|
Okay, don't flame me when you get to the end of this one. I have four chapters left, and I know what I'm doing. Trust me, it's gonna be a bumpy ride, but I'll see you safely to the end. Okay? Okay. Oh, and I dedicate this one to the one who first inspired me to write Buffy/Willow in the first place, our much-beleagured but highly praiseworthy Pat Kelly. And Pat, I thought of you when I chose a Dave Matthews Band song to start this chapter. Disclaimer; Joss owns them, and after "The Gift", we must trust that he knows what he's doing. Oh, and the sharp-eyed among you may recognize two characters owned by DC Comics, and created by Neil Gaiman. Author's note; This is my alternate take on how things go after the season five cliffhanger from Hell. Spoilers for "The Gift". Duh. Archives; Want, take, have. Feedback; Yes please. Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx Rating; PG-13(for angst) Summary; The Slayer's final sacrifice was just the end of Act 1. Return By Kirayoshi ======== Chapter six The Modern Prometheus "I'm mixing up a bunch of magic stuff, A magic mushroom cloud of care, A potion that'll rock the boat, will rock And make a bomb of love and blow it up! I did it! Do you think I've gone too far? I did it! Guilty as charged. I did it! It was me right or wrong. I did it! Yeah— I never did a single thing that did a single thing To change the ugly ways of the world. I didn't know it felt so right inside I didn't know it all. I opened up the curtains I heard sirens there, the lights flash and crawl But I did it justice I just did it for the buzz, oh." --Dave Matthews "I Did It" "Is everything ready?" Riley asked Dr. Brahams as the hypodermic needle punctured the young girl's skin. "I don't see why not, Mr. Finn," Dr. Brahams said as he puttered about. "The young girl, uh, what did you say her name was?" "Dawn," Riley supplied the name. "Dawn Summers. The Slayer's sister." "Ah yes," Dr. Brahams muttered. "Dawn, her blood is almost identical in its genetic structure to Miss Summers' blood. If it weren't for the difference in their ages, I would say that they were twins." He taped a tube to Dawn's arm, and fed the other end of the tube to the i. v. device affixed to the mummified figure on the gurney next to Dawn. "We'll take the transfusion slow. Too much of her blood at once may place the test subject's body into shock. Besides, we must allow Dawn to recover from her blood loss. We may need her blood later, nicht vahr?" "Indeed," Riley nodded as he observed Dr. Brahams continuing his ministrations. He hated the Germanic doctor, his haughty superiority, his treatment of the body wrapped in gauze as a 'test subject'. The 'test subject's' name was Buffy Summers. She had been a vibrant, beautiful and dedicated woman, one who was plunged into a world she had no desire to enter, a world of dark shadows and soulless beasts. She gave all, up to and including her life, to protect the world from the things that went bump in the night. And if what they planned tonight was a success, she would live again. She would know that Riley Finn was the instrument of her salvation. And she would love him for it. She would be his again. That's all that mattered. And if that meant suffering the smug self-righteousness of the Dr. Brahamses of the world, then it was a small price for Riley Finn to pay, to be allowed to hold her and make love to her again. She would be his. ======== "Spike," Graham called on his cellular as he and the others drove toward their rendezvous. "Can you verify their location?" "Yep," Spike whispered into his cellular, "the old hangout. What's the plan, Number Two?" "Would you please stop calling me that?" Graham asked, knowing that the question was in vain. It galled him, this forced partnership with Spike; from what Graham had gathered he'd have been vile enough as a human, as a vampire he was simply evil. Sighing in resignation, he continued; "I've got the rest of the gang here with me, we're driving up that way right now. Giles'll take Xander and Willow in his team, I'll meet you at the main entrance. We'll enter from both points." "Sounds like you're making it up as you go along," Spike mused. "I like that, mate. Meet ya here, Number Two." Spike shut off the connection before the soldier could protest. He smiled, imagining his chagrin at his nickname. Yeah, he could feel that familiar bloodlust emerge, as though from an extended hibernation. Chip or no chip, he had warned Graham the previous evening. Chip or no chip, someone was going to die for profaning her grave. And Spike could feel his incisors extend at the thought. ======== No words were spoken as the four of them emerged from Giles' car. Their expressions of quiet determination and righteous