Part Six
“Hey,” Willow squeaked, “not so rough!”
“Let go!” Xander agreed.
“And would you mind taking these bloody masks off!” Giles growled, as he struggled against his captors.
Giles, Willow, Xander and Anya where herded into the main room of the Initiative’s compound. All were blindfolded, and moved so quickly, that when the restraints were removed, it took a few minutes to orient themselves to their new surroundings. But when their senses were returned to them, all they could do was stare in wonder.
“This place is huge!” Xander gasped.
“And really high tech,” Willow nodded.
“No wonder Buffy prefers it over you guys,” Anya said bluntly. Seeing the sharp looks from her companions she promptly shut up.
“You have no right kidnapping us like this!” Giles demanded.
“And you have no right breaking into government programs,” Professor Walsh countered, as she approached the rag tag group. Seeing Giles, she jabbed, “But, Mr. Giles, seeing that you’re involved...I’m not surprised.”
“I beg your pardon?!”
“But you,” she turned to Willow, “Miss Rosenburg, I thought you were a decent young woman, and an excellent student, and I find out you’re tangled up in this? I would assume that *you* are our hacker?”
“Yes,” she replied meekly.
“Upon reading Mr. Giles’ files, and police record, I would expect this criminal behavior from him,” Maggie continued to chide the young woman, “You, on the other hand...I am so disappointed in you, Willow.”
Willow hung her head, and kept silent.
Giles placed his hands on his hips and said angrily, “And once again, I say ‘I beg your pardon?!’ Police record?! How on earth...”
“After we met, I wondered about you,” she explained, “Why on earth would a middle age man be hanging around with teenagers...”
“Middle age?!”
“Then, I remembered a bit of information from my recent studies of Slayers,” she continued, “Every Slayer has her Watcher. And, I figured it was you. But, with Buffy being as undisciplined as she is, I began to question the influence that a Watcher would have over his Slayer. That was before I read your files. Now, it makes perfect sense.”
“If this makes sense,” Xander shook his head, “would you mind explaining it to us, because, I don’t know about anyone else, but this conversation has left the solar system.”
“My past...indiscretions...has nothing to do with my present duties as Buffy’s Watcher...and, it’s quite frankly none of your business. Buffy has more discipline than you give her credit for. She just doesn’t follow blindly. She has always been allowed to think freely, and follow her instincts...”
“Which will one day get her killed,” Professor Walsh countered, “But why should this concern a Watcher who in the past was arrested for the murder of a friend...”
“Now wait one moment...”
“The charges were dropped, of course, “she continued, as though she were giving a lecture, “after the Magistrate was visited by a Mr. Quentin Travers. Shortly after...you began your training as Watcher. Am I correct?”
Giles stared at her, mouth ajar, “How did you find out all this?” he asked, “I-I mean, I-I know how you could have found out my...past record...but the Council? That information is privileged...”
“And so was 314,” she snipped, “but that didn’t stop you from attaining that information, did it?” She turned to Xander and Anya and eyed them, “I still haven’t quite figured you two out.”
“They’re friends of mine,” Buffy said, as her and Riley joined the group.
“Friends,” Maggie pointed out, “who just so happened to have broken several major laws.”
“Are we under arrest?” Giles asked.
“What’s going on?” Buffy asked, trying to follow the conversation her and Riley walked into, “Why are they here?”
“THEY,” Professor Walsh emphasized, “were found hacking into top secret government files...”
“You broke in?” Buffy ignored her, turning to Willow.
“Yeah,” Willow nodded, “It wasn’t easy, but...”
“You knew about this?!” Professor Walsh huffed, trying to contain her anger, “You knew about 314?!”
“I asked them to check into it,” Buffy narrowed her eyes, “considering that only a handful of people are given actual clearance.”
“And you would know this, I suspect, from...”
“Me,” Riley said, nervously, “But the leak occurred before Buffy came to me. Someone from the inside is going around telling the Sub-Ts about 314. But not giving them any real information.”
“So,” Buffy asked Willow, “What did you guys find out?”
“Buffy!” Professor Walsh hissed, “This project is not any of your concern.”
Buffy squared her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips, exactly as Giles had done earlier, “I’m the Slayer, and if there’s a new threat in town...then it IS my concern.”
Giles smiled at her remark. “I believe the good Professor is worried about you seeing her as the mad scientist she truly is. Either that, or she’s concerned that you might find out just how out of control this project has the potential of being.”
“What do you mean?” Buffy asked, concerned.
“They are playing god, Buffy,” Willow explained, finding her voice, “They’re using all this money to fund a genetic experiment to create the perfect killing machine.”
“Tax payer’s dollars,” Xander jabbed, “Which, by the way, I’m going to write a nasty letter to my Congressman about...”
“We perform genetic experiments every day,” Maggie sighed, “cloning techniques with sheep, better broccoli...”
“Yeah,” Xander couldn’t resist, “But broccoli doesn’t go around killing people.”
“You’re obviously are a fan of broccoli,” Anya wrinkled her nose.
