JujuDeRoussie:
You even manage to make me not get all "blaaaah Riley *shudders*". If you make me like him, then wow!
Thanks...Riley, in the show, was boring and then just problematic. I wanted to make him more likeable...glad you like!
love_2003:
Glad to see that no matter what is going on between Willow and Tara they are able to come together and help Buffy
The tension between them is not at all about a lack of love...just tension because of inner turmoil. And dealing with Adam can clear the way for them to focus back on themselves, and their relationship for a while
Thanks again to everyone for the feedback!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The control room in the Initiative was stark and white, its angular brightness broken only by the backlit world map on one wall. Graham was seated at the control console, a headpiece with an earphone and microphone fitted over his closely cropped hair.
As Riley moved up to stand next to him, he gave a forced chuckle. “I never thought being benched for a while would be a good thing.”
“Ironic. I am learning that when it comes to dealing with HST's and slayers, there is a lot of irony to go around.” Riley's voice was wry, sardonic even.
“Yeah.” Graham's fingers flew over the keyboard, for a moment, changing the views of the take from the surveillance cameras until he could see the corridors approaching the room they were in. “Okay...you have at least two minutes.”
There was no reply, as the larger man was already under the next console station, pulling off an access panel. With a grunt, Riley began to strip one particular wire in two different places, attaching an odd-looking to device to both bare spots with alligator clips. He attached a multimeter, took a deep breath and clipped the wire he had stripped halfway between the places where the two devices were attached. When no alarms or sirens went off, Riley quickly disconnected the meter, and closed the panel.
Standing, he handed what looked like the control for a garage door opener to his friend. “I have one of these, and so do you. When the power goes down, hit the top button.”
Graham looked at him. “Both of us doing it won't turn the circuit back on?”
“No. That's the second button. And it shouldn't matter. According to the design specs, we only need to break the circuit for a second or so.” He sighed. “I've shifted the duty rosters for the rest of the day, signed out weapons to your squad and Forrest's old one. We're just about ready.”
Riley clapped his friend on the shoulder as he walked toward the door.
“Hey.”
He turned.
“Good luck. I hope we know what we're doing here.”
“Me too.” With that, Riley turned and headed off to finish his preparations.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Scoobies and the wolves met on the large grassy lawn out in front of Lowell house. All were doing their level best to seem as nonchalant and unobtrusive as possible.
Buffy smiled in turn at each of them as they arrived. “Everybody clear on the plan?”
“Got it.” Doro was obviously speaking for the rest of the pack.
The full humans all just nodded. They all had calm expressions, belying the anxiety that was thick in the air.
“Then it's time. You guys should get to the backdoor about the time I make it in. Make sure you are inside within 15 minutes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Graham was waiting for Buffy just inside the door to Lowell house. She met his worried eyes, trying to project a confidence she did not entirely feel.
What was it Riley said? When in command, appearance is everything. I can let the gang see me scared – but these guys will only see a weak little girl if they see the same thing.
“Everything ready?” She was surprised that her voice sounded calm and even.
Graham grimaced as he answered. “Yeah. Except Riley disappeared a few hours ago.” He held up a hand to forestall her questions until he finished. “He headed into 314, and didn't come out. One of the other team leaders went in looking for him, but nobody was there.”
Buffy just stood for a moment, her mind racing. “Dammit, Adam's got him. The secret lab must be behind the 314 area, and somehow, Adam got him when he went in there.” Her breath hitched, and she firmly shut her fear for her boyfriend behind a solid wall in her mind.
I have to focus on the mission. He would understand better than anyone.
Searching her face, the chiseled soldier asked, “What do you want to do?”
“Nothing changes. Except we keep an eye out for him when we go into the lab. He...he would say the same.”
“I know.” Reaching out, Graham squeezed her shoulder before turning and leading her to the mirror-covered elevator. “Boldly they rode and well, Into the jaws of Death, Into the mouth of Hell...”
“Poetry, Graham?” Buffy's lips quirked as she tried to remember where she had heard the lines before.
