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Chapter or Story
Prologue - Field Trips
(The Future Isn't Always Written In Stone)
Frank Parker looks over the blue prints that have been handed to him and asks. "Why do I have to memorize these blue prints?"
The scarred man looks at Parker and smiles weakly. "Because you have to Mr. Parker. Those things will destroy humanity if you don't warn them."
"Who are you two? You suddenly appear from no where and tell us this all started in Los Angeles seven days ago. How can you be certain?" Talamadge asks.
"My name is Casey Romaine, my partner Fox Mulder and I were there when it started. We had the bastards. We could have killed them and prevented all of this from happening. Wanderer only made one mistake. He didn't take out all of the . . ." Casey's words to Frank Parker are cut off by the sound of a body hitting the wall behind them. Parker and the man called Romaine turn around and watch the security chief, Ramsey, slowly slide down the wall, leaving behind a blood trail.
Ramsey looks up at them through pain filled eyes and croaks out. "They've found us. You don't have much time. Get back there and stop them, Parker."
"Where's Donovan?" Parker asks.
"It killed him. That monster picked him up and just ate him whole. Now get your ass in gear and stop them." Ramsey orders as he slumps down, dead.
Parker's knocked out of his reverie by the sound of gunfire as Casey fires into the monster that had killed Ramsey. He picks up Ramsey's pistol and fires into the creature, forcing it back. He quickly follows Olga out of the office and to the hanger where the sphere is. Fox Mulder follows them, offering what little protection he can. Casey Romaine stays, holding back the monsters, giving them precious seconds.
Casey looks at the monsters coming for him and quietly asks. < God, please let Parker fix this. I can't see you allowing this to happen. But, if I die tonight, at least let me be with Lida and my family. > As the first monster approaches, Casey cuts loose with his machine gun and cuts it in half. He goes through the last of his ammunition and reaches for his Gladius and lays into the monsters.
Suddenly, a vampire attaches itself to his neck and sinks its teeth to Casey's neck. The vampire takes a single drink of Casey's blood, screams horribly and falls down dead. Casey's luck doesn't hold as a demon of the second circle reaches him and cuts him apart with its razor sharp talons. As he falls, Casey cuts open the demon and his blood quickly poisons it. As his eyes close for the last time, he sees the face of God as he accepts him into his embrace and forgives him for his past deeds.
*****
In the hanger Frank Parker has quickly donned his orange space suit and he straps himself into the chair. He hears Olga running an accelerated countdown and he quietly prays to himself. < Dear God, let me get to them. > Parker's forced out of his thoughts by the sound of Olga screaming. He quickly radios to the control room and asks. "Olga is everything all right?"
A strange voice, with a British accent, answers back. "No mortal, the lady is not all right. In fact she's making a fine meal for my Drusilla. The man with her is already dead. Would you like to be my next meal?"
"Fuck you asshole." Frank Parker yells out as he punches the button, starting his journey back.
Spike watches as the blue sphere disappears and grins as he comments. "Neat. I wonder where he went?"
The Chronicles of the Slayer and the Wanderer II - Calling Out the Clan
Part 1 - Death Drives a Blazer - Los Angeles - 9:00 p.m.
(Being a Vampire Slayer Ain't Everything It's Cracked Up to Be)
Los Angeles - Eight Days in the past.
Robert Hascombe is feeling good tonight. His old friend, Quinn is coming by for a visit and dinner. Robert has just spent the last two hours gathering together the ingredients for Quinn's favorite meal. As he is reaching for the keys to his ground floor apartment, a pair of hands reach out of nowhere and grab him. His face is slammed against his closed apartment door and he's thrown onto the floor. The attacker, a large young man, easily overpowers the older Hascombe, as though he were a small child. Finally, he drags Hascombe into the stairwell.
He bends Hascombe's head back, exposing his neck. He rears his head, opening his mouth, baring his fangs, his face takes on a demonic form. Robert begs for his life, the vampire laughs as he savagely bites him in the neck, tearing it apart, sucking out his life blood.
A few minutes later the vampire gets up from his second victim of the night, sated, for now. As he gets up to leave, he hears the front entrance close. He immediately moves to the side of the stairwell door. Cracking open the door, he watches as a young girl enters the lobby. She is looks directly at the grocery bag belonging to his last victim. She's blond and about 5'4" and about 110 pounds. She looks around the lobby trying to see what happened to the bag's previous owner.
The vampire decides to make it three for tonight, and attacks the girl. The vampire rushes out from his hiding place and with outstretched arms, attempts to drag the girl down and kill her. The girl turns around suddenly and kicks the vampire in the face. The force of the blow is enough to stun him. The vampire back pedals to get some fighting room.
This is no normal girl, the vampire realizes. She's entered into a fighting stance of some martial art form unfamiliar to the vampire. The vampire feints with a round house punch to the left and the girl moves to the right, going for it. The vampire smiles, he has her. As he moves into his real attack, the girl reverses his feint by grabbing his arm and twisting it and shoving him face first into the wall, at least a half dozen times. Hard.
As she let's go, the vampire falls to his knees and watches as the girl pulls out a Katana out of her trench coat. It's blade glowing a pale blue. He looks up at her and asks one final question. "Who are you?" Not believing that he could be beaten by this girl.
"I'm the Slayer." Buffy answers as the sword comes down taking off the vampire's head. The head and body quickly turn to dust.
She moves to the stairwell to check on the vampire's last victim. She looks at the neck wound and shakes her head. She didn't make in time. < Damn, another innocent life lost. >
Buffy puts her sword back into it's scabbard, as she walks out of the apartment building to the waiting car.
A tall, brown haired man sits behind the wheel of a dark blue Tahoe. As she gets in, he asks. "How'd it go?"
Buffy takes a deep breathe as the car pulls away from the building. "Not good, Steve. I didn't make it in time to save the victim. He looked like a sweet old man. *Damn It* I hate my life. Why can't I save everybody. The world would be a much happier place, wouldn't it?" She asks softly.
Steve looks at his student of five months, and replies. "Buffy, no matter how good we are, there will always be someone out there, who we can't save. Not even Superman can save everybody. We just have to do the best we can and go on." He tells her as he reaches over and squeezes her hand. Buffy just smiles and returns the squeeze, then leans her head on his shoulder for some moral support.
"How's about some food? We've spent the last four hours hunting down seven vampires, and I'm hungry." Steve remarks.
"Sounds like a good idea, there's a burger joint not too far from here, that I used to go to when I lived here, in LA. They make the best onion rings in town." Buffy tells Steve as they make their way down Nathan's Lane.
A few minutes later another tenant comes home and finds Robert Hascombe's body in the stairwell. The police are immediately called in.
Part 2 - A Meeting of Interests
(Never Judge a Slayer or an Alien, By It's Cover)
The being known to Robert Hascombe as Quinn, walks slowly down the street to his old friend's apartment building. Hascombe and Quinn had been friends for the last thirty years and have always tried to get together whenever possible. Tonight was to be one of those nights. He had stopped at the bakery to pick up some pastries for desert. He had checked his watch and saw that he had time to spare, so rather than just popping into Robert's apartment, he decided to walk over, and enjoy the fresh air.
As he turns the corner onto Nathan's Lane, Quinn sees all of the police cars pulled up to the front of Robert's building. Worry for his friend quickens his steps as he hurries over to see if Robert is all right.
As he approaches the front of the building, a police officer politely stops him. Quinn, knowing that the police officer is just doing his job, doesn't blast him into atoms. Quinn asks about his friend, Robert who lives in the building. "Officer Russell," Quinn asks, reading the officer's name tag. "Can you tell me if my friend, Robert Hascombe is all right? He lives in apartment 1C."
The officer looks at Quinn for a second and asks. "Can you wait here for a moment please, Sir?"
The officer goes into the building and returns a couple of minutes later with a lovely young woman, who escorts him into the building. She identifies herself as Det. Tracy Vetter.
"Sir, can I have your name please?" Det. Vetter asks Quinn.
"Certainly, Detective. My name is Quinn." Quinn replies.
"Mr. Quinn, may I have your full name please?" Det. Vetter asks as she pauses in her writing.
"That is my full name." Quinn replies as they enter the lobby.
Det. Vetter looks up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes. < Only in California, Toronto was a lot better. > She thinks to herself.
The scene in the lobby is chaotic. Police and forensic people are everywhere. The detective escorts him to the chief investigator of the major crimes unit, Captain John Randall. Captain Randall takes one more look at the crime scene and turns to Quinn as Det. Vetter introduces him.
"Good evening Mr. Quinn. I'm sorry to tell you this, but it appears as though your friend, Mr. Hascombe, has been murdered here, tonight." Captain Randall tells Quinn.
"May I ask how this happened?" A very distraught Quinn asks. The box of pastries falls from his shaking hands.
Randall looks into Quinn's eyes and his gut tells him to give it to this man straight. "Someone grabbed your friend at his apartment door, slammed his head into the door and dragged him to the stairwell, ripped his throat out and drained all of the blood from his body. The murder happened about thirty minutes ago." Captain Randall bluntly tells him. "This is the twentieth murder like this in Los Angeles, this week.Quinn is shocked. How could someone do this to Robert? Of all of the beings Quinn has known in his long life, Robert was one the most gentle and caring individuals he had ever known. Now this gentle, caring man was dead in a stairwell. Quinn was angry, somebody was going to pay for this. As he formulates a plan, he notices that Captain Randall is trying to ask him some questions, < Those questions will have to wait. > Quinn thinks to himself. < First, I have to save Robert. >
Quinn uses his powers to side step time and travel back to the murder, just as it happens. He witnesses the assault and watches as the being drags Robert into the stairwell. As the being laughs, Quinn stops time and grabs Robert, replacing him with a non-sentient double.
"Robert, open your eyes." Quinn tells him.
Robert opens his eyes and sees his friend, Quinn. Then he looks over and sees himself with the thing that was trying to kill him.
"Quinn, how?" Robert sputters.
"Don't worry, that's not you. It's a double I created and replaced you with." Quinn tells him. "Now I want to see what that thing is going to do."
They watch as the being rips into the double's throat and greedily sucks down the blood.
"My god, that's a vampire." Robert gasps out. "I thought they were only myths. Stories to scare children"
"Well it looks like this one is real enough" Quinn replies, as he watches, in fascination, as it completes it's feeding.
As Quinn is thinking of a suitable punishment for the creature, it suddenly moves to the door and opens it slightly, looking into the lobby. Quinn phases himself and Robert to the lobby, still out of time and observes the girl entering. They watch as the girl walks up to the spilled groceries and looks around. The vampire hiding in the stairway suddenly leaps out to grab the girl.
Robert, seeing this, turns to Quinn. "Quinn, you must help her." Robert pleads
As Quinn is preparing to help her, the girl slams a kick into the vampire's face, stunning it. Both Robert and Quinn are surprised at the turn of events and wait to see the outcome. They watch as the girl beats the vampire senseless, by repeatedly slamming him, head first, into a wall.
"My God, how can a little girl like that beat a vampire?" Robert mutters. Quinn is curious as well. They watch as the vampire asks in an awed voice "Who are you?" They continue to watch as she pulls out a sword with a glowing blade, from her trench coat, and the girl replies. "I'm the Slayer", and then she beheads it. Both watch, amazed, as the body and head turn immediately to dust.
The girl puts the sword back into her coat and goes to check on the double's body. Quinn and Robert both see how saddened she is by the sight.
As they follow her out, Robert asks. "Quinn, what's a Slayer, and where did that sword go? It should be sticking out of her coat, but I don't see it. And why was it glowing?"
"The Slayer part, I don't understand either, but the sword disappeared because of spatial displacement. Curious, humanity shouldn't have that knowledge, yet. The blue glow was something that I haven't ever run into before either." Quinn mutters, entranced by what has just happened. "Let's follow her." Quinn states.
They follow her to a dark blue off road vehicle, and listen to the girl and her companion's conversation.
Robert turns to Quinn. "Did I hear correctly? These two people have killed seven vampires this night?" He asks in awe.
Quinn nods his head. Turning to Robert, he says. "Let's follow them. This could prove very interesting."
"Ah Quinn, would you mind answering a question for me?" Robert asks.
"Sure, Robert. What is it?"
"How are you doing all of this? The double, people not being able to see us, everything." Robert asks in a hushed whisper.
Quinn takes a deep sigh and begins. "First Robert, I'm not human." Robert nods in acceptance. "Second, I'm a member of what's called the Q Continuum. What that is, is basically a group of omnipotent beings who are superior to everything else in the universe. We have almost ultimate knowledge and can bend reality as we see fit. That about covers it." Quinn tells him.
"Then why are you my friend? You could know anybody in the world, the richest and most famous. Why choose an old piano player?" An awed Robert asks.
"Because you never were anything but yourself and you gave me your friendship freely, Robert. You never asked anything of me either, just my company. Very few people are like that. It's something that I always liked about you. Besides, being omnipotent gets to be boring, real fast. And having good friends to talk to, or share an evening with is something that I've always cherished." Quinn answers.
"So what's to become of me now, Quinn? The police think that I'm dead and I can't just appear back in my apartment. There would be too many questions and the government would find out about you and try to hunt you down." Robert tells him.
"Oh that's no problem." Quinn tells him, with a smile, as he holds up a mirror. "Here's the present that I was going to give you on your next birthday." Robert holds up the mirror and looks into the face of a twenty year old. He touches it hesitantly, wondering if it was an illusion.
He turns to Quinn, and asks in awe. "How. . . , how did you do this?"
"Simple, I rejuvenated your body back to where it was when you were about twenty." Quinn tells him with a smile. "You're my friend Robert. I couldn't watch you die of old age, when you haven't even seen another world."
"Quinn, I don't know what to say, other than thank you." Robert tells him in a hushed voice.
"Just don't change on me, Robert." Quinn tells him with a smile.
They move in behind the couple as they sit down to eat at the restaurant. The man called Steve holds out the girl's chair. Robert smiles, acknowledging the man's sense of chivalry.
Quinn asks. "Robert, why did he hold out the chair for the girl? She looks able enough to do it herself."
"Quinn, it's not the fact that she could do it herself. It's the fact that he had the courtesy to do it for her. Manners say much about a man. And how a woman looks at him. And it's obvious that," Robert points to Buffy, "that girl adores him."
The waitress comes over the table shared by Buffy and Steve. She gives the day's specials and takes their orders. Buffy orders a cheese burger and Steve orders a couple of slices of pizza. While they eat, they go over the night's events. Quinn and Robert listen in wonder and awe.
"I wonder where all of these new vampires came from. I thought we had cleared LA last week?" Steve asks.
"Don't know, maybe the big conventions attracted them. It's been a while since we got seven of them in one night." Buffy remarks.
"They might think that hunting's easier with so many strangers in town. Let's check in with Giles." Steve comments as he reaches for his cell phone and dials Giles' home number. He holds the phone between Buffy's and his ears. Jenny picks up the phone.
"Giles residence, can I help you?" Jenny asks.
"Hi Jenny, you guys naked yet?" Steve replies with a smirk.
"Buffy are you listening in?" Jenny asks.
"Yes, I am." Buffy replies with a giggle.
"Then smack that boyfriend of yours for me. Really hard." Jenny tells her with a giggle.
Buffy smacks Steve on the back of the head.
Steve drops the phone on the table and looks at Buffy. "What was that for?" He asks.
"Jenny asked me to smack you, so I smacked you." Buffy replies with a smug look.
*****
Quinn gives Robert a look and asks. "May I ask what is going on, now?"
Robert chuckles and replies. "Young love."
*****
Meanwhile Steve and Buffy are having their usual argument with Giles and Jenny, their Watchers . . . .
"Listen Giles, next time Jenny tells Buffy to smack me, she gets to do the hand to hand combat practice with her." Steve tells them.
"Steve, you brought it on yourself. The idea, that Jenny and myself are here, naked, pleasantly cool and tucked away, while we should be watching you hunt vampires on a hot, humid July night in Los Angeles is utterly preposterous." Giles replies. His smirk could be heard through the phone.
"Okay, so which one of you is wearing the top, and which one the bott..Ouch!!" Buffy smacks Steve, again.
"What was that for?" Steve asks.
"For stealing my line." Buffy replies with a giggle.
"All right children, that's enough." Giles replies over the cell phone. "Can you two stop bickering long enough to give me a status report."
Buffy and Steve look at each other and grin evilly as both reply at the same time, "Yes Giles, Oh Supreme Watcher of Miss Calendar's Behind."
"Steven St. Wolf, you are a forty year old Immortal, but you act like a teenager. Buffy Summers, you should act more like an adult and not drag Steve down to your level." Giles replies in an exasperated voice. Jenny could be heard in the back ground, laughing.
Steve and Buffy are laughing at Giles' comment. The rest of the patrons wonder what's so funny, but the go back to their meals with amused shakes of their heads. Buffy and Steve manage to get a hold of themselves and get back to business.
"Are we through having fun at your Watcher's expense?" Giles asks.
"Yeah Giles, sorry, just relieving the tension. The hunt's been a little heavy tonight. We got seven tonight. We were just thinking that maybe a new vampire clan moved into town." Buffy replies.
"You might be right." Giles muses. "So far you've killed thirty four vampires this week and it's only Thursday." Giles replies. "The previous three weeks have seen much less activity."
"I wonder what the hell they're planning." Buffy comments.
"Nothing good." Steve replies.
*****
Meanwhile, outside the Burger-to- Go, a group of fifteen vampires finishes off two of their latest victims. The leader, a large and burly vampire calling himself Thomas, decides to fill up for a couple of nights and maybe add a couple more vampires to the population. He points to the Burger-to-Go and orders. "Let's take over that place and drain it dry!!"
Thomas orders three vampires to the rear of the restaurant, in case anyone manages to escape out the back. The rest of the vampires follow his lead as he walks through the front door and orders everyone in the restaurant herded into a corner. His vampires move to comply.
*****
Above the vampires, Billy and Jinx have moved into position and are making ready to attack the vampires. The rest of their clan was about ten minutes behind them, but the lives of innocent people mattered and they have decided to attack the vampires as they try to take over the restaurant, giving the patrons a chance to run. Hoping that the rest of the clan makes it in time to save their lives.
*****
Robert turns to Quinn and says. "You were right Quinn. This is turning out to be a very interesting and enlightening evening."
Quinn takes a quick look by the door, and tells Robert. "And it's about to get more interesting." Robert looks at Quinn, wondering why he would say that. Quinn points to the door that's now blocked by a dozen vampires.
"Are you going to help?" Robert asks.
"Only if they need it." Quinn replies, happy just to be an observer in this situation.
Part 3 - Slaughter at the Burger-to-Go (Are You Ready To Rummmmble, and No, Fonzi is Not Around, But Richie's Making a Movie Just Down the Street)
Buffy suddenly jerks when the first vampire steps through the door. She looks over to the door and sees a dozen vampires. Steve notices her actions and quickly tells Giles, "Giles, a dozen vampires just walked in. Gotta go." Then he hangs up the phone.
*****
Giles stares at the phone in his hands and he offers up a silent prayer for the girl that he thought of as his daughter and the man who has become like a brother to him. He turns to Jenny, worry showing on his face.
Jenny seeing the expression on his face asks simply. "How many?"
"A dozen. I hope they can win against those odds."
"Rupert, those two are the best. Don't lose hope."
"I know, but sometimes it's just so hard."
"Hush now," Jenny tells him as she wraps her arms around him. "You know they'll win. They have to."
*****
The leader, obvious by his sheer size and attitude, orders the other vampires to herd the patrons and staff off to one side. Making it easier to pick and choose their victims.
Quinn and Robert notice Steve and Buffy moving to the side, away from the other patrons. Thomas, the lead vampire, notices this as well, so he orders four vampires to attack them, thinking them easy targets. As the vampires pounce, Buffy takes out a stake and stabs one in the heart, dusting him. Steve grabs a vampire by the throat and plunges a stake into it's heart. Buffy then ball kicks another vampire. As it doubles over, Buffy gives it a taste of wood. Steve takes out the fourth vampire with a straight arm stab to the heart. The four vampires are gone in less than a minute. Steve and Buffy haven't even broken a sweat.
Quinn, Robert and Thomas watch the man and woman defeat the four vampires sent against them. Quinn and Robert are impressed with the couple's combat skills. Thomas suddenly finds doubt in his ability to take these two.
*****
Billy and Jinx hesitate in their attack. After seeing the four vampires being taken down, they decide to wait and see what happens and help, if these two needed any help.
As they watch Jinx asks. "Who the hell are those two?"
"Don't know, but I think the fight's just gotten interesting."
*****
The vampire leader steps forward. "Who are you two? No normal humans can kill four vampires in less than a minute." He said.
"Oh, so sorry, we forgot to introduce ourselves." Steve replies sarcastically. "Allow me to introduce us. I'm called Wanderer." The vampire leader turns even paler. "And the pleasant young lady next to me is the Slayer." Several vampires start to move toward the door.
Buffy executes several back flips and lands next to the two vampires guarding the hostages. As she lands, both vampires attack her. Her sword cuts in a complete 360 degree circle, taking both heads. Both bodies and heads disintegrate before they hit the floor.
Meanwhile, Steve heads for the door. As he jumps over a table to block the vampires trying to escape, he pulls out his Katana, and goes into a tumble, cutting off the legs of a running vampire. As he gets up from the tumble, he takes the vampire's head. Another vampire, seeing Steve distracted attempts to attack him with a flying tackle. Steve, seeing this, punches the vampire in the face with a tiger's claw strike. The vampire falls down to its knees, its face smashed in, stunned. A normal man would be dead from such a devastating blow. Steve takes a wooden knife out of his coat and stabs it in the heart. Then, he takes the same knife and throws it into the heart of the vampire standing by the door, dusting it, before he could run.
In less than three minutes the odds have dropped from twelve to two to three to two. The three remaining vampires are scared. One of them attempts to grab a child for a hostage. Buffy stops him with a thrown stake through the heart. The leader and his last vampire rush Steve, who is now blocking the door. The leader grabs his crony and throws him into Steve, trying to knock him down. Steve, seeing what is going on, ducks down and slices the vampire's head off as he passes over him. A cloud of dust lands in the parking lot.
*****
Outside the restaurant, Billy and Jinx watch in fascination, as the man and woman take out the vampires. Jinx turns to Billy. "Billy, those two are incredible. I've never seen anyone able to draw a sword while doing a series of back flips, and then behead two opponents on the landing."
"Neither have I, Jinx. Didn't they come here in that blue blazer?" Billy asks as he takes photos.
"Yeah, they were the last people in before the vampires attacked."
Billy moves to the car and plants a G.P.S. tracker on it. Billy and Jinx then move back to the roof, the outcome in the restaurant beyond question.
*****
The leader, seeing what happened to his crony, tries for a window but Buffy trips him with a sweep kick. He gets up and grabs a chair, trying to beat Buffy down with it. Buffy steps back, letting the chair pass by her. Then she steps in and cuts open the leader's gut with her Katana. He falls to his knees, holding in his guts in with both hands. Buffy walks up to him and cuts off his head. The battle's lasted less than five minutes, but both are tired.
As they make their exit, Steve comments. "I guess that this means no dessert."
*****
Robert and Quinn standing off to one side, slightly out of phase are speechless. Quinn is the first to speak. "Never on a thousand worlds, have I seen a pair of warriors, this deadly. This is proving to be a real learning experience."
"You've got that right." Robert comments. "Are we going to follow them some more?"
"Yes, I do believe we will, Robert." Quinn states as they follow the pair to the dark blue Blazer in the parking lot.
*****
Buffy looking at the large number of police car approaching, as they enter the Tahoe, comment wryly. "I think we should get out of here. The LA police doesn't like vigilantes too much. Especially when we've just killed a dozen vampires and left no bodies, but plenty of witnesses."
"So, shall we go home now?" Steve asks.
"Yep, but let's give Giles a quick update," Buffy comments.
Buffy picks up the cell phone in the Tahoe. She sets it on speaker and waits for Giles to pick up.
"Buffy, Steve. Are you both all right?" A worried Giles asks.
"Yes, Giles, we're both all right." Buffy replies.
"What happened at the restaurant?" Giles asks.
"Scratch another twelve vamps Giles." Steve comments.
"Another twelve? How long did it take you to defeat them? It's not even ten minutes since you hung up on me." Giles comments.
"About five minutes, Giles" Buffy replies.
"My word, you two are getting too good at this." Giles comments.
"Giles, I think our earlier speculation was right. Another large group of vampires has moved in." Steve comments.
"It's possible. They might be filling in the vacuum you two have created by killing most of LA's vampires. I'll have to check with the other watchers and see who's on the move, so to speak." Giles replies.
"All right Giles, check it out tomorrow. We're calling it a night." Buffy tells him.
"Giles, who's doing patrol duty tonight?" Steve asks.
"Frank and a lady named Cassandra, are handling the patrol duties this night." Giles replies.
Steve smiles. His best friend, Frank, has had the hots for the Immortal Cassandra for the last seven years. And by the way she constantly made time to be with him, the feelings were mutual.
"We should make it back home in time for the final patrol. Want to make it a foursome?" Steve asks Buffy.
"Sure, it'll give me time to get to know the lady in Frank's life." Buffy replies with a smile.
Part 4 - Aftermath At The Burger-To-Go
(Frohike Finds a New Goddess)
The parking lot of the Burger-to-Go is filled with police cars. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter are on the scene. The police have found two bodies stuffed in the parking lot dumpsters. Both bodies had been drained of blood. < This case was getting too fucking weird. First that Quinn just up's and disappears with half the LA homicide unit watching. And now this. > Captain Randall thinks to himself.
All of the patrons questioned have basically given the same story. A dozen men had invaded the restaurant, and proceeded to herd the patrons and staff into a corner, and do what? That's where the stories split up. First, some of the patrons reported that a man and a woman had fought off the invaders with swords that glowed like light sabers. A second group had reported that the man and woman used wooden stakes. And the final group's story is the weirdest of the lot. Who could believe that two groups of aliens had fought it out? One group protecting the people, the other group, trying to drain their blood. The good aliens had won and left, destroying the bad aliens. But to top it all off, the security camera tape had been stolen by someone.
< Only in LA > Captain Randall thinks to himself. He turns to the FBI Agent assisting his team, Joe Tanaka. "Joe, what do you think happened here? I can't believe any of the stories those people," Captain Randall looks over at the witnesses, "are saying. It just boggles the mind. People do not turn to dust when they are killed."
"John, I can't make sense of this either. I don't want to do this, but it looks like I'll have to call them in." Joe tells Captain Randall.
"Who are you talking about, Joe. At this point, I'm ready to call in every psychic and gypsy in town to solve this case." Captain Randall replies.
"I'll have to clear it with my boss, but I'm going to request the 'Spook Patrol'." Joe tells him.
"The 'Spook Patrol?' Who the hell is that, the Ghostbusters' competition?" Captain Randall cracks.
"No John, it's the FBI's X-Files division. The two agents who run it, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, are nicknamed Spooky and Ice Queen, respectively." Joe tells him.
"You're kidding, I hope." Captain Randall replies.
"I wish I was. I meet them about five months ago, and they left a very bad impression." Joe replies, not mentioning that they had reprimanded him for attempting to interfere in one of their cases.
******
Officer Jarod Russell has just finished taking the statement of a young woman and looks over the scene in the Burger to Go. < What these people are describing is incredible. When I decided to involve myself in this case, I never thought that solving it would be beyond my skills. > Jarod fingers the vial of dust in his pocket. He would analyze it tomorrow at Cal State. < And what is a Slayer exactly? >
As he is standing next to Captain Randall and Agent Tanaka, he overhears their conversation and decides to look up Agents Mulder and Scully and the X-Files.
*****
Meanwhile, across the street, Frohike of the Lone Gunmen, was standing there watching the chaos around the Burger to Go. He and his cousin Matt had stopped there to get something to eat and witnessed everything. Matt had grabbed the surveillance tape on their way out, before the cops came.
Matt, standing next to his cousin Frohike, couldn't believe what he just seen go down in the restaurant. The tape he had 'borrowed' contained the proof they needed to uncover another government conspiracy.
Frohike turns to Matt. "Let's get back to your place. I need to call my partners and Mulder about this." Matt nods his head and goes to his car.
*****
On a rooftop, overlooking the Burger-to-Go, Jinx and Billy of the Storm Shadow Ninja clan watch as the police move about making notes and taking pictures.
"Jinx, I saw the battle, but I still can't believe what I saw." A shaken Billy comments.
"I know Billy. Those two were incredible. Do you think that it's the same people Scarlet and Snake Eyes told us about?" Jinx replies.
"Must be. Hope the photos I took come out." Billy replies, as Tommy, Nunchuk and Shuriken arrive.
Tommy noting the police cars asks. "What happened?"
Billy and Jinx quickly give a detailed report on the battle and it's outcome. Tommy looks down on the chaotic scene below and simply says. "Let's go."
The clan leaves the roof, going back to their base of operations.
*****
In an alley across from the Burger to Go, the three vampires left behind by Thomas watch the scene before them. They had seen Thomas lead eleven vampires into the restaurant and get slaughtered by the man and woman. A vampire named Reggie decides to go back and tell their queen that the Slayer was in town and she wasn't alone.
*****
At Matt's apartment, Frohike puts the tape into the VCR. They watch the video of the fight repeatedly. Especially the parts with girl in it.
"My God, she's a goddess." An awed Frohike states.
Matt is grinning ear to ear. He's heard his cousin only talk about one woman, Dana Scully.
Frohike reaches for the phone and calls Mulder's cell phone.
Mulder answers. "Mulder"
"Mulder, this is Frohike. I'm in Los Angeles and something's happened." Frohike tells him.
"What happened, Frohike?" A worried Mulder asks.
"I've got a video tape of government super soldiers armed with disintegrators, killing aliens." Frohike exclaims.
"Hold on Frohike, describe exactly what happened." Mulder tells him. Frohike then describes the situation at the Burger to Go and the two super soldiers who had rescued the people inside.
"Listen to me, Frohike," Mulder tells him. "Don't do anything. I have a friend in the area who will help you. Go to this address in Sunnydale." Mulder gives Frohike Steve's home address. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM. He'll know what to do with the tape."
"Thanks Mulder, I'll be careful." Frohike tells him and hangs up the phone.
Frohike turns to his cousin Matt. "Can you tell me how to get to Sunnydale tomorrow?"
Matt nods his head. "Sure, no problem."
"Okay, let's boot up your computer, transfer this image to digital and send it to Langley and Byers, just in case." Frohike tells him.
After they finish uploading the tape, Frohike turns to Matt.
"All right, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Frohike says.
*****
At the Storm Shadow Clan's LA base, Billy has just finished developing and blowing up the photographs he had taken at the Burger-to-Go. He immediately takes the still wet photos to the conference room, where the rest of the clan is waiting for them. As he enters the room, a group of anxious people wait for him.
He places the photos on the situation board and then moves away. A man and a woman walk up and examine the pictures closely. After a couple of seconds, they turn to their 'family' and confirm the identities of the two people in the photos.
"It's them." The woman confirms. "The man is named Steve and girl is named Buffy. They're still alive." Her husband merely nods his head in agreement and smiles. Scarlet turns to Billy and Jinx and asks. "You only saw these two?"
Billy and Jinx nod.
"I hope Mack is also alive." Scarlet murmurs.
Tommy turns to Billy and Jinx and asks, "Did you get the license plate of the vehicle they were using?"
Billy replies. "No." Tommy casts his apprentice a hard glance. Billy smiles, as he tells them. "I planted a G.P.S. tracker on their car. I have it's current location on my computer map right now."
Tommy cracks a smile. "Good, we'll pay them a visit tomorrow afternoon. Now let's get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day and night."
*****
Scully's Apartment - Richmond VA.
Mulder wakes up to the sound of his ringing cell phone. He reaches for the phone, hoping not to wake up his wife, Dana. He hits the send button and answers. "Mulder."
"Mulder, this is Frohike. I'm in Los Angeles and something's happened." The excited voice tells him.
"What happened Frohike?" A worried Mulder asks.
"I've got a video tape of government super soldiers armed with disintegrators, killing aliens." Frohike exclaims.
"Hold on Frohike, describe exactly what happened." Mulder tells him. Frohike then describes the situation at the Burger to Go and the two super soldiers who had rescued the people inside.
Mulder could barely keep in his laughter. Frohike was describing a vampire hunt. Buffy and Steve were still at it, and Frohike somehow got caught in the middle of a battle.
"Listen to me, Frohike," Mulder tells him. "Don't do anything. I have a friend in the area who will help you. Go to this address in Sunnydale." Mulder gives Frohike Steve's home address. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM. He'll know what to do with the tape.
"Thanks Mulder, I'll be careful." Frohike tells him and hangs up the phone.
After Frohike hangs up. Mulder lets out a long, wicked laugh. The laughter wakes up Scully, who's sleeping next to him.
"Mulder, what's so funny?" A sleepy Scully asks.
Mulder tells her about Frohike's call and where he sent him to drop off the tape. Dana starts to giggle.
"You are evil Mulder. Do you hear me? Evil." Dana tells him between giggles. "Oh I wish I could see Frohike's face when he walks into that house."
Just then, her phone rings. Dana gets control of herself as she answers it. "Hello, Scully here."
"Scully, this is Skinner." The caller identifies himself. "I've just had an emergency request for you and Mulder. Pack your bags, you're both leaving on the 10:00 am flight to L.A. But you have to report to my office first, at 8:00 am, for a quick briefing. Do you what me to contact Mulder and tell him?" Skinner asks.
"No sir, he's woken me up a lot of times in the middle of the night. Now, I'll have the pleasure of waking him up." Scully replies with a chuckle.
Skinner also chuckles. "Scully, you're starting to get Mulder's warped sense of humor. Enjoy."
"No problem, sir. Good night." Dana tells Skinner as she hangs up. "Well, it looks like I got my wish." Mulder arches an eyebrow. "Skinner's sending us to LA on the 10:00 am flight. Do you think we could make it to Steve's place before Frohike?" Dana asks.
"And you called me evil? Scully would you marry me?" Mulder asks.
"Too late, I already did." Dana replies with a grin. As she reaches for Mulder. "You know, we still have a couple of hours. And we could sleep on the plane."
Mulder takes her into his arms. "Why Mrs. Mulder, I do believe you want sex."
"Shut up G-man and turn off the lights." Dana tells him.
*****
The vampire called Reggie approaches the figure sitting on the throne like chair. Her name is Katherine. She was once an English noble woman, but a vampire had changed that back in 1125. She now ruled several hundred vampires as their leader. Thomas had been one of her best lieutenants. Reggie approaches the throne and gets on his knees before her. She looks up from the newspaper that she's reading and asks. "Where's Thomas?"
"Gone, Mistress." Reggie replies.
She drops her newspaper and commands. "What happened."
Reggie describes Thomas' plan to attack the restaurant and drain it's patrons dry. He then tells her about the battle he had witnessed inside the restaurant and how all twelve vampires were destroyed. After he finishes, Reggie kneels there waiting for his queen's judgement.
Katherine quickly digests the news that Reggie has brought to her. The Slayer was still hunting in Los Angeles and She had a partner. < So that's how she's been able to kill so many vampires. This could mean problems for my plans to bring back the Demon Throlog, the Merciless. I need time to think. > She calls over a female named Lisa and orders. "Lisa, take Reggie and the other two, and have Pamela draw sketches of what the Slayer and her partner look like. Then bring the sketches to me."
As Reggie gets up to leave, Katherine turns to him. "Reggie, you were correct in coming back here with this information. Good job."
Reggie breathes a sigh of relief, his queen would allow him to live a time longer.
*****
Jarod is not having a good night. He had almost been caught four times while he accessed Agents Mulder and Scully's case files. The sentry program on their files was far beyond what would be normal for the rest of the FBI. But his patience and determination has paid off. He was finally able to get into their files. And what he found there makes him almost wish that he hadn't. Some of the cases these two had assigned to them were so far beyond the norm, that they should have qualified as science fiction or fantasy stories.
Since Jarod had escaped the Centre, he had indulged himself in various aspects of real life. Last Halloween, Jarod had read up on the witches, vampires and other things that go bump in the night. But, he had never believed that he would see actual FBI files, case histories and investigations into werewolves, vampires, aliens, mutants and other supernatural phenomena.
The mere fact that the FBI had two Agents with the credentials of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigating them was enough to raise the hairs on Jarod's neck. This pretend had just gotten really strange, but Jarod was determined to see it through to the end. The death of his friend Heather Michaels demanded it.
< Heather, why did you have to die? > Jarod thinks to himself as he remembers the young nurse who patched him up after one of his pretends almost cost him his life. She never asked anything for herself, just that Jarod finish his work. Jarod's head straightens up and his eyes take on a hard look as he looks over the files in front of him. < You helped me and now I'm going to avenge your murder, Heather. And nothing will get in my way. >
Part 5 - Patrol Duty - Sunnydale - 11:00 p.m.
(How Do You Spell Trouble -
Have Two Best Friends, Date Two Independent Women,
Bring the Women Together and They Actually Begin to Compare
Notes on Their Significant Others)
Steve and Buffy make it back to Sunnydale by 11:00 p.m. Steve calls his house to see if Frank and Cassandra are in. The machine comes on. He turns to Buffy.
"They're not at the house. Where do you think they are?" Steve asks.
"Probably hunting in the grave yard." Buffy replies.
*****
Meanwhile, Frank and Cassandra are at the Bronze, having a dance. Two vampires had been dusted that evening and the last three patrols were fruitless. So they had decided to see what was going on at the Bronze. The dance part had been Frank's idea, so they would blend in. The slow dance had been the band's, thanks to the hundred that Frank had slipped to the lead guitar.
The mood of the club is shattered by the sound of the door smashing closed and the shriek of the lead guitar player being impaled by a spear. Frank and Cassandra turn to face three vampires wearing armor and carrying weapons.
"We want the Slayer." The leader shouts out. "If we don't get her, everyone here dies tonight.
Frank is pissed, they've ruined his evening with Cassandra. He steps forward and pulls out his modified H&K Spec Ops 45 and points it at the leader. Cassandra steps over to their table and pulls out her sword. She moves back to Frank's side, ready for anything.
"You bastards ruined my evening. Now I'm going to make sure you never see another sunset." Frank tells them.
The leader laughs. "Bullets can't hurt us, mortal. Go ahead and shoot." He exclaims.
Frank shoots all three vampires in the chest. They become dust. Frank just smiles, and puts away his gun. < Too bad they don't know about wooden bullets. > He turns to Cassandra, and says. "Let's go home. I think the night is shot."
Cassandra just nods, reaching for her coat and puts her sword away. The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. The rest of the Bronze's patrons are getting up from the floor where they went when the fight started. Everyone looks at the body of the lead guitarist, still standing, being supported by the spear.
When the police come, they clear out the Bronze and make the usual reports ruling the death an accident.
*****
Frank and Cassandra get to the house just as Buffy and Steve are pulling out to look for them.
Steve and Buffy pull their car back into the driveway and wait for Frank and Cassandra to pull in along side their car.
"Frank, how goes the hunt?" Steve asks as the group makes it's way to the side door of Steve's house.
"Fine Steve, we got five tonight. Two in the cemetery, and three attacked the Bronze, trying to get to Buffy. The three in the Bronze wore armor and carried weapons." A tired sounding Frank tells Steve and Buffy.
"Did you say that the last three wore armor?" Buffy asks, as she opens the door and turns off the alarms.
"Yep, they wore armor, but the bullets got through it and shredded their evil little hearts." Frank replies with a grin. < When did Buffy get a key to Steve's house? >
"Damn! It's the 'Three' again. I thought the previous master destroyed them." Buffy tells them.
"Well, we'll have Giles look it up in the morning." Steve tells her. "Do you need a ride home? I'm ready to hit the sack."
"No, I'll stay here tonight." Buffy replies with a smile. "In one of the guest rooms. Besides, it'll give me a chance to talk to Cassandra."
"Who's covering for you? Willow?" Steve asks.
"Yeah, Mom thinks I'm studying over there tonight." Buffy tells Steve.
Meanwhile Frank and Cassandra are whispering to each other. They both turn to Steve. "Steve, Buffy." Frank tells them. "Cassie and I are going to bed. Goodnight."
"Rats. Now I don't get any dirt on Frank." Buffy pouts. Steve and Cassandra laugh, and Frank just glares at her.
"Listen here, little girl," Frank warns. "I am not your boyfriend. He is." Frank points to Steve. "Do whatever you want to him. Hell, I'll help. But keep out of MY life."
Buffy starts to explain, but she breaks down and starts to cry. Steve immediately goes to her defense.
"Frank, relax. Buffy meant no harm by it." Steve explains.
Frank turns to Steve, and angrily tells him. "Steve, you've always been the type who likes to settle down and have a permanent partner. That's why you don't mind how she's been setting you up these last two months. Me, I don't let anyone tell me how to live. If Cassandra and I want to stay together, we will. But no seventeen year old match-maker will do it for us."
Cassandra, walks over to Buffy and quietly talks to her for a couple of seconds. After talking to Buffy, she gently hugs her and gives her a tissue.
Cassandra then walks over to where Frank and Steve are arguing. "Frank, Buffy wanted to talk to me about her relationship with Steve. Her remark about you was just an excuse, so Steve wouldn't be suspicious."
The anger just drains away from Frank's face. He looks over to Buffy, who's crying on the couch. He goes over and talks to her.
"Buffy, I'm sorry that I exploded like that. Cassandra and I were having a good time when those three vampires ruined it. That really pissed me off. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Sorry." Frank stammerers out.
Buffy gives Frank a smile. "I know where your coming from Frank. Twelve vamps ruined my dinner with Steve tonight. No bad blood." Buffy holds out her hand. Frank takes it and she gives him a hug.
"All right, if everyone is finished. Let's all get some sleep. Buffy, treat the last bed room on the right as yours." Steve tells her.
"You mean permanently?" Buffy replies with a smile.
< What the hell did I just do? > Steve thinks to himself as he replies with a sigh. "Yes, permanently, if you like."
"Cool." Buffy replies, as she bounces up, gives Steve a hug, and takes her overnight bag upstairs.
"What did you just do, Steve?" Frank asks with a grin on his face. Cassandra walks up to him and wraps her arms around his waist, waiting for Steve's reply.
"I think I just asked her to move in." Steve replies in a whisper.
"Well worst things have happened, and you got through them. So get used to it. Good night." Frank tells Steve. Frank and Cassandra turn around and go to their room, quietly having a good laugh.
Steve just stands there, wondering who set him up. Buffy couldn't have thought of this on her own. Or pulled it off by herself. It had to be either Frank or Cassandra, but probably both. He will definitely get even for this.
*****
As Frank and Cassandra enter their room, both laugh. "Did you see Steve's face when he realized he was set up?" Frank comments between laughs.
"Yes, but he didn't look too pissed. I wonder what's on his mind?"
"Probably figuring out a way to get even with us. It's definitely going to be something nasty. Bet on it." Frank replies with a grin, not caring in the least.
"Those two need to be together. Steve is taking far too long."
"Steve knows Buffy's history and doesn't want to hurt her."
"Frank, sometimes going too slow, also hurts" Cassandra tells Frank as she turns down the bed.
"I know, but Steve also has his personal feelings to sort out." Frank explains as he gets into bed with Cassandra. "He hasn't been with a woman since his wife Kathy died."
"Fifteen years? Frank, that's not healthy. Even for an Immortal."
"Tell me about it. But Steve loved Kathy a lot and Buffy's the first woman that's ever gotten past the shell he's built up around himself. Just give them a little more time and we'll have to drag them out of the bedroom."
"And if they don't?"
"Then we lock them up together for a week and let nature take it's course." Frank replies with a grin.
Cassandra shares his grin. "Think the others will help?"
"Oh yes, especially Willow and Cordelia. Those two are getting pissed that Buffy and Steve haven't done anything yet."
"Sounds like a plan." And with a grin Cassandra rolls over and turns off the light. "Now get over here." Cassandra orders.
"Yes, Ma'am." Frank replies with a grin as he reaches for her in the darkness.
Part 6 - Debriefs, Dissertations and Convergences -
J. Edgar Hoover Federal Building - 8:00 am
(Rogaine is Definitely Not a Good Christmas Present For Your Superior/
When Someone Offers You an Assault Force, Take It.)
Mulder and Scully were making their way down the hall toward Assistant Director Skinner's office. He had ordered them in to brief them on the situation in LA.
Skinner's secretary waves them in. Assistant Director Skinner is sitting behind his desk, working on some reports. He waves them into the chairs in front of his desk.
After finishing the reports, Skinner looks directly at Mulder and Scully as he tells them. "There have been a rash of vampire type murders in Los Angeles over the last two months and in the last two weeks, they've escalated dramatically. The local police are stumped and the FBI field office can't figure it out either." Skinner tosses a thick file folder across his desk. "The field office has requested your help. But they've asked me to rein in your attitudes," Skinner crosses his arms and looks directly at Scully. "Especially yours Agent Scully. Now I don't know where they got the idea from, and I'm quite curious. Care to explain?"
Scully shifts uneasily in her seat as she begins. "Director Skinner, the last time we were in LA, one of Agent Daniels' people, an Agent Tanaka, attempted to usurp a case that we were working on. I took the liberty of informing him that our orders came directly from you, and that Agent in Charge Daniels had no right to order us around. If he had any questions on the matter, to take them up with you, personally." Scully explains.
Skinner looks at Scully for a moment, before he says. "Well that explains it. Daniels always was an asshole, this just confirms it." Skinner replies with a grin. "All right you two, have a good trip and don't piss too many people off."
Mulder and Scully get up and leave. As they're going to their car, Mulder slyly comments to Scully. "Well that's a switch, this time they're complaining about you."
"Mulder, if you ever want to have sex again, shut up." Scully replies with a grin of her own.
"Ahhh Scully, why can't I have a little fun?" Mulder whines playfully as they get into their car for the drive to the airport.
"Because I don't want you to." Scully replies with a mischievous smile.
"Why Mrs. Mulder, I do believe you are having fun with me." Mulder comments.
"Of course I am, what else is a wife for?" Scully replies with a smile.
"Let me call Steve and tell him what's going on." Mulder tells Scully.
"Mulder, it's 5:30 am in Sunnydale, and Steve is probably still asleep. Don't forget he and Buffy spend their nights hunting vampires." Scully replies.
"I know." Mulder replies with a grin as he reaches for the cell phone.
Mulder dials Steve's home number and a sleepy Steven St. Wolf answers. "It's now 5:30 am, if the world isn't ending in twenty minutes or you're not a super model who wants to jump my bones, then you are dead, whoever you are."
Mulder snickers, as he replies. "Wake up sleepy head. This is your favorite FBI agent calling to say hello. Hello." Then Mulder hangs up the phone. Scully shoots a 'what the hell are you doing' look at him. Mulder just grins.
A minute later, his cell phone rings. Mulder answers it. "Mulder is not here right now. He is on his way to LA to investigate a series of vampire like murders. Please leave a message at the beep. BEEP."
"Mulder, I am definitely going to beat the hell out of you, next time I see you. Couldn't you have called me in an hour?"
"Sorry Steve, I couldn't resist. Listen, we'll be in LA in about six hours. After we check in with the locals, then we'll come by the house. Got any empty rooms available?"
"For you and Dana, of course I have a room. Are you two really investigating the vampire deaths in LA?"
"Sure are." Mulder confirms it. Steve chuckles. "Now that's irony. Buffy will be happy to see Dana again. Frank and Cassandra are here as well."
"Sounds like we're going to have some backup on this case. We'll be over by 3:00 p.m. There's another matter that we have to discuss with you and Buffy when we get there. Nothing important, but I think you two will get a kick out of it."
"Okay, see you at three o'clock then. Have a pleasant trip." Steve says, then hangs up and goes back to sleep.
*****
After Mulder and Scully leave Skinner's office, a back door opens and the man Mulder and Scully refer to as Cancer Man enters. He looks directly at Skinner and comments with a smile. "So the Los Angeles office is having a problem with vampires. This type of case is their speciality."
Skinner looks at the man in distaste. "I take it that they won't be stepping on any of your toes this time?"
The man chuckles evilly. "Definitely not. Keep them out there for as long as they need to stay and solve the case. If Daniels gives you any problems, back them up. I'll make sure that twit doesn't screw with them."
*****
Mulder and Scully make to it the Dulles International Airport with time to spare. As they enter the boarding area for their flight, both feel the familiar 'buzz' of another Immortal. The look around and see four men walking towards them. The man in the lead is known to both. Five months ago, he had helped them, Buffy and Steve, destroy two hundred vampires. The man's name is Mack Bolan.
As Bolan's group approaches, Mack holds out his hand. "Mulder, Scully, it's nice to see you both again. It's been what, five months since we met?" Mack comments. His three companions share a common trait with Mack. They all have the look of professional soldiers.
"Hi Mack. What are you doing here?" Mulder asks taking his hand.
"Just wishing my friends here," He introduces Carl 'Ironman' Lyons, Herman 'Gadgets' Schwartz and Rosario 'Politician' Blancanales, "a pleasant trip. They're on the way back to LA for some rest and relaxation. Where are you two off to? Not LA, I hope." Mack replies with a grin.
Mulder looks at Scully, who nods her agreement. "In fact we are. There are a series of murders in LA that we're going to help investigate. You know the type, you helped us with the last one." Mulder tells him.
Mack thinks back to what happened five months ago, when he, Mulder and Scully, along with friends old and new, helped rid the town of Sunnydale of two hundred vampires. Mack makes a decision. Then he turns to his three friends, and calls them over. "Carl, I know I promised you three some time off. But Mulder and Scully may need some backup. Are you three willing to lend a hand?"
His three friends nod their agreement to help.
Mulder and Scully are surprised at Mack's generosity. They look at each other and silently agree, only if they need the help in the worst way, would they call in Mack's friends.
