[ BtVS 2117: THE SG-FORCE (9-12 of 16) ]

["Cilia" <cilia@xxxxx>]

Title: BtVS 2117: THE SG-FORCE
Series: BtVS 2117
Book: II
Section 0.9: Future-2
Section 1.0: Confrontations
Section 1.1: Wandering in the Night
Section 1.2: Gathering of Unlikely Heroes
Author: Cilia
Author's e-mail: cilia@xxxxx
Pairings: B/W
Distribution and Archiving: List archivers and anybody else who has my stuff
can go ahead. Other's please tell me if you chose to archive this

BtVS 2117: THE SG-FORCE
Cilia


Section 0.9: Future-2


Willow looked around herself again and took in the scenery in the map room,
from the looks of things Z had just dropped a bombshell on the group and
things were just getting interesting.
?I ask again did I miss anything?? she asked.
?My sister is back,? Angel said coldly as she sat down at the
meeting table.
?Care to explain that statement?? Buffy asked as she slid into
her seat at the head of the table.
?Five years ago, she was found by the Angel Foundation seekers,
those are the people hired to find potential candidates for the program, and
brought to our head quarters. After a standard gene and DNA check, the coats
concluded that she was my sister of sorts, after all almost all of our
markers matched,? Angel explained.
?Okay, but what about Future 2?? Rex asked.
?I?m getting to that,? Angel said and glared at the reporter who
just smiled and pushed her glasses higher up on her nose. ?So long story,
extremely short, Demonique , double crosses us and tries to sell us out to
the Future Project, we fight and the last time I saw her she was falling to
her death,? Angel explained.
?So it was you that caused the fall of Future?? Rex asked again,
ever the reporter.
?After a fashion yes,? Angel answered.
?But now they're back and seemingly on the warpath,? Spike
stated as rubbed his chin.
?Perhaps I can fill in some of the gaps,? Z said speaking for
this first time since his fast spoken report.
?Don?t keep us in suspense,? Buffy urged.
?While fighting with Demonique I took a peek into her mind and
although her barriers are strong, I was able to discern the location of the
head quarters of the Future 2 and also that Dru played a part in this
somehow,? he said as his eyes fell on the vampire.
?They wanted me and my company out of the way, they saw me as a
possible threat and they will come after you next,? Dru explained with
clarity and stability that was very uncharacteristic of the once insane
vampire.
?But why you, why not the OA?? Hope asked, looking up from the
Codex.
?Those idiots couldn?t find their way out a paper bag,? Rex said
firmly.
?Gee thanks for raising the public trust in law enforcement,?
Hope said in an acidy voice.
?So what kind of force are we looking at here Dru?? Buffy asked
calmly ignoring the banter.
?Oh I don?t know, fifty maybe a hundred,? Dru said as she
counted of on her fingers.
?That?s not so bad,? Rex said.
?Thousand,? Dru added with a slightly glimmer in her eyes.
?Oh,? Rex?s face sank.
?But that won?t happen until after tomorrow night,? Dru added.
?Explain?? Spike, who had been extremely calm throughout the
encounter with his former lover, asked.
?They are cloning them. That?s the reason they took over my
company, they wanted to get their hands on the cloning technology my
scientists developed. The clones will be fully grown and trained in two days
time, maybe less, but then you wouldn?t get them very smart,? she explained.
?Why aren?t we the little law breaker,? Rex said as she adjusted
her rose tinted glasses.
?Would somebody care to fill me in here?? Buffy asked.
?Twentieth century girl,? she added as an explanation.
?Cloning of humans is illegal, body parts is okay but not the
whole package,? Hope explained without looking up from the Codex.
?Great and where is this factory?? Buffy asked.
?Not far, out in the desert, but it?s heavily guarded and?? Dru
started but Buffy just raised her hand for silence. ?Spike take Rex here
and give her a crash course in weapons and equipment, Z you work with Dru
you have similar powers and we might need her.? At Dru?s shocked look Buffy
only smiled. ?What you thought you could keep it a secret from me?? she
asked and then went on. ?Angel you go and rest and Hope, you make sure that
she does so and while you stand watch scrape some knowledge from that book
of yours. Willow you are with me. It?s time you learned discipline,? she
said firmly. ?And the rest of you get your minds out of the gutter,? she
added.


