Watcher, Vampire, Slayer, Witch part 6
Disclaimer: See part 1
Chapter 6: Battles and Demons
Ping.
"Which camera?" Buffy asked.
"First one on the lower road," Tara said.
Willow said one last word, and one of the large crystals flickered, then steadily displayed a landscape. A black van slowly moved down the track and out of sight.
Willow brought the second camera on line.
"Not bad," Riley said. "I'd use that dip, too."
Spike raised his head and frowned. "Say, we got any chips?" he asked. No one answered, and he headed for the kitchen.
"That sharp curve will protect the second van. If they can get the Mercedes stopped in the creek bed there, they can hose the
car or just use grenades."
"Are they staying?" Tara asked.
"Seem to be." Buffy peered at the second screen.
"Ann," Tara said, using Ann's crystal phone. "One of them seems to be in place."
"We're going to start back," Ann said. "I'll call you when we get to the exit."
Spike returned to the library with a bag of chips, a bowl of dip and a beer.
"This is not Wednesday night football!" Buffy said.
"It is for me," Spike said. "Ann said I should stay put and behave myself. No running around, no fighting for me tonight.
Anyway, I try to hit one of those guys and one of you is sure to trip over me as I hold my head. Sorry, luv, this time you're on
your own."
"We'll manage just fine," Riley said.
"Hope so, mate."
"We're off the freeway," Ann said.
"Wesley," Tara said. "Ann is in town."
"Thank you."
Ann's voice came out of the big crystal: "We've just been spotted at the stop sign. Turning south."
"One down," Wesley said.
"Come on, come on," Riley said, under his breath.
"And two. This two is different. Same kind, different number." A brief wait, then Wesley's voice came again, "Moving." A
longer wait, then: "Locked."
Ping! Ping! Ping!
"Everybody's here," Willow said.
"Look here," Tara said. "The second van--it's different. It's not the one you saw this morning."
"We'll cope."
"Ann said she snapped the timing belt of one of them, which was a tedious repair when it happened to Mom's car. I suppose
they rented another," Buffy said. "Let's go," she told Riley.
"Right," Riley said, pleased at the prospect of action. They left the library.
"All right," Tara said. "Let's lock the van doors; at least the first van."
Ann stopped the Mercedes and got out. She walked up to the second van, which had stopped just short of the sharp curve
before the road sloped down steeply to the dry creek bed. "I'm sorry," Ann said. "I'm afraid you're trespassing. This is a
private road. Can you turn around and get out?"
The driver got out and faced her. He did not shut the door, but stood with it partially hiding his side and right arm. "The main
road," he gestured uphill, "is blocked."
Wesley stopped the Saturn, blocking any retreat for the second van. He got out and hurried forward, a shotgun held down by
his leg.
"The main road leads only to my house. Are you coming to see me? Do I know you? Should I expect you?" Ann asked.
"Look," the second man, the man getting out of the passenger door and facing back up the track, said. "It's Wyndom-Price. We
can get him, too."
The first man stepped away from the door, revealing the Uzi in his right hand. He started to point it at Ann, who took it away
from him with one hand and hit him with the other. He went down. Ann moved the machine pistol away and crossed in front
of the van, slamming the passenger door hard on the second man's legs and one hand.
The third man opened the back doors of the van and froze as Wesley pointed the shotgun at him.
Ann opened the passenger door and yanked the second man away from the car and forced him to the ground. Giles came up,
carrying handcuffs and shackles. He chained first the unconscious driver, and then Ann's prisoner.
The two of them went to the back of the van, where Wesley waited with his prisoner.
"What did he mean, get him, too?" Ann asked the third man. "Are you after Wesley, too? Answer me."
"Yes, no; I don't know what you mean. This is illegal."
Giles chained him, and stepped back. "We don't care," he said, achieving an air of quiet menace.
"Payton-Jones, I know you," Wesley said. "Are you after me?"
"Answer him." Ann ordered.
"Yes, no; of course not." Payton-Jones was looking panicky at what was coming out of his mouth.
"Interesting." Wesley looked annoyed.
"It's going to be a long night," Giles said.
"Put them in the trunk of the Mercedes," Ann said.
"Will they all fit?" Giles looked over at Ann, then said, "Silly question, of course they will."
"Let's go," Wesley said.