Mulder turns to Mack. "Mack, we already have local backup. Steve and Buffy are more than capable of helping us." Mulder explains.
"I know Steve and Buffy are capable, but if the shit hits the fan, call in Carl. He'll be able to cut through the bull shit and help you get things done. Especially with the LAPD." Mack explains.
Mulder and Scully look doubtful. Mulder voices his doubts. "Look Mack, Scully and I can't have a private vigilante group running around LA. The Bureau and locals won't stand for it."
"Mulder, have you ever heard of the Stony Man group?" Mack asks quietly.
"You mean the top secret, covert operations unit that doesn't exist, and answers only to the President? Nope, haven't heard a thing about it." Mulder replies with a grin.
Mack laughs. "Mulder, you are one dangerous bastard, I'm glad you're on our side. Let me introduce you to Stony Man's American operations group, code named Able Team." Mack nods to his three friends.
Lyons, Blancanales and Schwartz, who have been listening in, nod their heads in acknowledgment.
Lyons looks over the two Feds that Mack had introduced him to. They weren't your run-of-the-mill Feds. For one thing, they weren't full of themselves. Lyons looks over at Mulder and his partner, Scully in detail.
Mulder was tall and lanky. His eyes told his story. Grief, pain and loss. While most people would be down, it had only made this man stronger. Lyons could respect that in a man.
Scully was a head shorter than Mulder and well built. Her eyes mirrored Mulder's. These two had seen the dark side of humanity and survived. No, not just survived, become stronger as individuals, and as partners.
Lyons also notes one other fact. These two were partners in the truest sense of the word. They would back each other up, no matter what. < I wonder if they're sleeping together? Probably are, from how close they're standing together. > Lyons thinks to himself with a grin. His thoughts are shared by his two partners.
Schwartz is thinking. < Where have heard this guy's name before? > Then it hits him. < Bear mentioned this guy several times. > Schwartz doesn't remember what Bear was talking about, but he would definitely call him about it.
Mulder, Scully and Mack chat for a short while until the flight to LA is called. Able team and the two FBI agents board their flight. Mack wishes them all good luck and good hunting. As he watches the plane climb into the sky, he sends a silent prayer hoping Able Team survives this mission.
*****
In the corner, off to one side, supposedly reading a magazine, an agent of the Cancer Man makes notes and takes photos of Mulder and Scully's meeting with Mack and his three operatives. After they board the plane, he gets up and follows Mack to his car and gets his license plate number.
The agent then goes back to his office and turns over his notes and photographs to his superior, who immediately gives him a fresh assignment.
The photos are developed, the license plate and it's owner are researched and a report is printed up. All of this is assembled and placed in the 'in' box of the Cancer Man's desk for his review.
Also in the 'in' box are the transcripts from Mulder's and Scully's phones, for the last 48 hours.
*****
Buffy wakes up to the pounding on her door. She turns over and checks the time. It's 7:00 am. She rolls over and sleepily yells. "Mom, it's only 7:00. I don't have to get up for another half hour."
She instantly wakes up when a male voice replies. "Buffy, I want to get some early practice in this morning. Oh, and your mother's not here, so clean up your room." She hear's Steve's chuckle as he moves away from the door.
Buffy gets up and puts on a pair of sweat pants and her favorite 'Don't Trust Anyone Over 300 sweat shirt. As she goes to the door, she also gets her wooden kendo sword out for the practice. < Knowing Steve, I better be ready. > Buffy muses. As she opens the door, a sudden flash catches her eye and she brings up the blade in time to block the slash aimed at her head. She counters with a side kick and a slash of her own.
Steve back pedals and blocks both blows with his thigh and blade respectively. He starts to fence in earnest, cutting high, then low, then to the middle. Steve is setting up a rhythm to the fight. Buffy sees this and hopes that Steve will make a mistake and she can get past his guard. As he hits low, Buffy expects him to go to the middle, but he suddenly goes for her thigh. She barely gets her sword down in time to block the blow, but Steve follows this with a kick to her side, which does connect.
Frank and Cassandra are both rudely awaken by the battle outside their door. Both get up and are armed within seconds. Cassandra pulls open the door while Frank prepares to open fire on anyone outside the door. Frank watches as Steve passes the door. He gets ready to blast whomever Steve is fighting. As the figure draws past the door Frank sees that it's Buffy.
"What the HELL is going on here?" Frank yells.
"Well (ungh) Steve told me to get (omph) up and get in (ouch) some practice. This (ugh) is his (omph) idea." Buffy explains as she continues to fight Steve.
Steve is slowly backing down the stairs as he replies. "Sorry about (omph) waking you and Cassie (ouch) up, Frank. But (whack) I thought Buffy could use a little (mmgh) realism in her practice today."
As the two battle their way down the staircase, Steve sees his opportunity and stabs Buffy in the foot as she's stepping down. Buffy immediately loses her balance and falls forward. Steve, expecting the fall, drops his sword as he catches her in his arms.
"Couldn't let you break your neck." A smiling Steve tells her. "That would make you late for school." Buffy just smiles sweetly as she knees him in the groin. He quickly loses his smile as he bends over in pain. Buffy then touches Steve's neck with her practice sword and tells him. "Gotcha."
Frank and Cassie are standing on the staircase having a good laugh.
"He deserved that, Buffy." A laughing Cassandra tells her.
"That's for Damn sure." Frank adds between laughs.
"Okay, (umph)" A bent over Steve replies. "That's (ouch) enough practice for this morning."
"Thought so." A laughing Buffy replies, as she picks up her practice sword and heads back to her room to get a shower. As she passes Cassandra, Cassandra gives her a high five.
*****
Quinn and Robert, still out of phase turn to each other. "Now that's a new way to wake up in the morning." Robert cracks with a smile. Quinn just nods and watches.
*****
Meanwhile, in the vampire lair. . .
Katherine is looking over the sketches just given to her by Lisa, her assistant. The sketches are of the Slayer and her companion. She studies them in detail, especially the companion's. She turns to Lisa and asks. "What do you think, should we turn him to our cause?"
Lisa looks over the sketch and replies. "Well mistress, he's rather handsome and quite deadly from Reggie's description of the battle. He would make a fine general for you. But first the Slayer must be killed."
Katherine smiles. "Of course. Have copies made and spread around our community. I want the pleasure of changing him for myself."
Lisa bows as she replies. "It will be done as you ask, mistress." And as she leaves, Katherine gives another order.
"Lisa, tell most of our vampires to stay inside tonight. I don't want to lose any more to the Slayer and her companion. We can hunt them down after we free Throlog."
Lisa smiles as her queen gives an evil laugh.
*****
A few minutes later, everyone is in the kitchen grabbing some breakfast. Steve then breaks the news. "Mulder and Scully are coming back today."
"Why?" A curious Buffy asks.
Steve's mouth spreads into a grin. "They've been put in charge of the case handling the vampire murders in LA."
"Talk about a Fox in the hen house." Frank comments with a chuckle.
"Yep." Steve replies, then turns to Buffy. "Buffy, could you have everyone here today at about two?"
"Not a problem. Giles and the rest will be happy to see Dana and Mulder again.
"Buffy," Steve reminds her. "don't forget to ask Giles about the 'Three'."
"Not a prob. He'll probably spend all day looking it up." Buffy replies.
*****
At the school library, Buffy meets with her friends and mentors for a brief meeting before summer school starts. She gives a brief rundown on the previous night's hunts and passes along the information about the 'Three'. Giles is surprised.
"Buffy, are you sure it was the 'Three'?" Giles asks.
"Well, I wasn't there. But Frank and Cassandra described them to a 'T'." Buffy replies.
"Well, I'll just have to look this up in the Codex." Giles comments.
"One other thing guys," Buffy comments. "Dana and Mulder are coming back this afternoon. And Steve wants us by his place by two, for a meeting with them."
"May I ask the nature of their visit? Is it business or pleasure?" Giles asks.
"Business mostly. They've been put in charge of hunting down the 'vampire' serial killers in Los Angeles." Buffy replies with a grin.
"Oh my, now that is most ironic, isn't it?" Giles comments with a wry grin. Every body else laughs. And with that, the first period bell rings.
As they walk out Willow asks. "So how are things going with you and Steve?"
Buffy smiles. "Steve just gave me my own room. Frank and Cassie helped set him up last night."
"Does he know he was set up?" Cordelia asks.
"Yeah, but he's not going to do anything about it." Xander replies.
Buffy turns to him and asks. "Why?"
"C'mon Buff, you mean you haven't seen how he looks at you? The guys got it bad." Xander tells her.
"Oh please. He does not have it bad." Buffy replies.
"Yes, he does. Only the two of you don't see it." Xander says.
Willow nods in understanding, thinking of Xander and herself.
*****
The flight to LA is uneventful, other than Mulder and Scully get to know the men of Able Team better. As Mulder, Scully and the men of Able Team deplane, they exchange local phone numbers. As they make their way to the luggage carousel, Agent Tanaka, finds them.
"Agents Mulder and Scully, I'm so glad you could make it out here so quickly." Agent Tanaka comments.
"Couldn't refuse a case like this one, Agent Tanaka." Mulder replies with a smile.
"Let's get your luggage. I have some bad news. We couldn't get you hotel rooms because of several major conventions in town. And all of our safe houses are full." Agent Tanaka tells them.
Scully smiles as she replies. "Don't worry about us, Agent Tanaka. We have a friend in Sunnydale. He'll put us up."
"Sunnydale? Isn't that were you two were going on your last case?" Tanaka comments.
"Yep, it sure was." Mulder replies non-commitadley, as he gets their suitcases.
Before Agent Tanaka can reply, Carl Lyons walks over. "Mulder, Scully, we're leaving now. You have my phone number in case you need some backup on this case. Otherwise, see you around." Carl, Gadgets and Politician then walk away.
Agent Tanaka obviously doesn't like the interruption, but Carl's large size and demeanor keeps him quiet. < Shit, what the fuck are THEY doing here? And talking to Spooky and the Ice Queen? The boss had better know about this. > As the three strangers walk away, Tanaka asks. "Who were those three men, Agent Mulder?"
"None of your business." Mulder replies with a cold smile.
"Very well then, let's go meet Agent in Charge Daniels and Captain Randall of the LA police major crimes unit." A stiff Tanaka tells them as he leads them to his car, waiting outside the terminal.
Part 7 - Meeting the Lead Agent
(How Do You Spell Incompetent Asshole - D*A*N*I*E*L*S)
The ride to the LA office of the FBI, is quickly over. As Mulder, Scully and Tanaka pass through the office, Mulder accidently bumps into a female agent and three of her colleagues. One of them is agitated about something.
"Sorry about that, ahhh, Agent Kowalski." Mulder apologies to the female agent as he reads her name tag. Her three colleagues hold back, waiting to see what happens.
"No problem, Agent Mulder?" Agent Kowalski replies, looking at Mulder's FBI identification. Her three colleagues relax. "Nice bumping into you." She replies with a smile.
Mulder, Scully and Tanaka watch as Kowalski and her friends leave. Mulder asks Tanaka a question. "Those three with Kowalski, they're not Bureau are they?"
Tanaka sniffs in distaste. "They're Kowalski's pet project, paroled ex-cons who work for the Bureau, doing stings." Tanaka explains.
"Interesting concept. Does it work?" Scully asks.
Tanaka just glares at her. Scully looks to Mulder and silently tells him // Guess it works pretty well then. Tanaka doesn't want to talk about it. Must be embarrassed by their success. //
Any reply is cut short as they're ushered into Agent Daniels office. In the office, sitting behind his 'power' desk is Agent in Charge Daniels. Standing off to one side is a pair of LA police detectives, being unimpressed by Agent Daniels. Mulder and Scully immediately take in their surroundings. The entire office screamed 'Look at Me, I'm Important'. < Skinner was right, this guy is an asshole. > Mulder thinks to himself. < He'll probably blame us and the LAPD if the case goes south. And take the credit, if it gets solved. >
Agent Tanaka introduces Mulder and Scully to everyone. Agent Daniels rises up and shakes their hands. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter only nod their heads in greeting.
< So these are the FBI's specialists in the weird. > Det. Vetter thinks to herself, looking the pair over. < They look pretty normal to me. >
Captain Randall gets right down to business. "You two ready for the weirdest case you've ever been on?" Randall asks.
"Depends on how you define weird, Captain Randall." Mulder replies with a straight face.
"How's about vampires, Agent Mulder? Is that weird enough for you?" Randall asks.
"Nope. Been there, done that." Mulder replies nonchalantly. Agents Daniels and Tanaka are shocked at Mulder's comment and nonchalant attitude.
"Agent Mulder, there is no reason to be flippant with Captain Randall." Agent Daniels tells him.
Mulder turns to Agent Daniels and tells him, "Agent Daniels, we've hunted down and Captured serial killers who 'thought' they were vampires before. < and the real thing as well. > This case is nothing new to me or Agent Scully."
Captain Randall looks Mulder directly in the eyes. After a minute, he shudders and turns away. < What the hell has this guy been through? He's too young to have been in Vietnam. No wonder they call him 'Spooky'. > Captain Randall thinks to himself. "All right, Agent Mulder, have you and your partner looked over the case files?" He asks.
"We looked over the abridged version on the plane ride over." Mulder replies. "Is there anything else to add to the file, since yesterday?"
"Yeah, there is." Captain Randall replies. "It appears as though our vampire serial killers have attracted a pair of, get this, light saber armed 'vampire hunters'."
"Light saber armed vampire hunters? What is this a Hammer/Lucas film crossover?" Scully asks.
"Yeah, light saber armed vampire hunters. They've been stopping the serial killers. We have several reports of a man and a woman rescuing people from the killers. Every time they show up the serial killers just disappear. We haven't been able to track those two either." Randall explains.
A thought passes between Mulder and Scully. < Buffy and Steve have been busy. >
"Do you have any ideas?" Agent Tanaka asks.
"Nothing at this time." Mulder replies.
"So, we basically start at the beginning, again." Captain Randall comments.
"No, not at the beginning. Is there any way that Scully and I can see all of the incident reports?" Mulder asks.
"Yeah, sure. Can I ask why?" Randall asks.
"We want to study them for patterns and similarities. Who knows, we may find something you missed. Our outlook and view on things might be different than your's." Scully explains.
"Sounds good. When do you want to get started?" Captain Randall asks.
"Later tonight. Right now we want to get settled in." Mulder tells him. Then turns to Agent Daniels. "We'll need the use of a Bureau car for the duration of our stay."
"Where are you two staying in town?" Agent Daniel asks, his voice hard with tension. < I don't like these two, one damn bit. >
"Since all of the hotel rooms are full, Scully and I are staying with a friend in Sunnydale. We left the address and local phone numbers with your secretary." Mulder tells him.
"Sunnydale? Nothing ever happens there. At least you'll have some peace and quiet." Captain Randall replies.
"That's the truth." Mulder tells him. < If he only knew the real truth about Sunnydale. He would have a heart attack. >
"That's it for today then?" Agent Daniels says, relieved that the meeting is over. "All right, Agents Mulder and Scully, we'll see you later tonight then."
"Yes, we should be back by 9:00 p.m. But we won't be here. We're going directly to the police station and review the files there." Mulder replies just before he leaves. "Oh and by the way sir, nice desk. My mother keeps one just like it in the garage. She uses it to arrange flowers."
"May I ask why you don't want to work at the Federal Building, Agent Mulder?" Daniels asks, put off, but ignores the desk insult. < For the present. >
"Because, all of the case files are at the LAPD. Why do they have to be dragged up here, when we can look at them just as easily over there? We'll also have an easier time interviewing the detectives and officers involved." Mulder replies to Daniels. Then he turns to Randall, who's smiling now. "Captain Randall, do you have a problem if we interview your officers and detectives, as they become available, at your offices'."
"No problem at all. In fact they'll appreciate it. I'll set you up with an office and a couple of desks." Captain Randall replies as he and Det. Vetter are covering the their grins. Mulder just told Daniels off. And insulted his 'precious' desk as well. He was starting to like this guy.
Part 8 - Reputations
(They can hang you or drown you. Take your pick.)
Christine Kowalski and her three colleagues walk into her office. As she closes to the door, she leans against it for support. Her friends can hear her mutter. "I can't believe they brought *HIM* in. My God, Daniels must be desperate."
"Brought who in, Christine?" Isaac 'Ice' Gregory asks.
"Oh sorry guys. You're not FBI, so you won't know about *HIM*." Christine replies as she sits down.
"All right already, who is he? That Mulder guy who bumped into you in the hall?" Charlie O'Bannon asks. Christine only nods her head.
"What's so special about this guy, Christine?" Ice asks.
As Christine takes a seat at her desk, she begins. "Well to begin with, he's one of the best profilers the Bureau has. When he was on the Violent Crimes Task Force, he wrote the proverbial book on serial killers. His profiles were better than ninety percent accurate, every time. That earned him the nick name 'Spooky'." Christine's three friends are impressed. Christine continues the story.
"He could have written his own ticket to any post in the Bureau. But, somehow he came across some open cases referred to as X-Files. Cases that couldn't be solved or were unsolvable. With his pull, he got the cases assigned to him, and the Bureau formed a division called the X-Files, that was about six years ago. A few months after the X-Files started, Mulder had a partner assigned to him. A woman named Dana Scully. She's one of the Bureau's best pathologists. That woman with Mulder was probably her. Since then, those two have gotten every weird and strange case that's come into the Bureau. And there have been some strange ones."
"A friend of mine in the Newark, New Jersey office told me about one of their cases dealing with a fluke man." Ice, Charlie and Alphonse stare at her. "Don't look at me. Donna told me that they had to kill it by cutting it in half as it tried to escape to the ocean." Christine tells them.
"So that's why Agent Mulder is carrying a sword?" Alphonse Royo asks.
Alphonse's three friends are shocked at what he just said.
Christine gets a hold of herself, as she asks. "What do you mean 'he's carrying a sword'? Where would he put it?"
"It was in his trench coat. When he bumped into you, his coat opened and I saw the sword." Alphonse explains.
"Now why would an FBI Agent be caring a sword?" Ice asks.
Charlie O'Bannon thinks back to stories his grandmother told him of the old country. "Because, sometimes a bullet won't stop what they're facing." He softly mutters.
Everyone looks at him. Ice asks. "What do you mean by that, Charlie?"
"Well, when I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. And she would tell me stories of the old country. Some of the things she talked about couldn't be killed with a bullet. You needed a sword or a cross or both to kill it. If those two are getting all of the real weird stuff, that the normal cops and feds can't handle, I can see why he's carrying a sword." Charlie explains.
Christine turns to Alphonse, remembering his request for a meeting. "Sorry Alphonse, what did you want to tell us, before we got started on this?"
Alphonse looks saddened and the news he gives leaves everyone sad as well. "Remember Jack Hastings and his family?" Everyone nods. They remember the scrappy little handy man who stepped forward, despite the threats, to testify against a mobster. "Well, I just heard from Francine that they found Jack, his wife and their four kids, all dead. Victims of the 'vampire' killers."
"Oh man, they didn't deserve that." Ice angrily comments.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" Charlie asks.
"Simple we're going to get involved in the case." Christine says as she gets up. "I'm going to see Daniels about getting assigned to this case."
"That's a fact." Ice replies as he gets up, along with Alphonse and Charlie, to follow Christine to Daniels' office. As they turn the corner, they hear shouting coming from Daniels' office.
Christine walks over to Daniel's secretary, Barbara, and asks. "What's got Daniels so pissed off?"
"Spooky and the Ice Queen weren't impressed by the boss' desk and they were even less impressed with him, and they made the fact known." Barbara giggles. "The boss just called Assistant Director Skinner to complain about their attitudes and to send them back to D.C. A.D. Skinner told the boss that if he wanted this case solved, he should keep them. Otherwise, the Director will want to know why two of the Bureau's best investigators were booted off the case." Barbara explains.
Kowalski and her crew are surprised. < Mavericks like Mulder and Scully had to be good if A.D. Skinner AND the Director themselves were backing them up. > Kowalski thought to herself.
Just then, Joe Tanaka opens the door to Daniels' office and sees Kowalski talking to Barbara. He quietly closes the door and turns back into the office and talks to Daniels. "Boss, Kowalski's outside talking to Barbara. Why don't we give this case to her and her three stooges? If anything goes wrong, we'll be rid of all of them, in one shot." Tanaka explains.
Daniels' face spits into an evil grin. He reaches for his buzzer. "Barbara, have Kowalski come in here immediately."
"Right away, sir." Barbara replies.
Kowalski walks into the office, immediately noticing the grins on Daniels' and Tanaka's faces. < Shit what did we do now? > She thinks to herself.
"Kowalski, I need Tanaka on another case. I'm assigning the vampire killings to you and your misfits. You will be in charge of this case. Fail, and you'll be working in Alaska, and your 'specialists' will be back in jail. Am I understood?" Kowalski just nods her head. "Then take the rest of the day off, and report to the LAPD major cases unit tonight with your 'people' and coordinate everything with Agents Mulder and Scully." Daniels tells her.
Kowalski doesn't say a word, she just gives Tanaka a glare and leaves the office. Outside, Ice, Charlie and Alphonse are waiting for her. She gives them the news as she walks over to Barbara and asks. "Barbara, how do I get in contact with Agents Mulder and Scully?"
Barbara just hands over a slip of paper with a Sunnydale address and phone numbers on it as she explains. "They couldn't get any hotel rooms, because of the conventions, so they're staying with a friend in Sunnydale. A guy named Steven St. Wolf."
*****
Meanwhile in the parking garage, Captain Randall and his partner, Det. Tracy Vetter are going over what happened in Daniels' office.
"What do you think of the two 'specialists' the Febbies brought in, Tracy?" Randall asks.
"They are definitely not your usual Febbies. Did you see the way they treated Daniels? No one who cares about their careers treats a superior like that. Only cops who care about solving their cases." Tracy tells him.
"Yeah, I think we finally got the help we needed on this case. C'mon, let's go back and make sure they have an office to work in. It's the least that we can do." Randall tells her.
"Captain?" Vetter asks. "Think we should pick them up? Show them that we're willing to work with them?"
Randall thinks it over as he pulls the car out onto Main Street. "Not a bad idea, Tracy. Did you get their address?" He asks.
"Yeah, I got a copy from the secretary." Tracy replies as Captain Randall's cell phone rings.
"Randall." He answers.
"How's it going, John?" The voice at the other end answers.
Randall immediately recognizes his old partner's voice. "Ironman, what the hell are you doing in LA?"
"I've got a few days off. And decided to hang around the old neighborhood." Ironman replies.
"Sure Ironman, sure." Randall replies, not convinced, then asks. "Are any of your people working out here, right now?"
"Not to my knowledge, John. If they were, I'd tell you." Ironman replies. "Why are you asking?"
"Because we've got a couple of vigilantes out hunting the 'vampire' serial killers. I thought they might belong to you, since they follow your policy of 'take no prisoners'." Randall tells him.
"Like I said, I don't know shit about them. If you want some help, the guys and I will lend a hand, if asked." Ironman replies.
"Thanks for the good word, Ironman. I'll keep it in mind. Have a good time." Randall replies, then turns to his partner.
"Tracy, this case has just become something else." Randall tells her.
"What do you mean John?" Tracy asks.
"Ironman is in town with his two friends. And that can only mean trouble."
"Oh shit." Tracy replies thinking back to the last time those three were in LA and how high the body count got.
*****
Ironman hangs up on his phone call with Captain Randall, just as Gadgets Schwartz has just finished talking with Bear, Stony Man's computer expert. He turns to Ironman and Politician and just shakes his head.
"So, it's that bad." Politician observes.
"It can't be. Mack wouldn't do that to us." Ironman comments.
"It's worse. According to Bear, Mulder and Scully are the FBI's experts on the paranormal. Their cases include aliens, monsters and the supernatural. Especially aliens. The NSA has constant trouble with those two getting too close to some of their operations."
"Bear pulled up a few of their cases. Those two have worked on cases involving, get this, werewolves, vampires, the Jersey Devil, mutants and all sorts of weird stuff. I'm sorry to say this, but I hope they loose our phone number." Gadgets laments.
"I hope not." Ironman comments.
"Why, Ironman?" Politician asks.
"Because, I've always wanted to try to take out an alien." Ironman grins. "But back to business, John Randall just asked me if we had anyone working the vampire case."
"Why?" Gadgets asks.
"Because there appear to be a pair of vampire hunters hunting the serial killers." Ironman replies with a grin. "And from John's description, they don't take prisoners. He all but said their style reminds him of us."
Part 9 - Research
(Vampires - Are They Myth or Just Another Urban Leech Like Politicians)
Jarod looks up from his microscope and rubs his sore eyes. He has just finished re-testing the dust sample for the fifth time and the results were the same. Decomposed human remains, approximate age, according to the carbon dating, 180 years old.
He thinks back to the events of last night and the descriptions the witnesses had given him. < Two people, a man and a woman, armed with glowing swords and wooden knives, fighting off the twelve men who attacked the Burger-to-Go. The man called himself, Wanderer, the woman, the Slayer. Every time they would kill one of the men, they would turn to dust immediately. What kind of weapons were these people using, that turned people into dust? Some of the people called the twelve men who were killed vampires. > As Jarod leaves the laboratory, he decides to do a little research into the vampire myth and see how all of these events coincide. In the library, Jarod asks about books on vampires. The librarian, a cute brunette, points him to the occult/mythology and popular fiction sections of the library.
A few hours later, an even more puzzled and worried Jarod leaves the library. He had read every factual book in the library on vampires (there weren't many to begin with) and some of the fictional stories as well. < That Anne Rice was particularly good. > The experience had left him wondering. The only thing of interest was the name Slayer appeared in all of the factual books. It was supposed to be some legendary vampire hunter gifted with mystical strength, stamina, speed and the ability to sense vampires. < Could both of these people be Slayers? That would explain the ease with which they took out the twelve vampires. >
As Jarod leaves the library, he decides to call his mentor, Sidney. As he dials Sidney's private cell phone number, Jarod wonders how to ask him about this. As the cell phone rings, it's picked up on the second ring and a cultured, Belgian accented voice asks. "Hello, this is Sidney."
"Sidney, this is Jarod," Jarod begins and asks. "I have a question for you, do you mind?"
"No, Jarod, please ask." Sidney replies.
"Are vampires real?" Jarod asks.
Sidney laughs. "No Jarod, vampires are not real. They are nothing more than myths and legends used to scare unruly children to bed."
"Then why does the FBI have an entire division dedicated to investigating such things?" Jarod asks.
"What do you mean by that?" Sidney asks, now curious.
"I came across some information recently and followed it to it's source, the FBI's X- Files division. They study and investigate paranormal type crimes." Jarod tells him.
"My God, I hope you're joking." Sidney replies.
"No, I hacked into their case files and the personal files of the two lead investigators. Did you know their system had better protection than NORAD? I wonder why? Broots is going to have a devil of a time trying to get in. Who ever is protecting that system almost caught me four times, before I could down load the files I was looking for. And to quote one of my new friends, the files are a real humdinger." Jarod tells him.
Sidney laughs, then asks. "Jarod, does this have anything to do with the recent rash of vampire like killings taking place in Los Angeles?" "Yes," Jarod replies. "Heather Michaels was killed by one of those things and I'm going to make sure that whoever or whatever did it is brought to justice.
"Jarod, don't." Sidney asks. "Whatever is going on is too much for even you to handle." "I'm not alone Sid, there are two other people hunting these things and I'm going to try and help them." Jarod tells him.
"What do you mean, Jarod?" An anxious Sidney asks.
"Last night, twelve of these 'vampires' attacked a fast food restaurant called the Burger-to-Go and tried to kill everyone inside. A man and a woman attacked them and somehow killed them all, saving everybody in the restaurant. They then left the restaurant without a word." Jarod tells him.
"Jarod, please," Sidney begs. "Leave Los Angeles immediately. You don't know what you're facing. Let the police and Federal authorities handle it. Just get out of there."
"I can't Sidney, you know that." Jarod replies as he terminates the connection.
The Centre - Blue Cove Delaware
Dr. Sidney Green closes his personal cell phone and stares up at the wall, contemplating his recent conversation with his wayward Pretender. < Jarod, hunting the vampire killers in Los Angeles? He doesn't know what he's doing. I've never prepared him to fight a myth before. > Sidney turns and picks up the phone and calls Miss Parker. "Miss Parker, this is Sidney. I have a location on Jarod. Please come here with Mr. Broots." Sidney then hangs up the phone and stares again into the wall, hoping he has made the right decision. A few minutes later, Miss Parker enters, followed by Broots, the computer specialist.
"So Sidney, where is Ratboy?" Miss Parker begins without preamble.
"In Los Angeles, hunting the vampire killers plaguing that city." Sidney replies.
"You're kidding?" < I hope. > Miss Parker asks.
"I wish I was. A friend of his, a woman named Heather Michaels," Miss Parker stiffens. "Was killed by them and he is seeking revenge for her death. He told me that he's looking to join up with a pair of vigilantes already hunting the vampires." Sidney explains.
A startled Broots asks. "You don't mean the man and woman who rescued those people at the Burger-to-Go, last night?"
A puzzled Sidney gives Broots a questioning look. "Why yes, Broots, that is exactly the pair I'm talking about. May I ask how you know about them?"
"Spill it Broots." Miss Parker tells him in a low voice.
"Well, you see, my friend Langley from D.C. sent me this digitized video early this morning. He wanted me to examine it to see if it was a fake. It's not, at least I don't think so." Broots hurriedly tells them.
"Do you have it with you?" Sidney asks.
"Yeah, I brought it with me to double check, using Centre equipment." Broots explains.
Miss Parker practically purrs. "Why Broots, using Centre equipment for personal reasons. I am surprised."
"Well, I was going to do it on my lunch hour and it wouldn't have done anything to the equipment, just used up computer time." Broots, halfheartedly explains.
"Broots, shut up and show us the tape." Miss Parker tells him.
Broots takes them to the computer lab and sits down in front of a large monitor.
"The video tape is one of those four in one shots. That means that the video screen is split into four different camera views of the restaurant. I've spliced the video into individual shots, so the resolution is much better. If you want to see the original, I can show that to you as well, but the resolution is not too good." Broots explains.
"Thank you Mr. Science. Now roll the damn tape." Miss Parker orders.
Sidney and Miss Parker watch first watch the four way view of the original tape, then they watch Broots' enhanced versions. Both are in awe by the time they finish watching the tape.
Miss Parker turns to Sidney. "Sidney, this can't be real. Those two people couldn't have done what I've just seen. And what the hell happened to the bodies of their victims?"
"I know Miss Parker, those two seem beyond human somehow. Broots, can you enhance their faces? Can we see what those two people look like?" Sidney asks.
"Sure Sidney. I blew up sections where their faces were clear. Here's what they look like." Broots tells them as he expands a pair of pictures, one of Steve St. Wolf and one of Buffy Summers into a split screen on the computer. Miss Parker and Sidney look closely at the pair of fighters who had decimated twelve people in a matter of minutes.
"The girl couldn't be over eighteen and the man looks like he's in his mid twenties. How could they become so proficient in fighting in that short a time? Could they be a project that got loose? Maybe something from the military?" Sidney comments as Sam, the sweeper, comes up behind him. Sam looks at the pair of photos in the computer monitor and screams.
All three turn to the scared sweeper. Miss Parker grabs him and smacks him in the face, telling him. "Get a hold of yourself Sam. Nothing can hurt you here."
"But, but, but the picture. That's HIM. Oh please don't make me go after him again. I can't face him." Sam stutters out.
"Face who Sam?" Sidney asks.
"HIM!" Sam points to the picture of the man from the Burger to Go.
"Do you know who he is?" Miss Parker asks, worried. She had never seen Sam react like this before. He had always been the quiet professional. A brick wall, always calm, never flustered.
"Yes, his name is Carson Jamieson. He's a private detective from Dallas, Texas. He's also responsible for the deaths of at least twenty six sweepers, three cleaners and three of Mr. Raines' 'Specialists', almost half the entire field security force the Centre had in 1982." Sam tells the stunned trio.
"Sam, are you sure it's him? The man in this picture couldn't be more than twenty four, maybe twenty six years old. I find it hard to believe that this is the same man." Sidney replies.
"Pull up his file then. The Centre obtained a copy of his military file." Sam tells him.
Broots immediately accesses the file, and as it scrolls across his monitor, he begins to read it. He orders the file printed for Sidney and Miss Parker, but as he reads more and more of it, Broots begins to have a bad feeling in his stomach. His stomach really sinks, when he reads the bottom of the file: 'Killed in August 1983, Dearborn, Michigan by Centre asset Trevor Howard.'
"Sidney," Broots calls out.
"Broots, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sidney comments on Broots' pale complexion.
"I might have. According to our files, Carson Jamieson has been dead for fifteen years." Broots tells the stunned group of people.
Part 10 - History Re-Visited
(Smoke Filled Rooms and Histories From A Cigarette's Perspective)
Cancer Man is relaxing at his desk, slowly smoking a cigarette. He's planning on a quiet weekend. < Maybe do a little writing this weekend. > He thinks to himself. His two major problems, Mulder and Scully were gone for the week, on a case that he and his superiors had absolutely no interest in. Suddenly his phone rings. His stomach sinks. < Not this soon, they haven't been in LA longer than two hours. > He reaches for it and picks it up, asking. "What is it?"
"Sir, this is Tanaka," Tanaka begins. "I retrieved Mulder and Scully from the airport as per your orders. But a situation has come up." Tanaka hesitates.
"What is the situation, Tanaka?" Cancer Man asks. < Damn. >
"Sir, they were seen talking with known operatives of the Stony Man Group. Specifically, their domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team." Tanaka tells him.
Cancer Man's stomach does a flip flop and he reaches for the Maalox. He then asks Tanaka. "Anything else?"
"Sir, there's one other item you should know about. Because of the hotel room shortage, they're staying with a friend in Sunnydale, a man called Steven St. Wolf." Tanaka gives him the address. "Also, they were in Sunnydale five months ago on another case."
Cancer Man writes all this down and then tells Tanaka. "Tanaka, good job, keep me posted of any sudden changes and keep away from those two." And then he hangs up the phone.
Cancer Man reaches for his 'in' box and reviews the surveillance file from the airport. He suddenly slams it down. The photos taken show Mulder and Scully amicably talking to Bolan himself. < Damn, what the hell are those two trying to do to me? Give me a heart attack? > Then, he grins ruefully. < Knowing them, they probably would do it just to see if I'd keel over. > He reaches for his buzzer and calls in his research specialist. The specialist immediately comes in and Cancer Man tells him. "I want you to pull everything on the Stony Man Group's domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team, that you have. Also, I want you to find out everything that you can about a man called Steven St. Wolf, who resides in the town of Sunnydale, California. Also Mulder and Scully were in Sunnydale five months ago, I want a copy of their reports and I want everything yesterday." The specialist nods his head and leaves to do his duty.
Cancer Man then reaches for the phone and dials a Los Angeles number. No one answers when they pick up. He speaks into the silence. "I want the house located at 317 Brandt Terrace in Sunnydale, put under immediate observation. And I mean immediate as of twenty minutes ago." Then he hangs up the phone.
*****
Two hours later, the research specialist re-enters Cancer Man's office. As his employer waits, he produces seven thick folders, a thin folder and several note sheets. Cancer Man sighs deeply and waves him into a chair for what he knows is going to be bad news. How bad, he doesn't know yet, but knowing Mulder and Scully, it could be anything.
The specialist begins. "Sir, these first four folders are respectively, the team file on Stony Man's domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team and the personnel files on it's operatives, Carl Lyons, Herman Schwartz and Rosario Blancanales. These other two files are on the man called Steven St. Wolf a.k.a. 'Wanderer' and another man named Carson Jamieson a.k.a. 'Cherokee'." Cancer Man looks up in question. The specialist continues. "The man known as Steven St. Wolf has no records dating back past 1983. I ran his driver's license photo against every one in the files matching his description. The man called Carson Jamieson was a 97% match, but he died in 1983. The seventh folder is for a Frank Scully a.k.a. Frank Iverson, a known associate of Steven St. Wolf's. The last folder is a copy of Mulder's and Scully's field reports from five months ago."
"Can you give me a rundown on their last case in Sunnydale, first?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes sir. They were investigating the theft of a Strella Anti-Tank rocket from one of the local military depots. The report concludes that the rocket theft report was erroneous. The rocket was actually used in a practice simulation. The report is wrong." The specialist replies.
"You mean Mulder and Scully were actually wrong for once?" Cancer Man asks.
"No Sir, they fabricated the evidence to show what they wanted to show." The specialist replies.
"The report was fabricated?" Cancer Man asks, surprised.
"Yes sir, Mulder and Scully convinced the CID investigators that the rocket was used during a simulation and the launcher had been misplaced. They even presented them with the launcher, sans rocket. Since the Army didn't want any bad press and they had the launcher, they went along with it." The specialist explains. "Also, there is a letter from the principal of Sunnydale High School. He complains about the damage caused to his gym, but thanks the Bureau for repairing it so quickly. He also complains about the attitude shown by Special Agents Mulder and Scully, especially Scully."
Cancer Man grins. "My oh my, Mulder and Scully fabricating reports and covering something up. This is a new side to them, especially Scully. Most interesting. < Maybe there's hope for those two. > Now tell me about St. Wolf and Jamieson. Specifically, how did Jamieson die or supposedly died?"
The specialist looks back over his notes and replies. "He was killed by a man named Trevor Howard in Dearborn Michigan. The report goes on to say that Howard was going to shoot up a group of elementary school children and Carson rammed him with his motorcycle before he could do it, killing him. Before he rammed Howard, Howard shot him twenty times for his trouble. Jamieson died on the way to the hospital, but his body mysteriously disappeared shortly thereafter. The local police have no other information on that case. The State of Texas had requested the body to be sent back to them."
"Why would Texas want his body?" Cancer Man asks.
"Because Jamieson was wanted in Texas for six counts of murder. The men he killed were responsible for the rape/murder of his young wife, Katherine Sinclair Jamieson. They walked because someone in the evidence room tampered with the evidence before the trial and the judge was forced to release them. After that, Jamieson hunted them down and killed them. A Texas Ranger named Walker was put in charge of the case, but he never seriously pursued it. Which is strange in itself."
"Why?" Cancer Man asks.
"Because this man Walker has been known to violate the Mexican border in hunting down his fugitives. Walker even makes the Mounties look bad in that respect."
"What is Jamieson's background?" Cancer Man asks.
"U.S. Army, 1975 to 1982. Psychological tests read him as extremely stable, with an IQ of 150. Military Speciality, Special Forces Pathfinder/Sniper. Service in Lebanon, Panama and multiple classified operations. Commendations, US Army - two silver stars, three bronze, two purple hearts, nominated for the Medal of Honor, declined because operation was classified. Commendations, Other, Victoria Cross for bravery above and beyond the call of duty in saving the lives of his fellow SAS troopers during an ambush in Northern Ireland. Specialized training includes Jungle Warfare School, U.S. Army Sniper School, Airborne Infantry School, Special Air Service exchange program, GSG9 exchange program, French Foreign Legion Desert Training and Finlandic Special Forces Arctic Warfare Training. Non-Standard Training includes, black belts in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Zen Sword, Philippine stick fighting, archery, fencing and tracking, other skills are languages, specifically Spanish, German and French."
"My God, this man was a walking weapon. Why didn't we attempt to recruit him?" Cancer Man asks.
"We did. He refused the position. Interviewer's note states, 'Jamieson promised his wife Katherine to leave that world behind'. No other attempts were made to contact him."
"Did we have anything to do with her death?" Cancer Man asks.
"No sir, completely random occurrence. Ranger Walker was able to link those same six men to a dozen rape/murders in the States of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I guess that's why Jamieson was made a low priority."
"One other note, sir." Cancer Man nods, the specialist continues. "There was a complaint about Jamieson from the Centre in Blue Cove. They requested help to remove him and you refused." The specialist comments.
"I did? Would you care to remind me of the specifics?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes Sir. After he left the Army and married his wife, Katherine, Mr. Jamieson became a private investigator specializing in lost or stolen children. On at least one occasion he was responsible for recovering a subject that the Centre attempted to obtain. Mr. Parker and Mr. Raines felt that he was a threat to them and their work. They requested some help in removing him. You told them to go screw themselves and you had us warn him on the Q.T." The specialist replies with a grin.
Cancer Man shares that grin, remembering the faces of those two stuck up fools, Parker and Raines. Especially when they came back the second time complaining about the loss of two dozen 'sweepers', three of their 'cleaners' and three of their best assassins.
"Pity he's dead. Now tell me about Steven St. Wolf" Cancer Man asks.
"In six words, Sir?" Cancer Man nods. The specialist continues. "Modern day Indiana Jones style adventurer."
"You have got to be kidding." Cancer Man replies in a disbelieving voice.
"No, sir. Steven St. Wolf is a dealer in antiquities and rare artifacts. He's also well known as a treasure hunter and explorer. Also, he has at present, no less than four death sentences hanging on his head." Cancer Man raises his eyebrows at this. "Two are from Libya, the other two are from the countries of Iran and Iraq, respectively Remember that raid that Kaddafi blamed on a US Marine Division, about seven years ago?" Cancer Man nods. "That was him and eight operatives rescuing a group of kidnaped American students from an international group of white slavers. They also crippled most of the Libyan's Air Forces as a bonus. He raided Lybia a second time, two years later, to rescue a friend of his, a British flyer, a Sebastian Sinclair, who was shot down and Captured over the Gulf of Sidra. In Iraq, eight years ago, he rescued two downed U.S. Air Force pilots and a fellow antiques dealer, a Connor Macleod. He and Macleod were also responsible for taking out their main chemical storage depots. In Iran, ten years ago, he retrieved some stolen children and returned them to their parents. While he was there, he also rescued three CIA operatives and got them out, as well."
"Shit, what else is there?" Cancer Man asks as he watches the researcher's face.
"The CIA agents' control officer was Jack Ryan. And according to the files Ryan has used St. Wolf several more times over the last eight years." The specialist replies.
Cancer Man shakes his head and sighs. < Can it get any worse? > "Anything else I should know about?"
The specialist looks at his notes and replies. "There is the matter of the Order of Teraka."
"The assassin's order? What do those amateurs have to do with him?" Cancer Man asks.
"In India about five years ago, he protected an old man named Akbar from the Order. In the process he killed twenty of their members. Now they refuse every contract that has something to do with him." The specialist replies with a grin.
"Good for him. Those idiots have caused us all sorts of problems over the years. They deserve what they got."
"Bottom line, sir, this individual is one of the most dangerous men in the world. Taking him down would require a massive expenditure of resources and possibly incur the wrath of some very powerful people." The specialist comments.
"Can you tell me what his connection to Mulder and Scully are?" Cancer Man asks.
"There are three connections, sir. St. Wolf and Mulder worked on two cases together, before Mulder re-opened the X-Files. And the third is his associate, Mr. Frank Scully a.k.a. Iverson. Mr. Scully is Dana Scully's cousin."
"Why does he use the name Iverson?"
"He was disowned by William Scully Sr. He supposedly murdered a member of his SeAL team and escaped from the brig. William Sr. then disowned him and broke all ties with him. The name he's using now is his grandmother's maiden name. The Iverson family helped him while the Navy was actively hunting him and got him out of the country and set up his new identity."
"What were the cases that St. Wolf and Mulder both worked on." Cancer Man asks.
"Both were serial killers who specialized in children, Sir. Respectively John Dupree a.k.a. the Louisiana Butcher and Sebastian King a.k.a. the Gourmet. When both of these men escaped from our jurisdiction, and when the Bureau refused Mulder's request to hunt them down, St. Wolf went after them. He brought back Dupree alive, but he had to kill King to save a small child who would have been his 26th victim."
Cancer Man sits back in his chair and takes a deep breath. Then he turns to his specialist. "Is that all on St. Wolf?" The specialist nods. "Now tell me about Able Team and the men in it."
"Sir, Able Team is the Stony Man Group's domestic anti-terrorist team. It's made up of three individuals, Carl Lyons, the leader, Herman Schwartz, technical specialist and Rosario Blancanales, linguistics and heavy weapons. Their code names are respectively, Ironman, Gadgets and Politician."
"Lyons is a former LA police Sergeant, and Schwartz and Blancanales have served with Bolan in Vietnam and during his Executioner period. They have racked up an impressive record of kills over the last ten years and they have never been known to back down from anything. Their psych profiles state that all three are highly intelligent, have high moral and ethical codes and are extremely loyal to Bolan, the United States and each other." The specialist finishes
"Thank you, you can go now." Cancer Man tells the specialist.
"Sir, may I add something?" Cancer Man nods. "Sir, St. Wolf has some major holes in his files. We don't know who all of his backers are, or if he has any friends inside the organization. This man is an enigma. Please be careful." The specialist then gets up and goes.
Cancer Man turns to his window and watches the people move in and out of the Capitol, going about their business. < You're right old friend, I'll be careful for both our sakes. Mulder, what the hell did you get me into this time? > He then reaches for the phone and dials a number in Los Angeles. "Is our operative in place?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes." Comes the one word reply from the other side of the country.
"Good. Keep me posted of any changes." Cancer Man hangs up the phone, wondering where this was all going.
The Centre
Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots have Sam, the sweeper, sitting in Sidney's office, answering questions about the man called Carson Jamieson. They had gone over the man's military and civilian records with a fine tooth comb, and were in awe of the man. Miss Parker turns to Sidney and asks. "Sidney, could this man be a natural pretender?"
"Possibly, but I doubt it. He might become one, with the proper training. But, I would classify him more as a McGyver type." Sidney replies. Broots snickers as Miss Parker glares at him.
"We have got to disconnect your Cable, Sid." Miss Parker comments, then she turns to Sam. "All right Sam, start at the beginning." Miss Parker tells him.
"Yes Miss Parker," Sam begins. "It was one my first projects for the Centre. In September 1982, Mr. Raines ordered us to abduct a child named Johnny Fredericks. Mr. Raines felt that Johnny had a lot of promise for one of his projects. The kidnaping went well and we were going to bring the child to the Centre in a couple of days time, after the heat had died down. It all went to hell when the parents hired Jamieson. He was a private detective working out of Dallas, specializing in lost or stolen children. That bastard started to hound us almost immediately."
"I still can't figure out how he found the safe house in Houston, but he did. The cleaner ordered me and another sweeper to get the kid to our secondary position, while he and the rest of the team took care of Jamieson. When we got to the next safe house, we checked back in with the office and we were informed that the cleaner and seven sweepers were in the morgue courtesy of Jamieson. Mr. Raines ordered in two additional cleaners and their teams to help at the private airport. Charlie and I were able to get the kid to the airport, but Jamieson and something were right behind us."
"What do you mean 'Jamieson and something'?" Sidney asks.
"I don't know what it was, but it was dangerous." Sam tells them. "We were at this rural air strip outside of Texarkana, when they attacked. The two cleaners had their men in place, but it didn't do them any good. Jamieson attacked from the front with a pair of 45s. It seemed that every time he'd shoot one of those guns, one of us were killed. Then, something attacked us from the rear. I don't know what it was. I only saw glowing red eyes and heard a low growl. Then, the screams came. The rest of the cleaners and sweepers were trying to fight off Jamieson and that 'thing' and they became hamburger."
"Those two didn't hesitate a second, every one with a gun was dead or dying. In a couple of minutes, everyone but me and Johnny were dead. I wasn't attacked, probably because I was holding Johnny at the time."
Sam takes a deep gulp as he continues. "As the smoke was clearing, Jamieson walked up to me with something by his side. It was standing in the shadows, softly growling, so I couldn't see anything but the two glowing red eyes floating about five and a half feet above the ground."
"Jamieson offered me a choice, give up Johnny and live or die. No other alternatives. I gave him Johnny and he gave me a message for the Triumvirate. He said, 'Steal another child and I find out about it, I'll hunt you all down and kill you.' When the Centre plane came in with another sweeper team, I reported in. Mr. Raines and your father decided to leave the child alone after that."
"I find it hard to believe that my father and the burned out husk could just pick up and leave Jamieson alone. Especially after he killed all of those Centre operatives." Miss Parker states.
"They didn't," Sam tells her. "They sent three assassins after him. He killed everyone of them without a problem. The last assassin's head was sent to Mr. Raines in the mail with the note 'I know who you are.' After that, they left him alone."
Miss Parker just smiles. < I wish that I could have seen that corpse's face when he opened that box. >
"Did they ever find out what helped him at the airport?" Sidney asks.
"No, but some of the specialists wondered why the torn up bodies had teeth and claw marks on them and wolf hairs and the surrounding area had large wolf prints." Sam tells him.
The trio look at each other and shudder.
"Miss Parker, may I have the rest of the day off, please?" Sam asks.
"Why?" Miss Parker replies.
"Because, I want to get blind staggering drunk, Ma'am." Sam replies straight forward, Miss Parker nods and he hurriedly leaves the office and building.
"Sidney, what the hell has Ratboy gotten himself into?" Miss Parker asks.
"I wish I knew." Sidney mutters, then turns to Broots and asks. "Broots can you access the FBI?"
"Sure Sidney, no problem. What do you want?" Broots asks.
"I want access to something called the X-Files." Sidney tells him.
Broots immediately turns a paler shade and nervously asks, "Sidney, why do you want to access those files?"
Both Sidney and Miss Parker look at Broots and wonder what this man really knows.
"Because Jarod mentioned going into them, and he said that they contained some strange cases." Sidney tells Broots.
"Strange isn't the word for it." Broots mutters. "I hope for Jarod's sake he doesn't get involved with those two."
"Out with it Broots. What two?" Miss Parker orders.
Broots nods his head as he begins. "Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. They run the X-Files."
"And how would you know about these X-Files?" Miss Parker asks.
"My friend Langley and his two partners, Byers and Frohike, run a government conspiracy magazine called the Lone Gunmen. Langley told me about the X-Files a couple of years ago, when he asked me to help analyze a piece of a UFO." Broots explains.
