on the
right side Mr. Miller?” Xander could practically see the thoughts whirling
behind Miller’s eyes. He knew no matter what he said Riley would think he
was bluffing. He really hoped he could get through to Miller, he didn’t have
time to bluff. The floor shook with an explosion and a pained scream was
heard in the distance. Xander almost flinched; these were his people he did
not have time for this macho bullshit.
“Riley, how’s that little addiction of your?” Xander still watched Miller
and saw, even though his stoicism the slightest look of surprise. “I bet the
past twelve hours have been a living hell for you. Finding out that because
you weren’t man enough to face you short comings that your cowardice left
the woman you loved alone at the worst period of her, oh so short, life.
There probably isn’t anything you want more right now than oblivion. I’ve
been there. You can’t stand the sight of yourself. If you had only been a
little stronger, a little faster, a little braver you could have saved her.
Instead she died alone and exhausted, beaten by life and betrayed by someone
she loved.” Xander’s voice remained calm and clear, even though he felt like
throwing up at his own words. “There isn’t a bottle deep enough or a drug
strong enough to shut out your memory of how things could have been. But
you know what’ll make it better. What you turned to every time you couldn’t
face-”
“Shut up Xander.” Riley voice was ragged and broken as he cut into Xander’s
taunt. “Just shut up.” There were tears streaming down his face. Angel
looked at Xander with bewildered distaste.
“Ri?” Miller was torn by Riley’s outburst. Xander could see as Riley slid
down the wall into a sobbing heap that the other commando wasn’t sure how to
react.
“It’s okay, Riley. I can get you what you need.” Xander’s words felt oily
and he hated himself as he said. “It’ll be all better, just tell me what you
know.”
“It... the power here is too unstable...” He started.
“Finn!” Miller finally showed emotion only to be slammed into the wall by
Angel.
Riley watched and seemed to be in shock, not quite registering the action.
He continued. “We just want to tap it. That way we can release it when it
builds up, like a safety valve.” He did seem to notice the sounds of gunfire
and explosion as he looked up at Xander, who squatted down in front of where
he had collapsed sitting on his own heels. “What is this? Xander, no one was
to suppose to get hurt. We were just to escort the guy in, have him tap the
source and get out. What is this?”
“What guy?” Xander ask softly.
Riley seemed to see though whatever haze had been making him docile and
launched himself at Xander. The two of them had hardly hit the floor before
Spike lifted Finn by his throat and shook him before slamming him into the
wall.
“Let him go Spike.” Xander said getting to his feet, and Spike dropped him
instantly.
“He can’t tell us anything if he’s unconscious.” Xander offered his lover a
rueful smile and said. “Thanks, make sure were not interrupted.” Spike went
back to his position with Gunn, and Angel apparently just realized that the
chip was gone. So did Riley judging by the pale clammy color he turned and
the beads of sweat that began to drip from his forehead. “The cargo, who is
it?” Xander prompted.
“Xander.” Riley gasps his eyes frantically darting between Angel and Spike.
“Come on Ri, don’t make me break you kneecaps, it’ll ruin you career.”
Xander spoke in a joking voice but his eyes were cold as he stood toe to toe
with Buffy’s ex. Xander was alarmed by the fact that he knew he could slam a
heel right in to Riley’s knee and move on to the next order of business.
Now Riley’s full attention was on Xander, and he didn’t appear to think he
was bluffing. He licked his lips and rasped out, “Ethan Rayne.”
“Fuck.” Xander whispered softly, but not soft enough to get past vampire
hearing.
“Pet?” Spike didn’t take his eyes off the corridor but his voice held
concern.
“Angel!” Xander barked. “Take these two inside. Tell Giles what’s going down.
If they try to escape break something none fatal. If they try to contact
anyone from this society of asinine death wish junkies snap their necks so
loud we can hear it out here.” When Angel had gone into the library Xander
turned to Gunn. “Watch the door, I’ll send someone to back you up as soon as
I can.”
“Where are you going?” Gunn said.
“The objective has changed. If I know Rayne we’re going to have to protect
the Initiative from him.” Xander took off down the hall, not even checking
to see if Spike followed. He knew he would.