Section 1.0: Confrontations

Buffy dodged a highly lethal plasma blast, she did a split and the bolt flew
harmlessly over her head. Her victory was short lived as she had to execute
a series of jumps to avoid being turned into a crisp, landing on her feet
not far away from Willow who was almost surrounded by a nimbus of blue
energy. She raised her hand and made a small gesture towards Willow. The
Plasma-Slinger fell to the floor half a heartbeat later covered in a fine,
tight woven net.
?Now are you ready to talk?? Buffy asked as she knelt beside the
struggling slinger.
?Go fu?? Willow started but Buffy just covered her mouth with
her hand.
?Now listen you little miss I?m mentally dysfunctional, I love
you,? Buffy stated firmly. ?So with that knowledge I?m going to remove my
hand and we are going to try this again,? she said and removed her hand.
Willow stared wide-eyed up at the Slayer, Angel had told her the same thing
earlier but she hadn?t quite believed it. How could anybody love somebody as
flawed as her?
?No,? she finally said.
?No what?? Buffy asked.
?No you can?t? you can?t love me?? Willow stammered.
?Sorry but I do,? Buffy said as she started removing the
netting. Just as she had cut away the last strand Willow flung herself at
her and they landed on the padded floor with a thud with Willow beating her
fists against the floor on either side of Buffy?s head.
?You don?t understand, everybody that I have ever loved have
died or gone away,? Willow cried as she continued hammering the floor. ?And
now I?m so afraid that I might lose you to Rex that I? I don?t know what to
do,? she exclaimed as she collapsed on top of Buffy.
Unsure of what to do Buffy just wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and
started gently rubbing her back as the sobs racked through her body.
?Hush now,? she whispered. ?I?m not going anywhere, we are a
team remember??
Willow looked up with a small smile playing on her lips.
?So you don?t??
?I only want you Plasma-girl,? Buffy said with a smile.
?What about Rex?? Willow asked.
?I talk to her earlier and Dru must be kind of lonely,? Buffy
said with a giggle that soon became a shared laugh.
?We could do it you know,? Willow said. ?Sort of a bonding
thing,? she added.
?I like the sound of it better and better by the minute and it
would be nice to be left alone,? Buffy nodded as her mind went to work on a
plan of attack.


Z found himself in the strange situation of training the woman who last time
they had met had put a considerable amount of hot plasma into his shoulder.
With his characterizing calmness he just shrugged his shoulder and looked at
her from across the table.
-Show me what you got? - He asked inside her mind. Then it came
like a sledgehammer on a large mental plate followed by an exploding rainbow
all inside his mind.
-Impressive- he said as he opened up his mind and the Master
Vampire grabbed her head. ?But your heart just isn?t in it- he added.
-You?re very strong child and my heart hasn?t done much of
anything in a long time - Dru said as she drew herself up to her full height
and started chipping away on the edges of his shield.
-Oh please- Z said with a sigh as he simply increased his
defenses and felt the attack fade away.
-You might have been good in your time but I?m three hundred
years ahead of you in evolution- he explained.
-I can see why she is drawn to you- Dru said. ?And I do believe I
underestimated you during out first encounter-
-You got lucky and I wasn?t really motivated back then- Z
explained.
-What are you anyways?- she asked as they probed each other
looking for weak spots.
-Something new and different- Z said with a smile.
-Oh really? Then try this on for size- Dru said with a grin as
she opened up the part of her mind that kept her insanity locked away and
now Z started to sweat as he fought off the assault from her mind.
-I?m not going to fall down that pit Drusilla, I spent half of my life
learning control- he answered although his voice sounded strained. ?Actually
the more I look, the more I realize that you have grown tired of playing the
villain and that you were once good, saintly even-
-How did you- Dru practically shouted into his mind.
-Like I said I?m something new- he answered with a smile. ?Also
you must admit that your last attempt was half hearted at best and you are a
much better shot than to miss me at almost point blank range-
-Well I didn?t want to waste such potential- Dru answered with a
small smile.
?I think that?s enough for now," Dru then said out loud as she
drew herself out of the mindlock.
?As you wish,? Z said calmly.
?You have hate in you child. Not much, but it?s there slowly
building,? Dru said.
?Everybody hates Dru and I think I?ve just found the way to
balance that out,? he said with a smile.
?You want to wipe away the last remains of your loves painful
past, how noble,? Dru said and Z wasn?t sure if he was getting a compliment
or getting mocked.
?Thanks!? he said with a roguish smile and Dru sighed.
?We have a long way to go child,? she said.