The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as Sidney and Miss Parker stare at Broots' revelation.
"You must be joking." Miss Parker states, then see looks into Broots' eyes and sees the fear in them. Then she whispers. "Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I was." A shaken Broots replies. "Mulder and Scully brought in a piece of what we termed organic metal, to be examined. And from the way those two were talking, this wasn't the first such case they had worked on."
"Organic metal? Broots such a thing is impossible. Humanity couldn't possibly have the capability to create such a thing." Sidney tells him.
"Who ever said the piece came from Earth, Sidney? According to Mulder, it was a part of a UFO that crash landed in Minnesota, about two and a half years ago. Mulder and Scully had found the ship and the alien remains. Before they could get it properly excavated, the military took the site over and everything, but that piece of metal, disappeared." Broots tells them.
"And these two people are involved with Jarod, how?" Miss Parker asks.
"They've been put in charge of the vampire serial killings in Los Angeles." Broots replies. "Langley told me this morning, as he downloaded the video."
"Damn it Sidney, we have to get him out of there!" Miss Parker exclaims.
"I agree with you." Sidney replies, then turns to Broots. "Can you get a location on Agents Mulder and Scully in Los Angeles?"
"Sure, Sidney. Federal agents have to register their location with the local office and I should be able to get a location. Give me a couple of minutes."
A few minutes later, Broots returns. "I've located Agents Mulder and Scully. They're staying with a friend in a Los Angeles suburb called Sunnydale. The address is 317 Brandt Terrace."
Miss Parker grabs the address and tells her two associates. "Good, let's go. The jet is waiting for us at the airport."
"Are we taking any sweepers with us?" Broots asks.
"No." Miss Parker replies.
"Yes you are." A deeply cultured voices tells them.
Miss Parker turns around with a look of venom in her eyes. Who would dare to countermand her order? As she finishes her turn she sees the face of her father. "Daddy, what is it?" She asks sweetly.
"I'm sorry pumpkin, but I can't let you, Sidney and Broots go to Los Angeles without protection. The situation there has been dangerous. So I'm sending Gar and Willy with two sweeper teams as backup. And I'm not taking no for an answer." Mr. Parker tells his daughter as he and Mr. Raines walk away. Gar and Willy and their sweepers stand in the hallway waiting.
Part 11 - Welcome Back to Sunnydale
(Mulder Has a Weird Sense of Humor.
And I'm Just as Bad, Because I Understand It)
Mulder and Scully reach Sunnydale at about 2:30. They pull up to Steve's house and park the car in the driveway. Mulder grabs their bags from the trunk.
As they approach the side door, they feel the familiar 'Buzz' of another Immortal. The side door opens, showing a smiling Buffy Summers.
"Dana." She cries out and gives her a hug. Mulder standing behind her watches the scene as the two women hug each other. Dana and Buffy had formed a close friendship over the last five months.
"All right you two, break it up. Before I get jealous." A smiling Mulder comments.
"Oh, shut up Mulder." Buffy tells him as she gives him a hug as well. Then she escorts the two into the house.
The group sitting around the living room is familiar to both agents. Steve St. Wolf gets up to greet both agents.
"Hello Mulder, Dana. How was the trip?" He asks.
Mulder smiles as he replies. "Uneventful. But I'm glad you got everyone together." Mulder grins an evil grin as he lays out the situation in LA. Then he brings up the little matter of the video tape Frohike has and his plan.
The entire room erupts into laughter. Frank stops laughing long enough to tell him. "Mulder, that is the most evil and conniving plan that I've heard in a long time. God, I can't wait to do it."
*****
Outside, the entire conversation is being listened to. Billy and Nunchuk are laughing as well. Tommy and Scarlet, watching the house, stare at them. Billy stops laughing long enough to tell them what's going to happen. Both of them start to chuckle quietly.
Scarlet picks up her cell phone and calls the LA base. "Jinx, Scarlet here. It's confirmed these are the people we were looking for. Gather the rest of the clan. We're going to pay them a little visit tonight." Jinx confirms and the connection dies. Scarlet turns to a smiling Tommy, who's now listening to the plans being hatched against a man called Frohike. "Anything interesting?" She asks.
Tommy reluctantly gives the ear piece back to Nunchuk and smiles. "These people certainly have a warped sense of humor. I can almost feel sorry for this Frohike guy."
"Sorry enough not to watch?" Scarlet asks.
Tommy smiles an evil grin. "Definitely, not."
*****
In a car not too far away Cancer Man's operative also has a good laugh. < Damn, this stake out could turn out to be fun after all. > He thinks to himself.
*****
Robert and Quinn are also listening in, and enjoying the play between everyone present. "These people certainly have an interesting perspective on life." Quinn remarks.
Robert laughs. "They're people who enjoy life, Quinn. Nothing more. But, they do have a wicked sense of humor."
Part 12 - Frohike Gets His
(Frohike Has a Wet Dream -
His Two Favorite Women in One Room, At the Same Time
And a Super Computer, To Boot)
It's four o'clock and the front door bell rings. Mulder checks the video monitor and sees that it's Frohike. He whispers to Cordelia. "It's him. Remember the plan?" Cordelia nods with an evil grin. She goes to meet Frohike dressed in one of her sex kitten outfits. Everything's tight and shows as much as possible.
Cordelia answer's the door in her best air head. "Hello, who are you?"
Frohike's jaw drops, and he goes "Umina, umina, umina." Finally Frohike get's his eyes off Cordy's chest and asks. "Are you Mulder's friend." < I hope to God so. PLEASE LET IT BE SO. >
"Oh, you mean Foxy?" She asks. Frohike only nods and smiles.
"You must be his friend Frohike. Oh please do come in. Foxy told me to expect you today." She lets him into the house, as she continues. "Foxy never told me you would be soooo handsome." She tells him as they enter the living room.
Frohike following Cordy into the living room thinks to himself. < Man, I've definitely got to get Mulder something really special for his birthday. >
Cordy sits Frohike on the couch next to her. He can't stop grinning.
*****
Willow and Jenny were in the office, running the cameras spread all over the living room. They were catching everything in full color and sound.
Willow and Jenny both grin as they watch Cordelia in action. "I thought Xander was bad, but this guy makes him look positively cool." Willow comments.
Jenny just nods, grinning evilly.
*****
Cordelia moves onto the next phase. She moves over, giving Frohike a good look at her ample chest as she says. "Foxy never told me, he was sending such a handsome man to see me."
Frohike's mouth just hangs there, when suddenly the lights go out. Frank, Steve, Xander and Buffy sneak up on him and drop a black hood across his head and tie him up.
Frohike's quickly tied up and gagged. Then he's moved to straight back wooden chair. A few minutes later everything is set up.
Buffy and Steve stand in front of Frohike, while Xander and Frank remove the hood. When Frohike sees who's holding him prisoner, his eyes bulge.
"Hi there, remember us?" Steve tells him. Frohike shakes his head and tries to talk through the gag in his mouth. "Now, promise not to scream and the gag will be removed." Frohike nods. Steve nods to Frank and the gag is removed.
Frohike gulps several times before he begins to speak. "Who are you? Why are you holding me prisoner?"
Buffy smiles. "Well, we kinda heard about this video tape you have of us from last night. And since we're not Tommy and Pamela, we would like to have it back."
A scared Frohike immediately denies all knowledge. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think you do." Mulder replies from behind Frohike.
Frohike freezes, as Mulder moves to the front, showing himself. "Mulder is that you?" Frohike quietly asks.
Mulder smiles as he and Giles sit down in front of them. "Hello Frohike, I see you're already familiar with my friends."
A confused Frohike sputters. "Mulder what the hell are you talking about?"
"Frohike, allow me introduce you to Steven St. Wolf and his partner, Buffy Summers. The gentleman on my right is Rupert Giles. He'll explain everything to you." Mulder tells him.
"What the hell is going on here, Mulder? And what are you doing here?" Frohike asks.
"Before I explain, I want your word that it never leaves this house, except to tell Langley and Byers." Mulder tells him.
Frohike doesn't like it, but he knows Mulder and trusts him. "You have my word."
Frohike patiently waits for Mulder to begin.
Mulder begins. "Frohike, let me begin by saying that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with aliens. The government might be involved, but probably isn't. What you saw last night was a vampire hunt. My two friends," He points to Buffy and Steve. "Are vampire hunters."
Frohike digests this and then replies. "You have got to be kidding."
"No, I'm not. Remember that video tape you gave to Scully and me about two months ago?" Frohike nods. "Well, that tape showed Buffy killing a demon called 'The Judge' with a Strella Anti-Tank Rocket. The people working with 'The Judge' were vampires. The Judge's purpose was to destroy all of humanity." Mulder explains, then turns to Giles. "Giles would you care to finish explaining?"
"Certainly, Mulder." Giles replies as he begins. "Mr. Frohike please let me explain the situation here in Sunnydale. But in order to give you all of the information, I have to start at the beginning." Frohike nods. Giles then begins the story:
"This world is older than you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, Demons walked the earth; made it their home -- their Hell. In time they, the Demons, lost their purchase on this reality, and the way was made for the mortal animals. For Man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges: certain magicks, certain creatures, and Vampires."
"As long as there have been Demons and Vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen one, born with the strength and skill to hunt Vampires and other deadly creatures, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. Buffy is the Slayer for this generation"
"This town, Sunnydale, sits on top of the Hell mouth. The Hell mouth is the sole remaining way that demons can re-enter this world. If it is re-opened, then the demons can come back. Because of this, it is also a mystical convergence that draws such magical creatures as vampires and demons here in greater quantities than would be normally seen. The previous Master vampire attempted to re-open it, but was stopped by Buffy and us.
"I am the Watcher assigned to Buffy Summers." Giles states. "A Watcher serves by finding the next Slayer, leading her on her path. It is the destiny of the Watcher to guide the Slayer. Also when one Slayer dies, the next is called and trained by the Watcher."
"For the last two years, we have been fighting a holding action against the dark forces. Up until five months ago, it was all we could do to hold them back, and we were losing."
"So what changed the situation?" Frohike asks.
"A convergence of forces came to Sunnydale. Your friends Mulder and Scully were an important part of the equation. Another part was Mr. St. Wolf here. Through them, we were able to assemble a small army of warriors. These warriors were able to deal a death blow to the vampire hoard running rampant in this town. Since then, through Mr. St. Wolf, we have been able to mount a stratified defense of the town and go on the offensive, attacking vampires in other locations, such as Los Angeles.
Frohike turns to Mulder, an expression of total disbelief etched on his face. "Mulder, I can't believe that you are buying this load of crap."
"Well, we hoped that you would believe us. Now we're going to have to prove it to you." Mulder tells him.
"May I ask how you're going to do that?" Frohike asks him.
"Simple, you're going hunting with us, tonight." A smiling Buffy tells him.
"You can't do that." A suddenly scared Frohike looks to Mulder for support.
"Don't look at me Frohike, last time we were here, Scully and I wound up fighting two hundred vampires." Mulder tells him.
"I don't believe it. Scully fighting vampires? The world has truly gone insane." Frohike states.
"Believe it Frohike." Scully tells him as she comes around and sits next to Mulder.
Just then, the front doorbell rings.
*****
In his car outside Cancer Man's operative is staring in disbelief at his headset. < This can't be real. Man, wait til the boss hear's this stuff. He's gonna have a coronary. >
*****
Part 13 - A Convergence of Forces
(We didn't order any Ninja and Con Toppings On Our Pizzas)
Frohike can't believe what has just been told to him. < Mulder and Scully hunting vampires. What has the world come to? > His thoughts are interrupted by the front door bell. As he watches, everybody in the room pulls out various weapons. Almost as if they're expecting a fight. The strangest thing he notices is that everyone, including Mulder and Scully, were also carrying swords? What the hell was going on here?
Frank goes to answer the door. He hopes it's just a Jehovah's Witness, but he pulls out his H&K Spec Ops 45 just in case. < Opening Steve's front door could be hazardous to your health. > Frank thinks to himself with a grin.
He checks through the peep hole and sees a man and woman standing there. He pulls open the door and asks. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so." The woman begins. "We're looking for couple of friends, Steve and Buffy. Would you know where to find them?"
"Hold on a sec." Frank tells her. He turns around and goes back into the living room. "Steve, Buffy there's a man and woman outside who are looking for you."
"Willow," Steve calls out. "Pop up a holo of who's on the front porch."
In the office/computer room, Willow and Jenny immediately get the job done.
In the living room, a hologram of the people waiting on the front porch pops up in the middle of the coffee table. Buffy and Steve quickly exchange glances and both nod in recognition. Scarlet and Snake Eyes.
Meanwhile Frohike is looking at the hologram. < What the hell? Nobody can create holograms like that yet. >
Steve turns to Frank and tells him. "Let them in."
Xander turns to Steve and Buffy. "Steve, Buffy, aren't those the two ninjas from the sewers?"
"Yeah, that's them." Buffy confirms it.
Scarlet and Snake Eyes enter the house with Frank. He escorts them to the living room where everyone is waiting. As they enter, they notice Frohike sitting tied up in a chair, and decide not to comment on it. But, the most startling part was the number of young people present. Most of them couldn't be over eighteen. They knew about Buffy and Xander, but the sight of Cordelia, Amy, Oz and Willow standing there with weapons drawn and ready, really brings to mind how powerful this struggle was. Neither asks any questions as they approach Steve and Buffy. Scarlet begins with. "I said we'd be back to help."
"How are the kids?" Buffy asks.
"They're great. Their grandfather is taking care of them while we deal with the vampires." Scarlet answers. "Where's Mack?"
"He's alive and kicking. Scully and Mulder saw him this morning in D.C." Steve replies.
Scarlet lets out a sigh of relief. Snake Eyes just smiles.
"What took you so long to get back to us?" Steve asks.
"When we got to San Francisco with the kids, we met with our clan." Scarlet begins. "And we all agreed to come down here to help, but we got side tracked by a group of vampires attacking a group of tourists in San Francisco. Since Snake Eyes and I knew how to take them out, we attacked."
"We managed to destroy nine vampires that night. We also found out that there were numerous vampire type murders being committed in the Bay area and decided to stop them there. So, our clan, my brothers and later on, the San Francisco PD's Special Investigations Unit, joined forces and have spent the last five months cleaning out the Bay area. Now, the clan decided to move our operations to LA because of the rash of murders here."
"My brothers and the SIU will keep an eye on the Bay area while we're gone. We hoped to find you still alive and fighting. Glad to see you're all in one piece and not fighting alone." Scarlet finishes, looking over the group.
"Is everybody in this place crazy?" Frohike explodes. "Vampires are myths. Nothing more. They can't be real."
Scarlet turns to the tied up Frohike and tells him. "Mr. Frohike, my clan has been fighting these myths for the last five months. We have seen the slaughter these things have done and witnessed their insane hatred of humans. I have seen the bodies of children as young as my own, drained of blood and cast aside, as though they were nothing. I will not stand idly by and watch innocents, especially children, being slaughtered. My clan stands by me in this cause Mr. Frohike, can you and your Lone Gunmen say the same?"
"How the hell do you know me?" Frohike asks.
"Simple, we've been observing this house for most of today. And as to your identity, does the name Jinx mean anything to you?" Scarlet asks.
"Damn, you know Jinx?" Frohike asks.
"Yes, she and the rest of my clan are waiting outside." Scarlet tells Frohike.
Steve shakes his head and grins, "Frank take Snake Eyes outside and invite them in We might as well have a party while we're at it."
A couple of minutes later, Snake Eyes and Frank escort a small group into the living room. Scarlet introduces Tommy, Billy, Jinx, Nunchuk and Shuriken of the Storm Shadow Ninja Clan. Jinx immediately goes over to Frohike.
Meanwhile, Steve and Buffy introduce their friends to the Storm Shadows. As the introductions are made, Xander grabs a case of soda out of the refrigerator and passes it out.
"Frohike," Jinx smirks. "I've always said that you would look good tied up. Glad to see I was right."
"Jinx, been a while. Do you believe this crap about vampires?" Frohike asks.
"Yep, been fighting them for close to five months." Jinx tells him.
A shaken Frohike shudders. < It's like a nightmare coming true. > He thinks to himself. < Three of the five people I trust the most in the world are telling me something unbelievable. What the hell do I do? >
Frohike turns to Mulder. "Mulder, I still can't believe all this. . . . stuff. But, if you want my help, you'll get it."
Mulder goes over to Frohike and unties him. As he finishes. "Frohike, I don't want you to feel that we're lying to you or if you have any doubts. Come on tonight's hunt and see for yourself."
Frohike thinks it over. "All right, I'll go. But first, I have to contact Langley and Byers. Does this place have a decent computer?" Frohike asks.
Everyone in the room laughs, except for Frohike and the ninjas.
After a couple of minutes, Steve stops long enough to tell Willow. "Willow would you please show Mr. Frohike our computer."
A smiling Willow leads Frohike and a curious Jinx to the office. A few minutes later Frohike shouts. "What the HELL!!? This thing shouldn't exist."
Everybody starts to laugh again. Mulder and Scully the hardest.
Jinx comes out a couple of minutes later, and asks. "Where did you get that computer and can I get one and who do I have to kill to get it?"
Tommy turns to Jinx and asks. "Jinx, we just got you a top of the line computer."
"Tommy," Jinx begins. "What they have in that office, blows my P 2 500 MHZ out of the water. Frohike is in that office literally drooling over it."
Tommy asks. "What do they have Jinx? A Cray II?"
Jinx shakes here head and replies. "No, but according to Willow, they have a 2,000 MHZ Pentium 8.5, with 360 Meg of Ram. The hard drive is a stacked 150 Gigs. The Internet connection is accessed through a satellite dish on the roof, so the speed is roughly 400,000 bps."
"The monitor is awesome. It's a Heads Up Display (HUD) like they use on fighters, but it's merged with a holographic display. Everything is controlled by touching the screen and typing on the key board, no mouse." Jinx explains. "That system could blow anything away short of NORAD."
Tommy just shakes his head and smiles. His tech junkie ninja has found a new toy.
*****
Christine turns to Ice as they pull up in front of 317 Brandt Terrace. "Your sure this is the place?"
"Yep, Christine. I am." Ice replies as they get out of their car with Charlie and Alphonse.
"Nice place this guy has here. Where would Mulder and Scully know him from?" Charlie asks.
"Don't know, but they must be good friends if he lets them stay here. Very few people like having cops stay in their homes, even family." Christine replies.
Before Charlie can reply all four are grabbed by strong hands and they look on in horror as they're dragged towards the back of the house and the darkened alley.
*****
Tommy's conversation with Jinx is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of a fight coming from the front of the house. Willow calls out from the office. "Steve, ten vampires have grabbed a woman and three guys from the front of the house."
Immediately every person goes into combat mode. Steve orders Frank to take part of the group out the side door as he leads the rest through the front. Steve grabs Frohike from the office and takes him as well. "Well Frohike, looks like you might not have to go hunting tonight. Ten vamps just grabbed four people from the front of my house."
"I know, I saw the whole thing on the video camera. Let's go." Frohike replies.
The vampires have moved their prey to the side of Steve's house, out of view of the street. The group from the side door traps them before they can go any farther. Steve's group blocks any retreat that they could take. The vampires immediately show their demon faces and attempt to scare Frank's group off. Frank just smiles as he levels his H & K Spec Ops 45 and tells the vampires. "You have one choice, release those people or die."
The leader, a woman, just laughs. "Mortal, I've killed your kind for close to five hundred years. I'm not afraid of you, your friends or your foolish weapon."
"How about me?" Buffy asks.
"Who are you little girl?" The female vampire asks, turning around.
"Oh, just the Slayer, that's all." Buffy replies with a smile as she steps forward and pulls out her Katana and a wooden stake.
The female vampire immediately attacks. Buffy steps to the side and kicks her in the stomach. The vampire grabs her leg and throws her down. Before she can pounce and kill Buffy, Steve shots her in the heart with a wooden bullet. The vampire promptly disappears. With that, Frank shots another vampire and dusts it. Scarlet, using the flat of her sword hits one of the vampires, holding the woman. He goes down, stunned, releasing the woman. Xander grabs the other one by the throat and stakes him in the heart.
The other six, release their victims and try to make a break for it. Three try to pass Mulder and Scully who quickly cut them down and stake them. One of the vampires tries to force his way past Cassandra, who simply stabs him. And as the vampire goes down, she cuts off it's head. The last two make the mistake of going after Scarlet and Snake Eyes. The fight is quick. Scarlet stabs one with a stake and Snake Eyes throws a wooden dart into his heart. Both are dust.
The final vampire regains conscience and he immediately attacks Buffy. She ball kicks him and as he doubles over, stabs his heart through the back with a stake.
Mulder, Katana and stake in hand, walks up to the woman, and asks. "Agent Kowalski, correct?" The woman nods, staring at the Katana and stake in Mulder's hands. "What are you and your three operatives doing here?"
Kowalski clears her throat before she begins. "Agent Mulder, Agent Tanaka was re-assigned. I was put in charge of the case by A-C Daniels. We were coming here to confer with you and Agent Scully when these 'things' attacked us." She takes a deep breath and asks. "What were those things anyway?"
Charlie O'Bannon answers in a soft voice, not believing that he's actually saying it, "Christine, those were real vampires."
Kowalski and the other two jerk at Charlie's statement. She turns to Charlie. "You have got to be kidding, Charlie. Vampires are myths. They don't exist."
Frohike starts to laugh. Between gasps, he tells Mulder. "Looks like you got some more people to convince, Mulder. But, if it makes you feel better, I believe you now."
Mulder gives Frohike a rueful grin.
Before any discussion could started Steve orders everybody back to the house. Agent Kowalski and her three friends are escorted inside. As everyone makes themselves comfortable, Steve asks. "I don't know about you people, but I'm hungry. How's about I order some pizza? Pepperoni, extra cheese and mushrooms disagree with anyone here?"
Nobody complains so Steve reaches for the phone and calls Ted at the pizzeria, "Ted, Steve here. Can I get a dozen large pies with pepperoni, extra cheese and mushrooms?"
"No problem Mr. St. Wolf. I'll put a rush on them and be over in about twenty minutes. See you then." Ted tells Steve.
Steve then turns to Agent Kowalski and her three friends. "Now Agent Kowalski, I believe you like an explanation of what happened outside to you and your friends?"
"We would like that very much." Christine asks.
"Simple, you and your three friends were attacked by ten vampires. We destroyed those ten same vampires before they could kill you and your friends." Steve calmly explains.
A disbelieving and angry Christine disagrees. "No way. Vampires don't exist. It's some kind of hoax." Her three associates sit quietly and wait.
Steve turns to them and asks. "What do you three, think?"
Kowalski's three friends shift uncomfortably. They can't agree with her, nor can they disagree. Charlie is the first to speak. "I know those were vampires out there. But who are you people? We know about Mulder and Scully, but what's your, pardon the expression, stake in this?"
A few people break into groans at the terrible pun, but most smile.
Steve looks to Mulder, who clears his throat. "Agent Kowalski, as you know, my partner and I have for the last six years investigated the paranormal and strange. During that time we have made the acquaintance of various individuals and groups who, shall we say, also investigate those same phenomena. Sometimes they only observe and record these phenomena, but at an increasing rate these people have had to step forward and strike down paranormal phenomena that becomes a threat to humanity." Mulder stops for a moment to let what he just said sink in.
Agent Kowalski is quick on the uptake. "You mean to tell me that these people are monster hunters?" She asks in a disbelieving voice.
"Well actually, you walked into a meeting of two different groups of vampire hunters." Buffy replies with a straight face.
Kowalski is startled by this revelation. "You mean to say that there are actually two groups of grown people hunting vampires?" She asks. "Mulder, where did you get these people? The local Dairy Queen? Or was it the tabloid aisle of the Super Market?"
"Actually my group is made up of former members of the First Covert Special Operations Group, code named G.I. Joe." Tommy replies with a grin.
"My group includes ex-Special Forces, Navy Seals, Occult Experts, as well as computer hackers and programmers." Steve calmly replies.
"Don't forget about us Techno Pagans." Jenny chimes in.
Kowalski just looks at the assemble group in front of her. She feels that the situation has gone far beyond her control.
Frohike, coming back from the office, clears his throat and asks. "Mulder, you mind if I show her the video tape from the Burger to Go?"
Mulder smiles at this. "That's not a bad idea. I think Agent Kowalski could use the enlightenment."
"Mulder," Giles begins. "I also have the tape from our first 'get together' of five months ago."
"Good idea, show them and Frohike that tape as well." Scully replies
Frohike then hands Mulder the tape and Mulder walks over to the large screen TV and puts in Frohike's tape first into the VCR. Frohike, Agent Kowalski and two of her partners get closer to the screen for a better view.
Charlie looks at the tapes only once. He sees the guy Steve St. Wolf and the girl, Buffy, fighting and destroying a dozen vampires, in a restaurant. Then he watches this entire group fight a huge number of vampires in what appears to be a gym. He watches how these people have stood up to the vampire threat and defeated it. While Christine, Ice and Alphonse look at the tapes a second time, Charlie thinks back to the story his grandmother told him about how a young girl rescued her family from a roving band of vampires. She had told him the girl was known as the Slayer. A girl, given mystical strength and powers to fight the vampires and other monsters of the night. He looks at the girl, Buffy, she couldn't be older than eighteen, but she was probably one of the deadliest people standing there, if the legends were true.
Charlie then looks over the other people in the room. < God, why are these kids here? > He thinks to himself, looking at Xander, Willow, Amy, Cordelia and Oz. Before he can study the rest of the people in the room Christine shouts. "I can't believe it. Vampires are *REAL*."
Charlie turns to watch as a shocked Christine turns to Mulder and asks. "What can we do to help?"
Mulder looks over Christine and her three associates, and tells them. "Help Scully and me keep the police off our friends' backs. They'll hunt down and take out the vampires as fast as possible."
"You do realize the LAPD is going to scream murder if we do that?" Ice replies.
"Can't be helped. If any of the police get in. . . . . ." Mulder's reply is cut short by an alarm coming from the computer room. Willow immediately goes to see what could be causing it.
A minute later she rushes out, looking terrified.
Part 14 - A Blast From the Past
(Old Wizards Never Die, They Just Float, But Don't Look Up Their Robes)
"Willow, what's wrong?" Mulder asks.
She takes a deep breathe. "Steve, there's some guy hanging up in the air in the computer room. He told me to get you immediately." She stammers out.
Steve, followed by Buffy, Mulder, Scully and Frank immediately enter the computer room with weapons drawn. They see an old man sitting in the lotus position, floating in the air, patiently smoking a pipe. Steve and Frank, recognizing an old friend, put up their weapons and grin.
"Merlin, you old faker. How are you?" Steve asks. Buffy, Mulder and Scully drop their weapons in shock.
"Where's my ten bucks?" Frank adds in with a grin.
Merlin gives Frank a glare and a grin as he replies. "Better than you two punks and no I don't carry any cash while I'm projecting myself." Merlin sarcastically replies, then he gets serious. "There's a major shit storm coming your way. And you two had better be ready for it."
"It's that bad?" Steve asks. Merlin nods, serious. "Listen Merlin, can you move yourself into the living room. All of my people are there, plus a few new friends. And I would like for everyone to hear what you have to say."
"Then move the crystal to the other room and I'll pop back in. Just warn them in advance. Knowing the type of people you and Frank associate with, they'll shoot first and ask questions later. You don't want to repair any bullet holes in your ceiling, do you?" Merlin replies with a grin.
Steve carefully picks up the crystal and carries it into the living room. Everyone is watching him closely as he puts it down on the coffee table. Steve then turns to everyone present and tells them. "An old friend of mine will appear above this crystal. So please, no one try to shoot him."
A minute later, an old man appears above the crystal. Steve introduces him. "Everyone, this is Merlin. Merlin, this is everyone."
The silence is deafening. Rupert Giles is the first to get over it and ask. "Not the Merlin of Camelot?"
"I'm afraid so," Steve replies with a grin.
"My God," Giles quietly whispers.
"Not God, son. Just an old wizard." Merlin replies with a smile. Then, looking over the assembled faces, looks directly at Cassandra. "Cassandra, been a while, hasn't it?"
"Been too long, Merlin." Cassandra replies with a warm smile. "What's up? Steve looks like something bad's going to happen."
"You're good kid. You don't miss much." Merlin complements her, as he starts to explain. "As I was telling Steve, there's a shit storm coming and you people have to stop it. Some vampire queen is trying to raise Throlog, the Merciless."
In the stunned silence, Steve raises the all important questions. "Where, when and how, Merlin? And what do we have to do to stop them?"
Merlin takes a deep sigh. "You know Wanderer, that's the problem with you. You always get right to the point. No idle chit chat, no hysterics, no screaming, just tell where it is and how to kill it and you go ahead and do it." Then he cracks a smile. "I've always liked that about you. Arthur always wanted glory. You just want to get the job done.
"All right, here's the situation in a nut shell. One of my tame demons told me that Throlog had been contacted by a vampire queen named Katherine Planteganent. Investigating further, I found out that she's going to try to bring him back in Los Angeles, Sunday morning at approximately 2:57 am. The location, someplace where there is at least two thousand people to be used as sacrifices. That gives you roughly 32 hours to find them and put a stop to them.
"Now the ritual is quite exact. It can only be done when the planets come into the proper alignment, and that's about once every five hundred years. The people have to have their hearts cut out with an obsidian blade and then the heart is thrown into a fire, kindled with the bones of human beings. For those of you wondering about it. Yes, this is an Aztec ritual. Throlog was know to the Aztecs as Huitzilopochtli, their God of War. The best way to stop the summoning is simple. Kill Katherine Planteganent and all of her vampires, before they can raise Throlog.
"Steve, you should also know that your friends in the Order of the Grail, the C'est Dei and all of the other organized groups are also fighting similar situations in different parts of the world. So don't look to them for help. I know this is going to be hard, but you and your friends will have to do it. I don't have anyone else in this part of the world.
"Now, should any of you have any questions, please don't call. I'm rather busy now trying to save the world. And adding Throlog to the mess would be bad for everyone concerned. Best of luck my friends and good hunting." Merlin tells them and disappears.
Stunned silence fills the room. Everyone is shocked at what Merlin has just told them. Steve turns to everyone in the room and says. "We've got a major situation folks. Any ideas?"
*****
Cancer Man's operative spits out his coffee as he hears Merlin's news. < God, this can't be happening. First Mulder and Scully meet with a group of vampire hunters, then they're joined by a group of G.I. Joe Ninjas, shortly followed by those four FBI. Now Merlin tells them some vampire queen is going to raise the Aztec God of War in downtown LA? What the fuck is going on here? A Clive Barker Film? >
*****
Christine Kowalski is shocked, < I have just seen Merlin?! What the hell did Spooky and the Ice Queen get me into. > She thinks to herself. She turns back to where Steve, Buffy, Tommy and Mulder have laid out a preliminary attack plan. Ice and Charlie are lending a hand.
"All right, so we're decided. Buffy, myself, Cassandra, Frank and Tommy and his people will attack in force the largest possible concentrations of vampires in the LA Basin, tonight and tomorrow. I'll contact Brother Aaron and Abbott Michael and see if they, plus anyone else that's at the abbey, can make it up here tomorrow." Steve states then turns to Frank. "Frank, take Xander and Oz, get the heavy weapons out and plenty of ammo for everybody."
Mulder then adds. "Steve, Mack introduced me to three of his operatives. They're in LA right now and are willing to help. Do you want me to call them in?"
"Yes, have them come here and they can work as support, with Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Amy and Giles. Willow, Jenny and Frohike will handle communications. Oh, and don't forget to ask what caliber weapons they're using. I'll give them ammo from my stock pile." Steve tells Mulder, then mutters. "Damn, I wish that I could get Aaron and Michael here, now."
As Steve reaches for the phone, a voice calls out. "Maybe my friend and I can be of service to you."
Part 15 - Never Judge a Q By His Peers
(Mulder Finally Meets a Real Live Alien And The Alien is Not Impressed)
Christine watches as everybody in the room levels weapons of various designs and lethality at the originator of that comment. < Man, the guys at the ATF would have coronaries, if they saw all these weapons. > She looks over to see two men standing off to one side of the room. She hadn't see them there before.
Steve calmly looks over the two men, one dark haired, the other blond, and informs them. "Gentlemen, you are presently in my home. Without my permission. You have exactly one minute to explain yourselves, before you are removed from this plane of existence, permanently."
The blond haired man raises his hand and asks politely. "Uhm sir, what do you mean by that last remark 'removed from this plane of existence'?"
Tommy chuckles as he explains. "It means you'll find out what your next reincarnation is."
The two men look confused. Giles lowers his gun and explains. "What my two associates are trying to tell you, is that, if you don't explain yourselves, then we will kill you on the spot."
Both men turn to each other and say. "Oh." Then the dark haired one says. "That's what they meant? For a second there, I thought they meant us some serious harm."
The sounds of safeties coming off and slides racking back are heard after he finishes his comment. The blond haired man nervously gulps, and waits to see what his partner does.
The dark haired man turns to the massed firepower in front of him and just smiles. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Quinn. My friend here is Robert Hascombe. We have been following Steve and Buffy most of last night and all of today, observing you. I must say, you are quite the pair and your friends aren't far behind."
Steve and Buffy share a glance and a single thought. < How? > Buffy then asks, "How could you follow us without our knowing it?"
Quinn just smiles and replies. "I just phased us a fraction of a second out of time. This allowed us the opportunity of following you everywhere, without being seen or heard."
Buffy levels her Glock 19 and paints Quinn's forehead with her laser sight, as she asks. "Everywhere? Your next answer had better be the right one."
The blond haired man answers. "Not everywhere. We only followed you in the public areas. We didn't follow you into the bathroom or the bedroom. We respected your privacy."
Buffy puts her gun down, but not away. "Good answer." She replies.
Steve chuckles. "All right Quinn, now we know who you are, but not what you are or what business you have here."
Quinn smiles as he replies. "Robert is a friend of mine from Los Angeles. You," Quinn points to Buffy. "Killed the vampire, that tried to kill Robert. Remember the old man in the stairwell from last night?" Buffy nods. "That was a non-sentient replicant of Robert. I switched it for Robert, before the vampire could kill him. Then, I rejuvenated Robert as a gift for his friendship."
"That explains your friend, Quinn. But what are you? Wizard, Warlock, What?" Giles asks.
"As to what I am, I am a member of the Q continuum. We're a group of omnipotent beings not native to Earth, who can bend reality as we see fit." Quinn replies.
*****
Cancer Man's operative spits his coffee out, again. < What the fucking hell is going on here? Now they have an alien teaming up with them? This is too fucking weird. The boss will be climbing the walls when he hears this tape. >
*****
As Quinn finishes explaining what he is, Mulder starts to laugh. Everyone looks at him and Scully as Mulder tells her. "Pay up Scully, you owe me twenty bucks."
Scully makes a face and replies. "No I don't, Mulder. The bet was that Steve would be attacked by an alien at his front door or while taking out the garbage. From what I see that guy is just standing there talking. So you didn't win the bet. I did."
Mulder just rolls his eyes up and begins. "But Scully, that's a real live alien. We have found the truth at last."
"No we haven't, and you still owe me twenty bucks. So pay up." Scully replies with a grin.
Steve interrupts Mulder and Scully's exchange and asks. "If you two don't mind? We have two individuals of unknown powers standing over there, for purposes unknown." Steve waves in the direction of Quinn and Robert. "Now, will you two shut up, please?" Then he turns back to them as says. "Sorry about that. Now, what was your purpose here?"
"Not a problem," Quinn replies with a grin. < Damn, I like these humans. Nothing phases them. Anybody else would be either screaming threats, trying to shoot us down or begging for their lives. > All I wanted to say was that I would like to help you fight these vampire things. They almost killed my friend Robert, last night, and I take exception to that."
"I can understand that. You two want to teach those things a lesson. So, since you're a omni-potent being, why don't you just wave your hand and make them all disappear?" Steve asks.
"Because that is the surest way to destroy humanity. Humanity has to stand on it's own feet. In order for your race to achieve the greatness that is it's due, you have to struggle. You have to overcome your enemies yourself. Humanity can't have some super being coming to it's rescue every time it gets a bloody nose."
"I'll help in little ways, like getting your friends Aaron and Michael here instantly. But you people have to fight your own battles and win your own victories. To quote one of your great thinkers, 'It's not the man who makes the struggle, but the struggle, the man. And only through struggle can man achieve greatness'." Quinn explains.
Robert is surprised to hear clapping coming from the group assembled before him. He also notices that all of the weapons have been put away as well.
"Well said sir, well said." Giles compliments Quinn.
Most of the group is smiling as well. They understand where Quinn is coming from and where he's going. Quinn would be a great addition to their team and cause.
Just then the door bell rings. Steve goes to answer it, hoping it's Ted with the pizzas. As he opens the door, Ted greets him with the dozen pies he ordered.
"Hiya, Ted. What do I owe you?" Steve asks.
"That'll be a $120.00 even, Mr. St. Wolf. Are you having a party?" Ted asks.
"Just the usual vampire hunters, magicians, ninjas and aliens from beyond. Here's a $140.00. Keep the change." Steve replies with a straight face.
Ted laughs. "God, you have to invite me one of these days."
"Sure Ted, but then where would I get the pizzas from?" Steve replies with a grin.
Ted just chuckles and leaves. Steve takes the pizzas into the living room and everybody grabs a slice, including Robert and Quinn. As they eat, they plan and re-plan. Using street information provided by Ice, Charlie and Alphonse, the attack radius is narrowed down to certain areas of Los Angeles.
Part 16 - A Convergence of Forces II
(What Do You Get When You Combine Immortals, Ninjas, Cons, Commandos & a Q? A Major Dust Control Problem)
Steve calls Abbott Michael.
"St. Francis of Assisi Monastery, may I help you?" Brother Philip answers.
"Brother Philip, put me through to Abbott Michael. This is important." Steve tells him.
"Brother Steve, give me a moment to transfer the call." Philip replies.
"Brother Steve, how may I help you?" Abbott Michael asks.
"Abbott Michael, listen to me." Steve explains what Merlin had just told them. "I need every Immortal that's at the monastery. And I need to get them up here now. How many do you have there, and can they be convinced to help?"
"Steve, including myself and Aaron, there are twenty seven Immortals here, right now. You can count on myself, Aaron and Robert McCallister at the very least. Give me twenty minutes to talk to them." Abbott Michael replies.
Steve asks Quinn. "Quinn can you take Buffy and me down to the monastery in about twenty minutes and bring everybody backup?" Quinn nods yes. Steve then tells Abbott Michael. "Listen Abbott Michael, Buffy and I can be there in twenty minutes, can you get everybody together?"
"Yes I can." Abbott Michael replies, then hangs up.
*****
Abbott Michael turns to Brother Aaron. "Aaron, Steve has brought another difficult problem to our attention. Now, he's requesting our help. Gather all of our 'special' guests in the cafeteria. I wish to talk to them."
"It shall be done, Abbott Michael." Brother Aaron replies. Then goes to find all of the 'special' guests. Outside, he finds Frankie sitting and admiring the stars. He stops and asks him. "Franklin, would you mind helping me gather all of our 'special' guests in the cafeteria?"
"Sure Brother Aaron. What's going on?" Frankie asks.
"Abbott Michael will explain everything." Brother Aaron tells him.
*****
Fifteen minutes later all of the Immortals are gathered in the cafeteria. Abbott Michael stands in front of them, gathering his resolve. Finally he begins to speak. "My friends, I apologize for disturbing your meditations, but I've just received some rather distressing news. And I'm here to request your help in resolving the matter."
Robert McCallister is the first to speak. "Michael, what is it? Can you tell us the nature of the emergency?"
Abbott Michael nods his head, as he begins to speak, three people appear in front of him.
"Sorry about the entrance, Abbott Michael, but we had to get here fast." Steve St. Wolf apologizes.
"Good evening Brother Steve. May I ask how you just appeared here?" A calm Abbott Michael asks.
"In answer to you question, our friend Quinn brought us down here." Steve introduces Quinn to Abbott Michael, who shakes his hand in greeting. "Have you had a chance to explain the situation yet?" Steve asks.
"No, but you and Miss Summers can probably explain the situation better than I can. So, please go ahead." Abbott Michael replies.
Steve and Buffy then turn to the assembled Immortals and explain the situation to them. They describe the vampires' plan and what the outcome would be. Most of the Immortals shake their head in disbelief. Finally, Steve finishes and asks them. "We've given you all the information on the situation as we know it. We need to know your answers in the next few minutes. Otherwise, thank you for listening to us."
The group of Immortals looks dubious. They can't believe what they have just heard, but none of them want to walk out either.
A man known only as Hans sits off to one side. < God, they're young aren't they? Do they really realize what they are about get involved in? >
Robert McCallister is the first to rise and speak. "Steve, Buffy, I stood with you two, five months ago. It would be an honor to do so again."
Abbott Michael and Brother Aaron step forward as well, Abbott Michael speaks for the both of them. "Brother Steve, you have always stood on the side of God in all things. Brother Aaron and I shall also go with you."
One of the Immortals, a shorty, stocky man named Argus, stands up and asks, "Abbott Michael, Brother Aaron, who are these two? They come in here and tell some fantastic story about vampires and demons and they expect us to run and help them? Tell us why?"
Brother Aaron takes a deep breath, as he begins. "Brother Argus, I have fought beside Steven St. Wolf on three occasions. Each time, it wasn't for personal glory and fame. It was to protect innocent men, women and children from evil incarnate. Five months ago, I watched this man and woman face incredible odds to defeat a horde of vampires two hundred strong. On that day twenty Immortals banded together to fight evil and they won. Not for themselves, but for all of us. On that fateful day, we learned that the 'Game' was a sham, created by evil to rid the world of it's greatest heros. You have the right not to choose to fight, but I ask you, please do so. Not for your own soul, but for the lives of the innocent people these things will murder."
Hans looks up in surprise. < These two led twenty Immortals to destroy over two hundred vampires? I don't believe it. >
A tall, lanky Immortal named Hanson, steps forward. "All well said Brother Aaron, but I've never seen a vampire, and I've lived for close to a thousand years. I'm sorry Brother, but without proof, I won't help." Many of the other Immortals murmured agreement.
"Then maybe I can show you the proof you desire." Quinn tells him. Then suddenly everybody's standing above the gym in Sunnydale, watching the battle against the vampires unfold below. "You are all standing phased out of time. You can watch and hear everything happen, but you can't change it." The Immortals stand aghast at who is fighting below, legends among the Immortals, Duncan Macleod, Mack Bolan, Kyra Adams, Regan Cole and Katherine Raven. They watch as the vampires disappear in puffs of dust.
*****
Hans looks at the two young Immortals in a new light. How could these two young ones gather a force of elder Immortals that strong and no one tried to take someone's head? A tear runs down his cheek as he realizes that the manuscript copy that he recently got was genuine and what Brother Aaron has said is true. The Game is a fraud. Another tear escapes as he watches his cousin Gunther disappears in a puff of dust. < Rest in peace now cousin. Your soul can finally rest because the demon who destroyed you is now dead as well. > Hans' mind is set, he has found himself again and would join in this battle and help.
*****
Quinn then takes them to a secluded resort, and they watch as a horde of vampires attack the vacationers and staff, murdering every man, woman and child with a brutal savagery never before seen by the Immortals present. Quinn then brings them back to the monastery, and asks. "Now you know what you face. Anyone who wishes to stay can go. Those going, get your weapons and be back here in five minutes.
The grim faced Immortals break apart and rush to their respective rooms to get their personal weapons and overnight bags. Five minutes later, all of them are back, ready for a fight. Quinn immediately transports everyone to the Steve's Sunnydale home. The rest of the group is surprised to see so many new additions to the fight.
Steve turns to Amy. "Amy, I need you to cast that locator spell on Buffy. She can use it to locate the largest gatherings and then we strike. We'll need to hit the vampires hard tonight and tomorrow night." Steve then turns to the new arrivals. "Weapons and ammunition will be issued to you. Please remember, only heart shots count. And if you have to use your swords, they have to be beheaded. I'm fairly sure most of us are familiar with that type of stroke." Everyone, but Frohike, the ninjas and Christine and her friends, laugh.
Steve then calls George at the motel and arranges thirty rooms. George is more than happy for the business. The rooms would be available for the next three days.
Christine turns to Mulder and Scully and asks about it. "Mulder what does he mean that they all know how to behead an opponent?"
"Inside joke," Mulder replies smoothly.
Steve turns to Quinn. "Quinn, I hate to impose, but can you take Buffy on a quick scouting trip to LA?" Quinn nods his head and they leave, but are back in less than a minute. Buffy has a sheet of paper with various addresses on it in her hands. She quickly lays out the location of four large vampire nests, containing at least fifty vampires each.
Willow takes the addresses and accesses the blue prints for each building via computer and prints out several sets of copies.
Weapons are issued and battle plans are prepared. The new Immortals check and re-check their weapons. One of them comments. "What are the water guns for and what are these bullets made of?"
Giles replies. "The bullets are made of condensed wood, wax from holy candles and holy water. The only things that could kill a vampire, besides fire and beheading. They have to be shot directly in the heart. The bullet then shatters with the vampire. Human beings standing on the other side will suffer no collateral damage. The water guns are just that. They're filled with holy water, which acts like an acid when it comes into contact with the vampire's skin. If a vampire has a hostage, spray him with it and the water will burn it, forcing it to let go. The water won't harm the hostage or your fellow warriors."
The Immortals and ninjas smile at this. Steve's armory is rapidly depleted with these new arrivals. Christine and her friends look at the arsenal spread across the living room and kitchen and shudder. < My God, how many weapons does this guy have? Some of that stuff looks like it's been banned by the Geneva convention. And these people, everyone of them, including the kids, look like they were born with guns in their hands. And what is it with all of the swords? > Christine thinks to herself.
Hans looks down at his Dae Woo K2 assault rifle with a new respect. < These young ones and mortals have certainly changed the way vampires are hunted. If these weapons work, then maybe the world will be rid of the vampire plague. >
Ice meanwhile is thinking thoughts along the same line. < These people ain't no joke, They're deadly serious about stopping these vampires. I hope they can. >
Charlie's thoughts and a prayer turn back to his grandmother, < Grandma, thanks for all of the old stories you told me. I hope you're watching out for us. > Charlie then feels a warm glow in his heart and thinks he smells lilacs, his grandmother's perfume. But he shakes his head and pushes the thought aside.
Alphonse's thoughts turn to his son, now a teenager. < I know I've been much of a father to you, Scott. But, I'm fighting these things so you can have a safe future. >
Frohike watches the preparations around him. He's busy checking out the communications gear the individual units would be taking with them. < Man, I never saw so much hardware in my life. How the hell did Mulder get involved with these people. First vampires, then Merlin and now an alien. What else is going to happen here? Byers and Langley will never believe it. >
Tommy looks around the room and watches how the preparations are progressing. < God, it reminds me of our days in G.I. Joe. I could just imagine Duke coming through the door with orders. >
Snake Eyes watches the youngest members of the group, clean and take down their weapons. He remembers back to his days in Vietnam, when young men as young as Xander and Oz stood beside him in the battle fields. He hopes to see them all survive the coming battles.
Scarlet looks up from her freshly reassembled assault rifle and let's off a silent prayer. < God, please let everyone come back from this. There are too many good and selfless people here for any of them to die. The world needs them. >
Just then, the front doorbell rings. Steve and Mulder go to answer the door. Standing outside are the three men Mulder asked to join them. Mulder introduces them to Steve.
The three men are escorted into the living room where they see the people working on the arsenal spread across the room, being readied for a fight.
Carl Lyons turns to Mulder. "Mulder, what the hell is going on here? You have a small army standing here and you asked us to join you? What the hell for?"
Mulder then explains the situation to them and they shake their heads in disbelief.
"Mulder you can't be serious? A vampire queen trying to raise the Aztec war god? Where did you get this idea from? Some sixties 'B' movie?" Lyons asks.
Before Mulder can reply, Quinn steps forward. "Save your breathe Mulder, I'll show them what they face." Suddenly Quinn and Able Team disappear. Three seconds later, they reappear. The faces of the three commandos are set in grim lines.
Carl Lyons looks at Mulder and asks. "Where's the special ammo?" Mulder points to Xander who's laying out boxes of the stuff and the three men walk over to him and start to unload already filled magazines, replacing their regular bullets with the wooden ones.
Steve asks Quinn. "Quinn, what did you show them? They look like they're ready to rip off every vampire's head in Los Angeles, with their bare hands."
"I showed them the same thing I showed the Immortals. Your fight five months ago and the ski lodge massacre. Turns out, two of the people murdered in the ski lodge were friends of their's. They've been hunting the killers for close to three months, on their off duty days. Now they want vengeance for those people." Quinn tells Steve.
*****
Ironman, Gadgets and Politician approach Xander. Xander looks up at them as he is stacking boxes of ammo on the table. Xander asks. "Hi, you must be the guys Mulder called for. Welcome to the team, I'm Xander." Xander extends his hand. Ironman, Gadgets and Politician each take it in turn, introducing themselves.
Gadgets looks at the kid named Xander handing out the ammo, and that's exactly what he is, a kid. He asks. "Xander, exactly how old are you?"
Xander looks Gadgets straight in the eye as he replies. "Seventeen."
Gadgets looks into Xander's eyes and recognizes the look. He'd seen it on countless young men in Vietnam. His body may not be visibly scarred, but his eyes tell him this kid has been through hell. Gadgets gulps and then asks. "How long you've been fighting vampires?"
"Two years." Xander replies.
< Two years? > Gadgets thinks to himself, < This kid has been fighting vampires for two years? > He turns to his comrades and sees the grimmer set to their features. He turns back to Xander and asks. "Xander, why do you do it?"