~~~~~
Within the hour, Spike and Xander squeezed past the temporary barricade they
had put in front of the library and reunited with the others. Finn and
Miller were still unarmed but hadn’t been restrained. Xander crossed over
to where Giles and Wesley were set up behind a table, which seemed to have
been thrown together out of scrap materials. Angel was keeping an eye on the
prisoners and Spike joined Gunn who was now watching the door from the
inside. Willow and Tara sat cross-legged on the floor on either side of a
large blue ceramic bowl and chanted softly. Willow held the Thing in her
hand and the bowl began to emit a shimmering light that lit up both witches
in a weird blue glow.
“We pulled back everyone to the base. No fatalities among ‘the Children’ but
there are six dead commandos and ten more aren‘t mobile” At Giles sharp look
Xander sputtered. “Spike didn’t do it!” He continued more reasonably “We do
have one really bad injury, Jeff took a hell of an electrical jolt from one
of the tasers, he’s twitchy and he smells like burn meat but Kayla said he
should be okay. There are four commandos, two white coats and Rayne himself
unaccounted for. They’re some where in the building; we have all the exits
secured. There was a dead white coat not far from here, just down the hall.
He didn’t have a mark on him, Spike says he smelled funny.”
“Smelled funny?” Wesley raised an eyebrow, asking Xander to elaborate. ‘How
does someone manage to give a look with a British accent?’
Xander just shrugged and waggled his hand it the universally understood
Xander-speak that said ‘Hey, you’re the one who does magic, I just kill dead
things.’
Xander was torn. He didn’t want to distract Spike and Gunn, because that was
the most likely direction of attack. He didn’t want to distract the witches,
because they were busy doing something witchy and besides ‘Magic + Xander =
Bad.’ Giles and Wesley had returned to discussing something that was way
over his head, and that only left Angel.
“So, how’s it going?” Xander asked leaning against the wall near Angel.
‘Well that’s a feeble attempt at a conversation starter, way to go
Xand-man.’
“He doesn’t look so good.” Angel nodded in Riley’s direction. He was right.
The young man had gotten even paler since hearing Xander run down the list
of fatalities and wounded. “Is this ‘addiction’ something we should worry
he’ll go into withdrawal over?” Riley’s head snapped up from his
contemplation of the floor and he glared at Angel.
“No. It endangers him, and the lives of everyone who trust him, but right
now he is safer than in rehab. I can practically guarantee he can’t feed his
habit and right now he probably doesn’t want to.” Xander sighed and tilted
his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. It was about ten thirty
pm, Rayne, being the predictable bastard he was, would probably time his
assault so that he could capture the Hellmouth by midnight.
Xander expected a response from Angel. Angel had never been known to share
the title of cryptic guy willingly. But it was Riley’s voice that cut into
his moment of rest. “How can you say that? I never endangered Buffy. I loved
Buffy.”
Xander had had about enough of Riley blaming everyone else. If Finn had
stayed at least long enough to talk things out with Buffy she might not have
died blaming herself for their meltdown. “You really believe that don’t you?
How many times did she pull a punch when you surprised her on patrol? How
many times in the thick of battle did she stop herself from staking you?
What would it have been like for her to find you cold drained body when
sweeping the park? I know what coming home to find Joyce did to her. What
you would your death done? Would she have blamed herself? She certainly
wouldn’t have blamed you. I would never have occurred to her that you hadn’t
been killed because you were the slayer’s boyfriend. It would never have
occurred to her that you were getting your rocks off having mindless fledge
feed from you.” Xander now had not only Riley’s attention, but Angel’s and
Miller’s as well.
“If Spike hadn’t” Riley tried to jump in, but Xander ruthlessly continued.
“If Spike hadn’t what? Told Buffy she may come home to find Joyce and Dawn
drained and you waiting for her? That some night when she stopped herself
from staking you on patrol you may have just turned the tables on her, may
have distracted her long enough so whoever sired you could get a slayer
under their belt. Listen asshole you owe him, if not for saving your life by
telling Buffy at least for not taking it.” Xander clenched his fist to keep
from grabbing Riley and banging his head against the wall.
“He would have killed me if he could. Chipped he settled for destroying my
relationship with Buffy, that was the worse he could do.” Riley spat out.