Riley stopped the Jag uphill from the first van. He and Buffy got out. They could see across the small valley, and watched as
first Ann, then Giles, left the Mercedes and took the second van.
In the first van, someone shattered the windshield, then kicked it free. Four men, one after the other, exited the van over the
short hood, sliding down to the ground.
"Oh, bloody hell," Spike said, and left first the library and then the house.
"A-gley," Ann said.
"So it would seem," Giles agreed.
"You two stay here," Ann said and crossed the dry creek and moved toward the first van.
Buffy grabbed the first man out of the van by the collar and spun him into Riley's fist. Only one of the three men left had an
Uzi. She went directly after him, breaking his gun arm with a left handed chop, and hitting him in the face with her right fist. She caught the gun before it hit the ground and tossed it back into the van. Buffy stepped back, avoiding the first man, who, hit by Riley, staggered back between her and the wounded gun man, who was sinking slowly to the ground.
Riley passed in front of Buffy, following his opponent, hitting him again. The Watcher collapsed. Riley turned back to Buffy.
One of the remaining men turned and ran back up the track. Unfortunately, he had to pass by Ann, who hit him once, then
produced shackles and cuffs and chained him.
Buffy paid no attention to what was happening near the creek bed, but focused on the last man. She side-kicked him, which
should have ended the fight right then.
The man just staggered. Regaining his footing, he punched her, left fist into her diaphragm, so hard it knocked her backwards.
Giles, watching Ann, saw her head jerk around as she focused on the fight around the first van.
"Demon!" she yelled, and ran after the man Buffy had been fighting.
Behind her, Wesley said to Giles, "That's Kenneth Ryder."
Buffy hit the ground. She was still for a moment, then rolled over and got to her feet.
Riley saw the man shift to demon form, growing taller and heavier, also green, with purple tracings on his skin, which was
revealed as his clothes ripped and shredded. Riley used his taser.
"Has Ryder done that before?" Giles asked.
"No, he hasn't. Interesting," Wesley said.
The demon looked down at the taser, sparking against his skin.
Riley dropped the taser and hit the demon. His blow had as little effect as had the taser. The demon bared his teeth and hit
Riley, a fist into his temple. Riley went down. Broken blood vessels started leaking into his brain.
Spike heard Ann's yell. He ran past the Jaguar and halted beside the van. He looked around There was no question who Ann
had meant. He attacked the demon, using a fist to the demon's face. The demon didn't seem to notice.
Ann arrived. She kicked the demon's right knee from the side. Spike heard it break.
Buffy moved in and hit the demon as he was stumbling to the ground. Spike, following her, used a two handed sledge hammer
blow to the side of the head.
Ann kicked the demon's head from the other side.
The demon balanced up on his good leg. He struck Ann, who was coming in to attack again. She went down. The demon
turned, blocking Buffy's next kick. Ann rolled onto her back, then kicked the demon's left elbow. She bounced up. Buffy
closed again and kicked his other knee.
The demon landed on his left hip. As he was trying to regain an upright posture, Spike kicked him in the right kidney.
Roaring, the demon hit Buffy as she came in again, then caught Ann's foot as she tried another kick. Buffy went down. The
demon sank his teeth into Ann's thigh. Ann kicked him in the stomach with her free foot, then Spike hit him in the head again.
The demon slowly collapsed, half on top of Ann.
Spike grabbed the demon's shoulder and pulled him off Ann.
Ann managed to get to her knees. "Help me flip him over," she told Spike.
"Why?"
"I need to tie him up," Ann said. "Put him on his face."
Spike flipped the demon over, and brought his hands together. The left elbow had more lumps than a human elbow did. More
than the demon's right elbow, too.
Ann drew a cord from a pocket, gathered it into a ball, then pulled it out to four times its original length. She moved around
to the demon's side and bound his hands with one end of the cord and tossed the other end to Spike.
"Will that hold him?"
"Yes. It's something Gang Long and I worked up. He can't hurt you as long as you hold on," she said "Don't let him get away.
Don't let Gang Long eat him." She eased down on her good side, favoring her wounded thigh.
Wesley and Giles arrived.
"Get the last two chained, Wesley" Ann said. "Rupert, help me over to Finn."
"You're hurt."
"Finn's dying."
Giles picked up Ann and carried her over to Riley Finn. Ann took Riley's head between her hands and focused on him. She
and Riley started to glow with a soft golden light.
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