Buffy hated being left out of the action, especially where Angel was concerned. But, with her every action being scrutinized by her Watchers' Council captors, her presence would only mean a greater chance of the whole group of them getting caught. So she waited, because she had no other choice.
She was not at all patient about it, however. She paced her small room from one end to the other. When she got sick of pacing, she fiddled with a stray thread of her jumpsuit. She watched the clock change, minute by minute. And every second that did not bring her friends' returns left her even more sure that they'd been captured. After that, there would be no hope left for any of them.
As her pacing brought her closer to the door once again, there came the sound she had been waiting for. The door chime. It spurred her into action so quickly that those waiting for her on the other side were shocked into a frozen moment. Daneela stood there, her hand a centimeter above the panel beside the door, her face clearly startled.
Hasna broke the moment. "Quickly!" she said in a voice just above a whisper.
The ex-Watcher was correct to want to hurry - their release of a prisoner could not go unnoticed for much longer. Still, there was something Buffy had to do first.
"How is he?" she said urgently, hurrying to Tamika's side. The younger Slayer and the telekinetic had the unconscious vampire supported between them, his head sagging forward to his chest. Only Tomas' abilities kept Angel on his feet, and the young man's expression was clearly showing the strain. There was a fine sheen of sweat coating his face, and his eyes were intently focused on nothing Buffy could see.
Tamika hesitated for a moment. "Unconscious," she said at last, her voice as strained as Tomas' expression.
Buffy just glared at her for the obvious statement.
"I don't know," the girl finally admitted.
Buffy swallowed hard. She could not help but gently reach out to touch Angel's cheek.
"Later," Hasna said, a bit louder than before. "I'll see what I can do to help him, Buffy, but I can't do it here."
Buffy nodded. Without another word, she took Tamika's place at Angel's side. The girl let out a sigh of relief as she relinquished his weight, and they were off again.
Angel was a dead weight at Buffy's side, pulling her down and slowing the entire group. It was an awkward position to try and support him in, as if she were escorting him and not actually dragging him down the hall. With her arm wrapped around his torso she could feel just how bad of shape he was in. His underfed state had left its mark. Her supporting hand could feel how slender he'd gotten - muscle and bone. He wasn't that bad off yet - his weight was still a burden to those carrying him, Slayer or not - but he should have been heavier.
They made their way down the stark corridor in silence. Already late into the evening, activity in the halls was light. Except for them, a mix-matched group making their tense way through the enemy halls.
They almost made it without incident. But a mere fifty or so yards from the door that would take them away from this place, three guards returning from the outside passed them. Buffy stood up a little straighter, as if their odd little procession was the most normal thing in the world.
"You! Stop!"
Buffy cursed inside. They had to run into the one guard that she and Angel had rescued Tomas from weeks ago, the one that they had scared off to carry his injured friend home. Now the situation was reversed, with Buffy carrying an unconscious Angel, and the guard wasn't about to let them go as easily.
Hasna was trying to play it cool. "Is there a problem?" she asked coldly, her entire demeanor the image of authority.
The guard would have none of it. His gaze flicked to Hasna for only a moment before returning to look at Buffy. Their gazes met. "Yeah, there's a problem. And it's called unauthorized release of a demon."
One of his accompanying guards gasped and reached for his weapons.
Daneela and Tamika were instantly poised to fight.
Still holding Angel, Buffy glared at the antagonistic guard. "You really don't want to mess with us now," she said strongly.
He looked at her. Buffy could just see thoughts of revenge circling in his head. "I don't think you can do much to stop me," he said, his voice mocking.
"Are you really that big of an idiot to go up against two Slayers?" Buffy asked. "No, wait, I guess you are."
Even more wary, the two companions now had their hands on weapons. Hasna's fingers hesitated near her own, and Daneela was practically vibrating with the need to attack.
The guard's eyes went cold. "Try it, then," he said. "I owe you for last time. Too bad the vampire will be killed attempting escape."
That was all it took for Buffy to abandon Angel's side. Barely registering Tomas slumping to the ground under Angel's weight behind her, she sprung at the vengeful guard. There was little of training behind her attack, and a lot of fury. With hands outstretched, she caught him off guard.
There is little more dangerous than an enraged Slayer. One of those is a Slayer protecting a loved one, and Buffy was determined that this Watcher was going to learn that quite quickly - and painfully.
He didn't have time to go for a weapon. Buffy's weight sent them both crashing to the ground. She viciously punched wherever she could reach. The guard gasped. He could not fight back, only avoid her. And he wasn't too good at that. Her furious blows rained down on him, until a final one to the side of the head knocked him out.
Breathing hard, Buffy scrambled back from the guard. "Tried it," she said to him, smirking slightly.
Beside her, the others had been through their own sudden battles. A second guard was down. The third was long gone.
In the complex, an alarm started to sound.
"We go now," Hasna said urgently.
Buffy nodded, lifted Angel to his feet once again, and the group of them made their final break towards freedom.
Tamika stumbled under the large vampire's weight as they crossed the threshold to the makeshift bedroom. Tomas's psychic strength had given out a while ago, leaving Angel to the combined physical strength of the two Slayers. Now the young telekinetic collapsed exhausted into a chair in the corner. Which left Buffy, continuing to support her rescued companion across the room and onto the old mattress laid out on the floor. Her attempts to lower him gently failed as she nearly fell beside him. Her wince was clearly visible, but she knelt beside him and stayed.
The old theater was teeming with activity. The dozens of people and assorted other beings who had been there when the group fleeing the Watchers had arrived had been abruptly energized. A pair of older psychics tended to Tomas and his exhaustion. A couple of medics squeezed through the crowded doorway to offer their help to Hasna. Daneela rushed back out of the bedroom to find out what had happened while they were gone.