“Shit man I could do worse than that chipped and I don’t have his creativity
or experience to draw on. He’s William the Bloody, slayer of slayers, he let
you live farm boy, not because he had to, because... because it would have
hurt Buffy. God Riley, use your head. One word in the ear of one of those
blood whores and you would have been meat.” Xander sighed in exasperation
and shook his head.
“He didn’t do it to protect Buffy.” Riley said. “He did it to hurt her.”
“Killing you would have done that; she loved you.” Xander said.
That stopped the retort on Riley’s lips. Xander watched as Riley looked back
down. “Riley you’re endangering everybody on that squad, one of these days
you’re going to get killed or turned playing this game.” Xander gave up. He
crossed back over to Giles and Wesley who had stopped with the book thing to
listen to the confrontation.
Angel and Miller had just stood back. They were both hard to read in an
over-controlled facial expression kind of way. Miller reached out and put a
hand on Riley’s shoulder. Xander heard Angel say softly, “Riley, I’ve seen
this before; it never ends well.” He handed Riley a business card, and said
“I know some people, I might be able to get you some help. If we survive
this that is.” ‘And hey, humor? From Angel? The world really is going to
end.’
Xander contented himself with pacing the defenses and checking the weapons,
several times. He knew that it was just to fill the time, the final conflict
would be a battle of magic. Two distinctive roars cut through the silence.
‘Or not.’
“That’s Feral” Spike said.
“Well,” Giles added, adjusting his glasses, “Ethan is nothing if not
predictable. Do try not to kill them, it‘s highly likely those are the
missing member‘s of the Initiative.”
Angel looked at Xander. Xander looked at Angel. He shrugged. “Arm them,
their idiots but they don’t deserve to die without at least fighting back.”
Angel gave Miller and Finn each one of the captured tasers. Spike put down
the rifle and reached for a steel crow bar, he twirled it like a baton and
grinned at Xander. Xander met his twinkling blue eyes and hoisted the
rocket launcher, sighting on the door and smiled.
Nothing happen for several tense moments and then a darkness seemed to seep
under the door. When it touched Gunn he dropped to the floor. Angel started
to rush forward to his friend. “Hold position.” Xander bellowed. “Ah, guys.”
He didn’t take his attention away from the door but sensed Tara and Willow
moving forward. Gunn’s body lifted and skittered across the floor until he
was safely back against the far wall. The witches kept walking forward hands
linked Willow still held the Thing. They brought the blue light with them
and it shot out sparks into the creeping darkness. As the darkness recoiled
the doors burst open.
“Well Ripper....” Whatever witty Britishism Rayne had been about to hurl at
Giles died on his lips when he saw the rocket launched. ‘Ha, ha, ha, he
whoever has the biggest gun, wins. And is this really the right time for an
inappropriate phallic moment?’ Just as Xander noticed Rayne gesture, he felt
the rocket launcher and himself thrown against the wall. Two of the Fyrals
attacked one shot mucus at Riley and then punched him to the floor with a
sickening crunch once he was trapped. Miller stood over Xander firing at the
second demon. Xander shook off his ringing headache in time to see Ethan
thrown against the wall by the witches. Light burst out of the Thing and the
demons dropped to the floor in their human forms. Spike pulled the crowbar
out of the now human corpse he had prevented from reaching the witches.
Giles got to be the adult by default. The Children of the Hellmouth, faded
into the gray light of the Sunnydale dawn. Giles summoned the watcher’s to
take Ethan, if he ever came out of the coma. Miller said he would smooth
things over with the Initiative. He didn’t think it would be to hard
considering how badly they had fucked up. Xander had still wanted to level
the high school, but was vetoed by Willow and Giles. They felt it was an
unnecessary risk but had agreed to leave the explosives hidden in place,
just in case.
Angel wanted to talk to him Xander had a feeling that it had something to do
with the chip and begged off, pleading exhaustion. He told him to call him
after the weekend. He though Angel just might, and oddly enough he wasn’t
dreading hearing from him. They shook hands as Angel helped Gunn limp back
to the base and after kissing Cordelia goodbye, Xander collected Spike and
went home.
Part 20
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