anger spoke volumes. They knew the plan, and were as prepared as they could be to carry it out. They waited by the car for Spike to emerge. The neutered vampire obliged them easily. His grim, stoic demeanor surprised Willow and the others. He had none of the bluster, none of his trademark arrogance. In its place stood a grim purpose. He was a man with a mission, a knight riding forth to avenge the desecration of his lady's grave. When he met the others, he only had one thing to say; "Let's do it, people." The others silently agreed, and Graham and Spike ventured toward the front door. The vampire and soldier waited for the three Scoobs to make their exit, then approached the entrance. Graham went first; he had an idea where the wires and alarms were, and knew how to pass through without activating them. In one instance, he was able to bluff his way past with his old Initiative ID card. Apparently the fools had forgotten to de-classify him. Spike followed the soldier's lead as they passed through the front door and through the first hallway. "This way," Graham whispered, pointing to an emergency stairway. "The only place where they could do whatever they're doing to Buffy and Dawn is in the basement, in the labs where Adam was created." "HOSTILE!" someone shouted from the hall as Spike reached for the stairway door. "We got a hostile here!" Two guards rushed toward Graham and Spike, high-tech looking rifles at the ready. Spike stood his ground, his arrogance apparent in his posture. "Hostile? Me? Not yet, boys, but just keep waving those pig-stickers in my face and I will get hostile." "Just keep 'em where I can see 'em," the lead guard answered. Spike leered at the guard, and took a step forward. The guard fired his rifle, and an arc of blue-white energy leapt over the vampire's head. "That was a warning shot, Hostile 17," the guard shouted, "my next one won't miss!" "Oh, please," Spike purred, stepping closer to the guard. "Call me Spike. Everyone else does." "Yeah, we know you, 17," the guard's voice was loud but not convincingly forceful. Spike could smell the epinephrine in the guard's sweat, he could smell his fear. He found that smell sweet and pungent. "We know that you can't touch us without doubling over in pain, thanks to that chip in your head." Spike regarded the rifles that the two guards were holding. "Issat so? Then why, oh why, did your superiors arm you with EMP rifles?" He stepped closer, as the guard stuck the gun's tip into his chest. He shrugged it off, knowing that the two guards were too scared to act on their own. "You know what EMP means, don't you? That's Electro-Magnetic Pulse. And electromagnetic pulses tend to disrupt microcircuitry. Oh yeah. You just shorted out my chip, buddy. So I can do," he leaned in, his face morphing into his vamp mode, "anything to you that I want." He leaned further, until his yellowish eyes were inches away from the guard's eyes. He smiled and whispered, "This is the part where you drop your guns and run away to warn your superiors. BOO!" Two rifles clattered to the floor as their wielders ran from the living nightmare that leered over them. Spike stooped low and picked up the two rifles, tossing one to Graham. "Here ya go, partner. Try not to miss." Graham looked at the rifle, and then back to Spike. "Hey, this isn't an EMP rifle, it's a standard issue stun-rifle." Spike examined his weapon. "So it is, so it is. Tell ya what, you don't tell Stan and Cartman, and neither will I." Heading for the door, he continued, "Come on, man, our cover's two seconds away from being blown." A siren hacked through the air, screaming out warning. The two fighters charged down the stairs, toward the labs. ======== Willow led the way down the elevator shaft, with Xander and Giles close behind. She looked around her as they silently rappelled down the shaft. You're a strange girl, Willow Rosenberg. Only you could get nostalgic about an elevator shaft. It was here, over a year ago, where she had reconciled with Buffy after their blowout over Tara. Spike had tried to turn the gang against each other, and the newly born romance between Willow and Tara was just the perfect sticking point. The fact that Buffy'd been too involved with Riley Finn and the Initiative to see how Willow was changing. He was sent by Adam to shake up the gang, to strip Buffy of her support structure before her final battle with Adam. But Spike had failed. As Buffy and the others made their way down the shaft, she, Willow and Xander stopped long enough to renew that special bond. "I love you, Buffy," Willow had said. "You're my best friend." She found herself fighting back tears as she recalled the group hug that they had engaged in over thirty feet off the