In the Danger Room?s armory Spike was getting tired of this human and she
was lucky he had something resembling a soul cause that was pretty much what
prevented him from playing a round of footy with her pretty little head.
?Take one more bloody picture and I?ll snap you in half,? he
growled. ?And you can?t quote me on that,? he added.
?Anything else General?? Rex asked him looking at him from over
her glasses that where perched on what appeared to him at that moment as a
highly punchable nose.
?Yes leave my great-granddaughter?s girlfriend alone,? he added
as he placed the last piece of standard issue equipment on the table in
front of them.
?Not very tactful are we?? she asked.
?I?m a 257 years old,? he answered.
?And sleeping with a nineteen year old, man I could have field
day with this,? Rex said and got stared down by a pair of ice blue eyes. ?Or
not,? she gulped.
?She?s twenty,? Spike corrected. "Now pay attention cause this
stuff could safe your life tomorrow."
?Standard issue slay-wristbands. These are thought controlled,
so think blades and a blade will shoot out. The blades are made of silver
edged carbon with a wooden tip, enough to kill any minor demon. If the
blades get smashed think stake and one will appear in your right hand. It
has a total of fifty all nicely folded into a quantum cube. It has an
onboard computer with a link to the control room here at the mansion and to
G.I.L.E.S. and if you really get in trouble slam them together as hard as
you can in front of your face and they will light up like the sun and fry
every vampire within a fifteen-foot radius. Now put them on,? he instructed
and handed them to her.
?Stylish,? she commented as she snapped the silver colored
bracelets on.
?Standard issue slay-suit,? he said as he started adjusting her
suit. ?Made of carbon strings woven into a light metal mesh, it?s outer
layer is a laser and light absorbent, zero-resistance material so it slows
you down when you fall and you can jump further and run faster cause it
makes you almost frictionless. So you can take a hit in this, but not too
many so be on your feet.?
?Hey,? Rex explained as he zipped the suit all the way up and
adjusted it at the back by reaching around her.
?This is nothing new to me Miss Rex,? he said with a grin. ?Also
if you don?t keep it zipped it won?t stop spit,? he added.
?Utility belt, custom made for each member of the team, but the
basics are a grappling hook that goes on top of the right or left
wristbands, first aid kit and in your case a camera built into the buckle
along with various other compartments you can fill at your leisure,? Spike
explained and handed her the belt. ?Also there are four compartments around
your ankles,? he added.
?Can I get an energy blade?? Rex asked after she had fastened
the belt around her waist making it slope down onto the right side of her
hip.
?Like this?? Spike asked and drew his blade. A red beam of pure
energy appeared as he tuned it on and it crackled against the air until he
shut it down. ?You sure you can used one of these?? he asked turning the
cylinder over in his hands before tossing it to her.
?Co-captain of my high school fencing team and captain of the
team in collage,? she said as she caught the cylinder in midair.
?Show me,? Spike said and drew his blade from the belt, pressed
the switch in and the pure white glow of his blade flared to life.
The blades clashed and Spike although he could have just disarmed the
reported was curious to find out just how talented the busty blond bombshell
was. It took him thirty seconds to build up the rhythm, five seconds longer
than usual, it took him another fifteen to get an opening, again five
seconds longer then usual, finally it took a good minute more to disarm the
report once he had her on the run. This woman was a fighter no doubt about
it. The red blade spun out of Rex?s hand and shut itself off before landing
on the floor, then pressing the advantaged Spike just had to add insult to
injury and the reported landed flat on her ass. Spike smiled as he shut off
the blade and offered her his hand.
?You are good kid,? he said. ?But just how did you go from
co-captain to captain?? he asked.
?Ran the captain before me through the shoulder in practice,
accident honest,? she said with a smile.
?Oh I think you are going to fit in just fine,? Spike said as he
hauled the reporter to her feet.
?Maybe it?s the cape?? Rex said as she retrieved the blade.
?Or the fact that I?m 230 years older then you,? Spike added.
?But there is room for a cape?? Rex asked.
?Miss Rex there is always room for the cape,? Spike said as he
spun and walked out of the training room with his cape flapping behind him
with Rex following but in a blink of an eye he was standing in the doorway
leading into the mansion with a grin on his face.
?Computer activate training program Spike One and put a forty-five minute
timer on the doors and lock them after I leave the room,? he said and before
Rex could shout at him the door sealed shut and the interior of the room
shifted from that of a armory into that of the Danger Room.
?You son of a bitch,? she muttered as she ignited the blade
again.