A sheepish look crossed his face as he faced the mirror and hit the buttons activating the retinal scan. “English major, before I joined the army. And Tennyson really nailed this kind of thing.”
The elevator door opened and they stepped inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow grumbled under her breath as the group made their way through the sparse woods to one of the back doors of the Initiative. “Stupid woods. I wasn't expecting a cross-country hike.”
“Y-you don't like the forest?” Tara's voice was low and breathy. She moved fluidly through the underbrush, sliding past branches that seemed to reach for and cling to Willow.
“I like it most of the time. I just don't really think it likes me.” The redhead yanked what seemed like the hundredth thorny vine from her pants. “Or maybe it likes me too much - wants to keep me in one place so some bear can eat me or something.”
Tara reached back and drew Willow onto a small game trail she had been following. “It's not a-allowed to keep you. I'll protect y-you from bears.”
A beaming smile lit the hacker's face at those words. It didn't last long.
All of the Scoobies gasped and recoiled when a hairy form dropped out of the trees next to Doro. When none of the werewolves reacted, Willow realized that the interloper was Zeke in his wolf form. A moment of growled communication to Doro precipitated movement - all the wolves except Oz began to strip off their clothes immediately.
As the purely human members of the team (except for a fascinated Anya) tried to find some safe place to rest their eyes, the crackles and pops of the Changes began to fill the air around them. Within a few moments, four more shaggy bodies rose from the leaf-littered ground to take up perimeter positions around the group.
Oz spoke quietly. “There are some demons out here guarding the door. The pack can take them. Just stay close to me, and try to be as quiet as you can.” He moved off, following his pack, trusting the Scoobies to follow his lead.
Tara's hand crept into Willow's and held tightly as they started after the others.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy left Graham behind after the elevator opened. Moving as quickly as she could without being conspicuous, she headed directly for 314.
Her hope of reaching the labs unimpeded was dashed when she got closer There was an armed guard exactly where she needed to go, and as she slowed to give herself time to think, she heard movement behind her.
“Where, exactly, do you think you're going?”
The slayer turned slowly to see the colonel in charge of the Initiative's military complement glaring at her. Six soldiers flanked him, their weapons trained steadily at her. She slowly raised her hands, palms outward, to shoulder level.
Before she could speak, Graham's voice cut through the charged silence. “Colonel – Sir, you're needed in the Ops center.”
The senior officer looked torn for a moment, then gestured to the squad with him. “Bring her along. And watch her closely – you've all seen how she can fight.”
A minor chorus of “Yes, Sir's” later, Buffy was being pushed along a white-walled corridor. She turned her head to the side, and the soldier that had a firm hold on her arm gave her a slow wink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The fight between the werewolves and the demons had been bloody.
The Scoobies hadn't seen much of it; as soon as the sounds of battle had filtered to them through the trees, Oz had stopped them and gestured for Xander, Anya and Giles to position themselves on either side of the witches. The three men and ex-demon had faced outward, crossbows at the ready for anything that might get past the pack.
Willow had tried to protest her protected position, only to be stopped by an angry snort from Xander.
“Will, you and Tara are the really important ones here. We lose you, we LOSE.” Her old friend's words had stung, though they made sense. The thought of anyone getting hurt protecting her made her cringe.
Once again, Tara had comforted her without needing to say anything. Her hand had tightened its grasp, communicating support through touch and the beginning traces of the rapport they would soon build between them.
Several tense minutes had passed before Oz had relaxed at a low, growling bark from up ahead. As he led them forward again, they began to see the carcasses of demons scattered about the small clearing they entered into.
Two of the werewolves were wounded, cuts on their flanks and chests slowly weeping blood. They shook away all attempts to aid them,;, charging forward to a door that was now visible behind some trampled brush at the far end of the little glade.
The group reached it just in time. As they pulled open the heavy steel portal, three thick deadbolts shot outward from the edges. Had the fight lasted a moment longer, they would have been locked out of the Initiative. And Buffy needed them inside.