ground, suspended by their rappelling ropes. Somehow, that connection was still there, would always be there, no matter how much they changed. Willow was not the same fragile girl she was five years ago. Xander was no longer the insecure goof. Cordelia, from what Angel had told them, was not the same flighty social butterfly. All these changes brought about by Buffy. And it was out of respect to Buffy that they were here this evening. To undo the sick dream of a group of misguided individuals. To prevent them from recreating Adam, in Buffy's body. They had to succeed. Willow wouldn't accept no less, not for her best friend. The sudden wail of an alarm siren cut through her thoughts like an ax through dry timber. "Guys," she announced, "we'd better speed it up!" She paid out more rope faster, and sped her descent down the shaft. Once they reached the next available elevator door, Xander was able to jimmy the door open, and the three slipped out of the shaft. They looked around, keeping close to the wall, in order to get their bearings. Willow recognized this hallway from the last time they were here, the final battle with ADAM. And there was something else, something familiar about her surroundings— Her musings were silenced by the sound of hurried footfalls down the corridor. The sound brought her to a quick state of concentration. A squad of four security guards were racing down the hallway. Giles and Xander flattened themselves against the wall, fearful that their cover's been blown. They knew that there was nowhere to hide from the advancing guards. The guards double-timed past them, uncaring of their presence. Giles and Xander looked at the guards as they ran past them, relieved but concerned as to how they went unnoticed. Xander glanced toward Willow, and saw the knowing smile on her face. "Care to share, oh great sorceress?" Willow faked an innocent gaze. "Nothing much, just a little 'Jedi Mind Trick'. I encouraged them to see what they expected to see, nothing more." "Hmm," Giles mused. "Very good. But judging from the heightened activity around here, we must assume that Spike acted with somewhat less subtlety." "I say following those guards is as good a plan as any." Xander suggested. "Wherever they got Buffy's body stashed is probably the most closely guarded room here. We follow them, we find Buffy and Dawn." "Then let's do it," Willow nodded. The three friends pursued the guards. ======== "Bloody hell," Riley cursed under his breath. "What's going on out there?" "Intruders have entered the compound," a security officer called in on the intercom. "They're heading straight toward you!" "Send more guards over here, to safeguard the experiment," Dr. Brahams ordered. "She must not be disturbed at this delicate stage of the process!" Before Dr. Brahams could get back to his monitors and readouts, the door flew off its hinges, impacted by the force of a flying kick. Spike stood before the scientists, his face contorted into a mask of terror, a horrible gleam in his yellow eyes. "Okay mates," he intoned, "who dies first?" Riley jumped forward, his arms resting at his side in a defensive posture. "Bring it on, dead man," he hissed. "You can't do anything to me." "Keep believing that, ponce!" Spike stepped forward, his every movement flowing, almost liquid— Until the chip that governed his actions for the last two years kicked in, that is. Scientists at the Initiative had designed the chip, to induce terrible pain in Spike if he should ever attempt to harm anything living. Now, as he lunged toward the deserter, his vision red-misted with rage, his intent to kill the bastard who dared lay unclean hands to Buffy's body, the chip kicked in. His body jerked suddenly as though crushed in a giant's hand. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. He would not be deterred from dealing a portion of the pain he experienced to Riley. A thousand lances pierced his flesh, and still he moved forward. A thousand fires scalded his skin, and still he moved forward. A thousand tons crushed his bones, and still he moved forward. With every iota of his strength, he resisted the chip, willing his legs to carry him, step by step, toward his target. All he could see was the smugly grinning face of Riley Finn. All he desired was to wipe that grin off his face with a well-thrown punch. That desire sustained him, helping him block the excruciating pain created by the chip long enough for him to pull his fist back and let it fly with all his remaining power. The foolish soldier didn't even think to defend himself. He found himself flat on his back, his chin bruised and bleeding, from the force of Spike's blow. By then, the release of the blow forced Spike to double over with the