Enter login: ?
Rupert
Enter Password: ?
Watchfulness
Logging on user Rupert?
Welcome to the SG-FORCE database Rupert?
Please select action?
Enter new member?

Codename: Rex
Full name: Christina Rex
Voice sample: It's been fun! (Full sample pending)
Known Relatives: None
Age: 27
Year of Birth: 2090
Class: Human
Occupation: Reporter
Base of Operations: Sunnydale, CA
Ht: 6?2
Wt: 140 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
Known Powers/Abilities: Above average swordsman.

General information: Miss Rex only recently joined the SG-FORCE, or rather
was forced into the team after following up on a story leading to her
assisting in rescuing Dru from execution. Quick on her feet and with a sharp
mind she could be an asset to the team. Miss Rex shows an interest in Buffy
that should be considered fleeting at best.

Save?
Enter New Member?

Codename: Dru
Full name: Drusilla (Last name unknown)
Voice sample: If you won?t untie me at least get this infernal ball away
from me!
Known Relatives: William Spike (childe)
Age: Circa 270
Year of Birth: Unknown
Class: Vampire/telepath/seer
Occupation: President of Dru Enterprises
Base of Operations: Sunnydale, CA
Ht: Unknown
Wt: Unknown
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Known Powers/Abilities: Enhanced strength, speed and senses following the
demonic possession. Dru also possesses strong mental abilities as well as
the ability to see into the future.

General information: Driven from power as the Master vampire in Sunnydale
Dru has, for the time being, been taken into the SG-FORCE. She undoubtedly
has her own agenda, but her experience and considerable mental powers make
her an asset for the team. The madness that characterized Dru for centuries
seems to be gone, but Dru is far from sane and likes to speak in riddles and
is the source of irritation for many on the team, but for the time being she
is needed.

Save?
Logging off user Rupert?


Angel opened her eyes to check if Hope was gone, then she swung her legs out
of the bed and made a line for the bathroom. After splashing some water in
her face, she went through her ritual. Walking back into the bedroom with
the medicine bottle in her hand she shook the pills into her hand and
swallowed them. Dropping the bottle on the nightstand she checked her
injuries and then dressed in her armor.