“Genetic engineering with vegetable are one thing,” Giles shook his head, “but you’re toying with Demon DNA...the results of which could be catastrophic.”
“Mr. Giles,” Professor Walsh patronized, “You are no scientist. I can assure you we are in complete control.”
“Which is usually when everything goes to hell,” Giles sighed.
Professor Walsh was about to speak when the building was rocked by a loud explosion, causing all those in the room to instinctively duck for cover, and plunging them into darkness. The compound was silent...
For about three seconds.
“What the Hell happened?!” Professor Walsh asked, as the room erupted in chaos.
“We’re not sure,” one of the Commandos replied, racing in, “we’re trying to find out. But we know that the explosion occurred outside the compound, knocking out the power grid.”
“And why aren’t the back up generators on line?” She snapped at a passing technician.
“Glitch in the system,” he relied, “We’re working on it right now. But with the power out...”
“Take a squad over to the quarantine area,” she ordered Riley, “We need a total containment.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“I’m going with you,” Buffy offered, “There’s gonna be a lot of pissed off demons, who are now free. You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”
Riley smiled at her, in the dim light of the emergency lights, “Thanks.”
As they ran off, Giles turned to Xander, Willow and Anya and said, “I want the three of you to find a nice place to hide, until this is all over.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Anya said, pulling at Xander’s hand.
“But what about you?” Willow asked.
Giles looked over at Professor Walsh who was gathering three technicians and two Commandos with her, “I have a feeling I’m going to be needed elsewhere.”
They parted and the Watcher went over to follow the group to the, now unlocked, room of 314.
“What do you think you’re doing here?!” Maggie hissed, upon seeing Giles.
Giles squinted in the dark, “I take it you are going in there?” he said, pointing at the room.
“Not that it’s any of your business...”
“And what, pray tell, are you planning on doing to stop this creature? You are walking into a very dark room, with a dangerous demon inside. I must say, you really don’t realize what you’re up against, do you?”
“Now is not the time...”
“Now is the perfect time,” Giles demanded, grabbing a hold of her arm. The two Commandos immediately took hold of his hand and twisted it, painfully back. “And would you please tell your toy soldiers to let go of me!”
Professor Walsh considered him for a moment, before ordering them to release the Watcher, “Look, we have to get inside there and assess the status of...”
“Assess the Status?!” Giles growled, “Here’s your precious status...you have had a major power failure, releasing all you captured ‘pets’. What makes you think that this one won’t be just a free?”
“Because,” she said, confidently, “314 is in restraints. He’s not going anywhere.”
As the door opened into yet more darkness, Giles shook his head, “And if he’s not in his restraints?”
****** Buffy had learned to fight in the dark. Being a Slayer, it went with the territory. But somehow, trying to capture dozens of fleeing demons in the tomb-like darkness of the Initiative’s Quarantine Area, seemed all the more surreal. She reached out and managed to grab a hold of some hair...or at least what she thought was hair...and swung her fist around to make contact with demon face. She stopped when she noticed that her ‘foe’ looked quite familiar.
“You must be Teala’s...ah....Mother?” she gasped, seeing the female demon before her.
The demon’s eye had a fearful look until she heard her daughter’s name, “Teala? Que’ serane? You...kn....know...Teala?”
“Can you understand me?” Buffy asked, pulling her out of the path of the battle.
“No’ sea’un,” she shook her head, “Only...know...little. Watch....um....Drew...Carey...”
“Yeah, good show,” Buffy sighed, “Okay, let’s try this,” she began to talk slow, “Teala...is....okay. She’s...with....a...Tempora Demon.”
The demon’s smiled, “Sharna,” she sighed, “Must....um...kortein...no....go to...her. Please.”
Buffy looked around, and weighed her options. She promised Riley to help her contain the escapees...all the escapees...but, as she looked into the eyes of a worried mother, she couldn’t bring herself to send her back to those dreaded cages. So, for the first time since her involvement with the Initiative, she went against them. With the female demon’s help, she located the rest of her family, and guided them to one of the secret stairwells that led to the surface. The Slayer only hoped she hadn’t made a big mistake in doing so.
****** “Set the tazers on maximum,” Professor Walsh whispered.
“Tazers?” Giles asked quietly, trying to see into the overwhelming darkness of the main room, “Do you really think it will do much against it?”
“Mr. Giles,” I am humoring you by allowing you to come with us. Don’t push your luck. The tazers are only for precaution. I’m sure 314 is...”
“Free.” the one technician shuddered, staring at the broken shackles.
“And, yet again, everything goes to hell,” Giles said sarcastically.
“Where is he?” Maggie whispered, looking around in vain.
“Professor,” one of the Commandos touched her arm, “infra-red isn’t working. There’s something wrong with the goggles. I can’t see a thing.”
“Perhaps 314 got out?” a technician suggested.
“I seriously doubt it.” Giles sucked air in.
“Why would you say that?” Maggie asked.
“Because,” Giles backed up slightly, as a low growl filled the dark room, “I believe he’s stalking us.”
|
|