Xander looks at the three men standing before him loading their magazines. He sighs as he begins his story. "Because no one else wants to. I would like to have a normal life, but I can't. I've watched too many of my friends die because of these things. Besides, one of my best friends is the Slayer, and I don't leave my friends hanging." The men give him blank looks. "Sorry, the Slayer is the chosen vampire hunter for each generation. She hunts them and I won't let her do it alone."
"She? The Slayers a woman?" Ironman asks.
"Yep, she's the cute blonde standing between Mulder and Steve." Xander points to a young woman with her arm wrapped around Steve's waist.
"Kinda close, aren't they?" Carl comments.
"They get along. Since those two started to work together, life around here has been nice and quiet, almost normal. Together, they've managed to take out every vampire in Sunnydale and the surrounding suburbs. Lately, they've been hunting in Los Angeles, taking down the vampires there."
"Who's the tall redhead?" Gadgets asks, seeing something he likes.
Xander looks over to where Scarlet and Snake Eyes are checking their magazines. "That's Scarlet. The guy standing next to her is her husband Snake Eyes. They and the Storm Shadow Ninja clan have spent the last five months clearing out San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area, now they're here to lend a hand."
"Storm Shadow Ninjas? Where the hell did Mulder get Ninjas from?" Gadgets asks.
"When we hit the vampires five months ago, Scarlet's kids were kidnaped by vampires. Buffy, Steve and Mack helped rescue them. Coming back was their idea of paying back a debt." Xander explains.
"Everyone here like that?" Ironman asks, impressed by these people's sense of duty.
"Yep, everyone here is the hero type. The only thing we need is a load of spandex and we're in business." Xander cracks. Able Team smiles at the joke.
*****
Outside, Cancer Man's operative is in trouble. While Steve and Buffy have cleared out the resident vampires in Sunnydale, the town still had a major problem with vampires that were 'just passing through'. Two such vampires have watched him sitting in his car, and have decided he would make a satisfactory dinner.
Their attack is simple. Walk up to the car, smash the window, get in, grab the guy and drain him dry.
The operative sees what's going on and he knows what he has to do. These vampires had him and were going to kill him. He had one option left. The vehicle self destruct, he would take these two with him. He rasps out as reaches for the switch "I'm dead, but I'm taking you vampires to hell with me." The operative presses the switch down and the effect is nearly instantaneous. The inside of the car melts, leaving the outside intact. Everything inside the car is destroyed, including the vampires.
*****
Any further conversation is halted by Steve's announcement of the battle order. "All right, here's the breakdown of forces. The main attack force will be made of two groups, lead by myself and Mulder. The forces will be made of the following individuals. " Steve lists off all of the Immortals present, split evenly down the middle. "The Storm Shadow Clan and Able Team with Frank will be our sweepers and flying reserve. Able Team and Frank will be issued the heavy weapons." Steve points to a pair of Stoner's and two M-60 E3s loaded with wooden bullets. "Observation, transportation and information services will be done by Giles, Amy, Agent Kowalski, Ice, Charlie, Alphonse, Oz and Xander. Communications and Computer services will be done by Willow, Frohike, Robert Hascombe, Cordelia and Jenny. Quinn will be our 'Ace-in-the-Hole'. In case it really goes down the crapper." Quinn just grins. "Now, any questions?"
"Yes, I have a question, how come the Ninjas and us are going to be the second string on this mission? All of us have combat experience and we're not afraid of these things." Carl Lyons asks.
Steve looks at the assembled Immortals, all of them nod their heads. These people would find out soon enough anyway.
Steve stands in front of the members of Able Team, Storm Shadows and Christine's group along with Frohike. He looks at Tommy and asks. "Can I borrow your knife for a second?"
Tommy silently gives Steve his Randall Combat Bowie. Steve holds up his wrist as he speaks. "The reason none of you were chosen for the main attack was because none of you is an Immortal." With that, Steve cuts his wrist to the bone. Buffy hands him a towel to catch the blood. Everyone watches in amazement as the wound closes before their eyes. After the wound closes, Steve explains. "We can't be killed, except if we're completely cremated or vaporized in an explosion (Steve lies). That's why none of you were chosen for the main force. We don't want our friends to die unnecessarily."
A shocked Scarlet asks. "Steve, you're an Immortal? How old are you, really?"
"I just turned 40, Scarlet. I'm one of the youngest Immortals here. The oldest is Cassandra. She's 2,700 years old." Steve calmly replies. "The average age of Immortals in this room is about 300 years I would estimate."
"My God, that's incredible." Christine mutters.
Any further conversation is stopped by the sound of the front doorbell. Steve goes to answer it. Standing at the door is a man and a woman. The man flashes his badge introducing himself. "I'm Captain John Randall, this is Det. Tracy Vetter. We're with the LAPD.
"Little bit out of your jurisdiction, aren't you?" Steve asks.
"Yes, we are," Captain Randall replies. "Are Agents Mulder and Scully still here?"
"Yes, they are. Can you wait a second. I'll get them." Steve replies.
*****
Randall turns to Vetter and cracks. "Man, doesn't trust cops in his own home."
"Would you let in a couple of cops, who you don't know?" Tracy replies with a grin.
"Nope, they'd mess up my living room to no end." Randall wisecracks.
"He's got a nice place though," Tracy comments looking over the house and the neighborhood. "No wonder Mulder and Scully chose to stay here rather that in a hotel."
"I would too, if I had a friend who owned a house like this." Randall replies with a smile.
*****
Steve goes inside and gets Mulder and Scully. "Mulder, there's a Captain Randall from the LAPD outside looking for you."
"Damn, what the hell is he doing here?" Scully asks.
"Knowing John, probably coming to get you two, so you wouldn't get lost." Ironman tells them with a grin.
"You know him Ironman?" Mulder asks.
"Yep, used to ride patrol with him." Ironman tells them with a grin. "Now Steve, let them in. John can be trusted, but I need to get even for a joke he pulled on me a couple of years ago. Do you guys mind helping?" He looks at everyone in the room as they begin to laugh softly as Ironman lays out a quick plan.
After the plans are set, Steve goes back to the front door and lets Randall and Vetter in. "C'mon in. Mulder and Scully are waiting for you in the living room." Steve tells them.
"Thanks." Randall replies as he and Vetter walk in.
They enter the living room to find Buffy, Mulder and Scully watching the Burger to Go video tape. Scully and Mulder are commenting about Steve's form.
"Mulder, why can't you do things like that?" Dana sweetly asks.
"Because I don't have a Slayer for a girlfriend." Mulder replies with a grin, taking a sip from his iced tea.
Captain Randall and Det. Vetter look at the video tape playing on Steve's big screen. They recognize the place and they recognize the two people in the video. They turn to each other and both immediately reach for their guns. Randall points his gun at Steve's head and Vetter does the same to Buffy's.
"You're both under arrest." Randall tells Steve and Buffy.
"May I ask for what?" Steve replies calmly.
"For murder, leaving the scene of crime, concealed weapons, and that's just for starters. I'll figure out more later on." Randall replies, a little worried. < This guy is way too calm. Something's up. >
"I think my friends might take exception to that, Captain Randall." Steve drily comments. Quinn flashes everyone back from out of phase when Steve says the word 'friends'.
"What friends? There's only you, the girl and two federal ag . . . ?" Randall's remark is cut short by the sound of slides racking back and safeties being released. He slowly turns around and the empty living room is empty no longer. Randall takes a gulp as he looks into the barrels of at least twenty assault rifles. Tracy also takes a look and she promptly drops her gun and raises her hands.
"Damn," Randall quietly whispers. "I hope these are friends of your's Mulder."
"Actually, they're Steve's friends." Mulder replies with a grin.
"Nothing personal guy. Just doing my job." Randall quickly explains to Steve, but the gun doesn't waiver.
"John, there are at least forty guns pointed at us." Vetter nervously comments.
"I know Tracy." Randall replies calmly and then asks Steve. "Would it be too much trouble to ask your friends to put down their guns?"
"Just put your gun down and we'll talk about it." Steve replies calmly.
"Can't do it son. LAPD never. . ." Randall's reply is cut off by Ironman.
". . . Put their guns down. Unless the suspect is dead or we're dead." Ironman finishes.
Randall turns around and stares at his old partner. "Lyons, you low down, dirty, mother fucking, son of a bitch. If this is your idea of a joke, I am not pleased."
"Why John? Because I got you this time?" Ironman replies with a grin.
"No, because you've been holding out on me. Why didn't you tell me the vampire hunters were with you, when I asked?" Randall angrily comments.
"Because they're not. They're with Mulder and Scully." Ironman replies.
"They're WHAT?!!" An angry Randall turns to the two Feds. "What is the meaning of this? You Federal bastards have been involved in my case from the beginning? Working behind our backs and cleaning up after yourselves, while making us look like morons. I want a full explanation, *NOW*." Randall bellows at Mulder and Scully.
"All right Captain Randall, Det. Vetter, grab a seat." Mulder tells them. He then tells them the truth.
Twenty minutes later, after Mulder finishes his story and shows them the other video tape, Captain Randall looks at the two FBI agents and the massed group of vampire hunters and all of the weapons present, the look of determination in all of the faces. He still can't believe it. "Mulder, this can't be real, vampires don't exist. They're only myths and legends."
Before Mulder can reply, Lyons turns to Quinn. "Quinn show these two what you showed us." Quinn nods his head and the three of them disappear.
Three seconds later a shaken and angry Captain Randall and a furious Det. Vetter reappear. Randall turns to Mulder, Steve and Ironman.
"This guy, whatever he is, and believe me, I don't want to know what he is." Randall points to Quinn. "Just showed us what the fuck we're facing, up close and personal. What I want to know is what do we have to do to get this war rolling." He turns to Steve. "Quinn told me you have a special ammunition which will kill these things. I want a supply of ammo for my SWAT team. I'm giving you the Rangers as backup and support."
"I'm sure Cody will be happy to hear he's working with us again." Ironman smirks.
"I'm taking my city back. And no fucking vampire queen is going to stop me." Randall angrily states. "Get your people moving. I want this situation under control tonight. Every vampire you people ice is one less murder for me to solve.
*****
Cancer Man picks up his cell phone and answers. "What is it?"
"Sir," the voice at the other end begins. "We've lost our agent in Sunnydale. He activated the self destruct in his vehicle and most of his recordings were destroyed. From what we've been able to salvage sir, it's way out there. It's just too weird, even for Mulder. If you want, we can transfer a digital recording to you."
"Did Mulder or any of his friends have anything to do with our man's death?" Cancer Man asks.
"No Sir, his final words were, 'I'm dead, but I'm taking you vampires to hell with me'."
Cancer Man shudders and then orders "Do it. I'll be at my office in thirty minutes."
"Yes Sir." Then the connection closes.
Cancer Man stares outside his window for a minute and shudders. < What the hell is going on in Los Angeles and how will the Others react to it? >
*****
The Centre jet lands a LAX and proceeds to a secluded runway. At the end of the runway is a private hanger. Outside the hanger, waiting, are four Centre sedans. Black, sleek and powerful, they sit with their engines idling, waiting for the hunt to begin.
Miss Parker strolls down the jet's steps and walks over to the lead sedan. The driver, a Centre employee stationed in Los Angeles quietly waits for her to enter the car.
*****
Unknown to the Centre sweeper team, five vampires have penetrated the Centre hanger and they are hungry. The two Centre mechanics on duty are their first victims. As they are drained, one of the vampires notices the people deplaning and the five move to feed some more.
*****
Miss Parker is standing by the lead sedan as the rest of her crew deplanes and stows their baggage in the trunks. As the last bag is being put in, the four sweepers by the last car start to scream. Gar and Willy immediately go to investigate. She rushes toward the last car as gunshots are heard. Before she can reach it Gar grabs her and forces her into the lead car and orders the driver to get out of there. He turns to face Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots.
"What the hell happened back there Gar?" Miss Parker orders.
"Four of the sweepers were grabbed by something. We tried to shoot them, but they only laughed at us and grabbed four more sweepers. I ordered everyone into the cars and out of there. What the hell are those things, my bullets didn't even faze them.
Miss Parker shares a glance and a thought with Sidney and Broots. < What the hell has Jarod gotten us into now? >
"Where are we going?" Miss Parker asks.
"To Sunnydale." The driver replies. "There are no hotel rooms available in LA. The only place that I could find that was reasonably close was a Motor Lodge in Sunnydale."
"Oh joy." Miss Parker snarls as she lights up a cigarette. "First we're attacked by something that can't be shot. Now we're stuck in the boonies."
Part 17 - Tora Tora Tora
(How To Put The Most Force In The Smallest Area Possible)
The decision was made, Randall and Vetter would run interference for the assault with the LAPD and the Feds. As Steve, Mulder, Ironman and Tommy lay out the plans, Quinn opens a portal to the Ninja's LA warehouse. The entire assault group starts to move through it.
As everybody goes through, Steve asks Quinn. "Can you give everyone black uniforms like Frank and I are wearing?" Quinn nods and suddenly everyone is dressed like Steve and Frank. Steve then turns to Randall. "Can you get us some vans to use for tonight?"
"Not a problem, I'll have the Rangers bring six vans from the motor pool with them." Randall replies as he takes his phone out. "Cody, this is John, Ironman is in town with a few friends, so bring along six of the large vans with you to the warehouse at Vine and Charcey. We're using it as our base of operations for tonight. And don't forget to pack your party favors, you'll need them."
"Not a problem John, see you there." Lt. Cody Rodgers replies.
*****
Lt. Cody Rodgers hangs up the phone after his conversation with Captain John Randall and turns to his second in command, Sgt. Robert Devlin. "Bob, it's going to be a bad one. Ironman is running the show. John wants us to bring six of the big vans with us to a warehouse at Vine and Charcey. We'll be using it as a base of operations for tonight. And don't forget to bring our equipment. Sounds like the Captain has got a bead on these 'vampires' and he's going to hit them with everything we've got."
"Ironman's in town? Oh Shit, I'll get the team together. Do you want me to bring the new guy, Jarod, along?" Devlin asks.
"Yeah, It'll be a good learning experience for him." Rodgers muses as Devlin leaves.
Outside, Sgt. Devlin calls together the SWAT unit called Rodgers' Rangers. The group is made up of twelve officers, including Rodgers and Devlin. As the officers gather together, Devlin gives them the low down. "All right, I've got good news and bad news. First, the Captain has just called and ordered us to muster at a warehouse on Vine and Charcey. We're going to hit the vampire serial killers, tonight." Cheers break out, as the men and women finally get a chance for some action. Sgt. Devlin continues. "The bad news is former LAPD Sgt. Carl 'Ironman' Lyons is running the show." Groans escape from nine of the ten officers. Jarod, the only officer not groaning, looks around confused.
"What is so bad about this Lyons guy?" The man known as Jarod Russell asks.
"You're new Jarod, so you don't know about the Ironman and his two playmates. But take my word for it, when those three are around, the shit's about to hit the fan. And why they want six vans is beyond me." Devlin replies.
Sgt. Devlin then orders. "Now get your gear together, Ramos, Henry, Thompson, Franklin, Michaels and Russell, you six will be the drivers for these vans. Go to the motor pool and get them. You'll meet the rest of us at the warehouse. Do not, I repeat, do not enter by yourselves. We go in as a unit."
*****
Twenty minutes later the Rangers are parked in front of the warehouse in question. They approach the building in a single group, with weapons at the ready. As they approach, Captain Randall comes out and greets them.
"Cody, glad you guys could make it." Randall comments.
"What's going on John? Is Ironman really running this show?" Lt. Rodgers asks.
"Yes and no. The guy running it is an FBI agent named Mulder. His seconds in command are his partner, a woman named Scully, Ironman, a guy named Steve St. Wolf and a woman named Buffy Summers. Before you get any ideas about going in there like you own the place, don't. There are fifty Black Ops soldiers in there, armed to the fucking teeth and ready to kill anything that moves. So no questions, no games, no jokes, just listen and do as you are told. Am I making myself clear?"
Cody stiffly nods his head and replies. "Crystal clear. Can you tell us what the fuck are Black Ops doing in LA, hunting done a group of serial killers?"
"I can't." Randall replies. "Just know this, those people in there are our best chance to stop some serious shit from going down. And I mean serious."
Randall then escorts the Rangers into the warehouse where he introduces the Rangers to the assembled Vampire hunters.
Rodgers looks over the assembled Black Ops soldiers in front of him and shudders. < My God, these guys are serious and they have the fire power to back themselves up. What the hell are we here for? > Rodgers wonders to himself.
Just then, Steve steps forward, introduces himself and explains the situation to the SWAT team. "Gentlemen, Ladies, My name is Steven St. Wolf. This matter is classified top secret. It is not to be discussed outside of this room by any of you. Am I understood?" The SWAT team nods their heads in agreement. "Very well, I'll give it to you straight, I won't lie to you. The situation is as follows. A month ago, a group of animal rights activists broke into a laboratory that was testing a Russian biological agent. The lab's purpose was to find a cure, but the activists' destroyed all of the research, and got themselves contaminated with the original plague virus." The SWAT team's faces pale. Steve continues. "Now the plague virus dies after thirty minutes of exposure to the air, and the only way to transmit it, is by transfer of a large amount of contaminated blood between the plague carrier and another victim. So, there is no chance of you catching it." The SWAT team breaths easier. "Now here's the fun part. The plague causes it's victims to believe that they are vampires and that they need blood to survive. It also makes them very sensitive to sunlight and for some reason, religious icons such as crosses and Stars of David. But it also gives them superhuman strength and enhanced healing ability. The only way to stop them is to shoot them in the heart with the modified bullets we are giving you, or behead them. Anything else, short of a flame thrower or anti-tank rocket will not work on them. Any questions?"
"Yeah St. Wolf, who the hell are you people? What agency do you represent? NSA? CIA? Military?" Lt. Rodgers asks.
Steve gives an evil grin. "That's classified and on an need to know basis. Let's just say we're here to clean up the mess, without the public finding out about the mess. And thereby causing a panic." Steve replies.
"Another Government coverup, by an agency that doesn't exist. Why don't you people just go back to chasing UFO's?" Sgt. Devlin mutters.
Mulder and Scully just smile at that comment.
Meanwhile, Jarod looks over the assembled group in front of him. Each of their faces share a common trait, a look of determination. Jarod realizes that these people are here to fight, not to stand around and wait out a situation. He starts to look over individual faces and he's shocked to see teenagers among the black Ops soldiers. Two of them walk up to Jarod and his fellow officers. They introduce themselves.
"Hi, I'm Xander," The dark haired young tells them. "And this is Oz." The red haired young man nods his head. "We're here to issue you people the specialized ammunition for your weapons. Please remove the ammo from at least five magazines, both rifle and pistol, and replace it with the ammo we give you."
Jarod looks at the two kids as he switches the ammunition for his M-16 and Berreta M92. Xander is armed with an AWP-308 sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, Oz has a H&K G3 battle rifle in an assault sling. Both rifles were equipped with night vision scopes more advanced than anything Jarod had ever seen. Each young man was also carrying a Glock Model 21 side arm, grenades, combat knives. Both men had body armor and night vision goggles that Jarod has never seen before. The armor was painted a flat black and looked more like a breast plate than a flack jacket. And the goggles are small and compact, not the large bulky pieces Jarod has seen. But Jarod wonders the most about is the other item both men were carrying over their left shoulders, < Why are both men carrying swords? > Jarod then looks more closely at the rest of the group < For that matter, why was everyone in this group carrying swords? >
Jarod's thoughts are put on the back burner as the order of battle is given and four sites have been marked for assault, two abandoned warehouses on the waterfront, an abandoned supermarket in the barrio and an old mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The blueprints and schematics of the sites are arranged before the team leaders and their seconds in command. The two warehouses would be hit first, then the supermarket and finally the mansion.
St. Wolf and Summers would lead the first group made up of sixteen Immortals, including Brother Aaron and the Storm Shadow ninjas. Christine, Ice, Frank, Oz, Xander and six SWAT officers under Lt. Rodgers would act as the reserve and as perimeter guards.
The second group would be lead by Mulder, Scully and Cassandra, it would have the rest of the Immortals, including Robert and Abbott Michael and Able Team. The reserve would be Charlie, Alphonse, Giles, Amy, and six SWAT officers under the command of Sgt. Devlin.
Quinn would remain behind, the ultimate ace-in-the-hole. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter would go back to headquarters to run interference for the assault and pick up the pieces afterwards.
*****
St. Wolf Residence
Willow, Cordelia, Jenny, Robert and Frohike are manning the monitors and computers back in Steve's office. Frohike is downloading one of his hacking programs via satellite and as he prepares to run it, Willow, seeing what the program is, asks. "Mr. Frohike, what are you doing?"
"I'm accessing a National Reconnaissance Organization Satellite. A K-H series to be exact." Frohike responds.
"Why are you doing that?" Cordelia asks as she reaches for her gun. < I know Mulder trusts this guy, but those are my friends out there. And if he tries something, I'll blow his brains out. > Cordelia's sentiments are echoed by Willow and Jenny, as they both calmly reach for their guns.
Robert looks on and thinks to himself. < These women will kill him in an instant to protect their men. > Then smiles to himself. < I hope their significant others know and appreciate this. >
Frohike sighs and turns around. "Because the NRO satellite's thermal imaging system can tell us if anyone alive is still in the building, and where they're located."
"Oh." All three women say at the same time. Cordelia turns to Jenny and Willow and asks. "That's a good thing, right?"
"A very good thing." Willow murmurs as she starts to help him. "It give our people the knowledge to know where the victims are and then they can save them."
National Reconnaissance Organization HQ - Some Where in Virginia
Lt. Janice Ellison is sitting back and having her first cup of coffee for the grave yard shift. As she is taking her first sip, the entire situation room goes into red alert. Major Hoffmann rushes into the room bellowing at the top of his lungs. "Who the hell just pushed the red alert. If this is a joke, I'll have their balls."
"Sir, I pressed the red alert, Sir." A Sergeant named Paxton stands up, at attention.
"All right Sergeant, what's the emergency?" Major Hoffmann asks.
"Sir, we lost contact with Red Eagle One. Some one has hijacked her." Sgt. Paxton reports.
Major Hoffmann's stomach drops. < How the hell could someone steal one of our birds? It shouldn't be possible. Could it? > "Did you check your system Sergeant?"
"Yes Sir, I checked, double and triple checked and crossed checked with all six of the backup systems. Red Eagle One is gone, Sir." Paxton replies.
Hoffmann takes a deep breath and then he shudders. A moment later, he has regained control of himself. He begins to issue orders. "I want all of the intelligence representatives in the situation room, ASAP. Get me the Joint Chiefs on line now. And some one find me some Maalox. It's going to be one of those nights."
As he turns around to leave, Lt. Ellison notices that she has some e-mail. Out of curiosity she opens it and after reading the short message she calls out to the Major. "Major Hoffmann, sir, please come look at this."
"It had better be important Lt. or you'll find yourself vacuuming dust in the Mojave." Hoffmann gruffly replies as he walks over and reads the message on her computer screen. His face turns a livid purple as he screams. "I want this message traced. I don't care how. I don't care if you violate every amendment in the Constitution, but I want the person that wrote this found. And print me up a copy of that message, immediately."
After the e-mail is printed, Major Hoffmann takes it with him to the situation meeting room. Members of every intelligence agency in the United States, plus a few allies were present. As he approaches his chair, Hoffmann pulls it out and while still standing, slams his fists into the table, then bellows out. "Which one of you fuck ups is responsible for something called Section Seven? So help me God, if I find out which one it is, I'll shoot him down on the spot."
"Major, get a hold of yourself." General Douglaston, the Joint Chiefs' representative orders.
"Sorry sir, but I've just had one of my birds hijacked."
The room goes quiet. The CIA representative is the first to ask. "Are you sure it's not a computer error?"
"Yes, Sir," Hoffmann sarcastically replies through clenched teeth. "We always call for a red alert before we check for computer errors." The CIA man, embarrassed, shuts up.
"Now, what's this thing about Section Seven?" General Douglaston asks.
"Simple sir, when the satellite disappeared, we got this e-mail on our *SECURED* system." Hoffmann replies.
"Please read us the message, Major."
"Yes Sir, it reads as follows,"
'To the NRO;
Sorry to borrow your satellite without asking first, but we didn't have time to process the paperwork. Saving the world can get to be like that sometimes.
We'll return it to you in about 48 hours. Oh, and by the way, nice gun you got on this baby. We'll make sure it doesn't accidently go off.
Best Regards,
Section Seven
"My God. This is real." General Douglaston murmurs. Meanwhile the CIA, NSA and various other 'intelligence' organizations silently ponder and look at each other, all asking the same question. < Which one of these guys has control of Section Seven? And how the hell do I get a piece of them? >
The NSA representative asks. "What do they mean by 'nice gun', Major?"
The Major sighs as he begins. "The Red Eagle series of K-H satellites are all equipped with a 200 Mega-watt laser guns. The gun's targeting computer uses the Global Positioning System to hit it's targets. What that means is it can hit a quarter from 250 miles in orbit, burn off George's face and leave the rest alone."
"Can they fire the laser?" The NSA representative asks.
"The codes to fire the laser are just as tough as the ones controlling the satellite." Major Hoffmann replies.
"So in theory they can also crack the firing codes as well?" The NSA representative verbalizes everyone's worst fears.
"Yes, in theory, they can crack those codes as well."
The room turns quite as each man tries to think of a solution to this problem.
St. Wolf Residence
Willow, Jenny, Cordelia and Robert have just finished laughing about the e-mail Frohike sent to the NRO. As Willow catches her breathe, she asks. "Wasn't that e-mail a bit much Frohike?"
"Nope, it'll keep them guessing and give us time to get our work done. Plus the orbital laser is a nice touch, don't you think."
"What can it do?" Jenny asks.
"Well it fires a 200 Mega-watt laser that can burn a hole in six inches of steel, in about a tenth of a second, and it can be aimed with pin point accuracy. I think that'll give any vampire or demon a major case of sun burn." Frohike replies with a smile.
Part 18 - Rocking the Town
(Los Angeles Really Screams After Midnight)
The six vans make their way to the waterfront. Their targets, two warehouses filled with vampires. The vans bypass the first target and Buffy confirms the presence of at least fifty vampires. They move on to the second warehouse and Buffy again confirms the presence of forty five vampires. The vans move off and several blocks away they split up. Three going to the first warehouse, the other three going to the second warehouse.
Buffy and Steve lead the assault on the first warehouse. They drop off the perimeter guards first. Securing the exterior of the warehouse. Then they ram their van through the front doors and immediately start attacking the vampires found inside the warehouse. The vampires are literally caught dozing. Steve leads half the Immortals up the left side of the warehouse, Buffy, the other half, the right. They take out any vampires they see. The ninjas roll up the middle, causing mayhem and confusion. Frank aided by Christine, Ice and two SWAT officers guards the front door. The rear of the warehouse is guarded by Xander and Jarod. The sides by Oz and the other three SWAT officers, two on each side.
The attack is furious, the vampires have recovered from their shock and they attack in earnest. They are expecting LAPD, armed with shotguns and pistols, no problem for vampires. Instead, they get the Slayer backed up by twenty vampire hunters armed to take them down. The first wave of vampires, about twenty of them, their demonic faces showing, charge the three groups of fighters, only to be cut down by the massed fire power of the hunters. The vampire leading this group orders the rest of the vampires back. He orders five of the vampires to run and tell Katherine what is happening. The rest would act as a diversion allowing them to get away. The vampires then attack again in a wave attack, attempt to over whelm their foes, but they are again cut down by the massed fire power of the warriors facing them. Mercy is neither asked for, nor given.
*****
Hans shifts his rifle to a more comfortable position. He has just shot his third vampire that night and watched it turn to dust. < Damn, this ammunition works. I hope they let me get some of it for myself. >
*****
The five vampires sent to warn Katherine have split up, three going out the back and two on the left side. The three escape through a back door and as they are running, two of the vampires are shot down by an M-16. Both turn to dust. The final vampire runs away as fast as she can, but her heart is found by a sniper's wooden tipped bullet. Xander and Jarod stand together and look at each other.
Jarod asks. "Why did they turn to dust?"
Xander sighs and tells him. "Because they're real vampires. There is no plague. Just real vampires."
"I take it you're the group who rescued those people at the Burger to Go, last night." Jarod asks.
"Yeah, that was Steve and Buffy." Xander admits.
"Good, nice to know that we're on the same side." Jarod comments. < Maybe these people can help me fight the Centre, when this is all over. >
*****
On the left side of the building, Oz is standing with Officer Rita Morales. The last two vampires exit out through a window. Oz shoots the one on the left, Rita the one on the right, both are dust.
Rita turns to Oz and asks. "What just happened?"
Oz keeps an eye on the warehouse as he tells her. " Real vampires tend to turn to dust when you get them in the heart with wood, or behead them."
"Real vampires? You mean we're fighting real vampires. What was this crap about a plague?" Rita asks angrily.
"People are more likely to believe a plague, than real vampires. It gave us a plausible explanation for hunting them down." Oz explains.
Rita crosses herself, then asks. "The restaurant, the vampire hunters, that was you people?"
"Yeah." Oz replies.
"Madre Dios!" Morales mutters and crosses herself.
*****
Inside the warehouse the vampires have all been killed off. Steve orders a quick search. "I want a quick search done. Work in teams of three. Do not, I repeat, do not open any locked doors without backup. Spray all bodies with holy water. If it burns, stake it. Check all the boxes and any containers. Let's move people. I want to be out of here in five minutes." Steve then turns to Lt. Rodgers. "Rodgers, call Randall and give him this location. He can pick up the pieces." Rodgers nods and makes the radio call.
As Cody leaves to make his call, one of the search teams finds a locked and barred door. They pull it open and quickly spray the inside with holy water. The people inside are startled, but none of them start to burn. Steve leads in five Immortals to check the room. Each person is touched with a cross, before they are handed out. None are vampires. Buffy tells Scarlet to report the situation to Lt. Rodgers and to get some ambulances down here ASAP.
A few minutes later another room is found, stacked to the rafters with bodies. Dead bodies. The assembled Immortals look into a scene carved from their worst nightmares. Steve and Buffy look in and can only hold themselves close and ask themselves, < Why couldn't we get here sooner? >
Meanwhile Cody is reporting in. "John, this is Cody. We just hit the warehouse located on pier 17. Can you send backup?"
"Not a problem Cody. We'll be there in about seven minutes, clear everybody out ASAP." Captain Randall replies.
Just then Scarlet leaves the warehouse and she reports to Cody. "Lt., we found thirty people inside. All are suffering from blood loss. Several are seriously low. They'll need to be transported to a hospital. We've also found about a hundred dead. You'll need to move them later on."
Cody picks up his radio again and reports in. "John, Cody here again. We found thirty people still alive. They'll need transport to the hospital. Can you get the ambulances rolling?"
"You got 'em Cody. Just haul your butts out of there. I don't want the press to get a look at our 'friends'." Captain Randall orders.
"John, we also have about a hundred victims here. You'll need to move them as well." Lt. Rodgers tells Captain Randall.
*****
"Damn, damn, damn," Captain Randall mutters as he slams the radio down. He turns to Tracy and tells her. "They got there too late to save a hundred people. Damn it Tracey, we're supposed to win. We're the good guys."
"I know John, but sometimes we don't get to win as cleanly as we want to. Sometimes the victory is almost as dark as though we lost. Can you imagine what it would be like if they won?" Tracey tells him.
Randall thinks for a minute and shudders. "You're right, Tracy, thanks." He picks up the mike again and orders Cody. "Cody, get your people of there. We'll be at the warehouse in five minutes. I don't what any reporters seeing our friends."
"Understood John, we'll be out of here in a couple of minutes." Cody replies.
*****
Cody radios Jarod. "Jarod, get the perimeter guards in, we're moving out."
Jarod confirms and turns to Xander. "You take the right side, I'll go left, we'll meet in front." Xander nods and goes to get the guards on the right side.
Cody then goes into the warehouse and finds Steve and Buffy. He delivers Randall's message. "Sir, Ma'am, Captain Randall will be here in about six minutes. We have to move out."
Steve nods his head heavily and turns to the survivors. "The LAPD will be here in a few minutes. They'll take you to the hospital and make sure you get proper medical treatment. Please understand this, you never saw us. You were rescued by the Police officers that are coming here now. They are the heroes."
"Why?" One of the victims ask. "You people rescued us and probably saved our lives. You deserve the recognition, not the cops coming in now."
Steve takes a deep breath and tells them. "The organization that we work for does not officially exist, sir. We can not legally operate inside this country."
One of the other victims mutters. "Damn, finally a thing that my tax dollars paid for, that I'm proud of, and I can't talk about it." Everyone laughs as they mount up and leave.
One minute later, everyone is back on the vans and moving to the second warehouse. As they leave the scene, Buffy and Steve, along with everyone else watches a sea of blue and red lights wash over the warehouse. The LAPD was there, in force.
*****
Mulder and Scully move their vans to their target, the second warehouse. The attack plan is the same as the one carried out by Buffy and Steve. First, the perimeter guards are dropped, then the lead van crashes through the doors of the warehouse. As Mulder and Scully are jumping off the tail of the van, weapons ready. They see the vampires are waiting for them. The vampire leader marches forward and mockingly tells them. "Ahhh, our dinner serves itself. Welcome brave officers, to your deaths."
Mulder and Scully grin, seeing the assembled vampires in front of them. Mulder walks forward and cracks. "So how did you know we were coming? We didn't send any announcements."
"Simple, my young meal, I had a sentry posted on the roof. We will have you all for dinner and then leave as we planned on doing, anyway." The leader replies with a smile as he shifts into his demon face.
Mulder just grins as he orders. "Everyone of them, but the big mouth."
"Oh look, the puny mortals are going to shoot us." A female vampire laughs. She dies with that laugh on her lips as the amassed hunters fire twenty assault rifles, two M60 E3s and a Stoner squad automatic into them. Two seconds and five hundred rounds of ammunition later, the vampire leader is standing alone in a cloud of smoke and dust. He looks around, and sees only piles of dust where his vampires had once stood.
Mulder sees the shocked expression on the vampire's face and orders him to be Captured. Before the leader could move, he's surrounded by cross wielding warriors. He has no place to run to. He watches as Mulder and Scully, calmly approach him. The vampire leader cries out. "Who are you people? What have you done to my children?"
Mulder looks the leader over and quips. "Bit melodramatic, aren't you?"
"I will destroy you and everyone here, mortal." The vampire vows.
"Oh please, you are going to be dust in a couple of minutes. Anything you promise is just wind coming out of your mouth." Mulder replies to the vampire, then orders. "I want this place searched. Robert, lead a team of six to the roof and make sure no one is up there." Robert McCallister nods and picks five people to go with him. Mulder continues. "Check all bodies with crosses and holy water. Make sure that there is no one alive or undead here. Work in three man teams and multiple teams check each room, box or large crate. Perimeter guards are to remain in place, shoot anything that tries to sneak out. Able Team, will do roving patrol duty." Lyons, Gadgets and Politician nod their heads. "Back up any team that needs the help." With that the group breaks up into three man teams and starts to search.
Sgt. Devlin is watching Mulder order the Black Ops troops and he wonders. < What the hell kind of ammunition did they give us. People just do not disappear after being shot. > Then he looks on as Mulder questions the leader. < What the hell are we involved in here? >
"Let's make this simple. Do you have a name or do we just call you 'Meat'?" Mulder asks the leader.
"My name is Eric Von Strasbourg, I am a man of the blood." The vampire proudly proclaims.
"Well Eric," Mulder begins. "You mind if I call you Eric?" The vampire nods his permission. Mulder and Scully exchange glances. Then Mulder brutally slams Eric into the wall, head first.
"Now Eric, tell me where is Katherine Planteganent? And what are her plans for tomorrow night? Tell us now, and we end it quickly. Bull shit us and we'll make the pain last for weeks." Mulder tells Eric. Von Strasbourg spits on Mulder's boots.
Devlin looks on and thinks to himself. < They're going to torture him. I can't let this happen. >
Just then, one of the search groups comes back. The leader, a man called Thorson tells Devlin. "Sir, we've just found something you might want to see." Devlin goes with him to a refrigerated side room of the warehouse. Thorson enters the room followed by Devlin. Their flashlights show a seen out of Hell itself. The room was floor to ceiling and wall to wall corpses. Most them young children, runaways by the way they were dressed. Each of their faces bore the same expression, one of pure, stark, raving, terror. < None of these kids died easy. > Devlin thinks to himself. Devlin gets sick to his stomach, and suddenly the prospect of torturing that smug bastard doesn't sound so bad.
Devlin hears Thorson quietly mumble "I haven't seen something like this since Dachau, in 45. I hoped to God not to see it again."
Then another man, a guy called Argus replies. "I know, I helped to liberate Auschwitz in 45. It was just as bad."
Devlin looks at Thorson and Argus and wonders about that remark. < These guys couldn't have served in World War II. They don't look older than thirty. >
Devlin's radio buzzes. He picks it up and answers. "Devlin here."
"Bob, this is Cody. We've just finished over at the first target, everything clear. How about you?"
"Cody, everything's clear. We have no injuries. Also, we have a prisoner. Mulder is about to question him, hard." Devlin reports.
There is silence on the radio for a minute and Rodgers comes back. "Bob, I know how you feel about things like this. Just walk away. Let them handle it."
"Cody, I just found a trailer load of bodies here, mostly kids. I want this bastard to feel the pain those kids felt as they were killed." Devlin replies as he walks back to where Mulder, Scully and a man called Michael were questioning the suspect.
Devlin watches as several men literally crucify him to a wall. They nail his arms and legs to the wall with spikes and boards. < Damn, these bastards know how to torture someone. > Then his shirt and pants are cut off him with knives as they prepare him for questioning. He watches as Mulder reaches for the bastards face and puts a water gun(?) to his chest and shoots. The bastard just screams as steam literally rises from his chest, the skin bubbles as though acid was just poured on it. Mulder asks his question again
"Again Eric, where is Katherine Planteganent?" Mulder asks. Von Strasbourg just laughs.
"Very well then." Mulder tells him. Then Mulder's partner, Scully, hands him a cross on a chain. Von Strasbourg shudders and calls Mulder all sorts of names, but Mulder just smiles as he puts it on him. He begins to scream an unholy scream. Devlin shudders and again asks himself. < What the hell is going on here? And who the hell are these people? And what are we really fighting? >
Mulder lifts the cross from the Von Strasbourg's skin, he stops screaming and he takes a deep breath, and spits in Mulder's face. Mulder wipes the spittle off, as he drops the cross back down. < Damn, that bastard Mulder has no heart. How the hell can he torture someone like that? > Von Strasbourg starts to scream again, Mulder walks away and starts to take reports from the other groups.
Thorson tells him about the bodies in the refrigerated room and Devlin watches as Mulder rushes over and looks into the room. Devlin watches as Mulder lets loose his own scream at the horror sitting in that room. His partner, Scully, rushes over to him and walks him out, a shaken and angry man. Devlin looks into Mulder's eyes and for the first time in his life, can understand what pure hatred was. Devlin feels a small amount of pity for Von Strasbourg. A very small amount.
Mulder walks back to Von Strasbourg and slams his fist into the cross. The vampire begins to scream anew and with more gusto. Mulder punches him along side his head, and again asks. "For the final time, where is your queen. I will not ask this question again."
Von Strasbourg lifts his head and grins. "I will not betray my queen. Beside I'm more in fear of her than I am of you, mortal."
Just then, Steve and Buffy walk in, followed by the rest of their crew. Von Strasbourg looks them over and smiles. "So Slayer, I see that you and your companion don't fight us alone."
Buffy looks over the vampire and asks. "What do mean by that vampire. And how do you know us?"
Von Strasbourg nods his head to the pile of clothes. "In my pants pocket, there is a drawing of your likenesses." Cody, standing next to the clothes pile, reaches down and searches the pockets. He finds the picture and hands it over to Buffy.
She looks over the drawing of herself and Steve and asks. "Where did you get this?"
Von Strasbourg chuckles. "After your raid last night, three vampires saw you both as you exited the restaurant. They reported back to the queen and she had them describe you two. The drawings were made from their descriptions. Her orders were to kill you, Slayer and take your mate alive. She wants him for herself, to convert him to our cause and make him her general."
An angry Buffy stalks forward and tells Von Strasbourg. "No one touches my honey and lives, vampire. I'm going to rip her heart out with my bare hands when I find her."
Von Strasbourg chuckles. "So, the two are more than companions. Good, my queen will enjoy ripping you two apart."
Buffy makes to stake him, but a slightly embarrassed Steve walks up behind Buffy and lays a restraining hand on her shoulder, calming her down. Steve leans down and tells her. "Don't think about it Buffy. He's only trying to make you angry so you make a mistake. Don't give him the edge."
Von Strasbourg looks at Steve and smiles. "So, we have a seasoned warrior at the Slayer's side. Good, you'll become the perfect general for my queen."
"I think not cousin," A voice replies from behind Mulder.
A tall man, bearing a startling family resemblance to Von Strasbourg walks forward. The walk, the mannerisms, the very way he held himself, Von Strasbourg starts. < Hans? It can't be. > "What foul kind of magic is this? My cousin Hans died three hundred years ago. You can not be him."
Hans smiles as he approaches the vampire. "Oh but I am." He then turns to Steve and Buffy. "You have my oath of service young sir and lady. I am forever your man for delivering this bastard to me."
"Would you mind explaining what's going on Hans? We're kinda lost here." Steve replies.
*****
Rodgers and Devlin look at each other and ask. "How the hell can this guy still be alive after three hundred years. I know the guy crucified to the wall is a real vampire. I figured that out a few minutes ago. But what the hell does it make this guy?"
"Simple, he's an Immortal," Both men jump at the words spoken by Rupert Giles. "He's been given the gift of Immortality for his services in fighting the darkness that threatens to destroy humanity."
"Are you out of your mind? How can someone be Immortal. That's a fairy tale." Cody Rodgers replies unbelievingly.
Giles just smiles as he counters. "Aren't vampires myths and legends, but you see for yourselves they do exist. So why shouldn't warriors who are Immortal, who fight them down through the ages?"
"What are you people?" Rodgers whispers fearing the answer more than bullets.
"We're an army, so to speak, that has existed since the dawn of humanity. We recognize no boarders, no nationalities. Our only goal is to protect humanity. We fight the, shall we say, 'Darkness' that seeks to destroy humanity. Many of our warriors have become the stuff of legend. Our battles, epic sagas." Giles explains.
"Like who?" A curious Devlin asks, dreading the answer.
Giles smiles as lists some of the warriors. "Gilgamish, Beowulf, Arthur Pendragon, St. George, Hercules, need I go on?"
Rodgers and Devlin look at each other and shudder. Devlin asks. "Cody what the hell did Randall get us involved in?"
Rodgers looks over the assembled group standing around him and replies, a trace of pride in his voice. "A job that has to be done. We swore to protect and serve and that's exactly what we're doing."
Giles smiles as his lie is accepted by both men and the secret of the Immortals is kept.
*****
Meanwhile back at the wall . . .
Hans Von Strasbourg clears his throat and begins his story. "Mr. St. Wolf, the story begins back in beginning. Eric and I were both born into the house of Strasbourg, a noble vassal house of the Habsburg Empire. In 1688, the French emperor, Louis the XIV, went to war with my overlord over some disputed land claims. The war lasted nine years and was bravely fought. All of the men of fighting age in my house, save Eric, went to war as officers for our king. Eric was chosen to remain behind to care for and defend our estates and families." The betrayal in his voice is clearly heard.
"After the battle of Neerwinden in 1693, my calvary unit was fighting a rear guard action against the French, who were under the command of Louis' Field Marshal Luxembourg, I was wounded in the retreat. After the remainder of our forces escaped from that defeat, my commanding officer ordered me home to recuperate. As I was drawing near to my home in Strasbourg, I saw that the country had changed, become more dark. There were fewer people there and everyone looked at me with suspicion and dread.
"When I entered my ancestral home, no one greeted me. There were no servants about and house felt like a grave. As I got further into my home I drew my sword and pistol. I found Eric in our grandfather's study, draining a young girl. I ordered him to stop and he just laughed, then dropped her lifeless corpse.
"Eric walked toward me, his face reverting back to normal. When he stood about three paces away he finally spoke. 'So my cousin finally comes back from the war?' And then he laughed again. I asked where the family and servants were. His reply, 'They made excellent meals cousin, especially your lovely Inga. You know I used her for three days before I finally drained her. She loved every minute of it.' Then he laughed again.
"I went insane, I shot him and tried to stab him, but he was too quick. Then, as I was forcing him into a corner, someone knocked me unconscious from behind. I woke up a little later to see Eric again feeding, this time it was small boy of about eight years. I attempted to attack him, but was strapped into a chair. He laughed again and threw the boy's lifeless corpse against the wall and came before me and taunted me. He told me that a vampire had offered him eternal life and he accepted. Then he showed me the eight other members of our family that he had also turned. One of them was my sister Gretchen. The others were my cousins, Catherine, Ilsa, Helga, Gunther, Karl, Franklin, and Joseph. He allowed Gretchen to feed from me. As I was dying he offered me the same choice. I refused, so I died. As I died, I prayed to God to allow me a chance to avenge the deaths of my family and friends."
"I woke up atop of a pile of corpses containing my entire family and all of our retainers, almost one hundred and fifty people, older men, women and small children, dead and thrown away as though they meant nothing. I stumbled from there and onto the road. I got maybe two miles before I was attacked by another vampire. As I prayed to God to accept my soul, the vampire suddenly turned to dust. Standing a short distance away was a young girl, holding a staff with a pointed end. Next to her was an older man with a crossbow. I thanked her and the man for my life and asked for their aid. Before I could take another step, I again lost consciousness."
"I woke up several hours later in a camp the girl and her companion had made near where I fell. They had moved me under a tree and placed a blanket over me. As I rose the girl handed me a water skin. I immediately drank it dry. The girl didn't speak to me while she prepared a simple breakfast. A few minutes later the old man woke up and I properly introduced myself to him and asked him how the girl was able to kill the vampire last night. He introduced himself and the girl. His name was Janus Von Helsing and the girl was Brita Ingadautter, the Slayer."
"They were hesitant to talk to me at first. But after I had told them what had happened at my home, they opened up to me and told me of their duty. I asked to join their quest and became a companion to them. Janus was hesitant at first, but Brita accepted me immediately. Over the next five years Janus taught me everything he knew about hunting vampires and I stayed with him and Brita."
"On a cold December night in 1698, Janus died in his sleep. Before he died, Janus commented that he was the first watcher to die in bed, at rest, in two hundred years, then he laughed softly and said good bye to the both of us. Then his eyes closed and he quietly went in his sleep. Brita cried and felt so alone, I went to comfort her and told her that I wouldn't leave her. One thing led to another and two weeks later, on New Year's Day, 1699, we were married. Together, we hunted vampires for the next twenty three years. Until one night a master vampire named Lothos killed her. I have hunted him and the remainder of my undead family since then. Helping any Slayer that I met along the way and killing every vampire that I could find."
The warehouse is quiet as Hans finishes his story and everyone feels the sorrow and sadness behind his words. Mulder steps forward and asks. "Hans, do you want to end Eric's existence?"
Hans only nods.
"No one here will stop you, you have the right." Steve tells him.
"We're finished with him now. He won't answer any questions. So feel free." Scully tells Hans.
Hans only looks at the shell that was once as close as a brother and silently pulls out a stake and approaches him.
Eric just grins as he utters his final words. "So cousin, we finally end the game? I hope you know it's been fun leading you around for the last 300 years. Oh, if I only knew that you still lived and hunted me, I would have had more fun. I hope you enjoy your life, however short the rest of it is. Because my queen will make sure it . . . Argghh" Hans stabs his vampire cousin in the heart with his stake and Eric Von Strasbourg turns to dust.
Hans takes a deep breath and smiles. "Now that leaves only Gretchen and Lothos."
"Actually Hans," Buffy hesitantly begins as Hans looks at her, but she continues. "I killed Lothos two years ago."
Hans' smile broadens as he replies. "Brita would have found it apt that another Slayer killed him. It just makes my search shorter. Thank you for telling me." Hans then raises his head and calls out. "Now let us prepare, we have two more targets tonight, and I wish to see more dust flying."
The assembled hunters let out a cheer as they mount up and leave the second warehouse.
*****
Cody calls Randall and gives him a situation report. "John, this is Cody. The second warehouse is clear. And we're on the way to the third target."
Captain Randall looks at his partner as he asks, a note of hope in his voice. "Were there any survivors?"
"No" Cody replies simply. "There's another trailer load of bodies there. At least one hundred, dead. The perps are dust."
"10-4 Cody." Captain Randall tells him as he hangs his head and softly sobs. Detective Vetter turns her back, giving her partner some privacy. A minute later, Randall gathers himself together and issues orders to the police officers present, sending half of them and half of the coroners to the second warehouse. Captain Randall and Detective Vetter follow as few minutes later.