Section 1.1: Wandering in the Night

Hope had trouble sleeping like everybody else in the mansion probably did,
but for some reason she also felt alone. Truth to be told she hadn?t been
out of it as much as she let on when she slept with Spike, that was just her
excuse. She had been curious and she always got what she wanted, but what
she had gotten with Spike scared her a bit, hell it scared her a lot.
?He?s just a man,? she mumbled in frustration as she beat her
pillow again.
Spike smiled from where he hovered outside her window just another trick he?
d picked up after getting infused with the Guardian Spirit of Earth. It felt
good to be a part of a group again, although he had to assert some amount of
self-control when he was around Drusilla, but in the end it was just a part
of the job.
Yet Hope was not a part of the job and being great granddaddy to Willow was
not part of the job either. That just made life interesting.

Buffy woke up as she sensed somebody standing outside the door leading into
her room. The person shuffled her feet and Buffy smiled as she sat up in the
bed remindful to cover herself since Willow would probably faint if she saw
her naked.
?Open,? she called out from her bed and the door opened up to
reveal Willow in her pajamas holding a pillow.
?Couldn?t sleep,? Willow said as she stepped into the room. ?And
I know we agreed to take it slow, but I??
?Want to make sure,? Buffy said with a smile as she lifted up a
corner of the comforter and patted the mattress.
?I don?t want to be without you tonight,? Willow said as she
slipped into the bed and Buffy pulled the comforter around her.
?It?s not like we are doing this for the first time you know,?
Buffy said regarding the mission that loomed ahead.
?Well last time is was so sudden and I wasn?t really sure how I
felt, now there is this looming thing that we know is coming,? Willow said
as she snuggled up to the Slayer.
?Don?t worry,? Buffy said and kissed the top of her girlfriends'
head. ?Looming darkness is my specialty,? she said.
Willow smiled as she tried to touch Buffy as much as possible, longing for
the physical contact she had long denied herself in sake of the cause. After
a moment of content silence there was a soft beep from the wristbands laying
on the nightstand.
?G.I.L.E.S. it?s two AM,? Buffy groaned in frustration.
?I am aware of that miss Summers, but need I remind you that you
requested to be notified if Miss Rex approached Drusilla,? a equally
irritated British voice answered.
?Oh you don?t say?? Willow asked looking up at her girlfriend.
?Relaying the feed from the roof camera to your holoscreen,?
G.I.L.E.S. said with a hint of artificial snicker in his voice and a screen
flickered into life above the bed.

Drusilla sat on the roof and looked out over the city, the vampire felt a
strange conflict inside her mind. On one side was the cool corporate thinker
persona she had adopted eighty years ago in order to survive and on the
other hand was the saintly girl she had been before her madness and turning
at the hands of Angelus over two centuries ago had taken place, then there
was the part of her she had locked away, the insane seer with a limited
grasp on reality. She was trying to decide if ruling the world was really
worth all the trouble.
-Of course it is you idiot! Power is everything- the corporate
thinker said in its icy cold voice.
-But the rewards are a splendid isolation and suspicion- the
saintly girl said in a soft caring voice.
-The moon sings a lonely song tonight- the third part of her fractured
psyche said in her dreamy voice.
?Plotting our downfall,? a husky voice that sounded like the wind that blew
over the blood stained streets of the Slums asked and Rex sat down next to
her.
?Rex what brings you out on this cold night?? Dru asked without even turning
her head to acknowledge the reporter.
?Boredom? and I don?t need much sleep,? Rex answered as she studied the
vampire and took a picture through her glasses.
?You see the world through rose tinted glasses,? Dru said. ?And still the
picture isn?t pretty,? she said.
?True, but the world will never be a perfect place anyway,? Rex answered as
she pulled the cape she had attached to her suit around her to ward off the
chill coming in from the ocean.
?You have always dreamed about playing the hero haven?t you child?? Dru
asked and finally turned around to regard the report.
?I guess so, but don?t tell anybody,? Rex answered with a smile.
?It shines through,? Dru said. ?Like sunlight shinning through a dirty
iceberg.?
?You must spent at least six hours a day coming up with those,?
Rex commented.
?I don?t sleep much,? Dru answered with a grin.
?Why are you still here?? Rex answered after a short silence.
?I do not like losing and both William and the Slayer are itching for an
excuse to end my existence,? Dru answered.
?So this is no higher calling or??
?There are other reasons to stay,? Dru said.
?Such as?? Rex asked with a raised eyebrow.
?I find this little group entertaining,? Dru answered with a small smile.
In Buffy?s bedroom Buffy cheered as Dru managed to baffle the reporter and
earned a strange look from Willow who shut down the screen they were
watching.
Dru placed a hand on Rex's shoulder and smiled as the reporter winced
slightly.
"I see the Slayer made her point," she nodded as she removed the
hand and looked at it for moment or so.
"Sure did, almost had me believing her," Rex answered with a
small smile.
"Not what you expected?" Dru asked.
"It was an act sure, but consider me scared," Rex said.
"Good," was all that Dru said and then they went back to looking
at the moon.