They stood silently for a moment, looking around at each other. It was Xander who finally sighed and stepped down into the dark corridor and led them all inside.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The colonel led the soldiers and Buffy into the sterile control room.
“What is it, Willis?”
“Sir, something or someone is changing the surveillance subroutines. The cameras have changed to a different scanning pattern, and the infrared and heat sensors have gone offline.” The soldier seated at the computer console was nervous, pointing out the changes to his commanding officer. “We've been either infiltrated or hacked, Sir.”
“It's Adam.” Buffy stepped forward from the group of commandos surrounding her, and faced the colonel squarely. “He's pulling a Trojan horse on you – all those demons you've captured recently are just waiting for him to open the doors so they can come after you.”
As if in response to her words, the lights went down, and it took a moment for auxiliary lights to come up. The colonel sputtered for a few breaths before collecting himself. He turned to glare at Buffy.
“Or it could be that you are at the bottom of this.” The tall commander collected the squad with his eyes. “We need to take the armory, now.” Turning to Graham, he spoke harshly. “This woman is under arrest. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir.” Graham waited while the colonel and his team left the ops center. Once they were gone, he grinned at the young man at the console. “Great job, Willis. You trace the incoming signal?”
“Yeah. Whatever it is, it's behind 314 somewhere. Looks like the gas canisters have been released in the containment areas, but I can't get a visual on them from here. I hope the guys there got out in time.” Willis' face was serious, his eyes flickering back and forth between Buffy and Graham. “You be careful back there. Alpha and Gamma squads are armed and waiting for you in the lab complex.”
Graham clapped him on the shoulder as he turned to lead Buffy back out of the control center.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Scoobies and the pack moved as silently as they could through the damp tunnel. After the first few steps, the wolves again moved forward to lead and scout ahead.
After a few minutes, although it seemed much longer, the lead figures waved back at the rest for silence and stillness. Two of them crept forward and disappeared around a corner.
Those left behind hardly dared to breathe. They shifted closer to one another, as if by physical proximity they could keep themselves and each other safe.
A seeming eternity of nervous tension later, the two scouts reappeared and beckoned them onward, gesturing for quiet. As the group reached the bend, one of the two leaders laid his hand/paw over Willow's mouth, and shifted her forward so she could see around the corner.
When she saw what lay beyond, Willow was grateful for the hand stifling her gasp. Riley was seated in an odd-looking chair, with three monstrously altered humans clustered around him, and a look of helpless fury on his face.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy, Graham and the double squad they had found waiting for them were moving swiftly through the corridors behind 314. It had taken them only a few minutes to find the entrance. With ten people tapping and probing at the walls of the once-secret lab, the hidden doors had come to light quickly, and the soldiers fell easily into formation behind Buffy as she passed through them.
They were armed with a variety of weapons; some of the soldiers carried automatic rifles, fresh magazines ready in their belt pouches. The others carried so-called 'taser rifles' that were common on demon patrols. They were actually electrolasers, much more powerful than the conventional taser. The electrolaser, rather than send its current down a wire, used so much voltage that it actually created a plasma conduit through the air to carry its current, so it would deliver much more energy to the target.
These electrolasers were essential to what Buffy had planned for Adam – she would give him what he wanted, and make him choke on it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Willow and Tara were beginning their descent into a light trance. They would not go into the full rapport until Buffy made her appearance, but it was essential to begin establishing the links they needed now.
They started by controlling their breathing, putting from their minds the fear for themselves, and the horror of Riley being in the hands of their enemies. Gradually, their hearts began to beat in sync, their minds meshing just enough to link, but remain conscious of their surroundings and able to act.
Simultaneously, they each reached back to take Xander's hands. To the surprise of everyone, especially himself, the goofy young man had proved best suited to channeling the energy of the rest of the group to the witches. Gathered just behind him were Giles, Anya and Oz, each with one hand pressed to Xander's back, all of them reaching deep within themselves to send whatever energy they could into the spell to come.