Part 19 - The Truth is Out There
(The World News is Actually a Responsible Newspaper)
Cancer Man walks into his office and boots up his computer. He checks his e-mail and sees that the files from California are on his system. He listens to the tape and as the part with Mulder's plan to mess with Frohike's mind comes up, Cancer Man laughs. < Oh, how I wish I could have seen Frohike's face. That would have been priceless. > He feels a little better knowing that Mulder's sense of humor was still working. He listens to the tape where Mulder and Scully are explaining their last mission in Sunnydale to Frohike. < So that's what happened to that Strella. A group of Demon hunters used it to kill a demon. > Cancer Man chuckles < And Mulder and Scully hid the truth. Especially about killing over two hundred vampires and hiding the evidence. Damn, there is hope for them after all. I'll have to reassess my opinion of them. >
The tape continues with the introduction of the Storm Shadow Ninja Clan. < Now this is an interesting development. > He continues to listen as the woman called Scarlet explains how they'd been hunting vampires in the Bay Area and why they came down. < Damn, where the hell did Mulder find all of these heroes? > He listens in interest to Jinx's description of St. Wolf's computer. < That system shouldn't exist. We will definitely have to pay Mr. St. Wolf a visit. > Then he listens as the entire group suddenly heads out to rescue some people from a vampire attack. Cancer Man chuckles, < Those vampires have made a very serious mistake doing that in front of St. Wolf's house. >
Cancer Man listens as the two groups lead in the four FBI operatives and how Mulder and St. Wolf convince them about existence of vampires. < I wonder if Frohike sent a copy of the tape to his partners? I'll have to check that out. > Then he hears the alarm and Merlin's conversation with the assembled hunters < Merlin? What the hell was he doing there? Mr. St. Wolf will definitely bear some serious watching after this situation is concluded. > He rewinds the tape to listen to what Merlin is telling the hunters. < A vampire queen is going to raise the Aztec God of War? Damn, something like this will be noticed by the Others. > Then he hears Mulder calling in Able Team to help. < Damn, this means Bolan's going to be involved. > The tape disintegrates into static after this. The entire conversation is lost until the operative flames two vampires.
Cancer Man then uses his computer to check the various electronic mail boxes the Lone Gunmen use and he finds the tape. He runs it and shudders. He recognizes St. Wolf/Jamieson and a young girl ruthlessly take down a dozen vampires. < Damn, these two are exceptionally good. I wonder if Mulder and Scully are just as good? >
Cancer Man sits back in his chair and contemplates what he has just seen and heard. < Mulder and Scully were working outside the Bureau to solve a major problem. They had assets that the Bureau did not know about. They were hiding information and altering files. They were also killing vampires and hiding the fact that vampires existed from the general public. > He chuckles ruefully. < This is exactly how I started out. > In the midst of his contemplation, the phone rings, he picks it up. "This had better be important."
"Sir, this is Hancock, over at the NSA." The voice shakily replies.
"What is it?"
"Sir, the NRO just had one of it's K-H RE satellites hijacked by someone called Section Seven."
"How the hell could someone hijack a NRO satellite."
"I don't know, Sir."
"Who the hell is Section Seven and why is the hijacking being blamed on them?"
"I don't know who they are, Sir. But they left an e-mail message saying they took it."
"Can you read me the message?"
"Yes, Sir. The message goes as follows," and Hancock reads the message to Cancer man.
After Hancock finishes, he hears something that he never dreamed he would. His boss laughing. Hancock shudders.
Cancer Man gets control of himself as he tells Hancock. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the matter."
Cancer Man starts to whistle a tune and ponders the information presented to him. < How the hell did they manage to hijack that satellite? Oh well, I will definitely have a long talk with Mulder and Scully when they get back. >
Sunnydale Motor Lodge
Miss Parker walks into the manager's office at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Frank is behind the counter and wonders what this woman wants. He gets off his chair and approaches her and asks. "Good evening Miss, what can I do for you?"
"Simple, you can give us seven rooms for the next couple of days." Miss Parker replies.
"Sure, no problem. Do you want ground or second floor rooms?"
"Ground will be fine." Miss Parker replies.
"I can give you a group of rooms right next to the office. Is that all right?"
"That'll be fine." Miss Parker replies as she takes the keys.
"Oh, one other thing. After sunset, don't invite anyone into your room that you don't know."
Curious, Miss Parker asks. "Why is that?"
"Because appearances can be deceiving and if you think you're helping someone innocent, you might be letting in the devil."
Miss Parker shudders and walks out and passes out the keys. The remaining six sweepers, Gar and Willie would share four rooms, while Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots would each have their own.
Miss Parker turns to Sidney, Willie and Gar. "Let's get some sleep and tomorrow, we'll check out these two federal agents and start looking for Ratboy."
Part 20 - Blue Light Special
(All Vampires Reduced By A Head)
The vans move out from the second warehouse and travel in column through the darkened and deserted streets of Los Angeles. Their next target is an abandoned supermarket located on Piedmont Avenue in the Barrio section of Los Angeles.
While traveling there, the team leaders meet in the lead van. Steve, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Frank Iverson, Robert McCallister, Tommy, Carl Lyons, Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin meet to plan out the next assault.
Officer Jarod Russell sits in the corner, manning the radio. He listens to the plans being discussed and nods his head in approval. < These people are good. They know what they're doing and I'm glad that we've teamed up with them. >
Suddenly, Steve's cell phone chirps and he answers it. "St. Wolf here."
"Steve, this is Willow, can you get a speaker for your cell phone?" Willow asks.
"No, I can't Willow. But hold on." Steve turns to Jarod and asks. "Officer is the radio equipped with a speaker?"
"Yes Sir, it is." Jarod replies.
"Then please switch to tact 4, one of my people needs to tell us something." Steve orders, then tells Willow. "Willow switch over to the LAPD tact 4 frequency."
Jarod looks over to Cody who nods his head. Jarod then turns the radio to tact 4. Willow's voice comes in clear. "Steve, Mr. Frohike has some news for you." Willow gets off and Frohike begins.
"Steve, Mulder, I've hacked into and borrowed an NRO Key Hole RE satellite and moved it over Los Angeles. I've been using it's thermal imaging system to keep track of any potential hostages in the target buildings. The supermarket has forty three warm bodies in it, at present. They're located in the southwest corner of the building. The area appears to be heavily shielded, so I'm thinking it's the store's refrigerated store room." Frohike tells the assembled leaders.
Jarod mind reels at what he has just heard. < How did they hack into a National Reconnaissance Organization satellite? That should be impossible. >
"Thanks Frohike, we'll take it from here. Now keep an eye on that mansion in the hills." Steve tells him.
Before Frohike can reply Mulder cuts in. "Frohike, what else did you do? I can hear the laughter in your voice."
"Oh, I just left them a little e-mail telling them I would give it back in 48 hours and I signed it Section Seven."
"Section Seven? Whose Section Seven?" Cody asks.
"Just something I made up to cause confusion on a few previous occasions. Think it'll screw up anybody?"
"No, but it'll drive the intelligence guys crazy. Too bad." Steve replies with a grin. "Frohike how long will it take you to move the satellite's sensors?"
"It'll take me about ten minutes to sight the satellite in, but you've got it. Oh, and good hunting guys. Over and out." Frohike cuts off.
The assemble leaders have a laugh, and move back to the blueprint of the supermarket and plan out the strategy.
"All right, Frohike's info helps us considerably." Steve tells the assembled group leaders.
"How so?" Cody asks.
"Because now we know where the civilians are and how many there are. We can work this plan so that none of them are hurt." Steve explains.
"How do we know that those forty three are non-combatants?" Bob Devlin asks.
Steve smiles as he replies. "Because vampires don't have any body heat."
"Oh" Bob replies.
Jarod listening to the conversation, silently agrees. < These people care. They don't like seeing innocents hurt. >
"Our forces will be dispersed as follows. Cody, you and the Rangers will be perimeter guards. You'll be augmented by Christine, Charlie, Ice, Alphonse, Xander, Oz, Giles, Frank and Amy. Take out anyone that tries to leave the building." Cody and Bob nod their heads. "Tommy, your group, aided by Able Team will head directly for the hostages, securing them." Both Tommy and Carl agree to this. "The rest of us will attack the vampires directly, taking out all of them. Mulder and Scully will lead the main force of twenty. And Buffy and I will lead the sweeping and blocking force of twelve. And let's try and get a couple of prisoners this time."
"The assault will be as follows. First we drop the perimeter guards, as before. Then Frank and Cassandra will send a couple of LAAW door knockers into the front of the building. The rest of the assault force will follow closely behind. Remember this is going to be close quarter combat, so fire arms will be strictly limited to hand guns only. The only exception will be Able Team. They keep the 60s and the Stoner. Everybody else will use swords and stakes as you can to prevent collateral damage to your fellow warriors. But if you're out numbered, don't hesitate to use your guns. Any questions?" No one asks. "Good, then lets go."
The orders are radioed to the other vans and everybody makes ready for the coming assault. The vans move purposely through the heart of the Barrio.
*****
Officer Henry Ramos, a fifteen year veteran of the LAPD, looks out his window as he drives the lead van. < My God, this area is practically dead. No one is outside. Not even the dealers and hookers. > He thinks to himself. He then notices the street numbers. They're a few minutes away from their target. He reaches over and knocks on the door leading to the back of the van.
Cody opens the door and asks. "What's up Henry?"
"We're less than five minutes to target, LT. Thought you would want to know." Henry replies.
Cody turns back to the assembled leaders and informs them. He watches as Steve turns to Buffy and asks. "Buffy can you read how many vampires are in that store?"
Cody watches as the woman < God, she can't be over eighteen. > enters a trance for a brief moment of time and comes out with a gasp. She turns to her partner, St. Wolf and tells him. "Steve, I sense at least ninety vampires in that building." Cody looks on and asks himself. < How can she sense vampires? >
Jarod's remarkable memory flashes back to one of the factual books on vampires he read. < The books said that the Slayer would be able to sense the vampires and how many there were. This girl is the Slayer. >
The vans circle the supermarket, dropping off the perimeter guards. Then they converge in the front, and the assault force moves forward. Frank and Cassandra drop to their knees and fire their LAAWs. The rockets immediately fly from their launchers and strike the front of the market, blowing a large gaping hole where the front windows used to be.
Able Team, firing their machine guns, leads the rescue contingent, closely followed by Tommy and his ninja's. They immediately move to the southwest corner of the building where the hostages are. They blaze a field of fire and dust as they cut through the massed vampire hoard.
The vampire leader, a male named Archer, can't believe how fast his forces are being decimated. He recalls them to a central location and plans a counter-attack, thinking that Able Team and the ninjas are the main force. What he doesn't know is that Able Team and the ninjas were just the first wave.
The main attack force moves in, thirty seconds after the rescue team cut's through the vampires. The vampires in the supermarket are surprised and shocked and they're slow to respond to the second assault as it hits them from the side and rear.
The forces lead by Mulder and Scully immediately start to take heads and stake hearts. Steve and Buffy's group moves into the market proper and starts to herd the vampires back into Mulder and Scully's group.
*****
Cody and Bob look on through a set of their night sights and can't believe the carnage being done in the supermarket. Cody turns to Bob and asks. "Who the hell taught those people to use swords?"
Bob shakes his head and shudders. Knives and guns he could understand, but swords scared the hell out of him. He then reminds Cody about what Hans was. "Don't forget some of those guys were actually around when swords were the only weapons available."
Cody grimaces. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Man can you believe someone living through three hundred years?"
"I can," Frank grins. "Cassandra is over 2,700 years old."
"How old are you?" Cody asks, afraid of the answer.
"Forty one. I'm not Immortal, just dating one." Frank replies, sounding like a credit card commercial.
"Man, talk about robbing the cradle." Bob comments with a smile.
*****
Steve and Buffy have just led their teams behind the fruit section, and they were approaching the deli counter when a small group of vampires attack. A group of six rush out of the meat section and try to drag the Slayer down, but Hans is close behind her and he uses his Colt 1911 with devastating skill. Each shot fired is one vampire turned to dust. The final vampire sees that Hans can't shoot without hitting Buffy and he makes to grab her. Buffy cuts off his arm and stakes him as he writhes on the ground. The rest of Buffy's team catches up and they proceed to clean out the deli and meat sections. There are only seven vampires left here and the group deals death quickly. The grim faced warriors offer no mercy to the vampires who reside here. The bodies of their victims, hanging on meat hooks, like animal carcasses, are motivation enough.
*****
Steve's team breaks up into two sections, Steve leading one and Robert McCallister the other. They work in tandem, one group attacking down the aisle while the other blocks and sweeps. They move purposely through the market and the vampires are reeling from the savagery of their attacks.
*****
Mulder and Scully also break their team into two groups. Mulder leads one team into the market and drives a group of thirty vampires into the guns of Able Team. Scully and her group do pick up duty and cut down any vampire attempting to run out the front of the building.
*****
Able Team is holding their own against the vampires trying to grab their former victims as hostages. Several times the vampires had tried to storm Able Team's defense position, but they became dust, thanks to Able Team's determination and machine guns. Carl Lyons and his partners stand like gods giving judgement to the damned at the end of their machine guns. The last of the vampires attempt to turn and run, but they can't because another thirty vampires have been herded into them. They realize their only chance was to get past Able Team.
*****
In the refrigerator room, Tommy and his ninjas have entered the holding area. And find several vampires feeding. Jinx lets out a battle cry and jumps one vampire on it's back as it grabs a little girl. Jinx doesn't hesitate in taking it down with a stake. A vampire attempts to blind side Jinx, but Billy covers her back with a flying snap kick, breaking the vampires neck. As the vampire falls to the floor, Billy stakes it. Another vampire makes the mistake of trying to grab a little girl. Scarlet lets out a primal scream as she cuts it's guts out. As the vampire falls to the ground in massive pain, she beheads it. Shuriken and Nunchuk move to the wounded victims and give medical aid.
*****
The vampire's former victims have pushed themselves against the wall as the battle rages. Among them is a Japanese history student named Nakao Matosumo. She had been kidnaped the previous night while walking to her dorm and had thought that she was going to die. She watches in fascination, as memories of her grandfather's stories come back to her. < Ancestor, these are real ninjas. What the hell are they doing here? > She gives herself a mental slap. < Oh yeah, saving our lives. > She watches as they go through everybody present and check them with a cross(?) and a water gun(?). One of the people, a young white guy, makes a break for it, but a ninja, dressed in a camouflage uniform, punches him out and down and then ties him up with handcuffs. < Man are these guys for real or what? > Nakao thinks to herself. She watches the man she thinks is the leader, press a cross to the guy's face and she watches it burn. < The guys a vampire? Oh man, this is too much. >
Suddenly one of the ninjas is in front of her with a cross. Nakao reaches out and touches it. Her hands don't burn. The ninja points her to the wall with the rest of the cleared people and she goes. She notices the Hexagonal tattoo on his arm. Her memory flashes back to her reading of the I-Ching and she remembers the symbol for chance. < Grandfather will never believe this. >
A sudden noise draws her attention to the doorway, which the ninjas had left unguarded. < Why don't they have someone guarding the door? > Nakao asks herself, then she gulps as the huge blond man with a VERY big machine gun walks through. She watches him approach and talk to the ninja leader. < Ancestor, he's a big one and a major hunk. > Suddenly, Nakao hears the sounds of another machine gun fire and someone shouts "Ironman". The big blond guy rushes back out. < So his name is Ironman? It fits. >
The sounds of gunfire come closer and Nakao watches as the man called Ironman and two more men slowly enter the room, firing all the way. The noise is deafening. The ninja's add to it by pulling out handguns as they begin to fire out of the room, giving the three men covering fire. < Ancestor, these men and women were magnificent. Like ancient Warriors fighting a battle for all of it's glory. Grandfather would weep with joy at the sight of this battle. > She sees the first vampires trying to enter the room and watches as they turn to dust, but more keep coming, ignoring the slaughter being done to them. < Shit, they're going to make it into the room. And then . . . > Nakao shudders at the image her mind has made up.
*****
Suddenly the vampires in the doorway scream as they're hit from behind. Mulder's group sweeps into them, again, taking heads and staking hearts. About twenty of the remaining vampires are caught in the cauldron of steel and wood. Mulder's group presses forward, becoming the hammer, while Able Team and Clan Storm Shadow stand rock firm, the anvil, firing into the vampires holding them in place for Mulder's people to cut them into pieces. The fighting is brutal, but quick. The vampires are quickly killed by bullet, sword or stake.
*****
Archer, the vampire leader, sees that a large group of his vampires are in trouble. He and a dozen other vampires move in behind the group led by Mulder. As they attack Archer suddenly notices another group of warriors coming up behind him. Cutting off his retreat and slaughtering his vampires. The most startling fact is that a small red headed woman is leading the men, most of whom are twice her size. Archer moves to attack her. The woman calmly steps inside his attack and cuts open his stomach with her sword. As she steps away Archer watches as the sword flashes back and all is darkness.
*****
Scully calmly steps away from the unconscious vampire and orders two of her group to tie him up. She moves up to where Mulder's group is standing and gives him a kiss. "Hi sailor, you busy tonight?" She tells him with a smile.
Mulder ruefully shakes his head. "Afraid so, But I could use a long bath with all of this dust."
Any reply Scully had was cut off by Jinx. "Scully, we could use a doctor in there. A few people were hurt before we got here."
Scully gives Mulder a quick kiss and tells him. "Go kick some vampire ass, honey. I gotta go save some lives." Scully then turns to the two carrying her prisoner. "Bring him in here, we'll keep an eye on him, while you go and finish those bastards off." The two men grin and throw the shackled vampire at Scully's feet as Mulder leads the combined groups back into the supermarket and the fighting.
*****
Nakao watches as the small red haired woman enters, carrying a Katana. She looks on in wonder as she watches all of the ninjas and the three large men give her deference as she snaps out commands. < Ancestor, she's the leader? > The ninjas begin to bring the wounded to a central location and the three large men stand guard by the door and over the two prisoners. She then watches as Scully pulls of her back pack and produces a serious medical kit as she begins to treat the wounded. < She's a doctor too? Who are these people? > Nakao watches a true professional at work as Scully repairs and patches the wounded and gives comfort to the traumatized. Nakao makes a decision and goes over to her and offers to help. "Ma'am, I've had some first aid training. Do you need any help?"
The woman looks up a Nakao and smiles. Nakao looks into a pair of caring green eyes that remind her of her grandmother. The woman asks Nakao. "What level of training do you have?"
"I passed the test for paramedic, but no position was open for me."
"Good, can you take the antiseptic spray and clean out the light wounds and scratches, then bandage them up?" Scully asks as she hands her the items.
"Yes ma'am. No problem." Nakao replies as she takes the spray, a bunch of bandages, cotton and a roll of tape. Nakao moves to the nearest victim, a boy about twelve years old and begins to clean the scratches on his arms and face. "Hi, I'm Nakao. Can you tell me your name?"
The boy whispers something and she moves in closer to hear what he has to say. "My name's Brian Jessup. Do you think my parents and older sister are still alive?"
"Aren't they here?"
"No, the monsters took them last night, before they brought you."
A lump forms in Nakao's throat < Ancestor, this is hard. > "I don't know. If they are, these people will save them. I'm sure of it. How did you get here?"
"My family was coming home from a trip to Disney World when these things grabbed us at a gas station on Monday night. It was my birthday gift." Brian tells her as he starts to cry.
Nakao gathers up the boy in her arms and holds him. She pulls him away from her and asks. "Brian, can you help me fix up the other people. They need our help right now."
Brian nods and picks up the bandages and tape and goes with her to the nearest victims, a woman and her daughter.
Scully looks on from where she is working on a man in a tattered business suit. < Good, she's keeping him busy. That'll help him in the long run. >
Brian and Nakao move on to the woman and her daughter. The woman looks up tears in her eyes as she whispers. "Who are these people? It's like they appeared from nowhere."
"I don't know who they are Miss. But, a part of their force appears to be ninjas." Nakao replies.
"Ninjas? I thought they only existed in the movies." The woman looks around at the watching ninjas and shudders. "Are we worse off? Could they be worse than those monsters?"
"No, they came here to rescue us. I'm sure of it." Nakao looks at Scully. "They even have a doctor with them."
"Then why haven't they moving us to a hospital?"
"Because those things are still out there and this is the safest place for us." Nakao's reply is punctuated with the sound of gunfire and screams. The woman hugs her daughter closer to herself, as Nakao and Brian bandage their wounds.
*****
Six vampires attempt to escape through the rear loading docks of market. As they feel the night air on their faces the vampires smile at how they managed to escape the hunters in the market. As they move off to escape down the alley, all six feel a sudden burning sensation in their chests, just before they turn to dust. Xander, Jarod, Ice and Oz step out of the shadows, the barrels of their rifles smoking. Jarod turns on his walkie-talkie and reports in. "Lt., this is Russell, scratch six trying to get out the back. Will call back if anything else happens. Over."
"Russell, this is Rodgers, confirmed, six out, six down. Good work. Over and Out."
*****
Mulder's group begins to sweep the vampires towards Steve's and Buffy's groups. The last thirty vampires are fighting a stubborn holding action against the combined forces, fighting from aisle to aisle. Mulder splits his group into two groups, with Abbott Michael leading one, and they proceed to clear the markets main floor, killing anything that was moving. The four groups meet in the center of the market, a dozen vampires boxed in between them. The vampires are lost and confused. Most of them have been vampires for less than twenty years. None of them have ever faced a foe armed with a sword. Guns, knives and clubs, yes, but never swords. The Immortals form a circle around the vampires. Mulder steps forward and commands. "Tell us where to find your queen. The bitch called Katherine."
The vampires are shocked. How can this mortal know of Katherine? One of the vampires faces Mulder and replies. "We will kill you mortal. You are no match for vampires."
Mulder smiles as he moves in and guts the vampire that had just spoken to him. The vampire falls to the ground and cries out in anguish. The other vampires are scared now. They have never faced mortals this ruthless and it's a shock to their minds. Another vampire steps forward and asks. "If I tell you what you want to know. Will you let me go?"
Mulder smiles as he promises. "Neither I, nor my people here will stop you from leaving the market." < But the people outside will. >
The vampire gulps and he starts. "Katherine will attack a meeting of some secret society tomorrow night. She estimates that there will be about three thousand people there."
"Very good. Now tell us where to find Katherine and the rest of her vampires." Mulder orders.
"Katherine is stay. . .Arggghhh." The vampire disappears in a cloud of dust. Another vampire stands behind him, holding a piece of wood in his hands Von Strasbourg moves forward and immediately beheads him.
Mulder now smiles. "All right, anybody else want to talk?" None of the remaining vampires moves to talk. They all eye each other and snarl. A full minute elapses before Steve orders. "Start killing them, one by one, until someone decides to talk."
The Immortals shift and suddenly the man known as Thorson moves out and stabs a vampire in the knee with his sword. While the vampires are distracted with the screaming of their wounded fellow. Argus moves in and beheads one of them. The vampires become enraged and try to drag Argus into their midst, but a field of swords and stakes prevents them.
Mulder again speaks. "Now that you know we are not playing. Tell us where Katherine is."
The vampires, acting in concert, attack Mulder. The Immortals were waiting for something like this and cut the vampires down. Killing all of them. A disgusted Mulder looks at the pile of dust and orders. "I want this place searched. Work in teams of three or more, but I don't want a stone left unturned. I want everything checked, from the basement to the roof."
*****
Mulder motions Steve and Buffy over. "Well at least this narrows it done a bit. Let's go see how Scully and the hostages are doing."
The group walks over to where the hostages are and they greet Able team as they walk up. They make their way into the refrigerator room and see Scully working over a young woman with bite marks on her neck. Scully finishes up and brushes her hands on her pants and walks over to Mulder and gives him a hug.
*****
Nakao watches the woman get up and approach the tall, dark man who is followed by another man and a young woman. All of them were carrying Katanas. < What the hell is going on here? A rival of seven samurai? > Nakao watches the red haired woman hugs the tall, dark man. < Damn, they're a couple. > The other two walk over and check the bindings on the two prisoners. Then come back and confer with the red haired woman and her tall, dark, partner. Nakao gathers her courage and tells Brian to stay put. She then gets up and approaches the four people. They stop speaking and she asks. "I know this might not be the time, but what's going to happen to us?"
The tall, dark man clears his throat and speaks loudly, so everyone can hear. "After we finish searching this place, making sure none of these things survive, we leave here. You will be staying." The victims groan. "About two minutes after we leave, the LAPD will move in and secure this location. They will take you all to the hospital and treat you there." The room erupts in cheers. After they quiet down, Mulder begins again. "The only thing we want is that you treat the police that come after us as the ones who saved you. You are not to tell anyone that you saw us. Am I clear?" The people in the room nod their heads in agreement.
A young man steps forward and introduces himself. "Sir, my name is Thomas Reilly, I'm a corporal in the 82nd airborne. May I ask what unit or organization you are?"
Mulder gives the young man a tight smile as he replies. "We're Section Seven Black Ops, corporal." < That should screw up quite a few people. >
Corporal Reilly immediately salutes and asks. "Sirs, Ma'ams, I request permission to volunteer for your unit. I owe these things big time and I want payback."
Steve steps forward, returning the salute and tells Reilly. "I'm sorry corporal, but our T, O & E is full right now. But, we might call on you, at a later date."
"Thank you, Sir." Corporal Reilly replies and then returns to his spot and quietly sits down.
Nakao walks over to him and asks. "What was all that about?"
Reilly looks up at Nakao and shudders before he replies. "Those people are from a group called Section Seven. They're what's referred to as a Black Operations Group." He looks at the confusion on the girl's face. "Their group doesn't officially exist, and they don't answer to anybody, except maybe, the President and then, maybe not even him. God, I just volunteered for their unit. Man, am I ever crazy."
An older man, laying down next to Reilly, tells him, in a soft Texas drawl. "No son, you're not crazy. You're what I like to call a 'doer' and these people are 'doers'. You want to do something about these things and the only way to do that is to join these people. Never be ashamed, son, that you couldn't help that little girl earlier. At least you tried, it took two of them to throw you off the third one and beat you senseless. That takes guts."
"What happened to you, Sir?" Reilly asks in a hushed voice looking over the damage the man has suffered.
The man chuckles. "I was their punching bag before you came here. I tried to stop them on six occasions. I guess it's just my stubborn streak, but I won't sit idly by and watch those things feed. The little red headed doc told me I have at least eight cracked ribs, and my right collar bone and both legs are broken. I also asked to join up with them. That little red head smiled the sweetest smile and told me 'they'd give me a call if they needed the help'. Then she told me that if I didn't stay in bed and let myself heal, she'd send over some of her men and tie me down. I told that wouldn't be necessary, my daughter could do it without any help." The man chuckles again and then smiles as he introduces himself. "But I'm being rude. My name is Joe Bradley, Texas Ranger, retired."
Reilly and Nakao introduce themselves and Reilly asks. "Mr. Bradley, what do you think of these people?"
"Like I said son, they're 'doers'. They're came here to take these things out and rescue us. I have absolutely no problem with the way they did it. I would have do it the same way if I knew what these things were."
Nakao reaches down and softly touches Reilly's shoulder and tells him. "I agree with Mr. Bradley. You wanted payback and these people are the ones giving it. < In Spades. > So it seems natural that you want to join them." She looks over at the four leaders and watches as another man quickly approaches them. He whispers something to them and all four immediately leave with him. < I wonder what all that was about. >
Nakao wanders over to the entrance and watches the four people approach a small gathering of their fighters. Unnoticed, Brian follows her to the door and they both watch as the leaders discuss something with their fighters and then suddenly a man appears near them. < How the hell did he do that? >
Part 21 - A New Life Begins
(Immortality Can Come in the Strangest Places)
Hans Von Strasbourg is searching the meat and deli section when he feels it. The 'Buzz' of an Immortal. He looks around, Argus and Tyler, the two Immortals working with him are too close to have set it off and no other groups were close enough. Suddenly they hear a scream off to their left and all three rush to it's source.
The sight before them is one of hell's own creations, a young girl, no older than twenty, is hung up on a hook like a side of beef. Hans sees the intense pain in her eyes and does the only thing that he can think of. He stabs her in the heart with his sword, killing her. < I hope she forgives me when she wakes up again. > He turns to Argus and Tyler and orders them, "Help me get her down and this damned hook out of her, before she revives." The two jump to his orders and they swiftly lift the body and hook off it's rack and gently lower the girl and hook down. Then Hans orders Argus to get his friend Hanson, who was a doctor.
Argus runs to where Hanson and his two partners are shifting through some garbage, checking for vampires. Argus explains what happened and Hanson immediately leave. Argus stays behind to help Hanson's partners. Hanson reaches Hans and the girl a couple of minutes later and immediately assesses the situation. He kneels down behind her and cuts open her back and gently, as possible, removes the hook. The skin is then held closed until the healing starts. After the healing starts all three men move the girl gently to a cleaner place.
Brother Aaron rushes over to the three when he sees what they're carrying. He checks her vitals and comments. "She's dead. Why are you carrying her?"
"She's one of us. I killed her so we could remove a meat hook from her back. She'll be back in a few minutes." Hans replies.
Brother Aaron starts. "My God. Let's get her to someplace safe." He turns to one of his teammates, a man called Swenson, and orders. "Go find Steve and Mulder. They should be in the hostage room and bring them here." The man races away.
*****
Steve has just finished talking to the hostages, when Swenson comes in. He tells them that Brother Aaron needs their presence. All four immediately leave.
As they approach Brother Aaron, Steve notices the girl on the floor and asks, "What's up Brother Aaron?"
Brother Aaron gets up and brushes himself. "This girl is Immortal. We have to get her out of here and someplace safe."
"Damn," Steve mutters. "We can't take her with us. And I don't want to loose anybody."
"Simple, call Quinn and ask him to take her back to your house. Jenny, Cordy and Willow will look after her." Buffy comments.
"About time someone thought of giving me something to do." A voice replies from behind Steve. The group turns en masse and presents weapons.
"Don't sneak up on us like that Quinn, we might have accidently shot you." Steve comments.
"Should I be worried?" Quinn replies with a mischievous grin.
"I don't like shooting my friends Quinn, especially accidently. Friends are too hard to come by." Steve replies.
Quinn feels the truth in Steve's words and looks over the assembled group of warriors. He couldn't sense any fear, hate or mistrust from them. < They actually think of me as one of them. I can sense no reservation in any of them. > The being called Quinn suddenly feels a deep sense of loyalty to these warriors. No other race in his long existence has ever accepted him, not after they found out what he was. They always sought to use or control him for their own benefit. And if they couldn't, then they tried to destroy him. Not these people.
Quinn quietly reaches for the girl and both disappear.
*****
Nakao and Brian watch as the stranger walks over to the group and talks to them for a minute before picking up a body and disappearing. Before he disappears, she sees that the body is that of a girl her own age. < What the hell are these people? No one can do that. And why are they taking that body? > Then she hears a gasp next to her and she sees Brian standing there. Tears in his eyes. "That's my sister, Randi. Where are they taking her?" Then he runs out and heads straight to the assault force leaders. Nakao shakes her head and immediately follows, but is stopped by a ninja.
"Listen," Nakao begins. "A kid just ran out there. I have to get him." The ninja nods and escorts her.
Meanwhile, Brian reaches the group and he begins hitting the back of the tall, dark leader.
*****
Mulder suddenly feels someone striking him on his back as he turns looking for the person responsible. He looks around thinking it's a vampire, but instead he finds a twelve year old boy hitting him. Mulder gently catches his hands and grabs his feet as he starts to kick. Mulder stands there holding the kid up by his arms and holding on to his legs. Scully starts to laugh, and the rest follow.
"Need a hand, Mulder?" Steve asks as he laughs.
"Hope he's not too tough for you." Buffy tells him, between giggles.
"Truly a fearsome opponent for the great Mulder. We are in awe sir, with the ease that which you hold him back." Brother Aaron quips between laughs.
"Yeah, well, he's pretty wiry and had the element of surprise." Mulder admits with a smile.
Billy walks up with a young oriental woman who rushes forward and grabs the kid away from Mulder. The kid doesn't want to go. He starts to scream. "What did you do to Randi? Where did you take her?"
"Whose Randi?" Scully asks.
"His sister. The guy who appeared and disappeared, took her with him." Nakao tells them.
"Damn." Steve mutters, then he reaches for his phone.
*****
Quinn appears in the living room and he calls out to Jenny. "Jenny, can you and Willow please come here?"
Jenny, followed by Willow and Robert Hascombe come out of the office. When Jenny sees the bundle that Quinn is carrying, both women's hearts jump to their throats. Both share the same thought. < Buffy!? > Quinn gently puts the bundle down on the couch and walks away letting the two women go to work. Jenny turns to Quinn and asks. "What happened Quinn? Who is this girl?"
"Steve and Buffy asked me to bring this girl here. They had just finished the assault on the supermarket and they were doing a final sweep, checking for any missed vampires, when they found her. The vampires had killed her and she became an Immortal. They couldn't take her with them and Buffy suggested that I bring her here. So I did."
Jenny looks at the being who, until recently, she couldn't have believed existed and feels a warmth in her heart for him. < Goddess, I hope that all of his people are as decent as Quinn here. > Then she orders Willow back to the computer room and tells her to send out Cordelia to help. Willow goes back to the office, nodding thanks to Quinn as she passes.
Quinn, who is reading both women's emotions and surface thoughts, forces back a rush of emotion. < All of them accept me for me. None of them care about my powers or what I am. >
Robert, standing off to the side watches the emotions play across his friend's face and smiles. < Quinn is learning that not all people are the same. He doesn't have to feel alone any more. >
Cordelia comes out and as with Willow and Jenny, Quinn reads her. The only thing that he feels is a strong feeling of concern for the girl on the couch. She doesn't even notice Quinn standing there. She immediately goes to the kitchen and gathers together clean rags and sponges, as well as a tray filled with warm water. Robert goes to help her. Quinn just stands there, watching the by play between the people he has come to consider his friends and feels, a deep warmth in the center of his being, the first emotion in his long life.
The phone rings next to Jenny and she picks it up. "St. Wolf residence, can I help you?"
"Jenny this is Steve. Is Quinn still there?"
"Yes he is. Do you want to speak with him?"
"Yeah, put him on." Jenny turns around and moves to give the phone to Quinn, but he isn't there. She starts to talk to Steve, but he cuts her off. "Sorry Jenny, he just came back."
"Is there a problem Steve?"
"Just the fact that Randi, that's the young lady's name, has a protective twelve year old brother. Quinn's going to bring the brother, his name's Brian, to the house. Have Cordy and Robert keep an eye on the both of them."
"Not a problem." Jenny replies.
*****
Nakao watches as one of the leaders calls someone named Jenny and talks to her for a few minutes, during that time the guy who took Brian's sister reappears. < Ancestor, these people were strange. > The four leaders and the strange guy confer a for a few minutes and they approach her and Brian. The guy with the cell phone puts it away and asks. "Brian, my name is Steve. Do you want to see your sister?"
Brian, now scared, nods his head yes.
"Okay here's how it's going to work. You two are responsible for each other. When Quinn takes you to my house, you will not leave, unless I or a lady named Jenny gives permission. You will not interfere in the work the people are doing there. The only thing you can do is help with your sister. Am I understood?"
Brian nod his head in agreement and asks. "Can my friend Nakao, come with me?"
Nakao looks down and Brian's scared eyes and then tells Steve. "I'll keep an eye on him and Randi. And I'll make sure Brian doesn't get underfoot."
"All right, it's agreed then." Steve then turns to Quinn. "Okay Quinn, can you please take them to my house?"
"Not a problem, Steve. I'll also stay there. If you need me give a call to the house." Quinn tells Steve just before he pops out with Nakao and Brian.
*****
Jenny and Cordelia are cleaning the girl's wounds. As they clean the wounds, they heal more rapidly. Noticing this, Jenny starts to clean the wounds faster. As they clean they strip off the girl's torn and battered clothing. While Jenny and Cordelia are absorbed with the young girl in their care, Quinn pops in with another young woman and a small boy. The boy immediately goes to the girl on the couch, but a restraining hand stops him.
Robert Hascombe leans down and whispers. "Let the ladies work on your sister, boy. They know what they're doing."
The boy looks up at Robert with worried eyes. "Is she going to be all right?"
"Yes she is, just give her a few moments. Now, young man, it looks like you and your lady friend haven't eaten in days."
Brian looks up at the man, who looks like his sister's old boy friend, but talked like his friend Toby's grandfather and nods.
"Good, now let's see what's available in the kitchen, shall we?" And with that, Robert leads a hungry Brian and Nakao into the kitchen.
As Robert is pulling out some cold cuts and sodas out of the refrigerator, Nakao asks, looking around. "So, is this the usual headquarters for a Black Operations group?"
Robert looks up from the sandwiches he's preparing, and replies. "Pardon, Miss? Black Operations group? May I ask what you are referring to?"
"You guys. The tall, dark guy and the red haired woman told us that you were a Black Operations group called Section Seven. And we were not to tell anyone you saved us."
Robert smiles as he hands over the finished sandwiches to Brian and Nakao. Brian immediately begins to eat. Robert admonishes him. "Now lad, eat slowly. You don't want to be sick, do you?" Brian immediately slows down, as Robert turns back to Nakao. "Your questions in a moment. But first let me apologize for not introducing myself to you earlier. My name is Robert Hascombe. And you two are?"
Nakao blushes at Robert's old world manners and charm as she replies. "My name is Nakao Matosumo. This," She points to the boy next to her. "Is Brian Jessup. The girl on the couch is his sister, Randi. Now, can you answer my questions?"
Before Robert can open his mouth, Randi opens her eyes and starts to scream. All three rush to the couch where Randi is fighting Jenny and Cordelia. Robert quickly moves in and restrains the frightened girl. Brian runs up to her and yells at her. "Randi, these are friends. Stop fighting them. They rescued us." The girl, whether seeing Brian or just running out of steam, settles down. As Robert releases her, Randi, reaches out and takes Brian in her arms and mutters. "Oh God, I thought you were dead. Where are we, Brian? Who are these people?"
"Randi, these people rescued us. This big guy named Steve had you brought here because you were hurt and these women fixed you up." Brian tells her.
Randi looks over her surroundings and asks. "Where are we, and who are you people."
"Randi," Nakao begins, handing Randi her orange juice. "Relax, and drink some juice. You're dehydrated from your ordeal. I'm sure that an explanation will be coming soon." Nakao gives Jenny a look.
Jenny nods her head and replies before she goes back to the office. "Later, we've got a lot of work left to do." She leaves Cordelia and Robert to watch their three guests.
Part 22 - Information Gathering
(Torture Isn't Just For Thugs Anymore/Frohike Gets Macho)
At the supermarket, Steve ordered that the two prisoners be crucified at opposite ends of the store. Steve and Buffy proceed to question the vampire called Archer, Mulder and Scully have the other vampire.
Steve begins his questioning with the old stand-by-me. After Archer is crucified, he slams a rifle butt into his shoulder joint, effectively crushing it. After Archer finishes screaming, he then calmly walks up to the vampire and tells him. "Listen here meat, that was just to get your attention. Your friend on the other side told us that your queen Katherine is planning on bringing back Throlog the Merciless. We are planning on letting him go. Can you do better and we let you go instead of him?"
Archer looks at Steve's eyes and smiles when he sees no mercy in them. "Your one ruthless mother fucker, mortal. I can almost respect you for it."
Steve gives an evil grin. "Spike said the same thing to me, before he turned tail and ran away, sacrificing every other vampire that he could."
The vampire's grin widens. "You've met Spike? And you're still alive? Damn, you must be good. But I won't tell you a damn thing mortal, count on it."
Steve turns his head and shakes it ruefully. He takes a step back and slams a stake into the vampire, just below it's heart. The vampire lets out an unearthly scream.
*****
Mulder and Scully begin questioning their prisoner. Their routine is slightly different than Steve's. The vampire is crucified, and Mulder walks up to him and jovially asks. "You got a name, or do we just call you Sack of Shit?"
"My name is Vincent, mortal and I will kill you."
"Oh please, you are crucified against a wall and surrounded by twenty heavily armed vampire hunters. Anything you threaten isn't worth the breathe."
The vampire just glares at Mulder, when suddenly he hears an unearthly scream. He looks around and shudders.
"Oh, you must be wondering about the scream. Well a couple of my friends are asking questions of one of your friends. So far, he's told us your queen's name is Katherine and she plans on raising the demon Throlog tomorrow night. Now, we aren't totally evil, you help us and we'll let you leave this supermarket." Another scream underscores Mulder's question. The vampire licks it's dry lips and shudders.
"All right, I'll tell you this. Katherine is going to assault a meeting of some secret society, meeting in downtown Los Angeles. She plans on killing everyone there to bring back Throlog. The society has a weird name. They call themselves watchers. I don't know where their meeting was to be, just that we were to meet in downtown, in the subway system and go from there."
Mulder and Scully exchange glances and nod. They leave the vampire hanging there with a terse. "Wait here. We'll check out your story." Mulder and Scully make their way to Steve and Buffy's side and tell them what the vampire has just told them.
*****
In the hostage area, Corporal Reilly is watching what's happening outside. Another man walks up and asks. "What's happening out there. It sounds like the gates of hell have opened up and the damned are coming out."
Reilly grimaces as he replies. "Those Section Seven people are putting two of those things to the question."
"What do you mean 'they're putting them to the question'? They're interrogating them?" The man asks.
"No, they're torturing them. And I don't mean psychologically either. I just saw one of the leaders slam a buttstock in one of their prisoner's shoulder joint."
"My God. That's cruel. How is he able to stay standing?"
Reilly smirks. "They crucified him first."
The man turns a pasty shade of green as he rushes to the rear of the room and throws up. Reilly just looks at him without any pity or remorse. < Civilians sometimes don't understand that in war, you have to do what you have to do. > Then he turns back to watch feeling respect for the leaders of this unit. Normally the officers would have the troopers doing the work, but these guys did it themselves.
*****
Steve is shocked, < A lot of those people are my friends. > Then he turns back to Archer. "All right meat. Your friend has just told us that Katherine will be attacking the Society of Watchers. Care to confirm it."
Archer laughs fiendishly. "Yes, we will strip the Slayer of her eyes and ears. The watchers must fall, they've been a thorn in our sides for far too long."
"Guess what, moron?" Buffy asks Archer.
"What, little girl?" Archer asks, slightly confused.
"You're going after the wrong Watchers. The Society of Watchers, doesn't watch the Slayer." Buffy explains.
"They don't? And who are you to know this?" A thoroughly confused Archer asks.
"I'm the Slayer." Buffy tells a shocked Archer. "The Society of Watchers watches and chronicles the history of about ten thousand Immortal Warriors. And those Warriors are going to be extremely pissed that you morons went after their friends."
"Immortals? What are you talking about? There is no such thing." Archer laughs.
"Archer you always were a fool and an idiot, your lack of knowledge just proves it." An Immortal comes forward.
Archer looks on the Immortal coming before him. "You can't be Ranger Swenson. I killed him."
"Oh, but I am." Swenson replies with a grin.
"What is this, old enemies week in Section Seven?" Mulder comments.
"Feels like it though, don't it?" Steve replies with a grin.
Han Von Strasbourg chuckles. < It appears that we truly are the natural enemies of the vampire. How many old enemies do we have among them? >
"So Archer, it looks like the prophecy that old Cherokee medicine woman told you came true. 'That you would die by the hand of a man you had already killed'." Swenson tells him.
"No! How could you know that? I left that Indian bitch dying with her dead family around her." Archer cries out.
"I know, I was an hour behind you. But I stayed to bury them. The old woman told me the prophecy and told me where to find the man who would teach me what I was. It's been a long run Archer, but it ends here. We, Texas Rangers always bring our men to justice, no matter where they go or what they become." Swenson tells Archer.
"Do you want to tell us anything else, before we let Swenson have you?" Mulder asks.
"Yes, I do. I'll meet you all in hell. When Katherine kills the lot of you. Good, you may be, but even with the vampires slain here, she still has five hundred vampires at her command."
"Make that four hundred, we killed a hundred before we came here." Swenson replies with a smile, as he plunges a stake into Archer's heart. Archer lets out a true scream of the damned as he disappears in a cloud of dust. Swenson then turns around and admits. "Man, that felt good."
Mulder and Steve, followed by Buffy and Scully walk over to Vincent. Vincent is shaking and his eyes betray the fear he's feeling. Mulder calmly walks up to him and tells him. "My friend is a little pissed. Archer insulted him and Steve cut a hole in his chest and poured holy water down it. It appears that Steve used too much holy water and this little bit of surgery caused his heart to explode and he went 'Poof'. Would you care to answer some of Steve's questions, so he won't try and do the same thing to you?"
"But I already told you everything that I knew about Katherine and her plans." Vincent wails.
"And we thank you for that. How about locations of other vampire nests? That would be *Very* helpful and Steve might feel really thankful." Mulder smoothly replies, playing Vincent like violin.
"Yeah, there's two warehouses by the docks."
"Very good Vincent, please give us addresses." Vincent gives the addresses of the two warehouse hit earlier.
"Do you know about any other locations?"
"There is an abandoned hotel we've been using."
"Where is it?"
"On Hollywood Avenue near Vine. It's a very central location." Vincent describes the building in question. "Last time I was there, there was about seventy of us living there."
"Are there any people being held there, like they were here?"
"Yes, on the top two levels. They're kept tied up and gagged, so no one can hear them."
"Anything else?"
"Yes, the Order of Vigious has a house in the Hollywood hills."
"The Order of Vigious? What are they Vincent?"
"They're warrior vampires, Katherine has 27 of them. There used to be 30, but Katherine sent three of them against the Slayer and she killed them last night."
"Are any people being held there?"
"No, the Order doesn't allow humans to be kept where they live. They hunt every night."
"You're scared of this Slayer, aren't you Vincent?" Mulder asks, suddenly taking a different tact to unbalance Vincent.
"Yes, we're all scared of her and her mate. Before Katherine came with her army, they had Los Angeles and the surrounding towns stripped of vampires. Never in history has such a pair existed. They are like a force of nature, beyond anything we have ever faced."
"Thank you for the information Vincent, is there anything else you might know?"
"No, I told you everything. Now, please keep your word and let me go."
"Of course Vincent," Mulder replies softly, as he steps away and shoots Vincent point blank in the heart. "I release your body, so your spirit may rest in peace." Then he turns to the Immortals present. "Let's mount up and get out of here. Our job here is done."
*****
Corporal Reilly has been listening in on Mulder's interrogation of Vincent and it's out come, and he shudders. < Man, these people are totally ruthless. But look at what they're fighting. I thought my unit had some stone cold killers, but compared to these people, those guys are pussies. > Reilly looks on as the assembled Section Seven troops leave the supermarket and he settles down, next to Mr. Bradley, to be 'rescued' by the LAPD.
"What made the lawyer go puke, son?" Mr. Bradley asks.
"The leaders of Section Seven were torturing their two prisoners. For some reason the guy couldn't take it." Reilly replies with a grin.
"Those are HARD people son. They have a hard job and aren't afraid to spill a little blood to get it done."
"That's for sure. I thought the Rangers were a tough outfit, but these guys scare me, they can be really vicious."
"Only to those things son. That little red head doc did a great job of patching me up. A person like that wouldn't be in a group like this, let alone leading it, if the people didn't care. Don't forget how that big red head screamed, when she saw that little girl being hurt. These people do care, never forget it."
Reilly nods his head and leans back to relax, he could hear the police entering the building, coming to 'rescue' them.
*****
Outside, Cody, Frank and Bob look on as the assault and rescue force leaves the supermarket. A tired and shaken Steve waves Cody over and he tells him. "Cody, there are forty one living people in there. All of them are safe. I don't know how many dead there are, but the basement is full of bodies, as well as the meat and deli sections. The place is a fucking death house. Call Randall in with the calvary and let's get the fuck out of here." Steve then mounts the steps to the first van and sits down. His partner, Buffy, sits down next to him and leans her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, sobbing softly. Cody watches as Steve wraps his arm around her and softly speaks to her. Mulder and Scully follow suit, with Scully gently speaking with a downcast Mulder.
*****
Steve leans in and gently asks a tearful Buffy. "Buffy, are you all right?"
"No I'm not. I'm the Slayer. I should have saved those people."
Steve hugs her closer to himself as he quietly murmurs. "Buffy, we can't be every place at once. The Gods know that we try, but we can't be. Yes, those people died, but at least we made the bastards who did it, pay for it."
"That doesn't give me or their families any comfort, Steve."
"I know, but at least it gives their souls some rest and their families some closure. We both know those people didn't deserve to die, but they did. We can't let this get to us. We have to go on and not sink into depression over this. Buffy, what we saw in there was just a beginning of what they're capable of. If they win, it'll be a thousand times worse. And if we sink into depression, that's exactly what we've done. Let them win."
Buffy looks up at Steve and smiles. Steve smiles back as he thinks, < Gods, just for the sight of her smile I think I could kill a thousand vampires. >
"Thanks, I needed that, Steve. You always know what to say to make me feel better."
Steve smiles back. "Buffy I'm only speaking the truth. I know it's a cold comfort, but we will kill the rest of these bastards. Hopefully before they can kill again, but we will get them."
Buffy snuggles in closer and whispers. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."
Steve gently takes his left hand and softly strokes Buffy's face with it as he quietly replies. "For you, anytime." Their conversation is broken up by Cody's soft cough. Both quietly sigh and break apart, ready for the mission ahead.
*****
Scully watches as Mulder quietly sits by the wall with his eyes closed. She reaches over and squeezes his arm and asks in a low voice. "Fox, honey, are you all right?"
"No Dana, I'm not. God help me, but I enjoyed torturing those two. I never thought that I could, but I did. And when I killed that vampire named Vincent, I actually felt happy that I did. Am I becoming what I fear the most? A cold, callus killer?"
"No, you're not, Fox. You and I both know that. Those things were not human beings. They were cold, cruel, killing machines, that would continue to kill everything that they could. We both saw the bodies, first in the warehouse and now here. Vampires are not human beings to be given a trial, they are demons animating the dead bodies of human victims. There is no middle ground here. It's either us or them Fox, we don't have a choice in the matter. The vampires won't let us have one."
Mulder reaches over and gently squeezes his wife's hand and quietly tells her. "Thanks for keeping me sane, Dana. I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."
Dana returns the squeeze and tells him. "You're stronger than you think Fox. Just never forget it." Before Mulder can reply, Cody clears his throat getting their attention. Mulder smiles at Dana and turns to Cody.
*****
< Damn, it must have been like a slice of hell in there. > Cody thinks to himself as he watches the hard boiled foursome comfort each other. He reaches for his radio and calls John Randall. "John, this is Cody, are you there?"