Angel silently dressed in her armor and then slipped out of her room as
silently as a mouse. Mission or no mission the Slums were unguarded and she
was needed. Turning around after closing the door she stopped dead in her
tracks as her heart got caught in her throat and her mouth went dry.
?Going somewhere?? the calm voice that could only belong to Z
asked. He was leaning up against the wall besides the door with his hands
crossed over his chest, dressed in telepathic black he almost blended
completely into the shadows. Only his red eyes shone like twin rubies and
his face was pale as always.
?The Slums to do my duty and don?t you get in my way Zoëga,? she
said in a cold voice and turned to walk towards the Hall of Heroes and the
skylight there.
?Usually I wouldn?t dream of it,? Z said and then Angel found
herself unable to move. ?But tonight you need to rest,? he said.
?Let me go,? Angel said through gritted teeth as she struggled
against her invisible bonds.
?Alright,? he said and with a wave of his hand he let her go,
she would have fallen face first onto the floor if he hadn?t been there to
catch her.
?Let me go,? she said again as he ran a finger under her eye
removing the make-up that covered the dark rings under her eyes.
?I may be many things Angelica but I?m not stupid and neither is
Buffy,? he said in a low voice as he drew out a handkerchief and started to
remove the make-up from her face. ?You are running yourself ragged, at first
I thought it was just stress but??
?Should have never let you into my mind,? Angel mumbled as he
gently ran the cloth over her face.
?You don?t need to be a telepath to see it and I?m pretty sure
Buffy suspects, but her current problems are preventing her from
investigating,? he said as he finished wiping her face and placed the
handkerchief back into the breast pocket of his suit. ?Now lets get you out
of that armor and into bed,? he said as he effortlessly picked her up.
?Will you let me into your mind?? Angel asked with a nervous
smile as the door leading into her room swung open under the power of Zoëga?
s will.
?I don?t think you?ll enjoy what you?ll find,? Z answered as he
laid her on the bed and then helped her sit. The bottle of jumpstart pills
that lay spilled on her nightstand floated through the air and into the
trashcan.
?I want to see?? she insisted in a low voice. ?My scars are
deep, but I think yours are even deeper,? she said.
?We are all scared here,? he answered with a hint of emotion in
his voice. ?But if you insist I will show you,? he said as he gently placed
his hands on her head. One stayed on her cheek and the other caressing the
back of her neck.
?Don?t be afraid,? he whispered.
?I?m not afraid,? she stammered.
?Not yet,? he said with an evil grin as he pulled her towards
him and kissed her full on the lip as he drew her into his mind.
Angel?s mind was flooded with his memories, everything Stefan Zoëga was
flowed into her mind, his birth when he was removed from the cloning pod,
his childhood filled with genetic manipulation and the almost endless pain
and the death of his friends as failed experiments. Then came his rescue by
William Harris and the Angel Foundation and his new life with the Hope and
her parents. Then came the rigorous training he received to control his
powers and further more his emotions. Finally she saw how he willingly
subjected to the placing of carefully constructed magical and mental blocks
designed to keep his powers and darker side in check until he reached
maturity. Blocks that were now breaking down, maybe too soon. Then she
stared into the face of the part he kept hidden, the part of him that Dru
had seen so clearly, staring back at her with blazing red eyes, filled with
anger at the world that had allowed him to be born into such a cruel
destiny. But then there was a beacon of light in the darkness as the light
grew brighter she felt herself drawn to it.