It might have surprised an outsider, how easily these disparate people were able to give themselves to this effort, but to the werewolves watching them, it seemed more natural than breath. The supernal senses of the changed pack heard six hearts pump in unity, six pairs of lungs inhale in concert, and could nearly feel the power of those six minds focusing together on one shared goal. It did not matter that only two of those minds truly understood the physics of what they were to do, that only one could actually see the forces they meant to shape to their ends. It mattered only that each was willing to give everything to the others, in this moment.
The wolves understood – this too, was a pack, just one made for a different purpose than their own. The power being raised so close to them stirred their fur, like static electricity. They stayed alert, watching for the moment to lead the spell-workers into view of their objective.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When the moment came, it seemed dreamlike and surreal to Willow. Everything seemed to happen at once. She heard Adam, roaring his displeasure, stalk into the room where Riley was being held. She opened her eyes as she felt herself being gently herded around the corner, and saw Buffy and a group of commandos burst into the same room from yet another doorway. The wolves leaped forward to interpose their bodies between the linked spell-group and any possible threat. And she saw the demon hybrid that had once been Forrest launch himself at his former comrades.
The moment Tara opened her eyes was unmistakable. Linked as they were, Willow shared her girlfriend's ability to see energy patterns, and her vision suddenly changed, the solid forms of people and lab equipment overlaid by a misty kaleidoscope of color. Buffy stood out like a beacon amid the duller colors of the humans surrounding her, and Willow felt a surge of love and admiration for the slender warrior who now depended upon her for so much.
It seemed Buffy felt it too - at that instant, she locked eyes with Willow, smiled, and threw herself to the side of the group she led, shouting “Now! Fire!”
The soldiers reacted instantly. Those with machine guns engaged Forrest and the two white coated monstrosities that had once been doctors. The rest, turned their electrolasers toward Adam, and opened fire.
The demon-cyborg laughed as the first tendrils of electricity hit his body, soaking up the energy like mothers milk. Adam never had the chance to understand what happened after that – it was all too fast.
Upon hearing Buffy's words, Willow had closed her eyes, focusing only on the energy patterns Tara saw. She pulled hard at the power that had been pooling in Xander these last minutes, and began to construct a tube of pure magic in front of Adam.
As soon as the electrolasers began to fire, she tightened that tube around the magnetic field being created by the strong flow of electricity. She pulled more power from her partner and friends, and bore down harder, compressing the magnetic field as tightly and small as the combined power of the Scoobies would let her. For Willow, it was an endless second, holding as tightly and as long as she could, straining to create the largest magnetic flux possible when she let go.
She succeeded. When she felt the last reserves of magic being spent, she released the spell with a hoarse shout, allowing the electrical and magnetic fields to flux wildly back to their natural forms – and destroying every electronic circuit in the room.
The results of the magically created EMP weapon were just on the survivable side of catastrophic.
The taser rifles themselves simply melted, the soldiers throwing them down with startled oaths. Lights popped and shattered around them, lab equipment following in bursts of cascading sparks. Riley clutched his chest with a yelp, and the reanimated doctors simply dropped where they stood. Forrest, already having absorbed quite a few bullets, collapsed as well.
The energy explosion had, however, served its purpose. Adam began to come apart at the seams.
Most of the visible metal in his body glowed white-hot for a moment, before he too, began to emit small streams of sparks. Tendrils of energy swathed his right arm, and crawled around his chest and head. His mouth opened in a primeval scream of agony, filling the darkened lab with tortured sound, until Buffy buried her hand in his torso, and pulled back hard, yanking his power source out of him entirely.
The soft green glow of the uranium core was the only light as Willow and Tara passed out.
~*~*~*~*~*~**~
TBC
Many thanks to taranwillow4ever for incredibly fast beta work on this update, and to Elrad for helping me refine the magical EMP burst idea.
by abarda » Mon Dec 21, 2009 2:50 pm 