"Yes Cody, I'm here. What's the situation like?"
"Forty one survivors and a building full of corpses about sums it up, John."
The radio is silent for a moment, Randall comes back on with a tightly controlled voice. "Thanks Cody, give my regards to our 'friends', they're doing a hell of a job."
I know John, these people, are something else." < What they are, you wouldn't want to know. But knowing you, you probably already know. > Cody watches as the last of the troops mount up and the vans start up. He grabs the door of the lead van and climbs up. He walks past Ramos and tells him. "Just get us out of here, Henry. These people are tired."
Henry Ramos nods his head as he thinks. < God, what these people have done tonight. I don't think they can keep it up. >
Cody turns around and approaches the four people leading the Black Ops troops. He has secretly dubbed them the 'Four Horsemen'. He kneels down by them and asks. "Where to now? The house in the Hollywood hills?"
"No," Steve replies. "First we check in with Frohike." With that, Steve takes out his car phone and calls home.
Jenny answers. "St. Wolf residence, can I help you?"
"Hi Jenny, is Frohike there?"
"Yeah, hold on."
"Jenny put him on the radio, go to tact 4 again." Steve nods at Jarod and he immediately turns on the radio speaker.
"Hey guys, how was the all night market?" Frohike asks.
"Don't ask, Frohike. Have you got an image of the Hollywood hills house available?"
"Yeah, no warm bodies there. Are you going to hit it?"
"No, we'll destroy the place with Dragon Anti-Tank rockets in the afternoon, followed up with a physical sweep to make sure nothing survives. It's not worth the pain to go in there if there are no people to save."
"Can I do it? Oh please, can I do it?" Frohike asks like a child at a toy store.
"Frohike, what did you steal now? A stealth bomber?" Scully asks with a smile, her mood lightening up.
"No Scully, the satellite I borrowed is equipped with a 200 Mega-Watt laser gun. Willow and Jenny just finished helping me crack the firing codes. So she's ready to go, anytime you say go."
The van is silent. The occupants are speechless. Suddenly Scully starts to giggle and it's picked up by the rest of the van.
"Well, can I?" Frohike asks again, still sounding like a little boy, and the laughter is redoubled.
"Not now. You can do it ten minutes after dawn, no sooner." Mulder orders.
"All Right!!!" Frohike yells. "I get to off some vamps."
The entire van cracks up. "But first, you have to scan another nest site." Steve tells Frohike, then turns to Cody. "Cody, is there an abandoned hotel near Hollywood and Vine?"
"Yes, the old Regal Tower, why?" Cody replies, then it all clicks together. "Oh Shit, a friend of mine in the downtown division mentioned that there has been a lot less street people around. That's the nest? Damn, we've got to take it down."
"Frohike, you heard Cody?"
"Yep Steve, Willow already dug me up the address. It'll take me about twenty minutes to reposition the satellite. She's faxing over the plans right now." The plans pour out of the fax. Side, top and basement schematics. "When are you going to hit it?"
"About 04:30, Frohike. Ten minutes before dawn. According to the information we got at the last site, the hostages are kept locked up on the top floors."
"Will check and verify, Steve. This baby can give us a floor by floor assessment. What are you going to do until then?"
"Find an open diner and grab some hot food and use the rest rooms. Over and Out." Steve replies as the connection is terminated. Steve then turns to Cody and asks. "You guys know about a nice quiet place to eat and rest for about an hour, where we won't be noticed or bothered?"
Cody, Bob and Ironman smile as all three say. "Buster's" And then they laugh.
"Pardon us, but we missed the joke." Mulder comments.
"Sorry, but Buster's is a cop hang out run by a retired thirty year veteran of SWAT. His place has a large parking lot and we sometimes use it as a staging area. So we won't be anything special or new." Cody explains with a grin. < Man, I hope Kelly and the Zombies are there and not drunk. This is going to be fun. > His thoughts are shared by Bob and Ironman.
"Sounds good to me." Mulder comments, not noticing the smiles on all three faces.
"Great, I'll get the number from Henry and give Buster a call to prepare some hot food." Cody replies as he hurries to the front. When he gets to the front, he closes the door and tells Henry as he dials his cell phone. "Henry, go to Buster's. The troops are hungry and tired."
"LT, are you sure? The Zombies are usually there at this time of night." Then he sees the grin on Cody's face. "Oh shit, LT. You're still pissed at Kelly for that last practical joke, aren't you?"
Cody's grin only spreads wider as Buster himself picks up the phone. "Buster's"
"Buster, this is Cody. Are the Zombies there?"
"Yeah, they just got in. Why?" Buster asks, suddenly suspicious of Cody's motives.
"Are they drunk?"
"No, they're on their first beers."
"Cut them off. We're coming in for some grub and a chance to use the bathrooms. And I have a proposition for Kelly."
Part 23 - Convergence of Forces III
(Zombies Aren't Just the Walking Dead)
Buster looks over his bar/restaurant as he hangs up on Cody. He calls over his head waitress, Shelly, and tells her to cut off Kelly and his boys. Shelly looks dubious at this suggestion and asks. "You sure about this Buster? Kelly and his boys don't like being told to do anything."
"Yeah, I'm sure. If they have a problem, tell them to see me."
"Okay." Shelly replies as she goes and tells Kelly.
Shelly approaches the group of men collectively referred to as the Zombie Unit. She thinks back to what some of the other police officers had told her. < 'The Zombie's Unit is made up of the cops the department was too scared of to either forcibly retire or fire. The top brass wanted them close, to keep an eye on them. Or preferably being given proper police funerals.' >
Shelly walks up to Kelly and tells him. "Kelly, Buster said you guys are cut off." She hears growls from several of the Zombies present. "If you have a problem take it up with him."
Kelly looks at his men and the growling stops. "I'll do just that Shelly, thanks." And he gets up and calmly walks over to the bar and Buster. "What's going on Buster? Why did you cut us off?"
"Cody just called and told me to cut you off. He has a proposition for you and your guys."
Kelly lets off a smile. "Oh Cody is coming here now? This may be fun after all."
****
Cody comes back and he, Ironman and Bob share a smile. Cody then gives his attention to the meeting that has just started. Mulder and the rest of the team leaders are tossing around plans and contingencies in rapid succession. < Man, it would take the brass hours to plan out an assault like this. These four are doing it in minutes, from fax copies of the blue prints. >
"The only problem that I can see is that the hotel plans might have changed from these prints." Steve comments, then sees Cody. "Cody, do you know any officers, who might have first hand knowledge of the hotel layout?"
"Yep, already arranged for them to meet us at Buster's." Cody replies with a grin.
"Thanks."
The van goes quiet as they make their way to Buster's.
*****
Kelly makes his way back to the table he is sharing with him men. When he sits down, one of the men, Jack Martini asks. "LT, why'd Buster cut us off?"
"Cody told him to cut us off. He and the Rangers are coming in to grab some food and make us a proposition."
This silences the assembled Zombies. They all share the same thought. When the Rangers ask for help from the Zombies, be ready for World War III. Something *VERY* serious was going down. The Zombies sober up immediately.
Kelly calls Shelly over and orders coffee for everyone. Shelly watches in shock as the men place half empty beer mugs onto her tray. Buster standing by the bar, gets the coffee urn working as he watches Kelly and his men take out their handguns and begin to take them down. Several of the men leave and come back with long bags filled with assault rifles and shotguns. The other patrons look on in shock and amazement, most of them finish their meals quickly and leave. Four men sitting at a corner table just watch what is happening, but they don't leave. After all this 'was' Buster's. Buster turns back and calls out to his busboy. "Pedro, get the green equipment box out of the storage room."
"Si, Senor Buster." Comes the reply from the kitchen as Pedro rushes to do his job. He quickly enters the storage room and brings out the green box and heads to where Buster is standing. As he leaves the kitchen, he sees the Zombies stripping down and preparing their weapons. He stops and blinks, worry and fear clearly present on his face. Buster, seeing Pedro getting scared, calmly takes the box from him and tells him to go back into the kitchen. Buster then walks over the equipment box to Kelly. Kelly looks up and takes the box and Buster's warning. "Remember, I want all of my cleaning kits back in one piece."
"Sure Buster." Kelly agrees as he grabs a bottle of gun oil. "Got any clean rags for us as well?"
Buster nods and heads to the bar, where he gives Shelly a load of bar cloths, to take back to Kelly with his coffee.
Buster leans into his bar as he watches the six police vans approach. < Six vans? Why the hell were the Rangers using six vans? >
*****
The six vans pull up and everybody gathers by the lead van. Cody calls out to the assembled troops. "All right everybody. We go in as a team. Bring your weapons, Buster will lend us his cleaning kits. So be ready to do a little work and maintenance on your guns. If anybody bothers you or asks questions, tell them to take it up with me."
And with that, the entire group enters Buster's.
*****
Buster watches as the Rangers enter his bar. He smiles as Cody enters the room followed by his Rangers. But his smile disappears as he sees Ironman and his two friends enter the room, < What the hell are Lyons and his two partners doing here? > They are closely followed by another fifty, for the wont of a better term, heavily armed soldiers. < Shit, the war has just come to LA. >
*****
Kelly, back to the door, suddenly stiffens. < No, not now. > He watches as his three oldest friends also stiffen. The rest of the Zombies notice that Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann were reaching for their swords. Each man in the Zombies knew about Immortals. Kelly and his three friends had saved their lives on numerous occasions. They also had a private motto. 'We all stand together, no matter what.'
Kelly feels the impact of the 'Buzz'. It hits him badly. < God, how many Immortals were there? > He looks over to Sanchez, who is facing the door. Sanchez is mouthing the words. "Oh, my God." Kelly and his three friends rise from their chairs, baring their swords. As they get up, the sounds of safeties being released is heard from the table behind them.
*****
Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin are escorting the leaders of the Black Ops group to Kelly's table when Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann suddenly get up with drawn swords. The rest of the Zombies are getting up as well with weapons cocked, backing up their friends. Cody looks at Bob and mutters. "What is this? The fucking middle ages? I've seen more swords tonight than in my entire life."
Kelly looks over to Cody and Bob and tells them. "Stay out of this Rodgers, this is none of your's or Devlin's business."
"Well, it is our business when you fuck with our friends." Cody replies drawing his gun and pointing it at Kelly's head. The rest of the Rangers and assault force follow suite. The Zombies look over the Rangers and their allies and they take a deep gulp. At least fifty assault rifles and four heavy machine guns were pointed in their direction.
*****
Ian Murphy watches as his oldest friend, Kelly, stares down Lt. Cody Rodgers and he thinks to himself < Man, I've been through hell with Kelly, but this is ridiculous. >
*****
Buster and his staff are watching this scene and get ready to duck behind the bar. Buster mutters to himself < What the fuck in hell are Kelly and the Zombies trying to do? Get themselves and everybody else in this place killed? >
*****
The four men sitting at corner table look on as the situation quickly escalates into a possible shootout between two groups of cops. The silver haired leader of the group reaches for his Colt 45 and casually pulls it out of his holster. His men follow suit.
One of the men asks. "Colonel, if they start shooting, what do we do?"
"We get out of here Captain. That's what we do. Hopefully we won't have to shoot anybody to do it."
*****
Steve takes a deep breathe and let's it out in slow sigh. He steps forward and moves Cody's gun from Kelly's head. He then looks Kelly in the eye and asks. "Do we have a problem here? If so, we can take care of it next week. Right now, I am tired, hungry, thirsty and need to use the bathroom." Steve then asks Cody. "Cody, where're the officers who know the Regal Tower's layout?"
"These are the guys, Steve. The Zombies have cleaned out the Regal at least a dozen times in the last year. If anyone knows it, they do."
Kelly's head snaps around and he asks Cody. "What the fuck is going on Cody? Who the hell are these guys. I recognize Ironman and his two playmates. But these guys aren't cops. And why do you guys want to know about the Regal?
"Because we want to raid it in an hour. That's why." Steve calmly replies.
"Why do you guys want to raid the Regal, nothing's going on there."
"The vampire serial killers are using it as a base of operations. My people and the Rangers are raiding those bases of operation. We need someone who knows the layout to go over the blueprints with us." Steve replies.
"That tells me why. Not who the fuck you people are."
"We're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. We handle messy situations like this for the government, quietly. And having a shoot out in a restaurant does not qualify as quiet." Steve replies with a grin.
Kelly puts his sword down and motions his men to do the same. Kelly also notices that the Rangers and the Section Seven troops do the same. Cody also relaxes and puts away his gun. Kelly looks over the combined group and asks. "What can we do to help?"
"First of all, loose the attitude." Buffy comments.
Kelly walks over to Buffy and looms his 6' 3", 250 pound bulk over her 5' 4", 100 pound body and asks. "Or what little girl?"
Buffy smiles sweetly as she suddenly does a sweep kick and brings Kelly crashing to the floor. Before Kelly or any of his men can react, she brings a knife to his throat. "Just this." She replies with a smile, devoid of any humor. "Fuck with us and we'll kill you faster than you can say 'Oh Shit'. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear." Kelly replies with a smile on his face. < Damn, this kid is good. I wonder how old she really is? > Kelly then accepts Buffy's hand getting backup. He feels the strength in her grip. < Shit, how strong is this little girl? >
*****
Buster looks on in shock. < How the hell did that little girl just take down Pat Kelly? > He looks on as she helps him up. < My God, Kelly is actually smiling. Now this has just got weird. > He watches as the leaders of both groups approach him.
Cody walks forward and asks. "Buster, can you clear out the restaurant?"
"Sure, after the Zombies started to clean their weapons most of the customers left. The only customers left are those four guys sitting at the corner table." Cody and his companions turn and look at the table.
"Have they paid their bill yet?" Steve asks.
"No."
Steve then puts down a hundred dollar bill on the bar. "It's now paid." Then he walks casually over to the table in question.
*****
The four men tense as the stranger in black fatigues walks up to their table. He stops in front of them and in a polite, but firm, voice tells them. "Gentlemen, I've paid your bill. Now, please leave."
The four men look at each other and the silver haired leader nods his head, and all four get up and leave.
*****
Outside of Buster's the Colonel and his three men get into their van and leave the parking lot. As they leave, the driver, a large black man with a Mohawk hair cut asks. "What did we just see in that restaurant Hannibal?"
The Colonel takes out a cigar and lights it. "I don't know B.A., but I'm glad we left when we did. Those people are serious about something and I don't want to be on the receiving end of whatever it is."
"Did you see how that little girl took that cop down. Hannibal, I've never seen anyone move that fast."
"I know Face, those people in the black fatigues stank of Special Operations. What the hell are they doing LA?"
"Did you smell that guy who asked us to leave?"
"Yeah, blood, sweat, and cordite. Those people have been in some heavy fighting. The barrels of their rifles were covered in burned powder and grease. But what bothers me the most is why those four cops pulled swords out?"
"I don't know, but it does seem weird that four LA cops were carrying swords." Face comments.
"No, what was really weird was that no one else in there thought it was weird." Murdock comments.
"What do you mean by that Captain?"
"Well Colonel, when we saw the swords, we all jumped. Us, the bartender, the waitress. But none of those people even batted an eyelash."
"You're right Murdock, I didn't notice that. Man, that's weird. B.A. turn on the radio and see if there's any interesting news on."
B.A. turns on the radio to KNEW, an all news LA station and immediately the top story of the night is heard as a reporter gives a live report. "This is Kent Stevens of KNEW. I'm reporting in from a derelict supermarket located on Piedmont in the Barrio section of Los Angeles."
"This is the third site in a series of lightning raids conducted by elite units of the LAPD, led by FBI Special Agents, on the vampire cult plaguing the city. The police have just reported that forty one hostages have been rescued and are on their way to local hospitals. The bad news is that early estimates are that there are almost two hundred victims. So far none of the cultists have been captured alive. According to Captain John Randall of the LAPD, 'All of them fought to the bitter end and were killed by the police officers and Federal Agents, raiding the cult's hideouts'."
"To recap tonight's events. The officers of the LAPD and Agents of the FBI have raided three vampire cult hideouts. The first two were warehouses located on the docks. At one location thirty hostages were rescued and are at local hospitals. The death toll at the two warehouses is confirmed at 253 dead. None of the cultists have been taken alive. And no police or Federal injuries are reported."
B.A. turns off the radio and turns to Hannibal. "No cops were hurt in the assaults? Hannibal that stinks. I think we just saw who was doing the fighting tonight."
"Yeah, I do believe we did. Let's go home guys, this town is going to be hot tonight."
And with that the van roars off into the night.
*****
Katherine listens to the radio reports with a cold fury. Suddenly, she picks up the radio and throws it into the wall with an angry shout. She looks around for something else to destroy and grabs a young male vampire and literally rips him apart with her bare hands.
Her aide, Lisa, cowers in the background, while her queen vents her fury. After she finishes, Katherine calls Lisa over. "How many of my subjects were in those locations?"
"At best estimate, My Lady?" Lisa asks, Katherine nods her head. "About two hundred."
"Two hundred? Who could have done this? Not the police. Those fools couldn't find themselves in dark room. Who? I want to know who did this?"
"Maybe the Slayer and her mate?" A vampire comments from the side.
Katherine stands rock still as she contemplates the matter. < Could the Slayer and her mate have actually done it? Or did they have help? > Katherine thinks back to what another vampire told her. She turns to Lisa and orders. "Lisa, that vampire who just came from San Francisco, have her brought here." Lisa quickly leaves to do her queen's bidding.
A few minutes later, a young woman named Caitlin enters the throne room. She bows before Katherine and waits to be called. Katherine is now pacing back and forth and finally she notices the vampire waiting for her. She looks down on her and orders. "Tell me what happened in San Francisco. Everything."
Caitlin shudders as she begins to tell Katherine about San Francisco. "Yes mistress. About five months ago, we had the run of the town. Kevin, he was the leader, had the police running in circles and they couldn't figure what was going on. Then in early February it all went to hell. A group of nine vampires attacked a bus load of tourists in the Embarcadero. One of our scouts reported all nine were killed by a man and a woman, armed with swords and stakes."
"Were they the Slayer and her mate?" Katherine asks.
"No mistress, I've seen their drawing and those two were not them. For one thing the woman had red hair and she was six feet tall. The Slayer is shorter and blonde."
"Go on with your report."
"Yes mistress. Well after the Embarcadero slaughter, Kevin found out that we were being hunted. He thought that the local police had learned what we were and had sent their Special Investigations Unit against us. So, Kevin set a trap and had Captured them. After several hours of questioning, we found out that they weren't the ones hunting us down. So, Kevin was giving the order to kill all of them, when ten vampires suddenly turned to dust. In their place were the real vampire hunters. A group of seven ninjas."
"They had tracked us down and were there to rescue the police officers. Kevin still had thirty vampires with him and ordered them to attack. After a battle that lasted barely fifteen minutes, none of them were left standing. After the battle, the ninjas untied the police officers and they started to talk. After that, the ninjas started to openly hunt us down with the help of the SIU. It took them, about four months, to kill almost every vampire in the Bay Area."
"Damn, they have allies." Katherine mutters. < This Slayer has formed a small army of hunters. Damn, she's good. Every other Slayer that I've faced has been an idiot and fought us alone with only their watchers for support. This one is truly dangerous. She must die!! >
"May I speak, My Lady?" A male vampire asks.
"Yes, you may Hector."
"Mistress, will this effect our plans for tomorrow night? Throlog has to be released at the proper moment or he will never be controlled. Do we have enough vampires to perform the sacrifice and stop the Slayer's hunters at the same time?"
"Good question Hector, maybe the sorcerer can help us?"
"But Mistress, that man is insane. He actually drinks our blood to remain alive. Who are we going to sacrifice to get the sorcerer's help?"
Katherine smiles a wicked smile as she tells Hector. "Why, you Hector."
Hector lets out a scream of the damned as he is grabbed by several vampires and he is taken to the sewer location that the sorcerer uses as his laboratory.
Part 24 - Battle Plans
(No Plan Survives Contact With The Enemy)
The assault leaders meet in a side room Buster uses for special meetings. (ie. inter-department poker games) The plans are laid out and Kelly and Sanchez go over them with the leaders of the assault force present.
"Are you sure they're holding hostages on the top floors?" Kelly asks.
"Let me check in with one of my people." Steve replies as he takes out his cell phone and calls Frohike.
Robert Hascombe answers. "St. Wolf residence, may I help you?"
"Robert, Steve here. Tell Frohike to go to Tact 4, I need to talk to him."
"Certainly Steve, he'll be just a moment."
Cody turns on Buster's radio and switches it to Tact 4 and hands free operation. A moment later Frohike gets on. "Steve, I've got the information you wanted. Forty two hostages on the twelfth floor, twenty six on the eleventh, and twenty four on the tenth. I also checked the roof with the night scopes, no ones on it."
"Thanks Frohike, call us back with any changes."
"Will do. And Steve, will I still be able to take out the house in the Hollywood Hills?"
"Yes, you may." Mulder replies with a grin.
"Oh Boy. I can't wait to pop this baby's cap."
"Thanks Frohike. Keep us posted." Steve tells him, then cuts off the mike.
A curious Kelly asks. "How can he know all of that?"
"Simple, he has access to a K-H reconnaissance satellite. It has the capability to read thermal images in almost any structure."
"So how do we know that none of those people are cultists?" Sanchez asks. Rodgers and Devlin just grin, waiting for the reply.
"Because the cultists are real vampires. They have no body heat to give off." Mulder explains.
The shocked expressions on Kelly's and Sanchez's faces are etched forever in Rodgers's and Devlin's memories. A grinning Devlin mutters. "God, I wish I had a camera."
Kelly immediately loses his shocked expression and turns to Cody. "Cody are you playing with us? Vampires are only myths. I've never seen one in my entire life, and that's been a long time."
Cody slyly replies. "How long has it been Pat? Two, three hundred years? The moment you, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann pulled out swords, we knew you were Immortals."
Kelly is shocked again. < How the hell do they know? > "Listen here Cody, I hope your not planning on telling any one else about us."
"No Kelly, Bob and I have spent the night watching these guys," Cody points to Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully. "and the rest of their sword carrying friends, take the brunt of the fighting and take all of the punishment. In three raids, we've managed to kill about two hundred vampires and rescue seventy two hostages, with no injuries to our people or the hostages. Their secret is safe with us, as is your's."
Kelly looks at the group assembled before with a new respect. < Damn, these people have Rodgers's and Devlin's respect. That's a hard thing to get. >
"So what's the plan?" Kelly asks.
Steve lays out the battle plan. "I want to do a night helicopter insertion, landing the ninjas, Able Team, Cody with four Rangers and Frank on the roof and have them fight their way down to the tenth floor and hold the top three floors, securing the elevator shaft, and both stair wells, while we Immortals fight our way up from the first floor. Bob would lead the rest of the Rangers and the Zombies to secure and hold the first floor, locking down the basement and the elevators. After we sweep floors one to nine, then we would clean out the basement. Our auxiliaries, lead by Kowalski and Giles, would stand guard around the perimeter, preventing any of them from escaping out the sides or lower floors. The only problem is that we don't have any helicopters."
"How many helicopters do you need?" Kelly asks.
"Enough to carry Able Team, the ninjas, Rangers and Frank. Sixteen people, not including the pilots. Got anyone crazy enough to do a night landing, on a dark roof, in the middle of downtown LA?"
Kelly, Sanchez, Devlin and Ironman grin evilly as Cody tells Steve. "The three divine winds."
"The three divine winds?" Mulder asks.
"Banzai, Typhoon and Monsoon. The three craziest pilots in the world. I'll call them in. While we wait, you guys grab some chow."
*****
Pedro, the busboy, looks out of the kitchen at the assembled fighters and feels a shiver run down his back. He turns to the fry cook, Enrico and asks. "Enrico, who are these people? Even the Zombies watch them with fear. And those crazy policemen are not scared of anything."
Enrico finishes the last meal and he leaves his grill. He walks over to where Pedro is standing and looks out onto the bar. The sight is not a pretty one. Men and women were stripping down weapons and cleaning them. Lots of weapons. The Zombies, were sitting at their tables and drinking coffee, merely watching in silence, but keeping their weapons close to hand. Enrico crosses himself and mutters. "My God." Then he goes back to his grill.
*****
In the bar proper, Shelly the waitress, is serving food to the group that came in with Rodgers' Rangers. < My God. I thought the Zombies were bad, but these guys scare even them. Where the hell did Rodgers find these guys. >
*****
Buster watches the strange group cleaning their weapons and wonders. < What the hell have these people been doing? Their weapons look like they've been through a war. > He then turns on the radio to KNEW and listens to the top story of the night. The three lightning raids on the vampire cult. As he watches various members of the group take out and clean their swords, it hits him. < Oh, my God. These people and the Rangers have been doing the raids. Shit where the hell did Randall get these guys from? >
Buster watches as the side room opens up and the team leaders leave. Each goes to their respective groups while Cody walks up to him.
"Buster, can I borrow the phone?"
"Sure Cody." Buster replies as he hands him the cordless. Buster listens in as he reports to Randall.
"John, this is Cody. We're over at Buster's place grabbing some food and coffee. The Zombies are here as well, providing some tactical information on our next target and joining in on the fun. I need authorization for three helicopters and three pilots."
"What's going on Cody?"
"We located another cult nest. The Regal Tower on Hollywood. Our friends want to do a helicopter insertion."
"Why do they need to do that?"
"The top three floors have ninety two hostages. They want to get to them fast and secure them before they begin to take out the cultists."
"Damn, you got the copters. I'll get authorization from the chief. Who's going to pilot them?"
"I'm calling in the three divine winds." Cody replies as Buster chokes back a laugh.
"They're all suspended Cody."
"They're the best we got."
"You got them. Tell them to pick up the copters, I'll make all of the clearances."
*****
Captain John Randall of the LAPD is sick to his stomach. He and Tracy have just finished inspecting the crime scene in the supermarket. They had pulled over to a secluded spot so she could throw up. He listens as she retches up her already empty stomach behind the car. < Poor Tracy had to throw up after seeing that deli refrigerator. I can't blame her. Even the most hardened cops tossed their cookies after seeing that. > He watches as the morgue people do their job and carry out the bodies. < I used to think these people were ghouls, but no more. They've done a job that shouldn't be given to anyone and done it well. > Two of the morgue inspectors walk up to him as he waits. He recognizes the lead inspector, Reed Simms, former LAPD Homicide and his new partner Jessica Hayes.
"Hey Reed, how's Libby and the kids?" Randall asks.
"They're fine John. I sent them up to Libby's mother's house in Oregon. She's staying up there until the baby comes."
"That's good to hear Reed. You can't be too careful these days."
Reed shakes his head and gets down to business. "John, this is a mess. How the hell did this happen."
"I don't know Reed. I'm just cleaning up the mess."
"No, we're cleaning up the mess. You're just bringing it to our attention. Did you know that we're hiring freezer trucks to store the bodies?"
Randall holds himself and replies softly. "No Reed, I didn't realize it was that bad for you."
Reed Simms sees that the situation is affecting the tough homicide cop and he softly tells him. "John, you didn't create this mess. Those damn vampire cultists did. You and your people are doing a great job. One thing, where are the bodies of the cultists? So far we haven't found any."
"You won't."
"Why John?"
Randall looks directly into his old friend's eyes and tells him. "Because the cultists are real vampires."
"Please tell me your joking." Jessica Hayes asks, openly shocked at Randall's admission.
"I wish I was, but the truth is that the grey dust on the floor is the remains of the vampires. The Black Operations assault force that went through here killed everyone of them. There won't be any prisoners."
Reed and Jessica look at Randall in shock. Reed asks. "Black Operations assault force? Vampires? John, what the hell is going on here?"
"The feds sent in a secret group of vampire hunters to clean out Los Angeles. And from what I see, they're doing their job. They're supposed to hit one more site tonight and then take out the rest tomorrow."
Suddenly, Jessica grabs Randall by the throat and demands. "Where are they going to hit next, mortal? Tell me now and I'll kill you quickly."
Randall's eyes widen as Jessica's face turns demonic. < My God. She's a vampire. >
Reed, not knowing what was happening tries to pry Jessica off Randall. She reaches back and grabs his throat and forces both of them against the car. "Now tell me, or I'll slowly choke this fool to death in front of you."
"Fuck off bitch." Randall gasps out as he tries to force her hand away.
Jessica laughs as she tells Randall. "I'm stronger than either of you fools. Now tell me where is the next target." She slowly increases pressure on Reed's throat. His face is slowly turning red from the lack of oxygen.
"Drop them now or I'll blow you away bitch." Randall hears his partner order the vampire.
The vampire laughs. "Go ahead and shoot. Your bullets won't hurt me. And if you try to stake me, I'll kill both of them before you take two steps."
Tracy takes one shot. Straight into the creature's heart and the vampire's face registers a shocked expression as it realizes that she has just been destroyed. Then she turns to dust in front of Simms and Randall.
"What the hell just happened? And how did you kill that thing." Reed asks.
Tracy smiles a humorless smile as she explains. "While John was talking to the leaders of the Black Ops group, I got a box of ammo from their armorer. He told me this stuff works on vampires, but only if you shoot them in the heart. Then they go puff. Glad to see it works as advertised."
All three start as Randall's cell phone rings. As he forces his heart back into his chest, he pulls it out. "Randall here."
"John, this is Cody."
"What's up Cody." Randall asks. Cody explains the situation to him and John shudders. < The Zombies were now involved. Can this get any worse? >
A few minutes later, John hangs up on Cody and dials the Commissioner. < It just got worse. > Randall this to himself. "Sir, this is Randall."
"What do you need Randall?"
"Sir the situation has escalated, we need to use three helicopters, immediately."
"So use who ever is on duty."
"Sir, we need Takaro, Henderson and Schwartz."
"I suspended those three lunatics for reckless flying. Why do you need them?"
"I don't need them, our 'friends' requested their services."
The Commissioner sighs, but he relents. "Tell them they're off suspension. But one mistake and they get grounded permanently." Then he hangs up.
John immediately calls the chief flight officer for the LAPD. "Tony, this is John, prep three of the big Bell Rangers."
"John, who's authorizing this?"
"The Commissioner. I'll give you his home number if you want to verify it?"
"No thanks. Who're you getting to pilot them?"
"The three divine winds."
"Aren't they suspended?"
"Not anymore. The Commissioner just lifted their suspension."
"Who are they picking up? And where?"
"A combined assault group made up of Zombies and Rangers. They're waiting at Buster's."
"Zombies and Rangers? Working together? John, has hell just frozen over?"
"No, but it's come to LA and they're our best chance at stopping it."
"I'll get the copters prepped and ready. Just get their butts over here."
"You got it Tony and thanks."
*****
Cody calls Charlie 'Typhoon' Henderson at his house. A sleepy Henderson answers. "This had better be important."
"Get your lazy ass out of bed Charlie." Cody tells him.
"Cody? What the hell are you doing waking me up at three in the morning?"
"Charlie, get up and get your two partners. I need you for a job."
"But we're suspended. The Commissioner's orders."
"They've been rescinded. Now get moving. You have three choppers waiting for you at the field and when you get them, bring them over to Buster's. He'll have fresh coffee waiting for you and an assault force to pick up."
*****
After Cody's call Charlie Henderson immediately gets up and calls his two partners, Banzai and Monsoon. Charlie explains the situation to them. Neither asks any questions as they immediately get dressed and leave for the air field.
Part 25 - Dinner Conversations
Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully grab a table and pull out their weapons and begin to clean them. Shelly walks over and asks. "What can I get for you?"
"Two cheese burgers, well done with a side order of fries." Steve replies.
"One cheese burger, well done." Buffy replies.
"Two bacon cheese burgers, with a side of onion rings." Mulder replies.
"Garden salad, dressing on the side." Scully replies.
"Anything to drink?" Shelly asks.
"Coffees, for all of us." Mulder replies.
"Do you want any gun oil or rags?" Shelly asks, seeing them cleaning their guns. < This is the only job where that question has ever come up. >
"Both would be nice." Buffy replies with a smile. "Thanks."
"Your welcome." Shelly counters as she leaves to get their orders. < Well, at least they're polite. >
After Shelly leaves, Buffy asks. "So do you guys think we can take these vampires?"
Steve sighs as he replies. "Buffy, I'm not too worried about tonight, but tomorrow, they'll know we're coming, so expect a harder fight. I think we should call in some more friends for backup. What do you two think?
Mulder and Scully look at each other and nod their heads, Mulder speaks for both. "We agree. Getting in some more fighters would only help us and kill more vampires. So, who are we going to call in?"
"I was thinking about our friends from last time to start with. And I have a few friends that still owe me favors. Maybe Quinn could help get them here as he did Abbott Michael and rest."
"Not a bad idea. I'm sure he would help with that." Buffy replies.
A quiet Scully looks thoughtful and finally she asks. "Steve, I don't know about Quinn. He claims to be an omnipotent alien, but have you ever considered his motives? I understand that you like him, but what's in it for him?"
"One word Scully, 'Friendship'." Steve replies with a smile.
"Oh, please it can't be that simple." Scully scoffs.
"That's the woman I love." Mulder comments with a smile. "The professional skeptic."
"Don't patronize me Mulder. I just can't believe that this being is doing this for friendship. It can't be that simple."
"Oh but it can." Steve replies with a smile. "First of all lets start with us 'Immortals'. How many of our normal friends know that we're Immortal? Mulder, Scully, please speak up."
"No one really, besides Buffy's and your friends. None of ours do."
"Let me ask you this. Before you met up with Buffy and me and our mutual friends, how lonely was it?"
"All right, I admit it. I was lonely, even though I had Mulder. I really had no real friends left. I was scared of watching them age and die. I didn't want that and I distanced myself from them. So what's your point?"
"Now imagine an individual who has almost ultimate power and has lived for far longer than any of us can imagine and has seen so much that would boggle our minds and maybe even drive us insane if we saw it."
"All right your point of view works for Immortals, but what does it have to do with Quinn?
Buffy giggles as she catches onto what Steve is pointing out. "Dana, the guy's lonely. He wants to have friends. People who aren't scared of him or what he is or can do. Look at why he's helping us. A vampire tried to kill his 'friend' Robert. He feels that he owes us for taking them out. He knows that he can't kill all of the vampires in the world, but he can help us in other ways. That's what he told us earlier tonight. And I believe him."
"I also agree with Steve and Buffy, Scully. Quinn just wants to have some people who treat him as a friend and not as potential enemy or horn of plenty."
The conversation goes quiet as Shelly returns with the gun oil and clean bar towels.
*****
Ian Murphy watches as the Black Operations troops clean their weapons and grab some food. When the swords come out for sharpening and cleaning, he asks his friend Dave Ricker "Dave, how many of them are like you?"
A nervous Ricker replies. "At least twenty of them, if not more."
"Damn. What can we do if they try and take your head?"
"Get out of the way, Ian. Your life isn't worth it." Then Ricker quiets down as Kelly and Sanchez approach. When both get close, Ricker asks. "What's the situation Pat?"
Pat Kelly takes a deep breath and tells his men what the situation is. After he completes his explanation and their role in the fighting, the Zombies perk up. Action at last. But Koffmann asks. "Pat, can we trust these guys?"
"Yeah, I think so. They're here to take out real vampires. Not other Immortals. One more thing, we're joining in the main assault."
"We are?" Murphy asks.
"Only Immortals, Ian. We don't want our mortal friends to get hurt."
Before Ian can reply, Xander, Oz and Jarod walk up to the Zombies table carrying ammunition boxes. Without introductions, Xander begins. "Gentlemen, please remove all ammunition from your magazines and replace it with the ammunition that we're providing."
"Like hell I will." Pablo Garcia replies. "I ain't using some strange ammo in my gun. You guys can go fuck yourselves."
"All right then, but when we hit the Regal Tower and some of the vampires decide to have you for dinner, and your bullets don't stop them, then too bad." Xander replies sarcastically. The rest of the Zombies take the ammo and load up. Garcia follows suite a few minutes later.
Martinez asks. "Got anything for my SPAS 15?"
Xander shakes his head. "Sorry dude, only got Dragon's Breath and Devastator shells. And the mission outline doesn't call for those particular party favors."
"Bummer, is it all right if I use Nitro Magnums loaded with BBs?"
"Only if you aim for the head or neck and no ones behind it."
"Not a problem." Martinez replies with a grin. < Damn, I like this guy. >
*****
Brother Aaron looks over the crowded restaurant and smiles. He leans over to Abbot Michael and comments. "God Michael, I never thought that I'd be sitting in a bar with thirty seven Immortals and no ones tried to kill anyone else."
"I know Aaron. The times certainly have changed. I never thought that I'd be out here hunting down vampires with an assault rifle." Michael ruefully chuckles as he loads his freshly cleaned AR-15 with a full magazine.
"But at least it's good for the soul."
"Of that, I have no doubts." Michael replies and they both chuckle.
*****
Hans Von Strasbourg is sitting with two of his old Immortal friends, Hanson and Argus. As they eat, each comments on their feelings about their work this night.
"I can't believe that I've never seen one of these things in the last thousand years." Hanson comments.
"They're hard to spot." Hans replies. "They tend to attack in areas where there are few people. Only in the last hundred and fifty years have they begun to move into the cities. And when in the cities, they prey mostly on the unwanted, the outcasts, single travelers, people who wouldn't be missed."
"I still can't believe the slaughter I saw tonight. Those things are evil incarnate. When this started, I thought that it was a trap formed by those two." Argus looks over to where Summers and St. Wolf are having their meal. "To get some easy Quickenings. But after all of this, I can't argue about their honesty and dedication."
"I thought the same myself," Hans admits. "But after what we were shown and after what we've done tonight, I have no doubts about those two and their companions."
"Was that vampire really your cousin, Hans?" Hanson asks.
"No, that was the body of my cousin. The demon who killed him took over his body and his memories. I blame the demon, not Eric for all of the suffering it caused. My destroying the demon and the body, only put Eric's soul to it's final rest."
"So are we going to continue to help? After all this is over, I mean." Argus comments.
"I, for one, have no problem with doing this type of work through eternity." Hans replies.
"You've been hunting vampires for three hundred years. What's it like?" Hanson asks.
"A lot of pain. But it balances out when you see the eyes of those that you have saved. Back in 1843, I was passing through the Spanish/French border when I came across six vampires fighting a young girl. Naturally, I went to help and between the two of us, we were able to kill them. The girl turned out be the Slayer, her name was Edith Cosgrove. After I explained to her who I was, we joined forces to clean out the district.
"Six days into our hunt, we came across this small village that was being ravaged by a large group of vampires. All of the adults had been slaughtered and only the children were left. The vampires were using them as playthings. They were slowly torturing them until they couldn't take it, then the vampires would suck them dry. Edith and I immediately attacked and killed most of the vampires. The leader, a brute named Carlos took three small children as hostages and ordered us to let him go. When I saw this, I immediately shot him in the head with my rifle. The shot caused him to drop the children and Edith was able to stake him. After we killed the last vampire, we surveyed the village. A hundred and four dead, the only survivors, nineteen children under the age of ten. Naturally, Edith and I got the children out of there and we took them to a convent she knew about. The sisters took the children in and gave us shelter for a few days to rest. I'll never forget those children's eyes as we left to hunt again. They're the reason I'll continue to fight."
Argus and Hanson exchange glances as both make a decision. As one they turn to Hans and tell him. "Hans, if you want to continue hunting these things." Argus starts.
"Then would you mind us for company?" Hanson finishes
Hans' mouth spreads into a wide grin as he claps his two friend's shoulders. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
*****
Tommy sits down with the rest of his clan and he briefs them on their part of the mission after he finishes, Tommy adds. "Damn, it feels like we're back in G.I. Joe, doesn't it."
Jinx chuckles and comments wryly. "Well Tommy, you were the one who said that we didn't have enough challenges in life. I think this one rates up there."
Scarlet chuckles as she replies. "I agree with Tommy the command structure does remind me of G.I. Joe. I wonder if anyone here also served in a similar unit?"
*****
The Immortal known as Thorson, having finished his meal and cleaning and reloading his guns, is discussing the night's events with several other Immortals. "If I hadn't witnessed tonight's events, I wouldn't have believed it."
"I know, this is a situation where reality is thrown out." An Immortal called Raji replies.
"Did you see the look of horror on the faces of those corpses at the supermarket? Especially the children's? I'm going to have nightmares for centuries after this is done." A man called Hutch admits. "The only thing holding me together is the fact that I was able to kill a few of the monsters that did it."
"I concur." A man calling himself Felix agrees. "I hope to continue doing this 'service', because it beats playing the 'Game' hands down. Killing these things is a gift to humanity and truth be told, I don't mind giving something back, for all of the kindness and friendship, that many normal people have shown me over the centuries."
*****
Robert McCallister is sitting down with several Immortals whom he has befriended over the centuries. All of them are commenting on the night's events.
"So Robert, you fought these things five months ago? A man called William asks.
"Yes I did, why?"
"We are shocked old friend, that you did not have the courtesy to invite us on that hunt." A man called Hernandez replies with a smile.
Robert takes a deep breath and sighs. "So, you would have joined in on that little jaunt?"
"Aye, all of us would have wanted to be in on that battle. God, the way you and your friends fought that day. It was a thing for the bards to sing about. Robert you were greedy for not allowing us to share in the glory."
Robert smiles at the good natured ribbing he was getting. It felt good to be among friends and not worry about someone losing their heads. "Are you willing to continue fighting these things? After we finish here?"
A chorus of yeses answers him. As he looks on his friends, he feels that the so-called 'Game' was finally dead. And that the Immortals could take their place in the world as befitted them. It's defenders and champions.
*****
"God Ice, did you think when you woke up this morning that we would be hunting vampires in Los Angeles with a Black Operations group?" Christine Kowalski asks.
"Never crossed my mind Christine. This situation has just been too weird. Vampires, demons, Immortals, ninjas, an alien and a covert operations unit. The Twilight Zone should have shows this good."
"You never should have run into Mulder in that hallway, Christine, that's what started everything." Charlie replies with a grin.
"Don't blame me. Tanaka and Daniels assigned us to this case, remember? If we can blame anyone it's those two weasels"
"Don't forget, we were going to volunteer for it anyway. So, let's just make the best of it." Alphonse replies with a grin.
"Yeah, we're here and doing the job. So let's not bitch about it." Ice replies as he finishes putting together his H&K 93 and drives home the magazine for emphasis.
*****
The Rangers are sitting together in their own section. Jarod watches and listens as the rest of his unit goes over the night's events.
"I can't believe what's been happening." Officer Rita Morales comments. "We're fighting actual vampires. Blood drinking, fangs in the face, vampires."
"Believe it." Henry Ramos replies.
"I still can't get over how these people," Henderson looks over the assembled Immortals, Slayerettes, ninjas and FBI personnel. "Can so calmly do what the hell they are doing. I know Ironman and his two friends can be stone cold killers, but these people are on another level."
"Don't forget what they're facing." Jarod comments. All faces turn to him. "These things have absolutely no mercy. I saw the bodies of their victims. None of them died easily and if we leave any of them alive, they'll just kill again and again and again. It's a never ending cycle with these things and if they get a chance to make more of themselves, they will."
"And how do you know so much about vampires?" Thompson asks.
"When I was first assigned to this case, I did a little research. Plus I asked Xander and Oz some questions. They were quite free with the information." Jarod replies with a smile.
"So what did you dig up?" Cody Rodgers asks as he and Bob Devlin sit down.
"Oh, a few tidbits."
"So spill Russell, before I'm tempted to have you pick up targets at the gun range. While we're practicing." Rodgers replies with a grin.
"Well first of all, the girl, Buffy Summers, is what's called a Slayer. What that means is that she is somehow gifted with incredible strength and speed to fight and kill vampires. She can also sense them. A sort of early warning system and locator rolled into one. Steve St. Wolf, he's Buffy's boyfriend by the way, is an actual demon hunter." The table goes quite as most of the SWAT team takes a deep breath. "He joined up with her about five months ago and they Mulder and Scully and a few friends destroyed about two hundred vampires and since then, Buffy and Steve have been cleaning out most of southern California. The ninjas are the Storm Shadow Clan. They've been doing the same work in the Bay area. Up there, they've worked with the SF PD's Special Investigations Unit. Mulder and Scully are real FBI agents, they run what's called the X-Files Division of the FBI."
"What're the X-Files?" Cody asks.
"They investigate the paranormal, specializing in alien encounters."
"My God, what the hell are we facing here, Cody?" Rita Morales quietly asks.
"Our job Morales, our job."
"Don't give me that Bullshit LT. We didn't sign up to hunt monsters." Thompson replies.
"You're not." Cody points out. "They are the ones doing all of the fighting and the bleeding. You people have only been sitting on your collective asses doing perimeter duty and driving. So don't bitch. I feel damn lucky that we have them, their weapons and their expertise. How bad do you think it would have been if we had attacked those vampire nests with regular ammunition?"
All of the SWAT officers look at each other and shudder. Several rub their necks and wince, imagining the outcome of such an assault.
Jarod then speaks up. "I agree with the LT. We would have been dinner for those things and I want revenge for what they've done to the innocent people of Los Angeles, especially the kids."
"I'm glad you feel that way Jarod, are you willing to volunteer for a helicopter assault?" Cody asks with a grin.
Jarod smiles as he tells Cody. "Anytime, anyplace, LT."
"All right, here's the plan." Cody goes over the assault plan with his people and asks for three more volunteers. Morales, Thompson and Ramos also volunteer after hearing what the plan entailed.
*****
Carl Lyons and his two partners are sitting alone and relaxing. Lyons looks over the assembled fighting force and smiles.
Gadgets seeing this asks. "So, what's on your mind, Ironman?"
"Just thinking about Sue and Mike Reynolds. I'll be able to tell their kids that their parents' killers are gone."
"Yeah, that does warm the heart. What do you think of Mack's friends?" Politician asks.
"Mack is going to owe us big time for this. I plan on asking for a month's leave after this." Lyons replies with a grin.
"I'm sure Barb will let you have it. When hell freezes over." Gadgets replies with a smirk.
"Do you guys think that Mack is also an Immortal?" Politician asks.
"That would explain how he was able to survive so many 'deaths'." Lyons replies with a grin. "Could you imagine Hal's response if he finds out about Mack's Immortality?"
"I think that cigar of his will finally fall out." Gadgets replies with a grin. All three men chuckle at the thought. As they finish laughing, they notice Steve St. Wolf approaching.
He sits down at their table and asks. "Carl can you get in touch with Mack?"
"Why?"
"We're going to need some help tomorrow night and I want to call in as many people as possible."
"I'm sure we could call him after we hit the Regal Tower. Do you want just Mack or can we invite the rest of our organization's field personnel as well?" Carl asks.
"Who?"
"Phoenix Force is the international anti-terrorist branch of our organization. They could lend a hand."
"If you three and Mack vouch for them, I have no problems. But have them bring their own guns. My armory's a little light." Steve replies with a smile.
"Not a problem." Lyons replies with a knowing smile, patting his M-60 E3.
Part 26 - Three Winds
(How to Deflate a Divine Wind's Ego)
Charlie 'Typhoon' Henderson is the first of the Three Divine Winds to arrive at the air field. He finds Lt. Anthony DeGrasi, prepping the LAPD's three big Bell Jet Rangers. As DeGrasi works on the first copter, Henderson grabs a clipboard and starts to prep the second. A few minutes later Takaro and Schwartz enter the hanger and they begin to prep the third bird. Ten minutes later all of the copters are reviving up and the Three Divine Winds take to the skies of Los Angeles once more.
Fifteen minutes later, the three birds land in Buster's parking lot and the three pilots get out of their birds and walk to the bar. As they walk into the bar, Typhoon mutters. "I wonder what's going on? The Commissioner swore to God not to let us fly again. Who's got the juice to make him say 'uncle'?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad they did. I was going nuts sitting around all day. It feels good to be flying." Banzai replies.
Monsoon is more worried about staying awake as they enter Buster's. "I hope Buster's got the coffee going. I could kill. . . Oh Shit!?" The sight of so many people and weapons shocks the three men into silence.
Typhoon looks at the assembled fighters, not believing what's in front of him. He watches as Cody Rodgers and Pat Kelly detach themselves from their respective units and approach the them Cody is the first to speak. "Typhoon, about damn time you three got your lazy asses here. C'mon, we've got to go over the assault plans with you before we go."
"Assault plans?" Banzai nervously asks, wondering who the hell these people were with the Zombies and Rangers.
Steve calls together the separate units and starts to go over the assault sequence with them. Buster leans on his bar, listening with a practiced ear. < Damn, this guy is good. He's been able to cover almost every contingency. >
"All right, the assault will work as follows. The helicopter assault with Able Team, Storm Shadows, Frank and five Rangers under the command of Cody will leave at 04:20 and hit the nest at precisely 04:30. They will force their way down to the tenth floor, removing any hostiles they encounter and secure both stairways and the elevator. Able Team and Frank will secure the stairwells, while the Storm Shadows will search out and destroy any hostiles hiding among the hostages. Cody and his Rangers will be the flying reserve, helping them both. At no time are any of the hostages to be released. They could possibly panic and try and run, causing us no end of problems."
"The main group will leave here at 04:10. We will drive to the site and reach it hopefully at 04:31. Perimeter and blocking forces will be under the command of Kowalski and Giles. You two will have Ice, Charlie, Alphonse, Xander, Oz and Amy. You'll set up a perimeter around the hotel, allowing no escape. The three helicopters are to use their search lights to light up the area, preventing any of the cultists from escaping."
"The main assault will be made up of the remaining forces not already assigned and will attack in two stages. The main force will hit the hotel, securing the stairways and elevator. Then we will clean out the first floor. After the first floor is cleared out, the remaining Rangers and Zombies will move in and secure the first floor, any basement openings and the bottom of the stairwells. The main force will then move up the stairway to the second floor. Three man blocking forces will be left to secure each stairwell, preventing anything from coming down or past us. As each floor is cleared, we will move up one until the entire hotel is cleared out. After we secure the hotel, we'll worry about the basement. Any questions?"
