Part Five
DUCK
Buffy rolled out of the way and swung her leg around to meet Riley in the stomach.
PUNCH
Riley blocked another punch, trying to keep his head above water with the Slayer.
JAB
Buffy was holding back again. She hated herself for it, but after the last time they spared, she didn’t want to risk hurting him again. But even with her holding back...
THUD
“Oh, god,” Buffy ran over to her boyfriend, helping him up from the collapsed mats...again, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Riley wheezed, clutching his chest, “I think I’m getting used to this.”
Buffy smiled shyly. “You want to stop?”
“Nah,” he said, sitting up, “Just give me a chance to pull my ribs out of my lungs.”
“Aw...” Buffy chuckled, moving around to his back and rubbing his shoulders, “I really am sorry. I was trying to hold back...”
“Again?!” Riley gasped, “You know, I don’t really think I want to know what you would be like if you didn’t hold back. You’d be pretty deadly.”
Buffy saw her chance and said, “Well, just be glad you’re not a vampire,” she laughed softly, “But, you guys seem to be doing pretty good yourself. I mean, with 314 and all...”
“314?” Riley asked innocently.
“Come on,” Buffy said, still rubbing his shoulders, “The secret behind the locked door...”
Riley turned around and faced her, “So, if it’s so secret, how do you know about it?”
“Then it’s true?” Buffy asked.
Riley sighed. ‘She did it again,’ he thought, ‘She bats her eyes and I tell her everything!’
“Did you ever think of being in the CIA?” Riley shook his head.
“What’s the deal with 314?”
“What have you heard?”
Buffy rolled her eyes, “Are we going to play this game all night? Riley! I know that 314 has the demon population up in arms, and running scared. I just want to know what it is. What’s scaring the un-scarable?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted.
“Truth?”
“Yes,” he nodded, getting up on his feet, “314 is a code name for a top secret project. I don’t have anymore information about it. Only a handful of scientists and Professor Walsh knows about it. I don’t have that kind of clearance. Look Buffy, don’t worry. They know what they’re doing.”
****** “How much longer before phase three of the project is ready?” Maggie asked one of the men in the white lab coats.
“Less than a day, Professor,” the man answered her, keying in a few numbers on the computer.
“Excellent,” she smiled, picking up the clipboard labeled ‘314’, “They want to know when we can begin testing. Shall I tell them tomorrow?”
“Well....”
“Well, what?” she looked impatient, “Either we’re ready for phase three, or we’re not. What’s the hesitation?”
“I have a bad feeling about this,” he looked worried, “the subject is showing signs of severe aggression, not only to hostiles. He tried to attack one of our assistants yesterday. I don’t think we can control him. And if he gets loose...”
“That shouldn’t be an issue,” she shook her head, “Once the behavioral chip is installed, 314 will be completely under our control. Now, I ask you again...will it be ready for phase three, tomorrow?”
The technician lowered his head and stared at the computer screen, “Yes.”
“Good. I’ll be sure to inform the Committee. Excellent job.”
As Professor Walsh left with an air of smug superiority, the technician couldn’t take his eyes off the data that scrolled on his monitor, “God forgive us.”
****** “This place is sealed tighter than the FBI,” Willow huffed, her fingers flying across the keyboard of her tiny laptop.
“And you would know this, how?” Xander eyed his friend.
Willow just gave him a shy, smile.
“I don’t want to know,” he declared.
Giles paced the room, “Will you be able to break in?”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” Willow nodded, continuing her work, “It just might take some time.”
“Which, of course, we don’t have,” Anya complained, “You’re a witch, right? Why don’t you cast a nice little spell to make the computer....oh, I don’t know...WORK FASTER!!!”
Everyone paused and turned at the frantic demon.
“What?” Anya looked confused, at the six eyes staring at her.
“Anya,” Xander wrapped his arms around her, in the attempts to comfort her, “We’re trying, we really are. And besides, I won’t let anything hurt you...okay?”
“Oh, yeah, right,” Anya huffed, “Like you, a mere mortal, could possible stop this.”
“Hey,” he said defensively, “we’ve stopped worse things before.”
“No,” she corrected, “Buffy, stopped worse things before. You just got knocked around a lot.”
Xander opened his mouth...thought....then closed it.
“Ah ha!!” Willow shouted, “I’m in!” she gave the screen a look of triumph, “Try and encrypt me, why don’t you!”
“Well?” Giles asked, inching closer to the screen, “What have you found?”