Then finally after what seemed like hours he pulled out and she could hear
him sobbing. Finding herself lying on the bed, devoid of her armor and
unsure of what to do she wrapped her wings and arms around him and pulled
him closer and started comforting him, her boyfriend, although that title
didn?t do what they shared justice. What they had just shared made them
more, made them soul mates and or at least fellow sufferers at the hands of
humankind.


Section 1.2: Gathering of Unlikely Heroes

Here?s what I know. An organization calling itself Future is planning
something big and nasty, to achieve that end they have taken over Drusilla?s
company and secured the mass-cloning technology she?d had her scientist
develop. Note: cloning is illegal. With this Future-2 plans to create an
army, but to what ends is unknown. Still, given their history we have
assumed that they are up to no good. One of their top people is an enhanced
human named Demonique. She is Angel?s evil sister and she wants Angel and
everybody who she cares about dead. That makes it very much our business.
Hopefully we can get this over and done with a start planning the New Years
Party.

Buffy looked over her gathered team. All fresh from a night?s sleep and
dressed for battle. The clock was approaching midnight. That meant shift
change for the OA and the time they had chosen to strike was once the fresh
shift was in place. They were gathered in the desert outside of the city
waiting for the signal that the OA officers were in place and that they
could go to work. They could see the lights coming from the factory roughly
two miles away from their position, it was well located and would have to be
taken with force.

Willow stood tall in her green slay-suit, with blue plasma dancing under the
skin of her hands and her eyes had taken on a blue hue. Her red haired tied
back into a ponytail and her face filled with a serene peace that comes with
the absolute understanding of your purpose in the world. Buffy never felt
more in love than at that moment.

Angel wore her gleaming silver armor with an almost regal baring, her wings
spread to their fullest and the talons on her hands sharpened to perfection
gleaming in the pale light of the half-moon. She seemed to be in that place
where she went whenever she patrolled the Slums, fueled by her controlled
rage and hatred. Still tonight there was something else in her eyes,
compassion and hope, hope that everything would turn out right in the end
and that she would go home and curl up with Z after this was all done.

Z looked as he always did, calm and like he had just woken up. With his hair
falling into his eyes and wearing that black uniform forever marking him as
a telepath. He was perhaps their most potent weapon and biggest wildcard. He
was standing awfully close to Angel though, something had definitely
happened between the two.

Spike was standing slightly apart from the group with his cape swirling
around his legs and his hair blowing in the wind. The man did know how to
strike a pose and look cooler then Jesus Christ himself. Rex stood with him
and made up the other half of what had quickly been dubbed the caped duo.
The white cape flowed down from her shoulders and down to her ankles, but
the rose tinted glasses never left her nose.

Dru was something of a mystery to Buffy and truth to be told she scared her
a bit. But that obscure line Hope had found in the Codex made her glad that
the mentally sick vampire was on their side for the time being, also she
made the slay-suit look good.

Hope was holding the fort back at the mansion, running simulations with
G.I.L.E.S. and watching the Codex for any changes. All in all they were as
ready as they would ever be. Then of course it all went to hell and Murphy?s
Law reared its ugly head at them.

To Be Continued...