Buster raises his hand. Steve, seeing this, asks politely. "Anything you care to add Buster?"
"Yeah, who's handling crowd control?"
"Crowd control?"
"Yeah, that area is full of people, the moment you start, they'll come out in a rush and try to get past your people, just to see what's happening. Eight people is not enough, you'll need at least forty officers, in uniform, to help."
Steve turns to Cody, Kelly and Ironman and asks. "Know anybody who can help?"
"Not a problem. I'll just call John and get the officers from him." Cody replies as he reaches for the phone and dials. The phone is immediately picked up.
"Randall here."
"John, This is Cody."
"What do you need now Cody?"
"Forty officers to handle crowd control, when we pull off the raid in about thirty minutes."
"You got em. Where are they to meet you?"
"At Buster's, where else?"
*****
Randall turns to his partner, Tracy and tells her. "Get forty officers and go to Buster's. I want you to handle crowd control for our 'friends'. Reed will drive me back to the station."
"Not a problem." Tracy tells him as she gets in their car and drives over to the field Sergeant.
Once Tracy gets there, she approaches Sgt. Anthony Dabrowski, a twenty year veteran of LAPD. "Tony, I need forty officers A.S.A.P."
"What's up Tracy?"
"Our 'friends' need forty officers for crowd control. They're about to hit another target and it's in a populated area."
"Who's going with them? You or Randall?"
"I am."
Sgt. Dabrowski immediately gets on his radio and calls in various units. A few minutes later, forty three officers and three dogs are clustered around Tracy's cruiser.
Tracy steps forward and explains the situation. "All right people, we have a situation. We will be doing one more raid tonight. You people will be handling crowd control while the people who have been doing the last three raids, raid another site. Any questions?"
"Yeah, who the hell has been doing the work tonight?" One of the officers ask.
"That's on a need to know."
"Do you know?" The same officer asks.
"Yes I do and you don't. Any more questions?" No one bothers, knowing that they won't get a satisfactory answer.
"The rendevous is Buster's place. We will meet up with the assault force there and follow them to the next site and WE will cordon off the area, not letting anyone in or out, especially reporters. Am I understood?"
The assembled officers chuckle and nod their heads in agreement. Tracy then gets into her car along with Dabrowski and they head out in column.
*****
Fifteen minutes later, twenty patrol cars pull up to Buster's. As they get out they see the six LAPD vans parked near the entrance and the three Bell Jet Rangers. Tracy gets out and yells to the officers. "We have five minutes to spare, most of you stay by your cars, five of you come with me and get your partners some coffee." Immediately five officers detach themselves and follow Tracy and Dabrowski inside.
Tracy leads the six officers into Buster's as she gets inside she orders. "Buster, make up forty five cups of coffee to go." Then she walks over to where the leaders of the combined assault force are waiting for her.
"Tracy, glad to see you again." Steve replies.
"Glad to see you still alive and kicking. So what's the call?"
Steve shows her the plans laid out on the table by him. He gives her a complete breakdown of the assault and what his plans are. Tracy looks over the plans and asks. "They want to know who you people are. What do I tell them?"
"Tell them that we're Section Seven, Black Operations, that should cool them down." Scully tells her with a smirk.
"You're kidding right?"
"Nope, that's what we've been tell the hostages, so why not the cops as well?" Mulder comments with a wicked grin.
Tracy gives Mulder and Scully a grin and calls over Sgt. Dabrowski and the five police officers.
*****
Sgt. Dabrowski and his five officers stand in the door way, open mouthed. The sight of so many weapons and people obviously very comfortable with them does not sit well with the LAPD officers. One of the officers whispers to Dabrowski. "Sarge, isn't that Ironman and his two friends standing over there?"
"Yeah, and there's Cody Rodgers of the Rangers and Pat Kelly of the Zombies standing together. I thought those two hated each other, but they're standing there like old friends. But, who the hell are these other people?"
"I don't think we should know, Sarge. They look like the type that doesn't play games."
Before Dabrowski can answer, Tracy calls him and the five officers over to the planning table. "Sgt. Dabrowski, met Steve St. Wolf, Section Seven, Black Operations Field Commander."
"Section Seven, Black Operations? What the hell is that? Military?" Dabrowski abruptly asks.
Non-pulsed, Steve replies. "Our organization doesn't officially exist, Sergeant. Our orders are to take down the vampire cultists and that's exactly what we're going to do. Now, I need you and your people to handle crowd control for me while I attack another cult site. At present, they are holding ninety two hostages at this site and I want to get them all out alive and we do not need any distractions while we're doing it. Do you have a problem with this?"
"No sir, I don't. Thank you for giving it to us straight, for once." He looks pointedly at Tracy, who blushes. "Now what's the assault location and your plan?"
Steve goes over the assault plan with the Sergeant and his five officers. By the time he finishes, Dabrowski gives a low whistle and comments. "Pardon me sir, but I think you're all nuts to do this. But I don't see any other way to save those hostages." He then turns to Ironman. "Lyons, you always were one crazy mother fucker, but you got the job done. I'm glad to see that you have company."
"Then everything's settled." Steve comments as he gathers up the plans and tells Dabrowski. "Let's get this operation under way. You, Sergeant and Det. Vetter will be in charge of the outer defenses. My people will work the inside. They will shoot anybody attempting to leave or enter the building. So don't interfere."
"I don't like that order Sir. Civilians could get hurt."
"I'm sorry, but we'll try to save everybody that we can, but these things do not play games. They have to be taken out hard and quick. There is no way around it. The final authority rests with me. And I'll be responsible for everything that happens here. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir, understood." Dabrowski replies with respect. < This guy's the real thing. A leader who people would follow to Hell itself and back. And from what I've seen tonight, they already have. Dad told me about guys like this who fought with him in WW 2, but I never believed him, until now. >
Dabrowski shakes himself out of his reverie as he hears St. Wolf order. "All right people, let's mount up and move out. The helicopter assault force will leave ten minutes after we do. The helicopter assault will be first, then we hit them about two minutes later. Now does anyone have anything to ask?" Steve looks around, and sees only grim determination on everyone's faces. "All right people the night's not getting any younger, let's go." And the combined assault forces leave.
*****
Buster watches them leave and shudders. Shelly walks up to him and asks. "What just happened here Buster?"
"Nothing Shelly, nothing at all." Buster replies as he hands her an envelope.
"What's this?" Shelly asks as she removes two one hundred dollar bills from the envelope.
"Your tip." Buster tells her as he hands two similar envelopes to Pedro and Enrico.
*****
A few minutes later, Buster's three employees leave. As Shelly closes the door behind her, Buster waits a full minute, then he walks over and locks the door. After that he picks up the phone and dials a memorized number. The phone rings at least a dozen times at the other end, before it's picked up and a sleepy voice asks. "Who is this?"
"Francis, this is Buster. Are Davis and Reynolds still awake?"
"No, both are asleep. Why?"
"Wake them up, I need to talk to them." Buster replies as he scratches the tattoo on his left wrist.
"Is it important?"
"Yes, it is."
"All right, give me a minute."
Several minutes later, Greg Reynolds gets on the phone. "Buster, why are you waking Bill and me up at." He pauses a minute to check his watch. "4:35 in morning."
"Can you put me on speaker? I have to report a meeting."
Several seconds later, Greg gets back and his voice sounds distant. "You're on speaker. Bill and Francis are here as well."
"A couple of Immortals getting together is what you woke us about? Couldn't it wait until morning?" Bill Davis chimes in.
"Bill, Greg, it wasn't two Immortals. In my restaurant, just a little while ago, there were, if I'm right," Buster pauses and continues in a hushed tone. "Thirty to forty Immortals. Heavily armed Immortals."
"Thirty to forty Immortals? That's impossible. The largest group of Immortals that we've ever had on record is ten." Bill Davis replies.
"What do you mean by 'heavily armed'?" Greg Reynolds asks.
"They were equipped with enough fire power to start a small war, and keep it going for at least a week."
The silence on the phone is ominous. Finally Greg Reynolds asks. "Did anyone try to take a head?"
"No, they were here to get together with my four. They needed information to take down the vampire cultists and from the news reports coming in over the radio, they've been doing it all night long. Now, they're going to raid another site, the Regal Tower on Hollywood."
"Who was there. Did you recognize any of them?"
"Yes I did and it scares me."
"Go ahead, you've already shocked us awake. More couldn't do any harm."
"My ususal four were here. Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann. But then this large group comes in with an LAPD SWAT officer named Cody Rodgers. I recognized Cassandra, Robert McCallister, the two Immortal monks, Aaron and Michael, Basil St. John, Juan Hernandez, Hans von Strasbourg, plus a bunch more that I recognized from photos."
Greg and Bill look at each other in shock and wonder. Finally Bill asks. "Is there more?"
"Yeah, the people they came in with. They had three guys with them that I know are black operations. In fact, that's how they described their group, as a black operations group called Section Seven."
"Who was the leader? McCallister or Cassandra?"
"No, a guy named Steve St. Wolf. I don't know if he's an Immortal."
"He is." Greg confirms to Buster's dread. "But what the hell is he doing leading that kind of group?"
"Why do you say that?" Buster asks.
"Because, on the Immortal scale of things, Steve St. Wolf is young, very young." Greg replies.
"How old is he?" Buster asks.
"He became an Immortal in 1983. Barely fifteen years." Bill replies.
"What the hell is going on?" Buster asks.
"We don't know, but one thing is certain. The Immortals are not playing the 'Game' anymore. We've had only one report of an Immortal dying in the last five months and that was an old blood feud. And that worries me." Greg replies.
"Why?"
"Because, what are they going to do now?"
"I don't know, but if what they're doing now is an example, I don't have a problem with it." Buster replies.
"What do you mean?" Bill asks.
"According to the news reports, they've rescued seventy one mortal victims of the vampire cult and put paid to an unknown number of mass murderers. If this is going to be their new hobby, I'm going to lift a glass and thank God the 'Game' is finished."
"We need to contact the council about this." Bill comments.
"And tell them what? That the Immortals have banded together and are going around rescuing people from serial killers?" Buster asks.
"Exactly that." Bill comments. "You know Joe Dawson is being put on trial for helping the Immortals. This might save his life."
"I'll be there, then." Buster replies and hangs up the phone.
Bureau 13 Headquarters - Some Where Unknown
Horace Gordon strikes his fist on the desk and yells. "What the hell is going on in Los Angeles?! You people are supposed to be defending the American people from things like this."
The groups arrayed before him jump and mutter among themselves. Finally Eddie Alvarez of Team Tuna Fish steps forward and replies. "Sir, Team Angel is in Northern California fighting a demonic plague, there is no way they could be in two places at once and the rest of us have been handling various other problems across the country. We did not have the manpower to stop this thing from happening. Who would have figured a group of vampires would try to raise Huitzilopochtli in Los Angeles."
"We should have. Now we have to figure out how to stop it." Gordon answers as a centaur clerk rushes in. Gordon notices and asks. "What's happening Dimitri?"
"Sir, the news just reported that three vampire sites have been taken out by the LAPD!"
The room erupts into pandemonium. Gordon looks at the centaur in shock. "Who the hell could have done it? We don't have any forces in the area."
"One of our agents in the area, an FBI agent by the name of Doug Simon, has questioned several of the survivors. They all say that a Black Operations group called Section Seven had rescued them. All of the hostages describe a heavily armed group of people rescuing them, but not taking any prisoners." Dimitri replies.
"Who the hell are they? And how are they taking out the vampires. And who's backing their play?"
"We don't know sir. We tried to send in additional personnel, but there's a mystic barrier blocking us from getting there."
"Is there a way around it? How close can we get to Los Angeles?"
"The spell ends at the California border Sir. Anyone we sent there will have to use conventional transportation to get to Los Angeles."
"Good, then we're sending in Tuna Fish, The Thunder Bunnies and some crack Green Berets in. Any one got any other suggestions?"
"Yes, I do." A voice calls from the side of the room. Everyone turns to the sound and points various mundane, magical and spiritual weapons at the speaker. The entire group is hushed as an old man walks into the light carrying a seven foot gold and crystal wizard's staff. Every wizard and sorcerer in the room takes a deep gulp. Only one being on the planet would have that large a staff: Merlin.
Horace Gordon looks on in wonder as a legend walks up to his desk and promptly takes a seat on it's edge. The assembled Bureau 13 agents wait and listen.
"Merlin, I thought you were dead." Horace Gordon asks.
"I got better." Merlin replies with a grin.
Gordon takes a deep breath as he asks. "What do you want Merlin?"
"I just came to tell you that several demons are going to be raised in Chicago and Dallas. Their worshipers are planning on creating a slaughter in those cities to bring them forth, if you don't stop them, first."
A worried Gordon asks. "What about Los Angeles?"
Merlin grins as he explains. "The matter in Los Angeles is being taken care of. Some friends of mine are taking out the vampires as we speak. Hopefully they'll prevent Throlog from rising and adding his insanity to the mix."
"Who've you got in LA?" Eddie Alvarez boldly asks, worried about friends and family
"The Slayer, the Wanderer and Mulder and Scully of the FBI's X-Files and a few of their friends." Merlin calmly states.
Silence hovers over the room as the Bureau 13 agents digest what Merlin has just told them. Horace Gordon growls low and demands. "What the hell are Mulder and Scully doing in a hot zone? Our orders have always been to keep them away. On whose authority were they sent to Los Angeles? The Wanderer and Slayer are bad enough, but those two are dangerous to our organization."
"On my orders." Merlin calmly replies.
Gordon silently relents and then orders. "All right people we've got situations in Dallas and Chicago. Bunnies to Dallas, Tuna Fish to Chicago. You'll have backup from local police and at least five teams of Green Berets each. Let's move it people." The respective teams gather together and transport to their respective targets. As they transport out, Gordon turns to Merlin. "Father, I hope your friends can handle it."
"I hope so too. Steve St. Wolf has been a good friend for the last fifteen years, I'd hate to have to bury him, so soon after he's found his life companion."
"Steve finally fell in love again? With who?"
"A girl named Buffy Summers. She's the Slayer."
"Won't she die on him? After all, he's an Immortal."
"So's she."
"An Immortal Slayer? That's incredible."
Merlin shrugs. "The powers that be felt they owed him some measure of happiness. For all of the good that he's done over the last fifteen years. Having someone to love was their idea to make him want to live and by making him want to live, it makes him fight harder. And I agree, it's made a difference with him. I've watched him the last five months and he's more happy now than he ever was in the last fifteen years. His combat skills have also improved immensely."
"That's good to hear. I hope they can handle the situation."
"They will Horace, they will." Merlin replies as he disappears, leaving his son standing by his desk and offering up a silent prayer. < Let all of my people return safely and unharmed. They're not enough willing to do this job. >
Part 27 - The Black Sorcerer's Lair
(When You Gotta Curse Someone - Do It With Demons)
Katherine and her court move cautiously through the sewers. Her guards roam ahead of her and light the way. As they come to a juncture in the sewer lines they suddenly stop. Katherine walks up to them and looks down onto the laboratory of the being known only as the Black Sorcerer. She calmly walks down to where he is standing among his vials and tubes.
The sorcerer notices the presence of company and turns around. When he sees who is approaching him, he puts down his tools and walks to meet her. He quietly asks. "What do you want, Katherine?"
Katherine just smiles as she has Hector thrown into a convenient cage. The Sorcerer looks over Hector and asks. "What's with the gift? Oh, let me guess. You need a favor?" He looks over Hector again and licks his lips. "Whatever it is, it better be quick. My dinner's waiting for me." Hector cries out in anguish and tries to break out of the cage.
"I need your help with the Slayer and her mate. They've gathered together a small army of vampire hunters and they're hunting us down."
The Sorcerer cackles and laughs merrily as he replies to Katherine. "Who am I to interfere with the natural order of things? If the Slayer is killing you off, why don't you just trap her and her companions and then kill them?"
Katherine quietly seethes as she breaks down and tells him. "They have managed to turn every trap that we have set for them against us, killing all of the vampires. Last night a dozen vampires attacked them in a restaurant and they killed all twelve of them in less than five minutes. Five minutes, Sorcerer. It took them a whole five minutes to kill twelve vampires. Now they are hunting us down with a large number of allies. These two are too much for us. So far tonight, they have killed two hundred of us. We need help."
"You are screwed, aren't you?" The Black Sorcerer comments. "What does this Slayer and her mate look like?"
Katherine quietly hands over the drawing to the Sorcerer.
The Sorcerer smiles as she hands over the drawing. < The vampire bitch is finally cowed. I must thank the Slayer before I kill her. > The Sorcerer thinks to himself. As he looks down on the picture of Buffy. < Cute girl, it'll be a pity to kill her so young. Maybe I can have some fun first. > Then he turns over the picture to see her mate, as the vampires called him. He sucks in his breathe and throws the drawing down on the ground and grinds it into the floor. His face is mask of pure rage and hatred. The assembled vampires back off. The Sorcerer looks on Katherine and tells her in a tightly controlled voice, "You'll have my help. That bastard dies."
Katherine smiles as she asks. "I take it you know her consort."
The Sorcerer angrily nods his head and growls.
"Would you care to t
ell us his name?" "Yes, it's Steven St. Wolf. That bastard killed my brother, Sebastian, twelve years ago. That piece of shit Merlin ordered him to do it."
"Merlin? He works for Merlin?"
"Yes, he's Merlin's chief errand boy." Alistair King angrily replies. "When Merlin needs someone taken out, he calls in this bastard."
Katherine's vampires let out a low hiss. Katherine steps forward and asks. "Will we be facing Merlin as well?"
"No, this bastard is dangerous enough by himself, that Merlin usually lets him fight his own battles."
"Could this St. Wolf and the Slayer, by themselves, be responsible for the deaths of over two hundred vampires? Is he that powerful?"
"No, he's not that powerful. What he probably did was call in a few of his friends."
"Friends? What sort of friends could this man call in?"
"Knights of the Order of the Grail, Priest Warriors of the C'est Die, Druids, Immortals, just to name a few. Hell woman, he's even been known to associate with Dragons."
Katherine and her court are shocked. They thought they were facing a few lowly mortals and the Slayer, but this information changed every thing. Curious, Katherine asks. "Why do Dragons associate with a mere mortal?"
The Sorcerer laughs. "Who ever said he was a mortal?"
Katherine looks at the Sorcerer closely and asks. "What do you mean he's not a mortal?"
"The bastard's an Immortal." Katherine looks at him, not comprehending what he means. The Sorcerer sighs and tells her. "That means that he can't be killed by any method that I know of. Also, he will never age."
"Damn, what else is there Sorcerer?"
"He carries one of the Nine Swords of Destiny. The blade known as 'Demon Slayer'."
The vampires look at one another in shock. Katherine asks. "Those swords are only legend Sorcerer. They don't exist."
"The first sword created was Excaliber. The others, created in order, are Healer, Magick, Justice, Purity, Vampire Slayer, Demon Slayer, Seeker and Truth. All of these swords were created by Merlin, from metals mined in Avalon and forged with magick by Merlin, Oberon and Titania.
"What are our options, Sorcerer?"
"Simple, I call in a few minor and not so minor demons to stop him. After all, even he can't stop twenty demons by himself."
"What will this service cost me?"
The Sorcerer's mouth splits into an evil grin. "I'll need to borrow two of your female vampires for some fun." Katherine starts to say no, but the Sorcerer continues. "Part of the spell of summoning requires that I have sex with two females. And since mortal females would die too quickly, I'll need to use two vampire females for the spells to work correctly. Don't worry, I won't harm them, permanently."
Katherine smiles and gestures to Lisa and Caitlin. "Will those two do?"
The Sorcerer looks over their lithe bodies and good looks and smiles a lusty smile. "Oh my, yes. These two will certainly do. Thank you Katherine."
"Just get me the demons to fight the Slayer and her allies, Sorcerer, and maybe I'll let you keep them permanently." Katherine replies as she leaves.
"One other thing Katherine."
"What is it Sorcerer?"
"I'll need a supply of humans for them to feed on. The spell will take a lot out of them and I'll need to keep them at full strength."
"Very well then." Katherine replies as she turns to two of her guards. "Bring a half dozen mortals here." Both nod and immediately leave. Katherine turns back to the Sorcerer. "Will that be enough?"
"Oh yes. It will. Thank you, Katherine." The Sorcerer mutters as Katherine leaves. Both Caitlin and Lisa shudder as the Sorcerer approaches the cage with Hector inside. "But, before we start, a little nourishment."
Part 28 - Hotel Rock
(All of the Inns are Full, Even Kings Have to Take What They Can.)
The assault force moves swiftly to it's destination. The twenty squad cars form a column around the six vans carrying the assault force. In the lead squad car, Sgt. Dabrowski issues orders over the secure radio channels of the LAPD. He designates each location to a specific car as he silently prays to himself. < Please God, don't let this thing get fucked up. Ninety two people need our help. > He listens in, as the man called St. Wolf, checks in with the helicopter assault unit.
"Air mobile, this is ground pounder, what's your ETA?"
"About ten minutes, ground pounder."
"Our ETA is twelve. Everything's five by five then. Call in when your ETA hits thirty seconds."
"Check. Over and out."
Dabrowski turns to Tracy and asks. "What the hell was that?"
Tracy grins. "Steve's obviously ex- military. You know how those military types are. They HAVE to talk like that."
Dabrowski in turn grins. "God, how the hell did we get involved in this?"
"We needed the help, and they were available. You don't want to know what those things are planning to do, Tony. It'll give you nightmares for the rest of your life."
"Care to give me the gist of it?"
"The cultists think they can bring back the Aztec god of war. In order to do that, they have to sacrifice two thousand people in a very bloody ritual."
"Sweet Jesus. What the hell are these people, insane?"
"Very insane Tony. The only way to stop them is to kill them and we can't do that. John doesn't want the LAPD becoming a death squad. Now, these people are willing to do the work to save lives, if you can believe it."
"I can believe it. Just one question. This St. Wolf guy and the girl with him, are they the vampire hunters?"
"Yeah, they are. They were trying to stop the cultists earlier, but they couldn't handle it alone. So they did what any good cop would do, they called in backup. Do you have a problem with working with them?"
"No, I'm just glad to see them on the same side. My ex-wife was attacked by the cultists a couple of months ago. They killed the vampires attacking her and took her to a hospital, saving her life. I owe them."
"Tony, you just called the cultists' vampires." Tracey asks in a quiet voice.
"Isn't that what they are? Real vampires? The cult story is good cover, Tracy, but a few of us street cops know that vampires are real."
"How many of them are with us, now Tony?"
"Every uniform out there knows that vampires are real, Tracy. That's why I chose them for this detail."
Tracy leans back and takes a deep breathe. "Why didn't you tell me Tony?"
Dabrowski grins. "Because you had that attitude problem earlier, and you didn't need to know."
"Touche, Tony, Touche." Tracy grins back as she reaches for the radio. "Steve, this is Tracy. Come back."
"What's up Tracy?"
"All of the uniforms know, Steve. I repeat, they know about our cultists." Tracy makes a face as she hears laughter coming in over the radio, Dabrowski just grins.
"Sorry about that Tracy. I just couldn't help it." Steve replies, laughing. "So much for our secret war. Keep them for tomorrow night. I'll issue them the special ammo before we start out tomorrow.
Dabrowski looks at Tracy and asks. "Special Ammo. What's he talking about?"
"They have a specialized ammo which kills vampires. The only thing is that you have to shoot them in the heart with it."
"You're kidding."
"Nope, I had to use it earlier tonight. One of the medical examiner's investigators was a vampire. She tried to get the assault location out of John and I killed her with one bullet to the heart."
"Shit, we'll take all that they can give us."
*****
Quinn is standing out of phase at the Regal Tower. < Why am I here? > He asks himself. < Just making sure my friends don't get into too much trouble. > He tells himself. As he wanders around, he feels something affecting the reality near the Regal Tower. He phases over and watches as two beings appear from a portal. One, a human with a noble bearing, the other, a gargoyle like those in Manhattan. < Curious, what are these two doing here? And on whose side are they on? >
*****
Nine minutes later, Ironman checks in. "Ground pounder, this air mobile. We are thirty seconds to target, over."
"Air mobile this is ground pounder, check. We are two minutes to target. The mission is go. I repeat, the mission is go."
"Check, the mission is green. See you on the tenth floor. Over and out."
"Good luck and good hunting. Over and out."
*****
The helicopters move in a V-shaped formation over the city, hunting for their target. As the Regal Tower comes into view, Banzai calls out to his two partners, Monsoon and Typhoon and the assault leaders. "All right guys, we have visual on target. Get your people ready for insertion. We touch down in twenty and we drop off the troops. The troops have ten seconds to get off and then the next copter comes in. Any questions?"
"Not a one." Comes the reply from Ironman, who's leading the assault. < God, how the hell do I get myself into these situations. > Ironman just shakes his head with a rueful grin. < Just lucky I guess. >
Gadgets and Politician are watching the roof quickly approach and each turn to each other and a silent thought passes between them. < Once more into the breech my friend, once more. >
Frank looks at the three man commando team and gives each of them his devil may care grin as he tells them. "Quiet and silent my friends." Able Team nods their heads in agreement to the old SeAL motto.
Jarod and Cody listen to the men around them prepare for the coming fight. Jarod looks over to Frank and asks. "Are you ready?"
"For this? Is anyone ever ready? We take it as it comes and worry about the fear later."
"No, I guess not." Jarod replies, as the helicopter touches down and he jumps out. Jarod rushes over and covers the east fire escape, Cody the west. Able Team and Frank cover the roof entrance. The second helicopter lands and three more Rangers join Jarod and Cody. Jinx and Billy cover the north and south sides of the roof. The third helicopter lands with Tommy, Shuriken, Nunchuk, Scarlet and Snake Eyes.
The helicopters take off and quickly swing around and move away. They would be back in three minutes to light up the war zone. Tommy, Scarlet and Snake Eyes screw on silencers to their H & K MP 5's. They move to the front of the door and nod their heads. Nunchuk pulls it open, breaking the latch. Tommy immediately shoots a spread of silenced wooden bullets into the entrance way. He's rewarded with a cloud of dust suddenly shooting out.
Cody turns to Jarod and mutters. "Like Job standing at the gates of heaven, forcing back the damned, who've escaped from hell."
"Except this time, the Angels are coming out and are going to kick some Hellish ass." Ironman replies with a grin as the assault force makes it's way down the stairs. At the twelfth floor, the group splits up. Ironman and Frank secure the stairway while the rest enter the floor.
As Tommy enters the floor, he notices two men grabbing a young girl and exposing her neck. The girl was trying to scream, but the gag in her mouth keeps her silent. Tommy points to them and Shuriken, Nunchuk, Jinx and Billy immediately take down both vampires with a minimum of noise. Nunchuk grabs one vampire in a choke hold from behind, while Jinx moves in with a stake and takes it out. The other vampire, shocked to find mortals hunting them, drops the girl. Shuriken quickly takes it's head. The girl is now lying on the ground in the middle of four strangers she has never seen before. Billy can hear her muffled screams through the gag.
Jinx kneels down and tells her. "We're here to rescue you. I'll remove the gag if you promise not to scream."
The girl immediately nods and Jinx removes the gag. The girl takes a deep breathe, but slowly lets it out. She looks around and watches as the other members of the assault force move through the floor, checking everyone. She turns back to Jinx and asks. "Who are you people?"
"We're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. The government called us in to fight these things. We're here to clean this place out, but our first job is to rescue you people." Jinx explains.
"Thank God. What happens now?"
"We'll secure the hostage floors, then the main assault begins. Now, please be quiet."
The girl nods and softly sobs to herself.
The rest of the team quickly moves through the floor checking everyone with a cross and searching every room. Gadgets and Jarod hot wire the elevator with explosives while Politician covers the second stair way. The team breaks up into two groups, leaving Morales and Thompson to guard the hostages. Ironman, Frank, Scarlet, Snake Eyes and the rest of the Rangers go to the first stairwell. Gadgets, Politician and the rest of the Storm Shadow clan grab the other.
They immediately move to the eleventh floor. They quickly search the floor and find no vampires. They leave behind Ramos and Billy.
The rest of the group moves to the tenth floor and finds several vampires lounging by the elevator and at the stairwell entrances. Snake Eyes and Scarlet move in and dispatch the vampire by the first stairway. Frank and Ironman brace themselves in the stairway and await the coming attack. Tommy and Jinx, take out the vampire lounging by the other stairway. Gadgets and Politician set up on the stairway to await the coming chaos. Jarod, Cody and the Storm Shadows move silently and quickly to the six vampires sitting by the elevator.
One of the vampires standing by the elevator turns around and sees the assault group coming for them. But, in his stupidity, he mistakes them for some of their hostages. He screams. "Some of the mortals got loose. Get them!!"
The six vampires move toward the assault group and expect a quick victory. What they get are wooden tipped bullets ripping their hearts out . The hostages watch a surreal scene as eight night garbed warriors put paid to the monsters that have terrorized them. The battle is over in less than a minute and the victors stand over six piles of dust.
The hostages watch as the eight warriors search the floor, checking for any remaining vampires.
*****
Rachel Kolchak watches from she's been placed by the vampires who Captured her earlier this night. < God, I thought that this was going to be my last story. Who are these people and what kind of weapons are they using? >
She watches as several of the night clad people check everyone on the floor, making sure there were no surprises. As one of them walks up to her and touches her with a cross, she pleads with her eyes. The tall, dark man removes her gag and asks. "Are you hurt?"
Rachel shakes her head and tries to speak, but a dry croak comes out. The man smiles and pulls out a water bottle and gives her some water. She immediately feels better and asks. "Who are you people? And what are these things?"
Jarod smiles as he tells her. "I'm an LAPD SWAT officer Miss. We're here to rescue you."
"Who are those other people? They're not LAPD, are they?"
"No, they're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. They're here helping us take out the cultists."
"My God. The government has their own group of vampire hunters?"
Jarod smiles at how quickly the woman has deduced the obvious. "Miss, please understand, they don't officially exist and as far as anyone is concerned, LAPD rescued you. Am I clear?"
"Yes, thank you for saving us."
"Not a problem, just doing our job." Jarod replies with a roguish grin.
Rachel smiles back as Jarod slowly lowers her back down. But she asks. "Aren't you going to untie us?"
"No. Our orders are to leave you people tied up, so you don't get in the way. Don't worry I'll be back to untie you later on."
*****
Carl Lyon's reaches for his radio and tells the waiting assault forces. "Ground pounder, this is air mobile. The floors are secure. I repeat, the floors are secure."
"Air mobile, this is ground pounder, situation is green. I repeat green."
Frank watches Ironman's face, as it splits into a wide grin as he waits for the action to come.
*****
A young vampire, named Slade, listens to the gunfire above him. He walks over to another vampire called Matthew and reports in. "Matthew, I heard some gun fire from the tenth floor. Want me to check it out?"
Matthew cocks his heard and listens, < I didn't hear shit, but the kid's right. I've got to have it checked out. > "All right, get some guys and go to ten and check it out. If it's nothing, come back down. And no eating!! Am I clear?"
"You got it, boss." Slade replies as he tosses a sloppy salute and grins. He goes and gathers up his five cronies and they make their way to the main stairway.
As they walk up, one of Slade's buddies, sees the strangers on the landing above them. He turns to Slade and asks stupidly. "Who are the guys with the big guns?"
As Slade looks to where his friend is pointing, Slade puts it all together. "Oh Shit!! Mortals. Get the fuc. . ." Slade's last words are cut off as a stream of wooden tipped bullets rips into the six vampires, taking them all out.
*****
At the sound of the automatic gun fire, Matthew jumps up from where he's sitting and screams at the twenty vampires that rush out into the hallway. "Jack," Matthew screams at a nearby vampire. "Take ten with you and go up the west stairway, I'll take the rest up the east stairway. Janice, go down stairs and tell Gretchen that we're under attack." The female vampire quickly nods her head and goes down the stairs. Matthew moves with his twelve and goes to the east stairway.
*****
Tony Dabrowski hears the go order. "This is Seven-Zero-Zero. All units proceed to your stations, code 3. I repeat, all units proceed to your stations, code 3." Then the line goes dead as all twenty patrol cars and the six vans light up and increase speed.
Dabrowski turns to Tracey. "So, it's finally happening."
"Yeah, it is. Do you think we can keep a handle on it?"
"We'll try our best, but I make no guarantees." Tony replies as he watches the last three cars block the road behind them.
*****
The vans rush toward the Regal Tower and the lead van rams through the front of the hotel and into the building itself. The passengers grin as they rush out to attack the vampires swarming around the lobby. Bob Devlin, the driver grins as a vampire launches itself at him as he gets out of the driver's seat, he simply raises his pistol and heart shots it. The vampire is dust.
Steve and Buffy, followed by Mulder, Scully, Cassandra, Murphy and Sanchez and two Rangers, step out of the rear of the van to face a hoard of twenty angry vampires. As the vampires approach in a rush, the ten let loose with their assault rifles and pistols,
*****
Janice has just found her leader, the vampire Gretchen. She quickly moves to report. "Gretchen, the food stores have been taken over by a group of mortals. Matthew sent me to report to you."
Gretchen looks at Janice and laughs. "What can some puny mortals do to us? We'll use them for food." As she turns to mount the east staircase, the front of the hotel shakes from the force of the LAPD van coming through the front doors. Gretchen watches as the driver gets out and points his pistol at a vampire rushing him. She grins < The bastard is dead. Bullets won't stop Victor from claiming him as a meal. > Her expression changes from joy to disbelief as Victor becomes a cloud of dust. < How the hell did that just happen? >
*****
Outside, Tracey and Tony are moving their people in a complex ballet of organization. The police officers block off every street leading to the Regal Tower and they proceed to make sure no one gets past them. St. Wolf's orders were clear: Anyone entering the area was dead the moment they got past the road blocks and barricades. No exceptions.
They watch as the lead van, driven by Bob Devlin rams itself into the building proper. The rest of the assault force follows on foot, quickly entering the building through the large hole left by the lead van. Tony quietly murmurs to himself. "God, this is not a movie, this is not a movie."
Tracy hears him murmuring and asks. "Tony, why do you keep saying 'this is not a movie'?"
"Because this would make a great action picture." Tony replies with a grin. "And it should never happen in real life."
"I can agree with that sentiment." Tracy tells him, as she takes out her phone and calls Captain Randall. "John, this is Tracy, the assault has started. Anything you need to know?"
"Yeah, did you order any ambulances for the wounded?"
"No, we didn't."
"All right, I'll get them to you. Keep them handy for the hostages."
"Thanks John. Have them come to our post at Hollywood and Vine. We'll keep them here until they're needed."
"Good, they're on the way." Captain Randall replies as he hangs up. Tracy puts the phone in her pocket and turns to Tony.
"John's sending us ambulances for the wounded. We're to keep them here until they're needed."
Tony nods his head in agreement as he turns back to the action in the hotel.
*****
Steve and his group watch as the vampires rushing them become a cloud of dust. The group splits up as they quickly make their way across the lobby and find more vampires coming after them. The Immortals, Rangers and Zombies start to pick off individual vampires as they appear. The vampires soon get the message: Fight in the open and you get immediately dusted. The vampires slowly backup the stairs, hoping that their superior strength and closed in spaces will be enough to take out the invaders.
*****
Officer Ian Murphy rushes out of his van and moves into the hotel proper. He watches as the Immortals take the lead and deal death to the vampires waiting there. He shudders and sends up a quick Hail Mary, as he enters the lobby, closely following his friend Dave Ricker. He quickly takes a position near the door to prevent any escapes as he watches the Immortals fight with pistol, rifle and sword. The vampires are quickly out classed by the superior training, weapons and determination of the Immortals and their mortal allies.
*****
Two figures, standing on a roof top across from the Regal Tower watch the scene unfold below them. The larger of the pair, a leather jacketed Gargoyle winces and mutters. "Damn, what just happened Arthur? A few minutes ago, we watch three helicopters land a force on the roof of that hotel. Now, we see a huge number of police assaulting the place through the front."
The man called Arthur just watches as the police forces move in rapidly secure the area around the hotel. He watches as a woman orders a small number of men and a woman into a loose circle around the hotel, securing it even further. He wonders who these warriors were, and what they had to do with his being in this city, at this time.
"Wondering what's going on down there?" A voice from behind asks. Both Arthur and Grif turn around and prepare for battle.
Before Grif can move, Arthur stays him. "Stop, Sir Grif! The man isn't even armed." Grif settles down and watches as Arthur confronts the man. "Please tell us good sir, what do you know of the situation down there."
The dark haired man just smiles as he tells them. "The forces attacking the hotel are there to destroy the vampires that reside in the hotel." Arthur and Grif stiffen. "They've already managed to Captainure the top three floors that the vampires were using to store their food, innocent men, women and children. What's going on now is the main assault."
Arthur and Grif look at each other and turn back to the battle raging in the building across the street. They turn back to the stranger and Arthur asks. "How can we help?"
The stranger smiles. "Do you wish to join in the battle?"
"Aye." Arthur replies.
"I can't." A dejected Grif replies. "At sunrise, I turn to stone."
The stranger smiles and waves his hand. "Not a problem. You won't turn to stone, when the sun rises."
"Yeah, right mate, and you're Merlin."
"No, I'm not Merlin. My name is Quinn and I am what is called a Q. My people are, shall we say, a lot more powerful than Merlin."
"If you are so powerful, then why don't you just kill all of those vampires yourself?" Arthur asks.
"Because, if humanity is to reach the greatness that is it's due, then humanity has to fight it's own battles and win it's own victories. To do anymore is to cheat you of that potential. The only thing that I will do is to lend a helping hand or some advice, here and there. Nothing more."
Arthur and Grif look at the being called Quinn and nod their heads in agreement. This man spoke their language and he understood them. Suddenly Grif stiffens and he looks around, the sun was up and he wasn't stone!! He let's out a battle cry and he grabs Arthur and they both jump from the building and fly through the hole into the lobby.
*****
Arthur suddenly feels Grif's powerful arms grab him and they're both rapidly gliding for the hotel entrance. As he passes over the woman and man leading the exterior forces, he hears them shout. "Oh my!" "Oh Shit." Suddenly the sky darkens as they pass into the hotel lobby and Grif lets out his battle cry. Everyone in the lobby freezes for a brief time, as Grif takes them to a group vampires. Grif releases Arthur, and the once and future king lands in crouch, his sword out and hungry to put paid to these demons. Standing by his liege's side, Sir Grif let's out another bellow and attacks the six vampires before him with reckless abandon.
*****
Ian Murphy ducks his head down as his sixth sense alerts him to someone coming up on his back. He ducks down as a blur passes over him. In his mind he hears a voice. // Two friends have decided to join in the fight. Please don't shoot them. // Ian hesitates as he watches the blur become two beings, one a giant with wings and a large man, dressed in medieval clothing. They immediately attack several vampires, killing them.
*****
The assembled Immortals hesitate in their attack as the gargoyle's war cry let's loose. Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully turn around and see a gargoyle letting a man down and the pair attack several vampires. The man's sword, glows a familiar blue color. Their reverie is shattered by the growl of several vampires trying to sneak up on them. The four immediately turn back to the business at hand, killing the vampires. The two strangers are forgotten, for the moment.
*****
Robert and his three companions look on in wonder. Robert voices is barely above a whisper as he asks. "It can't be HIM. Can it?"
His friend William looks at the strangely dressed man and replies. "If it isn't HIM, then it's his ghost. And if I'm not mistaken, that's Excaliber that he's swinging."
"Damn Robert. Who would have thought HE would come back now?" Hernandez replies as he cuts down another vampire.
Robert muses for a moment then makes a decision. "We have to finish our work first. Then, we can ponder this matter." Then he turns and shoots a three round burst into a vampire coming at him. His three friends turn back to the fight at hand with a renewed energy and determination.
*****
Gretchen watches as the gargoyle smashes through the vampires who attack him. < What in Satan's name is going on here? Who are these people? > Her reverie is interrupted by another, familiar war cry. < It can't be. That battle cry is as dead as my family. > She looks around and watches as one of the attackers fights two of her vampires and kills both in seconds. She does a double take as she recognizes the man. < It can't be!! Hans is dead three hundred years. >
*****
Hans leads his two friends Argus and Hanson into the battle. The three of them attack vampire after vampire, killing all of them. Suddenly a war cry splits the air as a gargoyle lands into the midst of the battle, attacking six vampires. With him is a man dressed in medieval clothing, carrying a glowing sword. Suddenly, Hans let's out his own familial war cry. < God, that feels good. > Hans thinks to himself as Hanson and Argus also give cry to their personal war cries.
*****
Christine looks at Giles and asks. "What the hell was that?"
"I don't know Christine, but I hope it's friendly."
"Oh, they're friends all right." A voice calls out from behind them. Both turn pointing weapons at a calm Quinn.
"Quinn, who are those two?" Giles asks.
"Just a pair of travelers who were nearby and wanted to help out."
"Do they have names?" Christine asks.
"Certainly. The gargoyle is called Grif. His human companion is called Arthur."
"I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but what is Arthur's full name?" Giles asks.
"Arthur Pendragon." A grinning Quinn replies.
"My God, King Arthur is back?" A shocked Giles asks.
"And fighting those vampires over there." Quinn adds with a smirk as he disappears.
A shocked and confused Christine turns to Giles and asks. "Does this happen a lot with you people?"
Giles just shakes his head and mutters. "They all said living on the Hellmouth would be interesting, but this?"
*****
Gretchen watches the battle turn against her and her vampires. < These mortals are destroying us. How is this possible? And that gargoyle is tearing us apart, literally. Who the hell are they? > Any other thoughts she has are driven from her mind as she comes face to face with Hans.
*****
Hans, Argus and Hanson have just finished off another vampire and are turning to face another when a woman appears before Hans. Hans immediately points his gun at her and cries out. "Gretchen, you're the last. Care to say anything?"
The vampire smiles as she asks. "So Hans, you're still alive. How is this possible?"
Hans smiles a cruel smile as he tells her. "Simple, when you killed me, I became an Immortal. Now, with your death, our family honor is restored."
Gretchen is taken aback, but she snarls out. "Eric is still alive Hans. He'll kill you when he finds out you're still alive."
Hans smiles an evil smile. "I killed Eric about two hours ago. You're the last of them, Gretchen. I've hunted down and killed all of you for what you did to our family." Hans raises his gun and fires, hitting Gretchen in the heart, causing her to disintegrate. "Now my sister, please rest in peace."
Argus and Hanson guard Hans as he stares at the pile of ashes in front of him. < Now I'm truly alone. > He thinks to himself and let's out a sob.
*****
Franco and his brother Hector hear the gunfire above and below them. They immediately run into the third floor room they had been sharing and break out their guns. Both brothers had been gang bangers before a vampire changed the pair. Now they served Katherine as her personal gun toting assassins. Hector breaks out his Uzi submachine gun and 9 mm Berreta while Franco grabs his M-16 and Glock 17. Both head to the west staircase. As they reach the landing, both open fire on the Rangers firing from below.
Bob Devlin immediately moves his men back. "Move back, move back, they've got guns." He turns to one of his officers and orders. "Mike, get St. Wolf here ASAP." The officer nods and rushes off as Bob let's loose another burst of bullets into a group of vampires trying to get down the stairs.
*****
The battle in the lobby rages for several minutes more as the vampires are forced up the stairs. Several vampires attempt to rush outside, but they are cut down by the Zombies and Rangers manning the exits. Finally all of the vampires on the first floor are cleared out and the stairwells are secured. Steve turns to his assembled troops and issues orders. "Mulder and Scully, you take your group and head up the east staircase. Buffy and I will head up the west staircase. The rest of the Rangers and Zombies will secure this floor, the elevator, the basement entrance and the bottom of both staircases. Any questions?"
"Yeah, who the hell are these two?" Martinez asks pointing his shotgun at Grif and Arthur.
"Good question. Care to answer it, either of you?" Steve asks.
Arthur steps forward. "Ladies, Gentlemen, I am Arthur Pendragon. This," He points to the gargoyle. "Is Sir Grif, my traveling companion and the first knight of the new round table."
< God, just what we need. A nut case. > Steve thinks to himself. As he is about to tell the delusional man to go home, Robert McCallister and three other Immortals approach him.
As they approach, all four kneel on one knee and present their swords, point to the ground. Robert is the first to speak. "My liege, your faithful knights await your commands."
The assembled battle force stands in awe as the man called Arthur looks over the four men and asks in a low voice, twinged with awe. "Sir Robert? Sir William? Sir Juan? Sir Basil? How are all four of you still alive? It's been over fifteen hundred years since I last walked the Earth."
Robert smiles as he explains. "Your Majesty, we four, and a good many here are Immortals. We are here to put paid to these vampires for their slaughter of innocent men, women and children."
*****
Pablo Garcia of the Zombies is in shock, < I'm standing next to King Arthur. The real fucking King Arthur. When I found out Pat and the rest were Immortals I was scared, but I got used to it. But this is too much. >
*****
Mulder looks on in pure awe and wonder. A boyhood hero of his is actually standing in front of him. He gives a mischievous little grin as he leans over to Scully and whispers. "Every time we visit Steve and Buffy, we wind up with more X-Files to solve. Think we should move out here permanently?"
Scully leans into Mulder and whispers quietly. "I wouldn't mind living out here."
*****
Arthur shakes his head and turns to Steve and asks. "We wish to help. Could you use two more knights in your battle."
Steve is dumbfounded, < Oh shit. What has this little war come to? Now King Arthur is offering to help. Shit, what the hell do you say to a legend? > Steve thinks to himself.
His reverie is shattered by the sounds of gunfire.
One of the men guarding the staircase runs forward. "The vampires are attacking! And they have guns!! We need backup ASAP."
*****
Ironman watches as the vampires approach the ninth floor landing. As they rush up in a wave, he orders. "Cut loose. Aim for the hearts and don't spare the ammo." Then he cuts loose with the M-60 as the vampires, led by Matthew, are dusted. On the other side, Gadgets and Politician let the vampires come up the stairs in a rush before they and the Storm Shadows cut loose on full auto. In seconds both sides are clear of vampires. Ironman checks in on the other side as the last vampire turns to dust. "Gadgets, how are you guys holding up?"
"Fine Ironman, we got them all."
"Good, because I see more coming up."
"Same on this side." Gadgets remarks as he watches the shadows from the eighth floor.
*****
The assault forces immediately moves to the staircases and returns a massive cover fire as several Immortals rush up the stairs, led by Steve and Buffy. The two armed vampires watch in awe as the Slayer and her mate lead a pack of undying Immortals into their gunfire. They watch in horror as the two shrug off the bullets being shot at them like they were nothing.
*****
As Buffy runs up the stairs to the second floor landing, she immediately notices three things about the vampires shooting at her. They were young, Hispanic and had the look of gang bangers. < God, Katherine must need a lot of vampires, if she's taking gang bangers. Most vampires stay away from them because of the drugs in their system. They hate the taste. > She moves to the side and fires into the vampire with the Uzi and he's dusted. Steve covers Robert as he blasts a three round burst into the vampire with the M-16.
As the landing is cleared and secured, the entire assault force enters the second floor. They move from room to room checking for any stray vampires. As they leave each room, they break open the windows, letting in the light. Soon the entire second floor is awash with the early morning sunlight.
The search is continued on the third, forth and fifth floors, but comes up empty. On the sixth floor, the vampires try and make a stand, but it's to no avail. The hunters fire a constant stream of wooden tipped bullets into their ranks as they slaughter the vampires wholesale. The vampires attempt individual attacks, but they are cut down as soon as they are seen. Each room is searched and several vampires try to hide in the closets and under beds, but the searchers are remorseless. They find the hiding vampires and immediately dust them. As the last room is searched and the vampire hiding inside is killed the assault group heads to the seventh floor.
They find the seventh floor empty of vampires and it's quickly searched. Then they move up to the eighth floor. As they move up Steve coordinates with Ironman. "Ironman, we're heading up to the eighth floor. Any hostiles coming your way?"
"Yeah, about a dozen. Gadgets what's your sit-rep?"
"Eight coming up. Not a problem. See you guys in a couple of minutes."
*****
After Ironman reports in, he turns to his team mates. "All right folks, let's keep this only aimed fire. Our people are already on seven and headed up to eight. We don't want any ricochets." Ironman just grins as Cody, Jarod, Scarlet and Snake Eyes take his and Frank's place. The vampires approaching them smile in anticipation, as do the four warriors as they let loose with controlled fire, aiming straight for their undead hearts. The vampire's glee turns to shock as they disappear, suffering the final death. Ironman checks in with Steve again. "Steve this is Ironman, east staircase is clear. I repeat, east staircase is clear."
"Rodgers that and confirm that eight is also clear. Will wait for Gadgets to report in."
On the west staircase, Gadgets has just shot the last vampire as he hears Steve's reply to Ironman. He immediately reports in. "Steve, this is Gadgets, the west staircase is clear. I repeat, the west staircase is clear."
"Thanks Gadgets, we're moving to nine now. Watch our backs."
"10-4"
As Steve's and Mulder's groups merge on the ninth floor, they find no more vampires. Steve turns to Buffy and asks. "Can you sense any more vampires in the area?"
Buffy closes her eyes in concentration and the entire force forms a circle around her. Ready for anything. A minute or so later she sighs and tells everyone. "I can't sense any more vamps. I guess this means we won?"
"Not yet. We still have the basement to clean out." Steve replies as he loads a fresh magazine into his cut down M-14 Paratrooper. "But first, we get the civilians out."
*****
Ironman watches the staircase and waits for Steve to report in. His wait isn't long. "Ironman, start freeing the civilians. We're moving them out ASAP. We'll use the east staircase for the evacuation. The west staircase will be used by us for rapid deployment, if we need it." Steve tells him.