pain he still felt, long enough for security officers to restrain him. As the pain subsided, he lifted his head toward the sprawled soldier, and grinning, said "Gotcha!" "That'll do, Spike," a voice behind him said. Graham had watched the vampire's display, and felt somewhat relieved that they were in the same camp for now. He stood over Riley's body, and offered a hand to lift his old friend to his feet. Riley refused the offer. "I know why you're here," he said bitterly, his hand massaging the welt on his chin. "You're here to arrest me for desertion, right?" "I'm sorry, Riley," Graham said, "but I have no choice. If you and the others surrender now, I may put in a good word, make sure that the JAG goes easy on you." "Sorry, Graham, but I can't do that. Not when we're so close to completing the experiment. We're bringing her back, Graham. We're bringing Buffy back." "Are you insane? Look at this place, Riley, and ask yourself how you could possibly side with these monsters. The Initiative, what they did, that was evil, Riley. How could you become part of that evil again?" "You're wrong, Graham," Riley countered. "Sure, ADAM was evil, Maggie Walsh may have been evil, but this place, what we're trying to do here, this is not evil. Don't you see? We're on the verge of restoring the best of us. The greatest warrior of the Light!" Graham shook his head in disbelief at how blind his friend had become. "Yeah, I know what you're up to. You're trying to resurrect the dead. You honestly think that the ADAM project will work on her? Do you believe that that… thing that comes out of that cocoon will bear any resemblance to the Buffy Summers you knew?" "I don't know what'll happen," Riley admitted, "but if she lives, then the fall of the first Initiative will not have been in vain." "The Initiative was a mistake, Riley," Graham pleaded. "We tried to make super-soldiers out of demons. We tried to resurrect soulless things, and thought we could control them. What we did was immoral, an abomination against nature." "You want an abomination?" Riley shouted. "What about that thing? He's still allowed to live, while Buffy's dead! That ain't right! And when I'm through, that mistake will be corrected." "What about Dawn?" Graham asked. "Does she have to die for your mad scheme?" "Don't worry about her," Riley answered. "She'll live. We're not going to lose her. Her blood is too valuable for us. And you really have no say in this matter Graham." He gestured toward the security officers who held an angered Spike in their restraints. "It's just the two of you against all of us." "Let me guess," a familiar voice called out, "you flunked math in high school." Willow, Xander and Giles entered the room, Willow taking point. Two of the guards tried to rush them, but Willow just shot them a sour look, and a force pushed them back, away from the three interlopers. "Oh, don't look too surprised, Lieutenant Poop-head. You desecrated the grave of my best friend, and you didn't expect me to come back for her?" Riley regarded Willow's face, her _expression_, her posture. Her eyes flashed an angry fire, her jaw rigid and set in hatred, her posture defiant and angry. "So," Riley mocked. "This is the part where you beat me to death with a shovel?" "Shovel?" Willow answered in a feigned innocence. "I don't need a shovel." With an angry gesture, Willow threw Riley's body against the wall with the force of a large truck. The second Riley impacted the wall, the guards let go of Spike, and rushed toward Willow. "Back off!" she shouted, and the guards were thrown back, not as forcefully as Riley, but hard enough to knock the wind out of them. Her attention turned from Riley, he collapsed to the floor in a disheveled heap. He managed to stumble back to his feet, but he recognized that Willow wanted him dead, and had the power to back up her anger. "Willow, listen to me," he pleaded. "Look, I'm sorry about kidnapping Dawn, but it was necessary for the experiment to succeed. Don't you see? We're this close to bringing her back! Bringing back your best friend!" "My best friend?" Willow cried, desperately trying to control the rage that threatened to overtake her voice. "My best friend is nowhere here. She died saving the world from Glory. All you have is her body, the box that carried her spirit." She approached Riley, her face softening. She looked at the young soldier's face, and thought she could see the young man who Buffy loved, even for all his shortcomings, all his mistakes. She pleaded with that man, hoping to reach him through kindness. "Buffy—all that was really her, her soul, her strength, her heart—those things are gone forever. You can't bring them back, no matter how advanced your technology. She's