“Um,” Willow nudged him back a bit, “The main page? Give me a break, Giles, I’m good...not that good.” she typed at a furious pace, “I have to figure this out quickly.”
“Why?” Xander asked.
“The longer I stay connected to their computer, the easier it will be for them to track me,” the young witch explained, “Now all I have to do is bypass the...here! Okay, I’m in the 314 files.”
At this point, everyone huddled around the laptop, trying to get a peek of what they were up against.
“What’s this?” Anya asked, looking at the string of data.
Willow cocked her head and stared at the information for a few minutes, “I think...wait a minute...this looks like...”
“DNA,” Giles finished.
“How do you know?” Xander looked at the older man in awe.
Giles sighed and shook his head, “Do you honestly thing that the only things I read is about the occult and history?”
“Yes.” they all answered.
“Yes, well,” he grumbled, “I do know a little bit about the subject matter, thank you very much! Willow, is there a way to find out exactly where this DNA came from, and what it’s being used for?”
“I think so,” she concentrated. Endless streams of information cluttered the tiny screen, until it all became frightening clear.
“My god,” Giles gasped, looking at the text file, with the attached picture of...
“Is that....” Xander asked, turning his head to one side.
“A demon?” Giles stared, “I’m not sure.” Giles began to read the description next to the picture, “What are they doing? Are they insane?!”
“You mind sharing,” Xander said, impatiently, “or are we going to have to guess what the next flavor of the apocalypse is?”
“According to this,” Giles explained, “They are using DNA splicing techniques to create, a....well, a...”
“Super Soldier,” Anya whispered, “Look at this thing! This...creature was designed for one purpose only...”
“Killing,” Willow shook her head.
****** A warning flashed on the monitor in the Initiative’s main compound. Roger Duggan, a computer technician sat up straight in his chair and began to type furiously on the keypad. He watched the words, fill the screen...
COMPUTER BREACH DETECTED! INITIALIZING AUTOMATIC TRACE AND SHUTDOWN.
Roger jumped up from his seat and raced toward Professor Walsh, who was talking with one of her white coats, “Professor! Professor! We’ve got a hacker!”
Maggie walked quickly over to the terminal and looked down at the screen. My god, someone was hacking into 314! “Do we have a trace?”
“I....”
“DO WE HAVE A TRACE!!!!”
TRACE COMPLETE.
Maggie Walsh stared at the address on the screen. Now, why did this seem so familiar? “Send a team out to round them up. Do it quickly, and do it quietly,” she gave the computer technician a withering glare, “I want to meet the person who was able to break passed our ‘infallible’ security system.”
****** “So,” Xander said, “it’s a killing machine. Lots of demons are. Kinda goes with the territory. What’s so special with this one, that has even vampire’s panties in a bunch?”
“ ‘314’,” Giles read, “ ‘is a demon/human hybrid, designed to hunt demons with deadly efficiency. This prototype, has DNA of over fifty different demons in it’s make up, making it a breakthrough in genetic engineering.’ Breakthrough my arse. They’re playing bloody god!”
“ ‘The prototype has the unique ability to track down any kind of demon, by the pheromones they emit,’” Willow read. She stopped when she noticed a paled look on Anya’s face, “What is it?”
“This thing, sniffs out demons, like a bloodhound, or something?” she shivered. “So, no matter where we go...it’ll find us?”
“Well, yes...but...” Giles began. He too stopped and blanched, “Oh my.”
“Oh, great,” Xander sighed, “When Giles wigs...you know it’s bad.”
“Is it bad?” Willow asked.
“Quite,” Giles nodded, “Let us say, for sake of argument, that this 314, only tracks using sense of smell....”
“Yeah?” Xander tried to follow the Watcher’s logic.
Remembering what Sharna told him earlier, he said, “It will not only go after demons....but any human that has been in contact with them.”
“What do you mean?” Xander squeaked, “Just coming in contact with demons will make people targets?”
“It’s our pheromones,” Anya explained, “We leave them behind...as a sort of marker.”
“This is just great!” Xander began to panic, “Every single vampire, and demon that we fought, left a stinky present behind?”
“Fought, yes,” Giles nodded.
“And sex,” Anya finished.
“You mean....” Xander practically hyperventilated, “Us....we....you....oh man! What do we do?”
“Find a way to destroy it,” Giles started to say, when he heard Willow go ‘eeep’, “What is it Willow?”
“They found us!”
At that very moment, a squad of Commandos broke down Giles door and brusquely whisked the four of them away.
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