And through it all, Tamika stood back, overwhelmed. An outsider on these levels, a stranger, she had nothing to do but watch.
Buffy was kneeling on the mattress, cradling Angel's head in her lap. Her face was lined with worry as she stroked the unconscious vampire's forehead, cheeks, shoulders, anything she could reach from her position. It was the first time Tamika had seen the two of them interact, and even if Angel was unconscious, the other Slayer's tender behavior astonished her.
Abruptly, Angel let out a low groan. "Doctor!" Buffy called out, her head snapping up.
Hasna spun in surprise from the group she was speaking to.
"I think he's waking up!" Buffy cried urgently.
The doctor came to kneel beside her. Angel did not stir immediately. "Buffy-" Hasna began to say.
"Buffy?"
Angel's voice was weak, but even the younger Slayer across the room heard it.
Buffy's face broke into a brilliant smile. "Yeah," she said gently, her hand resting on his cheek again, "it's me."
For a moment, the vampire smiled, then his eyes closed and he was unconscious again.
"Doctor?" Buffy asked, her voice laced with worry.
Doctor Hasna frowned. "He's probably just exhausted," she tried to say, but Buffy was obviously less than convinced by her tone.
"He shouldn't be like this," Buffy was saying. "What's wrong with him?"
Hasna's eyes searched the room, finding and catching Tamika's gaze. "Tamika," she said authoritatively.
The younger Slayer was startled. What did the ex-Watcher want with her? "Huh? What?"
Hasna gestured for her to come over to the bedside, and she obeyed.
"I need to know what was done to him," Hasna said calmly.
Buffy's grip on Angel's shoulders visibly tightened.
"I don't know," Tamika said, chewing her lip nervously.
"Tamika," Hasna said, her tone commanding attention. "You and Tomas were the last ones to talk to him. Since Tomas is being taken care of by his people, and Angel can't tell us what's wrong with him right now, I need you. I need you to tell me anything you got about his condition, okay?"
Tamika swallowed and nodded. "He…he's pretty much starved," she began, and Buffy winced again. "I know he wasn't fed the entire time he was captive."
Hasna nodded. "Anything else?"
She shook her head. "He's in pain, but I don't know why," she said sadly.
Buffy looked at the doctor with an obviously helpless expression.
Hasna pat her shoulder lightly. "We'll do what we can for what we know is wrong first," she said calmly. "That should be enough to get him conscious so we can figure out what else is wrong."
Buffy nodded slightly, but she didn't have time to say anything before Hasna started giving orders. "You get the blood I asked for before we left?" she demanded of one of the medics.
The young man nodded. "It's right here," he said, holding up a box.
Hasna waved him over impatiently. "And get me some painkillers," she said once he'd handed over the blood.
The medic scurried from the room.
Hasna turned to Buffy again. "I'm going to have to force-feed him," she said slowly. "There's nothing you can do right now, and I don't think you should watch."
"I'm not leaving him," Buffy declared stubbornly. It was a weak excuse, and they both knew it. Was there some reason the doctor was trying to get rid of her?
"I promise, I will do everything I know how in order to help him," Hasna said calmly.
"I've been through worse with him," Buffy pointed out. "I will care for him. Besides, if he starts to wake up, don't you think you want someone with a little supernatural strength around?"
The Slayer's further protests were cut off by Daneela's arrival in the doorway. She did not wait for a greeting.
"I need both of the Slayers," she declared. "Now."
Though Daneela's tone of voice and Buffy's own sense of duty led her to follow the demoness, Buffy left her heart behind in the room with Angel. She needed to be there. She couldn't leave him for a second, and yet here she was, leaving him only a moment after they got here.
Even though he wasn't conscious to know she'd left him, Buffy felt guilty. Especially since he wasn't conscious.
"Buffy?"
The voice started her. She looked up, to find Daneela staring at her intently. "Uh, I'm sorry. You were saying something?"
Daneela scowled at her. "This is very important, Slayer."
Buffy scowled right back. "I'm sure it is. But I have another important thing I'd much rather be doing at the moment, so could we just get on with it?"
"I'm sorry," Daneela said with a nod. "I am also sorry that we have kept this from the two of you."
"We?" Tamika asked softly.
Daneela nodded. "Doctor Hasna felt it would do no good to tell you this until you got out of there, and I agreed with her. She'll probably be furious that I'm telling you now, but with the new information I just received, we can't wait any longer. We need your help, if we're going to stop this thing."
"Enough words," Buffy said hastily. "Just speak."
Daneela nodded again. "Well before you and Angel disappeared, demon activity - bad, evil demon activity - in this area had been getting worse. When you were taken, it got really bad, so everyone assumed that it was just a result of, you know, not having two demon killers around any more."
"What changed?" Buffy asked. "'Cause obviously something did, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"We teamed together - to find you, at first, and then just to fight. Someone had to. And it still got worse. There were signs…" Daneela cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hasna…she had a theory, and so did some of the psychics, about something weakening, a spot between here and…Hell. Demon dimensions. Whatever."
Buffy swallowed, a touch of fear clutching her stomach. "You mean like a Hellmouth?" she asked.
"Maybe," Daneela replied, "or at least that's what we thought. Don't know what we could do against that, but we were trying. But while we were gone, we got some new information. Looks like things are a whole lot worse."
"Information?" Tamika prodded.
"Where did you get it from?" Buffy added.
Both of their questions were answered by a frustrated exclamation across the small theater. "As I was bloody well trying to tell you, it's the end of the world!"
No. Way. The British accented voice was way too familiar. Buffy turned, almost afraid of what she'd see.
Even without the bleached hair, that…person was unmistakable.
"Spike!?"
The voices in my head get
cranky when I don't get feedback.
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