gone, Riley." She reached out her hand to him, silently offering to wipe the tears that began to fall from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I loved her too. And I'll miss her every day of my life. But I'll have those days, we'll both have those days, because of her sacrifice." Riley measured her words, heard her voice, looked into her eyes, and saw that there was no artifice, no sense of lying. He felt the sincerity emanating from her. He reached his hand out to hers, to accept the truth of her words. "Finn!" Dr. Brahams suddenly shouted. "We have vital signs! She may be coming around!" Riley suddenly jerked away from Willow, who stepped back in fear of the nearly insane smile that split his face. "You were wrong, Willow," he laughed. "She is coming back!" He rushed toward the gurney, as Dr. Brahams hurriedly unraveled the gauze bandages that swathed the body. Willow tried to stop Riley, but the guards she threw back suddenly grabbed her and the others, restraining them. After unveiling several layers of gauze, Dr. Brahams stopped with just the final layer remaining around Buffy's body, just covering her breasts and midsection. For a moment, Willow, looking on from a distance, found herself thinking that Buffy made a rather sexy mummy. Dr. Brahams then grabbed a pair of defibrillator paddles, ready to jolt the body to life if necessary. "Riley," he commanded, "check her vital signs." He started to rattle off figures; "Pulse is 40 over 120, slow but gaining. Breathing is getting stronger." Suddenly her eyes snapped open. Riley shone a pen light into her eyes. "Eyes dilated, but tracking. She's gaining consciousness! We're doing it!" "Dear God," Giles whispered. "Is it possible that they will succeed? That they've actually brought Buffy back?" "That's not Buffy, not our Buffy," Willow answered, sorrow consuming her. "They may have reanimated her body, but they can't bring back her soul." "And whatever comes out of their Frankenstein's Science Fair project," Xander added, "I don't think we're gonna like it." Riley and Dr. Brahams stood back in silence, as the figure on the gurney slowly raised her body to an upright position. Slowly, as though relearning how to move her muscles, she turned her head toward the young man to her left. "Ri…Ri…Riley? Riley Finn?" "Yeah, Buffy," Riley answered, overjoyed. "It's me, Riley." "You…you left me," she said haltingly. "You said…I…never loved you." "I know, and I'm so sorry. But it'll be different now. I know better…" Riley looked into Buffy's eyes, and slowly started to blanch. Buffy suddenly smiled at Riley, saying, "You were right." With blinding speed, she brought her hand to his head, and clamped her fingers down hard on his scalp. Riley yelped silently in pain as the resurrected woman seized his head. This went on for ten seconds, before she let go of the hapless soldier. She then let go, and he fell gracelessly to the floor. Graham rushed to his friend, taking his pulse and checking his eyes. "Riley, you okay?" Riley looked at Graham blankly. "The stars," he murmured. "I can see stars inside you. They're so beautiful." Willow gasped in terror. She had seen this happen before, when an evil woman grabbed the head of her beloved, her Tara, and leeched her mind from her. She exchanged looks with Spike, Giles and Xander, and their horrified expressions told her that they had arrived at the same conclusion. Dr. Brahams glared at the risen Slayer. "What did you do to him?" he demanded. "What, that?" she asked nonchalantly? "Something like…THIS!" She grabbed his head in one hand and pulled back sharply, snapping his neck. The guards, shaken from their state of shock, rushed the gurney. The Slayer jumped off, and delivered a lightning attack of kicks and punches, too fast for any eye to follow. Within seconds, she stood alone, amid a pile of broken bodies. Blood dried on her hands and in the ends of her tangled blond hair. Her smile reminded the Scoobs of a predator, of a wolf or a shark, just before making the kill. She walked casually toward the bed where an unconscious Dawn was being kept. Heart monitors and other diagnostic equipment pinged away steadily, displaying her life signs silently. "And how are we tonight, my little key?" she purred as she caressed her sister's cheek. She then turned toward the others and laughed. "What's the matter, friends? Aren't you glad to see me?" The others stood silently, unable to speak, gripped by a terror greater than anything they could imagine. The greatest evil they had ever faced was among them again, and this time, they had no slayer to protect them. "Face it, guys," she announced triumphantly. "I'm back, and in all my Glory!" Download NeoPlanet at http://www.neoplanet.com |