"Good." Ironman then turns to his people and orders. "Jarod, Cody and the Storm Shadows, start to get everyone free. If anyone has any trouble, have the more able bodied help them down."
*****
Steve calls Tracey and Dabrowski. "Tracey, Tony, this is Steve, can you hear me?"
"Yes Steve. What's the situation?" Tracey asks.
"We've cleared out the first to twelfth floors. Before we take on the basement, we're sending out the hostages. Do you have any ambulances handy?"
"Yeah, John sent twenty of them here, when the fun started. They're waiting for you."
"Good, have the drivers bring them up to the hotel. We'll have a load of passengers for them."
"Any of them ours?" Dabrowski asks.
"No, no wounds, except for a few scratches."
< Thank God. > "All right, I'm sending in the ambulances. Do your outside people know to expect them?"
"Yeah, Christine knows. Everything is clear."
*****
Rachel Kolchak looks on as the tall, dark SWAT officer comes back and cuts her free. He hands her a knife and tells her. "Start cutting the people free. We're moving you out." Rachel immediately grabs Jarod and gives him a kiss. Then she tells him. "Thanks for being there for us, Jarod."
Jarod gives this big, stupid grin as he replies. "Why, you're welcome, Miss. You know, I never did get your name."
"Oh, sorry," Rachel replies as she holds out her hand and Jarod takes it. "It's Rachel Kolchak. I'm a reporter with the National Inquisitor."
Jarod grins. "You're kidding, I hope." "Nope, I was investigating the vampire cult when they caught me."
"Are you going to report this in your paper?"
"No, no one would believe it. My dad had this same problem, when he was a reporter with the Independent News Service. He'd constantly run into monsters and take them out. But no one believed him."
Jarod looks at the woman and makes a snap decision. "Want to work with us? We still have quite a bit of work to do. And if you've been investigating these vampires, then maybe you have information that we could use. Are you willing to share it?"
Rachel doesn't hesitate in her answer. "Yes, I'll help. I owe the people who died here that much. All of the information that I have is yours."
"Thanks. Now, let's go meet the team leaders." Jarod tells her as he escorts her to the landing. At the landing he reports in to Ironman. "Ironman, this lady is Rachel Kolchak, a reporter. She has information on the cult and she wants to share it."
Rachel looks in awe at the man called 'Ironman'. < Shit, he's huge. And that gun is just as big. >
"Reporter? Lady do you have a death wish? Investigating real vampires can hazardous to your health." Ironman sarcastically replies.
Rachel, not to be put down, calmly replies. "I would think hunting them would be a lot more hazardous to your health."
Ironman laughs. "Okay, you got me there. So what do you want?"
"I want to give you all of my notes and whatever information I've been able to gather about the vampires. No strings and I won't write the story."
"A reporter with a conscience. God man, now I've seen everything." A voice behind her comments.
"Now listen here Mis. . ." Rachel's reply is cut off as she sees the man who made the comment. She takes a deep gulp and throws her arms around his neck. "Oh God, Uncle Frank."
Frank is standing there, with Rachel hanging on to him. "Uhm, do I know you?" He asks, looking at a very angry Cassandra.
Rachel pulls herself away and giggles. "Oh God, you haven't seen me in eight years. I'm sorry. I'm Rachel Kolchak."
"I'm sorry Rachel, I don't remember your name. Or from where we might know each other."
"Yes, please tell us where you know Frank from. We're all very interested." Cassandra acidly comments. Everyone else in earshot is grinning, waiting for the blow up.
"Oh please, you don't remember? The lights, the moon, the sound of your gun shooting those demon dogs down. The sight of Uncle Steve cutting them apart with his magic sword." Rachel grins as Frank tries to pin down the place where he has met this lady. Then she relents. "Try Paris, 1986"
Frank's face goes slack as it hits him. "You're Karl Kolchak's kid? Oh hell kid, no wonder I didn't remember you. You were only fourteen the last time I saw you. God, you grew up." Frank remarks as Cassandra's dark gaze shifts over to her 'Sorry Pookie' look. Frank breaths a sigh of relief, his love life was safe.
"Damn it's a small world isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. So what do you need?"
"I have information which might help you."
"All right, we'll go see Steve right now."
"Uncle Steve is here too? Too bad Tim couldn't be here. He'd like to see you both." Rachel comments as Frank and Jarod lead her down to the ninth floor. She looks around at all of the heavily armed people standing around getting orders from a familiar figure. She listens as the man she knows as Steve St. Wolf snaps out orders.
"All right, I want teams of three on every landing on the east staircase. One man covering the landing going up, one down and one man covering the floor your on. As the hostages are moved down, watch for any attacks and keep an eye out for anything fishy. As the last hostage comes down, the teams will join the rear guard and move down themselves. The west staircase will be used as an express route by the reserve team doing drag. Any questions?"
No one asks as the assemble troops break up into threes and move to their posts. Steve, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Arthur and Grif stand and watch as the teams move out.
Rachel stares at Grif as he stands there. < That's a real gargoyle. I can't believe I'm actually standing next to one. > She thinks to herself. Her reverie is interrupted by Steve's question.
"Rachel, can you tell me what information you have that could be of help to us?"
"Sure, I heard one of the vampires mention that they would have fun with a group of people called 'Watchers'."
"Did they mention where this was going to happen?"
"No, only that they would be able to attack them from the sewers."
"Thanks for the help. Now please go with the rest of the hostages to the hospital."
Rachel feels Jarod's hand on her arm as he tries to escort her from the gathering. "Now listen here, Steve St. Wolf. I won't be treated like a child. I am a grown woman and a reporter. I want to cover this story and you can't stop me."
"Rachel, I wouldn't dream of stopping you, < If you're anything like your father, then I'll rue the day, I crossed you. > but we are rather busy and having a reporter around is not a good thing for us."
"Why, because you're running a Black Operations group on American soil? Please Uncle Steve, let me help. Dad told me how he helped you a couple of times. I want to do the same thing."
"Your dad was the most stubborn, willful, pain in the ass that I ever knew. But he was there when he needed to be, I'll give him that." Steve replies with a grin.
"And I'm just as bad, if not worse." Rachel replies, returning the grin.
Steve relents. "All right Kolchak, get yourself checked out at the hospital and we'll pick you up tomorrow. I promise."
"Dad always said your word was good, Uncle Steve. Before I go, just one question?"
"All right, one question, shoot."
"How come you still look like you did twelve years ago?"
Steve gives her a devilish grin. "Clean living, and a job that keeps me young. Jarod, take her out of here and pick her up tomorrow."
"Thanks Uncle Steve, you won't regret it."
"I regret it already." Steve quietly tells himself. Buffy gives him a grin and squeezes his arm. Steve reaches around gives her a hug. "Come on, let's get to the first floor. We still have the basement to clear out." All five of his companions nod their heads in agreement, as they move to the west staircase.
Part 29 - Basement Horrors
(Any Rat Hole in a Storm)
As Steve watches the last hostage leaves, he gathers his team leaders together for a quick meeting. "The basement has two entrances, one in the alley behind the hotel, the other by the kitchen, located in a store room. We'll be using the interior entrance. Point team will be Buffy, and Robert, along with William, Hans, Argus, Cassandra, and myself, secondary team will be the rest of the Immortals lead by Mulder and Scully. The Storm Shadows and Able Team will be doing drag. The Zombies, Rangers, Arthur and Grif will remain topside, guarding our route of escape, if we need it. Anyone have anything to add?"
"I do." Arthur replies. "Why are myself and Sir Grif not being allowed the glory of the coming battle?"
Steve takes a deep breathe and tells Arthur. "Because neither of you is an Immortal. We can survive wounds that would kill either of you. And I will not allow you to take such an unnecessary risk for glory's sake."
"You sir, are no true Knight." Arthur replies coldly. "You take young girls to do your fighting for you, but you would not take a proven warrior because they might dim the glory of your personal victory."
Steve's face is a cold mask as he tells Arthur. "Arthur, or whoever you are, I do not have the time to argue with you. And I really don't care what you think. My job here is to kill the vampires, before they can raise a major demon. And I will do it any way that guarantees the safety of the people fighting with me and any innocent bystanders who are present. We are not here to fight a glorious battle, we are here to kill every vampire in the city and not get ourselves killed in the process. You have your orders. If you have a problem with them, leave, the rest of us have work to do."
Arthur looks on the younger man with a cold fury. < No one has ever dared to speak with me in such a way. Not ever. > Arthur makes the mistake of reaching for his sword, and suddenly finds himself covered by every gun in the room, including those of his former knights. He looks at the men and women facing him and realizes that this man, Steve St. Wolf, was their chosen war leader, not himself. He releases his sword slowly and with as much dignity as possible, walks away. The gargoyle called Grif, looks on the assembled fighters, nods his head and follows his liege.
Steve watches as the two walk away. < God, I've just told Arthur Pendragon off. > He then turns to his people and tells them. "All right, let's get this done. We have more work to do tonight, and I want us rested."
*****
Ian Murphy watches as the man called Arthur and the gargoyle walk away from the gathering. < St. Wolf is right. That glory shit isn't worth dying for. >
*****
Robert McCallister watches his former liege slowly walk away. < Arthur, you're not ready for this war. The age of Chivalry is dead, and these things do not fight by any rules that you'd recognize. >
*****
Jarod watches as the tableau unfolds in front of him. He listens to both Steve's and Arthur's arguments. As Arthur reaches for his sword, Jarod does what he wouldn't have believed himself capable of twenty four hours ago. He raises his rifle and points it at Arthur's chest. < What has happened to me? > He asks himself. < I've never contemplated the willful taking of a life before, but now, I'm more than ready to kill this man for threatening a man I've never met until less than eight hours ago. But he's right and everyone here knows it, except Arthur. > Jarod watches as Arthur slowly walks away, followed by the gargoyle. No one else follows him. Then Jarod's attention is back to St. Wolf as he issues orders.
"Uncle Steve is right." Rachel comments, standing next to a confused Jarod.
Jarod just nods as he lowers his rifle and then takes Rachel's arm, leading her away from the meeting. < Why did I just do that? > He thinks to himself as he escorts Rachel to a waiting ambulance.
As they walk, Rachel tells Jarod of her first meeting the man called St. Wolf. Jarod just absorbs the information for later.
*****
Arthur stands near the entrance to the hotel and watches as the assembled warriors break up and assume their stations. He watches in wonder as the man called St. Wolf leads them down to the basement and possible death. He turns to Grif and asks. "Sir Grif, what did I do wrong?"
Grif takes a deep breathe and slowly let's it out. "First Arthur, you tried to take command away from St. Wolf. That was wrong."
"You're right about that, my friend. It's obvious that those people trust this man with their lives and bodies. But why?"
"Because he plans his attacks for the minimal amount of casualties. His people know that he won't send them on a suicide mission without a damn good reason. Also, he doesn't care about glory, just winning the battle, by any means possible and bring back as many of his people as possible. In other words Arthur, he doesn't give a rat's ass about what history says about him.
"Think back to the beginning of the battle. What did he do? He sent in an assault force to rescue the hostages, first, then after they had secured, did the main assault began. When we came in, I saw him fighting, at the front of his troops. I would wager to you that he was the first one through the door and facing those vampires, leading his people."
"Aye, I can see your thinking. But why would he want me to wait behind, when I and Excaliber would greatly aid him in his battle?"
"Because he doesn't know who we are. Nor does he trust us fully, yet. Those people have proven themselves to him and he to them. We haven't proven ourselves to either."
"So, what do you suggest?"
"We do as we were told. Stay here and guard the retreat, if necessary."
Arthur makes a face. "That is a bitter drought to swallow, Sir Grif. But you are right, I have to swallow it."
*****
Steve leads his point group down to the basement. As they walk down the stairs, Steve takes point with Buffy following just behind him. Hans and Argus bring up drag. As they stop at the first landing, Steve asks Buffy. "Buffy, do you sense any vampires here?"
"Yeah, three of them, and here they come."
As Buffy finishes, the three vampires move in to attack, but find that their prey was waiting for them. As the vampires enter the pool of light cast by the overhead bulb located on the landing, the point team lets loose with a blast of wooden tipped bullets. All three vampires are dusted.
"Any more in the area?" Steve asks Buffy.
"No, the basement's clear. Let's go to the next level."
"Okay." Steve replies, then he radios back to Mulder. "Three in, three out. Basement is clear. Moving to next level. Over."
"Confirmed, three in, three out. Moving to next level."
The point team moves to the sub basement level. As they approach the door, Buffy waves them back. She moves over to it and touches it. As she moves back, she holds up seven fingers. The team nods and they move into position. Steve, facing the door, Buffy, his backup. Robert raises a pry bar to open the door and the rest cover him, Steve and Buffy.
When all is ready, Steve nods his head and Robert digs in with the pry bar and then leans into it, popping open the door. Steve and Buffy, their guns moving in a figure eight, fire a full burst into the room ahead of them. Cassandra, Argus, William and Hans immediately rush inside, their guns going at full auto, in every possible direction. The vampires inside are not used to this type of attack and all seven are dust before they could raise their arms. The team moves in and checks out the area. Steve turns to Buffy. "Feel any more in here?"
"No, there's no one left."
"Mulder, this is point team, seven in, seven out. We'll check this area out."
"Confirmed, seven in, seven out. Will keep a fast response team on stand by."
"Roger that."
The group quickly reloads, then moves in together, covering each other with multiple fields of fire. As they enter the room, the stench nearly chokes them. As Steve and Robert turn on powerful flashlights, the scene they show could only have come from hell itself. Eviscerated bodies and parts of bodies lay all over the room. Large numbers of rats and insects were crawling all over them in orgy of gluttony. Buffy forces back a choked cry and buries her face in Steve's shoulder. As Steve looks on the scene of carnage, he tightens his grip on his M-14 and silently curses himself for not expecting something like this. He quietly orders his team back. "Let's go, there's nothing here for us."
As they walk backup, Robert asks. "Why did they do that? Vampires usually just leave the dead where they lay."
"They need the bones for the ritual to raise the demon. And since none of them are there, we can assume that they're already in place."
With that, the team quickly leaves the area, sick to their stomachs. As they approach the landing, the fast response team calls out. "Who's there?" And immediately points their weapons down onto Steve's group.
"It's us Mulder." Steve replies in a sad voice.
Hearing the weariness in Steve's voice and Buffy's sobs, Mulder and Scully walk down, and ask. "What happened in there?"
"We found I don't know how many dead people in there. Their bodies were eviscerated and the bones removed. The vampires are letting the rats and bugs clean up their mess."
"God." A pale faced Mulder replies.
"Yeah, let's get out of here. I'll tell Randall what happened."
*****
Jarod, having just put Rachel Kolchak in an ambulance, is standing next to Arthur and Grif, who are speaking with Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin.
"Listen here Arthur, I don't care if you're the King of England or Jesus come back.. Attempt to attack St. Wolf again and I'll personally shoot you in the head." Cody Rodgers angrily tells him. Grif growls softly in the background, but doesn't move.
"You are right Sir, I shouldn't have attempted to wrest command here. But I felt slighted that he would take a young girl over me."
"That is no ordinary girl. She's the Slayer." Jarod replies to a curious Arthur.
"What, in God's name, is a Slayer?" Arthur asks.
"The Slayers are girls given mystical strength, speed and stamina to kill vampires." Grif replies to a startled Arthur. "I knew one in London during the Blitz, she was one of the strongest humans, I've ever encountered. My clan gave her shelter, when she needed it. But that's strange, when ever we offered to help, Elizabeth refused it. She told us that the Slayers had to hunt the vampires alone or with their watcher. Why is this girl different?"
"Because she won't be tied down by tradition." Rupert Giles replies as he enters the hotel, followed by Christine and the rest of the auxiliaries. Giles then reports to Cody. "The hostages are all on their way to the hospital." Giles then turns to Arthur. "Are you really Arthur?"
"Yes I am, and who are you?"
"Rupert Giles, Majesty."
"Would you be related to Sir Henry Giles?"
"My ancestor, your Majesty."
Arthur smiles. "I'm glad to see that bravery runs in your family Sir Rupert. But how do you know so much about the Slayer?"
"Because I'm her Watcher."
"And what exactly do you watch?"
"The Watchers do many things. We train Slayers, do research for them and help them in their fights."
"Then why are you outside, when your charge is in here, fighting?"
"Because Steve St. Wolf ordered me to command the auxiliaries." Giles replies calmly.
"And you do not fear for your charge?"
"Of course I do, but she has seventy heavily armed warriors at her back, plus the added fact that she's carrying the mystical sword called 'Vampire Slayer' and Steve is carrying it's mate, 'Demon Slayer', leaves little to doubt."
"Their swords are mystical? Who created these swords?" Arthur asks.
"Merlin, Majesty. Your sword, Excaliber, and eight other swords make up what are called the 'Nine Swords of Destiny'. These swords were created by him, Oberon and Titania, to protect humanity from the darkness that seeks to destroy it."
Jarod listens to all of this and wonders, < Magic really exists? I wonder if I could learn it? It might give me the edge I need to take down the Centre. > Jarod's reverie is broken by the sound of the approaching assault force. He watches as a tired and haggard looking, St. Wolf reports to Cody.
"Cody, the sub-basement is filled with the remains of their victims. Believe me when I say it's not a nice sight to behold."
"Worse than the supermarket?"
"Yeah, a lot worse." Steve replies in a hushed voice as Buffy softly cries into his shoulder.
*****
Arthur watches the by play between the man called St. Wolf and the girl called the Slayer and wonders. < Why does he hold her so close and with such gentleness? Are they man and wife or lovers? >
*****
"Can you make an estimate on the number of dead?"
"I think anywhere from at least a hundred to two hundred. The bodies are just too cut up to make a guess."
Cody and his men hang their heads in disbelief. Arthur turns pale and Grif gives a low growl of anger. After a moment, Cody digs out his cell phone and calls Randall. After two rings the phone is picked up.
"Randall here."
"John, it's Cody. The Regal Tower is secure. We're going to leave in a couple of minutes."
"Good, have Tracy and Dabrowski secure the place. How bad was it?"
"I'll let Steve tell you." Cody tells him, then hands the phone to Steve.
"John, this is Steve. We got ninety two hostages out. But the sub basement is a hell hole."
"Worse than the supermarket?"
"Yeah, the vampires were eviscerating the bodies of their victims down there. And they left the remains to the rats and the bugs."
"Oh God," John cries out. His friend Reed Simms looks at him quizzically. "How many do you estimate?"
"It could be a hundred, maybe two hundred. Maybe more."
"Shit. Thanks for telling me Steve. You guys go home and get some rest. We'll have more work to do tonight."
"Thanks John, but first the house in the Hollywood hills is getting taken care of. Then we get some rest. I'm sending most of my people to get some sleep. A few of us are borrowing two of your helicopters to pay those bastards a visit."
"Not a problem Steve. Thanks." Then John Randall hangs up.
*****
John turns to Reed and tells him. "Reed, our 'friends' have raided another site. And, oh God, it's worse than the supermarket."
"How could something be worse?"
"The vampires cut up their victims and removed the bones, leaving the flesh to be eaten by rats and bugs."
"Oh Shit, that's bad. How could anyone human do something like that?"
"Whoever said the vampires were human, Reed? According to our 'friends' when a person becomes a vampire, the body is taken over by a demon and the person really dies. What you have left is an animated corpse that needs human blood to live. Jessica was a prime example of one of those things. And she was willing to murder us without a problem."
"But why did they remove the bones?"
"The bones are to be used in a ritual to raise a demon. According to our 'friends,' it's some kind of Aztec ritual that can only be done once every five hundred years."
"Shit, this situation has just gotten really weird."
"Tell me about it."
"I'll call in the troops. Just get us there." And with that Reed Simms picks up his phone and calls in several units of the LA County Coroner's Office to be dispatched to the Regal Tower.
*****
Steve hands the phone back to Cody and asks. "Have two of the winds land in front and myself, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Robert, Michael, Aaron and yourself will go pay the Order of Vigious a visit. Bob will take the rest of our friends back to the Motor Lodge so they can rest."
"You got it Steve." Cody replies, then calls in Tracy and Dabrowski. "Tracy come in."
"Yeah Cody. What is it?"
"John wants you two to secure the area, while our 'friends' go get some sleep and rest."
"Not a problem."
As Cody puts away his radio, Jarod moves forward and asks. "Sir, would it be all right if I joined in the last sortie?"
Cody looks at Jarod and nods his head in agreement. "All right Russell, you can come. But watch your ass and listen to myself or one of the others."
Part 30 - Lights in the Sky
(Frohike Gets Really Macho)
Banzai looks back to his four passengers < Shit man, who the hell are these people. > He thinks back to the radio reports from the last assault and wonders. He watches as Monsoon follows him closely behind. A few minutes later, he spots the house in question and calls back to his passengers. "The target is in sight. What do I do?"
"Can you land this bird close by?" The man called St. Wolf asks.
"Not a problem. Is that hill top over there go enough?" Banzai points over to a large flat area that once held tennis courts.
"That's perfect. Put us down there and come out with us. You can see the fireworks for yourself." St. Wolf replies with a grin.
< What the hell does he mean by that? > Banzai wonders to himself as he shuts down the helicopter, and walks out behind the assault troops. Monsoon quickly follows.
The group stands before the helicopters and watches the house down the hill as St. Wolf takes out his cell phone. He dials a number on his speed dial and waits for it to be picked up. Two rings later, Jenny picks up the phone. "St. Wolf residence."
"Jenny, please put Frohike on the phone."
"Sure Steve." And a few seconds later Frohike is on the phone.
"Steve, can I still do it?" He breathlessly asks.
"Yes Frohike, you can do it. But I want one more scan before you punch the button."
"Not a problem, we just did one about ten minutes ago. No warm bodies in there. But, if you want us to we'll do another one."
"Don't bother, that's good enough for me. Do your thing."
"All right. Top of the world, Ma. Top of the world!!." Frohike shouts as an amber beam lights up the sky and tears into the mansion below.
Everyone on the hilltop watches in amazement as the building below them is quickly engulfed in a inferno. Steve looks up into the sky and mutters. "Remind me never to piss Frohike off."
"I hope this doesn't go to his head." Mulder comments with a grin as he watches the house go up in a huge ball of flame.
The rest of the group watches on in awe and shock as the house begins to break into itself and collapses into a heap. The beam continues to destroy the house as they watch.
Suddenly it's over and Frohike reports. "Steve, I've destroyed the house and all of it's basements and sub-basements. Anything else you need?"
"Not at this time Frohike. Please put on Jenny."
"Yes Steve, what is it?"
"Jenny, have Cordelia, Robert and Nakao, grab all of our friends' overnight bags and take them to the Motor Lodge. Most of our people should be getting there in about forty minutes. We'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"Be seeing you, Steve."
*****
Jenny hangs up the phone and turns to Willow and Frohike. "Guys, time to close up. We're finished for the night. Good job Frohike. That laser might make the difference in this fight."
Frohike grins as he leans back and cracks his knuckles. "Couldn't have done it without you two. And the computer of course. So what's to do now?"
"First I have to get our team their overnight bags. Then we start to plan out the search parameters for finding the Watchers."
Frohike leans forward and asks. "Who are these 'Watchers'?"
Jenny sighs as she explains. "The Society of Watchers chronicles the history of the Immortals. They don't involve themselves in the lives of the Immortals, just watch and record."
"So what we have is a large group of peeping toms." Frohike comments. "I'm surprised the Immortals let them do this."
"Most don't know about the Watchers. Those that do, don't mind."
"Why?"
"Because they understand that their story should be chronicled and that mankind should know about them, what they've done, who've they've been. So, that humanity won't be afraid of them if the population as a whole discovers them."
"I can see where that could come in handy. After all they've been a part of history for thousands of years." Frohike thinks for a moment then asks. "If these Watchers are watching Immortals, shouldn't there be one or two for Steve and Buffy? Why don't we catch them and find out where the meeting is being held."
Jenny sighs deeply. "That would be a good idea if they would know where the meeting was going to happen."
"You mean they don't know. They could be lying."
"No they're not."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because Giles and I are Buffy's and Steve's Watchers."
"You're kidding? Your own people won't let you know where the meeting is? Why is that?"
Jenny sighs as she explains. "Before we became Watchers, Giles and I were already involved with Buffy. When Steve came into the picture and we had the first large battle against the vampires, we were introduced to Joe Dawson, the head of the North American branch of the Society of Watchers. He offered us the job of Watching Steve and Buffy. Since Giles was already Buffy's Watcher, we took the job."
"You lost me for a second there. Did you say that Giles was already a Watcher, then this Dawson guy gave him the job of being Buffy's and Steve's Watcher?"
"Yes, Giles also belongs to the 'Council of Watchers'. They watch, find, train and chronicle the lives of the Slayers. The Society of Watchers, chronicles the lives of the Immortals. Since Buffy is both a Slayer and an Immortal, Giles, and now I, report to both organizations."
"Man, talk about job security." Frohike replies with a grin. "But back to the question, why won't the Society let you know where their big meeting is?"
"Probably because we report directly to Joe Dawson and he's not currently in favor with the Society's ruling board."
"How'd he piss them off?"
"By being friends with the Immortals and helping them from time to time. Definite no-no's in the Watcher rule book."
Frohike's mouth splits into a grin as he comments. "You know, Mulder was right when he said that I would like working with you. That's what I like about you and the rest, Jenny. You people don't care about rules when your friends and innocent people are going to be hurt. You go out there and do something. Thanks for showing me that the Lone Gunmen and Mulder and Scully are not alone out there."
Jenny gives Frohike a dazzling smile as she replies. "Anytime Frohike, anytime. Now, I have to get our friends stuff to them. Care to lend a hand, loading the cars?"
"Sure, not a problem." Frohike replies as he gets up and walks with Jenny into the living room.
As they enter the living room, they see that their newest 'guests' were fast asleep on the couches as well as Cordelia. Robert is sitting off to the side, sipping hot, fresh coffee and reading a newspaper. As they approach, he puts down the paper and asks. "How did everything go? Well, I hope."
"On the up side, no injuries to our teams and 163 hostages rescued and about three hundred vampires killed. On the down side, we have an estimate of almost five hundred dead innocents." Jenny replies in a level voice..
"So, what are we to do now?"
"Well, we have to get our friends their overnight bags. So, let's get Cordelia and Nakao up and then the three of you can meet with the vans at the motel."
Robert nods his head in agreement and proceeds to quietly wake up Nakao, while Jenny wakes up Cordelia.
As both girls awake, Cordelia asks. "What's up Jenny?"
"We need you, Robert and Nakao to take the overnight bags to the Motor Lodge and pick up Steve, Buffy and the rest of our team from there."
"Cool. Let us wash up and get some coffee and we'll be on our way."
"Robert and I will load the Blazer, while you two wake up." Frohike tells them.
A few minutes later, after Robert and Frohike are done loading, the girls come out, ready to face the world.
As Robert reaches for his coat Jenny asks. "Robert, can you handle a gun?"
"I served six years in the Army Rangers, Jenny, two of them in Korea, during the so-called 'Police Action'."
Jenny nods her head and goes over to a section of wall and presses a hidden stud and a panel breaks away. She reaches inside and pulls out a nickel plated Smith and Wesson 745 DA/SA Semi-Auto 45 with it's holster. She hands Robert the gun as well as three extra magazines. "For your protection."
Robert takes the gun and quickly examines it and loads it. "Thank you. This is a most excellent weapon."
"Just don't shoot yourself in the foot with it." Jenny replies with a grin.
"Of that, you have no worry."
Part 31 - Off Centre
(Slap Shot)
Several minutes later, Robert, driving the Blazer, follows Cordelia's car and Oz's van to the Motor Lodge. As they pull up to the office several men in black suits are clustered around the coffee shop located next to the office. These men watch the two girls and young man as they enter the office together. A white haired man named Gar comments, with a lecherous grin, to his partner, Willy. "Looks like the kid's going to get real lucky." Willy just nods his head in agreement and silently sips his coffee.
*****
Inside the office, George greets Cordelia warmly. "Why Miss Cordelia, it's always a pleasure to see you. Will you and Mr. Harris be wanting your usual room?"
A slightly embarrassed Cordelia turns a pretty shade of pink as Robert and Nakao softly chuckle. "No George, Steve sent us down to arrange the rooms for a large party of his 'friends'." "Certainly Miss Cordelia, how many rooms will you need at this time?"
"Thirty rooms should be enough. We're meeting them here in about thirty minutes, so if you don't mind, we'll take the keys and give them their rooms as they come in."
"Of course not. Do you need anything else?" George asks as he hands her thirty sets of keys.
"Two things. First can you set up some tables and chairs like the last time?"
"Certainly, Miss Cordelia. Will the entire group be staying for a while?"
"Several days. So they'll need a place to sit and talk. And, can you tell me who are the guys in the black suits?"
"They came in last night with a lady. I think they might be her body guards, why?"
"Just want to make sure we have no surprises. You know how touchy some of Steve's friends can be. Especially if the law is involved."
*****
Outside, Gar watches as the two girls and boy walk over to their cars and drive them over to the other side of the parking lot. They get out and lean against the Blazer, talking among themselves, while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Gar watches them closely and he makes a decision. He turns to his partner Willy and tells him. "Willy, I don't trust those kids. They're too fucking observant. I'm going to try and scare them away." < And have some fun with the brunette in the mini skirt. >
Willy just gives the kids a quick look over as he replies. "Whatever rocks your boat, Gar. Just don't' piss off Parker."
*****
Cordelia, Nakao and Robert are talking together, going over the last nights events, when Robert looks up from their discussion and mutters. "The peroxide blond is coming over."
"Oh joy, I wonder what he wants?" Cordelia asks as Gar walks up to them. The three turn to face him.
*****
Gar gives the three kids a closer look as he walks up to them. The oriental girl was sitting on the hood of the sports car, her back to him, dumb position. Then, he notices how the boy and the brunette are standing, relaxed and easy, not too close together, watching everything and everyone, almost as if they were ready for any problems that could arise. < Naw, these two kids couldn't be pros. Could they? > Gar moves forward, until he's standing near the brunette, using her as a shield if the boy decides to try something. He watches as the girl turns around and looks him directly in the eye. Gar just grins as he asks. "Hey little lady, how much do you charge by the hour?" < This should piss the boy off and then, Bam! >
Gar watches in amusement as the boy moves forward to defend his girl friend's honor. < God, how predictably are these kids? > Gar moves back and looks on in surprise as the girl puts a hand to the boy's chest, stopping him. < What the fuck? >
*****
Cordelia is angry. < No one talks to me like that. NO ONE! > She hears Robert's low growl as he makes ready to defend her honor. < Well, at least Robert is a gentleman. > She raises her hand and stops his forward rush. Cordelia then looks Gar straight in the eye and does a snap kick to his jaw. The force of the blow spins Gar completely around and he meets the asphalt face first. Then, Cordelia picks him up by his tie and sweetly tells him. "Far more than you could ever afford, you low life, piece of shit." Then she drops him, hard. The sound Gar's head makes as it hits the ground makes Robert and Nakao wince.
*****
Willie, watching from across the parking lot, drops his cup of coffee in shock. < Shit, did I just see Gar taken down by that brunette? > He shakes his head in disbelief, but he walks across the parking lot to see for himself. As he makes his way across the lot, he notices two helicopters land in the lot behind the Motor Lodge. < What the hell could those be about? >
As he reaches the halfway mark in the lot, he watches the brunette, pick up Gar by his tie, tell him something and then drop him back to the ground, hard. Willie winces at the sound Gar's head makes as it hits. < Damn, that's one mean bitch. Who is she? Parker's lost sister? > As he reaches the scene, Willie grabs his gun and tells the brunette. "Walk away from him. *NOW*"
Robert looks over to Willie and calmly moves away. As Robert moves away, he makes a small distinctive noise, distracting him for a second. That's all it takes for the brunette to grab his gun hand, twist it back and sideways and painfully takes his gun away. < Shit, that *HURTS* > Willie thinks to himself as he watches the brunette calmly unload his Glock 19. < Shit man, who the fuck is Gar messing with? This bitch is too well trained to be some high school kid. >
*****
Nakao watches from the side lines as Cordelia deals with the two strangers. She watches in disbelief as Cordelia quickly takes both men apart. < Ancestor!! I thought Cordelia was just a normal teenager. Shit, no wonder she's hanging around Section Seven's headquarters. She's guarding it. >
*****
Broots looks on in shock as Gar gets slapped around by the brunette. He quickly moves over to the connecting door to his room and quickly knocks and calls out. "Miss Parker, there's a situation. Can you come out here a minute?"
Miss Parker, quickly enters the room and asks. "Do you have a lead on Jarod?"
"No, but I think you might want to see this." Broots replies from his vantage point by the window.
"What's going on Broots?" An exasperated Miss Parker asks.
"Gar is getting his ass kicked by a brunette in a mini skirt." Broots replies with a grin.
"You're joking." A confused Miss Parker replies as she watches through the blinds as Willie's gun is violently taken away from him. < Damn, she's good. Who the hell is she? >
"Who do you think she is?" Broots asks, verbalizing Miss Parker's thoughts.
"No one, if the other sweepers kill her." Miss Parker replies as six sweepers move to neutralize the brunette and her friends as potential threats. < I'm going to have to put a stop to this, before someone gets killed. > Miss Parker thinks to herself as she moves to the door. As she leaves, she orders Broots. "Broots, wake up Sidney, we may need his input on this."
*****
Nakao looks over to where the two men came from and notices the six similarly dressed men making their way to them, with guns drawn. She moves over to Robert and points them out to him. Robert looks over the six men and silently nods his head. He quietly tells Nakao. "Nakao, get into Steve's Blazer. It's armored and bullet proof, so you'll be safe in there." Nakao nods and gets in as Robert moves over to stand by Cordelia. "So, what do we do now?" He asks her.
"We take them out as fast as possible. That's what."
"Good, I'll take the three on my right, you take the three on the left."
Cordelia flashes him a quick grin as she asks. "Why Robert Hascombe, I would think that an old fashioned gentleman like you would take on all six of them for a lady."
"Not after watching you take down those two, I'm not." Robert replies with a devil may care grin. Cordelia chuckles as she hears a noise behind her. She wheels around and points her gun at another black clad figure.
*****
Buffy watches as the smoldering wreck of the Hollywood Hills mansion quickly recedes into the morning light. She breaths a sigh of contentment as she presses her body against the man sitting next to her. < God, I still can't believe that Frohike took out that house with a laser. Since when did this become Star Wars? > She leans back and rests her head on Steve's shoulder, then she feels his arm come around her waist. < Oh yeah, this feels right. > Buffy thinks to herself as she closes her eyes, tired but happy and secure.
*****
Mulder watches Buffy make herself comfortable next to Steve and grins. < If those two were any closer, they'd be on opposite sides. > He then feels Scully move in on his side and he looks at her and whispers. "I wonder when the wedding's going to be?"
"Give it a little while." Scully replies with a grin.
"Think we're invited?"
"Better be or I'll be very pissed."
*****
In the other helicopter: Cody calls his superior, John Randall with the news. The phone was picked up on the third ring. "Randall here. What's up Cody?" "John, just wanted to tell you, the house in the in the Hollywood Hills was just taken out. All of the cultists are dead, no hostages to rescue."
"How'd they do it? Rockets or just go in there and blast them apart?"
"Neither, they used an orbital laser. Burned down the entire house in seconds. Nothing could have survived in that inferno."
The silence on the line drags on for a full minute before Randall replies with. "They used a what? Please repeat Cody, I didn't quite get that last one."
Cody looks over at Jarod, who's grinning from ear to ear. "I said they used an orbital laser to take out the building, John."
"I thought you said that the first time, but where the hell did they get it?"
"I don't know John, I just know that they have one and that it works."
"Thanks for the news Cody. I'll see you later."
"Over and out."
*****
John Randall looks at his cell phone as he presses the 'END' button. < Steve and his bunch have access to an orbital laser? Shit, just who the hell has Mulder teamed up with? > He then turns to Tracy and Dabrowski and comments. "Our friends took out the Hollywood Hills house. Tracy send up some detectives to look over the sight. Make sure they only stay during the day time."
"You got it John." Tracy replies, then asks. "Anyone hurt?"
"Nope, they took out the house with an orbital laser. Didn't leave shit behind, according to Cody."
"Ahh, Captain, they used a what to take out the Hollywood Hills place? I didn't quite catch it." Dabrowski asks
"According to Cody, our 'friends' used an orbital laser to completely destroy the house."
"Where the hell did they get an orbital laser from?" Tracy asks in awe.
"I don't know and I don't think I want to find out." Randall replies while thinking < Mulder and Scully have to have some kind of juice to get something like that. I wonder who they really work for? >
National Reconnaissance Organization HQ
Some Where in Virginia
Sgt. Paxton reviews the information coming across his board and immediately double checks it. A few minutes later he gets up and heads to the situation room. Upon entering he goes straight to Maj. Hoffman, and gives him the news. "Sir, Red Eagle One has been located."
Maj. Hoffman looks up from his report and asks. "Where is it and how did we find it?"
"Sir, presently it's over Los Angles. Also Sir, you should know, whoever is controlling it, busted a cap."
Maj. Hoffman nervously asks. "Are you sure? Was it confirmed? And how?"
"Yes Sir, we are. One of the other satellites observed and recorded the firing sequence and noted the area targeted."
"Damn, I hope it wasn't populated."
"No Sir, it wasn't. But, since I have satellite's location, I was able to access the satellite's data recorders and see what Section Seven was using it for. And Sir, the strange thing is that they've been using it as a looking glass. Observing and noting several sites in the Los Angeles area. The last place had no living people in it and they destroyed it. While the previous two had numerous thermal images and they only used the satellite for observation."
"Can you get control back?"
"No Sir, I'm still locked out. But, I was able to access the satellite's data recorders using a piggy back signal from a satellite located in a higher orbit. I can see what they're up to, but I can't control the satellite, until they decide to give it back."
"Do you have the locations of the sites being observed in Los Angeles?"
"Yes Sir, they're noted on this." Sgt. Paxton hands the Major a sheet of paper with two locations listed in Longitude and Latitude, as well as street addresses.
Maj. Hoffman looks at the sheet of paper. "Thank you Sgt., I'll take it form here." Sgt Paxton nods, salutes and leaves the situation room. Maj. Hoffman looks at his retreating back and thinks to himself. < Damn good man, that Paxton. I'll make sure he gets promoted for this. > Then he turns to the rest of the room and calls the meeting to order. "General Douglaston, we have a lead on the satellite, could you please call the room to order?"
*****
Buffy, Steve, Mulder and Scully watch as the Sunnydale Motor Lodge comes into view. As Banzai nears it, Steve tells him. "Land the chopper behind in the enclosed field and we'll get off. Then you can take Cody and Russell back to LA."
Banzai nods his head in agreement as he quickly lands the helicopter in the field and his mysterious passengers get out. He gives them a stiff salute and immediately lifts off, headed back to the LA airport.
As Monsoon drops off his passengers, Steve leans in and tells Cody. "Cody, we'll rendevous here at a 1700 hours. Then we'll rendevous with the LAPD contingents at Buster's. I'll see you then and have a good trip back."
"Thanks Steve, we'll be seeing you then. Otherwise have a good sleep."
"Same to you. Bye." Steve replies as the helicopter lifts.
The seven Immortals watch as the helicopter lifts off and heads directly south. Steve turns to his friends. "All right people, we have to get some rest today." As they walk to the Motor Lodge, Steve tells Robert, Aaron and Michael. "Robert, you, Aaron and Michael will be staying here. I just don't have the room in my place."
"Not a problem Steve, I stayed here the last time and found the accommodations most comfortable." Robert replies with a grin, remembering the maid Constance and the evening they spent together.
As they're about to enter the Motor Lodge area, Mulder holds up his hand and everyone immediately moves to the side of the building, presenting a smaller target signature. Steve moves forward to see what was the problem. As he moves forward and looks around the corner, he watches as Cordelia disarms a man in black suit. Steve notices another man lying on the ground in front of Cordelia, wearing the same suit. As she finishes disarming, her opponent, Mulder points to six similarly dressed men moving to attack Cordelia and Robert Hascombe. Steve quietly orders. "Mulder, Scully, take Aaron and Michael and go around the right side of my Blazer. Buffy, Robert and I will go around the left."
As Steve, Buffy and Robert McCallister move quietly to the left of the dark blue Blazer, Steve's foot brushes several pebbles. The noise alerts Cordelia, who immediately turns and points her gun between Steve's eyes. When she sees who's sneaking up on her, she smiles and asks. "So, are you just going to stand there or help?"
"Actually, both." Steve replies with a grin, then orders, "Cordelia, keep an eye on your two playmates. Mulder, would you please be kind and ruin their friends' day?"
With that Mulder and the rest rise up from behind Cordelia's car, catching the six sweepers in the open and in a cross fire. Mulder immediately yells. "Everyone FREEZE! This is the FBI! Put those guns down or we will shot you down where you stand. You have until the count of 3. 1, 2,.." The men nervously look at each other and quickly put down their guns and then Mulder orders. "Step back three paces." The men do so. "Now, kneel down and intertwine your fingers together behind your heads." The six men do so.
As they finish, a women angrily walks out of a room and stalks forward. She looks Mulder up and down and asks. "Who's in charge here?"
*****
Scully looks over the woman standing behind the six dark suited men and thinks to herself. < Who's this? And what is it with the mini skirt? > Then she notices Mulder's gaze turn to the women's legs and she elbows him. Mulder's gaze immediately turns back to the work at hand.
*****
Steve looks Miss Parker over and asks. "Depends, who wants to know?"
"I do. Now either tell which one of you is the person in charge here or take me to your superior." Miss Parker snaps out.
"That would be the four of us." Steve replies, pointing to Mulder, Scully, Buffy and himself. "But, I'm the overall commander. Now, who are you and why are these men trying to kill our three friends here?"
"My name is Parker, those men are my body guards. I want to know right now what the hell is going on." < Damn, it's Jamieson and the girl from the video tape. >
"Very simple, let's ask Cordelia what happened?" Steve replies and then asks. "Cordy, what started everything?"
"The platinum blond insulted me. That's what. He had the unmitigated gall to ask me 'how much I charged by the hour'. I then kicked his ass. Then this guy comes over and pulls a gun on me. So I took it from him. Then those six came over with their guns already drawn."
Miss Parker looks down on Gar with a sour expression on her face. Then she asks Willie. "Is this true Willie? Would Gar say something like that?"
Willie looks up from where he's laying down and replies. "Wouldn't be the first time Miss Parker. He usually puts his foot in his mouth like that. Just never saw him pick on someone who could fight back."
*****
Broots and Sidney are watching from Broots' room and Sidney mutters. "My God, is that Jamieson and the girl from the video?"
"Even worse Sid, that's Mulder and Scully out there as well. Shit Sid, what the hell have we walked into?"
"I don't know Mr. Broots, but at least they're talking and not shooting at each other. One thing, do you notice how Jamieson and his group are all armed with not just guns, but swords as well? And if I'm not mistaken, are they wearing armor?"
"Yeah, this is just too weird, Sid. But like I told you yesterday, when Mulder and Scully are involved, nothing is beyond the weird."
*****
Miss Parker walks over to Gar and reaches down, slapping him awake, as he groggily awakes, he tries to draw his gun, but Parker smacks his hand away and tells him. "Don't be an idiot." Then she drags him up, against the Blazer and asks him. "Did you insult this woman, Gar?"
"Yeah, so what? She's just some cheap high school girl." Gar angrily responds, thinking that he still has the upper hand. "I'll just take her and her friends out and no one will be the wiser."
"Gar, you moron. Look around you. This 'girl' works for the FBI. You tried to harass a Federal agent."
"What the hell are you talking about Miss Parker? These are only kids."
Miss Parker turns to Cordelia and asks. "How hard did you hit him?"
"Very hard, but I didn't do any permanent damage. He's lucky my boyfriend wasn't here. Xander would have killed him."
Miss Parker just shakes her head in bewilderment and asks. "Is it all right if I take him away from here and have one of my people take a look at him?"
"Not a problem, just keep a tighter rein on your people, Parker. And we'll get along just fine." Steve tells her. Just then a loud horn is heard from the front of the motor lodge. Steve looks over and comments. "Looks like the rest of our people are here. Why don't you go back to your rooms and deal with this matter, in private."
Parker nods her agreement and then orders her men. "You six, pick up your guns and help Gar and Willie back to Sidney's room. Sidney can look them over." With that Parker storms off, back to the room she originally came out of. She's quickly followed by her men.
*****
Buffy turns to Steve as they watch Parker leave with her men and asks. "Do you think we'll have a problem with them?"
"No, that Parker woman doesn't want any trouble. So her people won't give us any." Steve then turns to Robert Hascombe. "Robert please open up the Blazer and issue out everyone's bag and give them each a room key."
"Not a problem Steve, Aaron, Michael and Mr. McCallister have already gone to their beds. The rest should be in their rooms in a few minutes."
"Good, then we can go home and make a few phone calls." Steve replies as he turns to Bob Devlin. "Bob, thanks for bringing everyone here. But where's Ironman's group, Tommy's people and Kowalski's bunch?"
"We dropped off the ninja's at their warehouse. Kowalski's bunch went back to their homes. And Carl had a squad car drop him and his two friends at his place to crash. The rest came here, including Arthur and Grif. Now we're on our way home. But before I go, what's the call for tonight?"
"We're having a rendevous here at 1700 hours. Bring yourselves and about a dozen vans. The rally point in LA will be Buster's place. I hope he doesn't mind."
"Buster? He'll be more pissed off if you don't involve him. Have a good sleep and I'll make arrangements with the motor pool and get the vans and a dozen drivers. This time out the Rangers are not sitting on the side lines."
*****
Miss Parker watches the people disembark from the four large vans and offers up a silent prayer. < Dear God, who are these people? It looks like a small private army has taken residence. And are those real SWAT officers? > She then turns to Sidney and asks. "Sidney, what do you make of it? What's Jamieson up to? And who are these people?"
"It looks like Mr. Jamieson is more than he seems, Miss. Parker. Those people out there are obviously well trained and very disciplined. Most are probably soldiers or professional agents. I wonder which organization they belong to?"
Miss Parker nods her head and continues to watch what's happening outside.
*****
Steve and Buffy watch as Xander grabs up Cordelia and gives her a hug. "Missed you, honey." He gasps out as Cordelia kisses him.
"Would you two break it up already?" Steve asks as Xander and Cordelia break up the lip lock and grin. "All right, Cordelia, you take Xander, Giles and Nakao. Oz, you take Robert, Frank, Cassandra and Amy. I'll take Buffy, Mulder and Scully and we'll all meet back at my place.
*****
Miss Parker watches as Jamieson and a small group, including the brunette, get together by their cars. She watches as a young man, dressed in black, carrying a rifle, takes the girl into a hug. < So that's her boyfriend. He's cute enough. > She turns to Willie, points to Xander and asks. "Willie what kind of rifle is he carrying?"
Willie, watching the scene in the parking lot through a pair of binoculars, replies in a respectful tone. "Miss Parker, that's an AWP-308 sniper rifle. That's one mean piece of ordinance which does a half inch group at two hundred yards out of the box. The only people who would use it are snipers. The red headed guy next to him is carrying a Heckler & Koch G3 Battle Rifle. From what I can see of their gear, each one is carrying a Glock pistol, combat knife, plus grenades and, if I'm not mistaken, a sword as well as an unknown type of body armor."
"Would we stand a chance against them, if we had to fight?"
"Not a snow ball's chance in hell Ma'am. Who ever those people are, they're playing for keeps."
Miss Parker watches as the small group gets into the three cars and leave the motel. Miss Parker turns to Sidney, "Sidney, we've got to watch our backs on this one. Remember how he treated with Centre personnel the last time he had a run in with them."
Part 32 - Calling Out the Clan
(Dialing 1-800-COMMANDO, With Express Delivery)
Twenty minutes later the group meets back at Steve's house and Steve gives them orders. "Giles, you, Amy, Xander, Cordy and Oz go home and get some sleep."
"Not a problem Steve." Oz replies as he leaves. "Xander, you wanna crash by my place?"
"Thanks Oz, that'll save me answering some questions to my folks."
"My dad's gone for the weekend, Cordy you want to sleep there?" Amy asks.
"Thanks Amy. That'll save me from explaining things to my mom." Cordelia tells her as they leave.
Giles waits until the foursome leaves, then asks. "Is Jenny going to be working through the day?"
"Yeah, we've got to track down the Watcher's meeting place. So, Jenny, Willow and Frohike will be working through the day. Hopefully we'll find it before the vampires attack."
"Very good. Then I'll wish you all a good sleep." Giles replies as he goes to say good night to Jenny.
Steve then turns to his four other house guests. "Nakao, you Randi and Brian will share Buffy's room with her. Robert, I'm afraid, you'll have to make do with the couch. I'm sorry, but that's all that's available."
"Not a problem Steve. They appear to be most comfortable and I only need a short nap."
"I'll take the couch too." Brian pipes up. "I'm not sharing a room with three girls."
"Brian, when you're older, you're going to regret that decision." Brian makes a face and the rest laugh, but Steve relents. "Okay, you get a couch. But first go take a shower. Buffy, can you please take Nakao and Randi to your room and get them settled in?"
Buffy gives Steve a grin. "Sure Steve. I'll also give them something else to wear while I get their clothes cleaned up."
"Thanks Buffy. Now I've got a few phone calls to make, then I'll get some sleep."
*****
A phone rings in Connor McLeod's antique store. He picks it up and tells the person on the other end. "The store is not open yet. Can you please call back in an hour?"
"Connor, don't hang up. It's me, Dana Scully."
"Dana, what can I do for you?" Connor asks politely.
"We need you out in California. Can you get out here today?"
"Sure, but why?"
Dana then explains the situation to him. After she finishes, Dana asks. "Are you willing to come?"
"Certainly Dana. I'll take the first plane out."
"Thanks, Connor."
*****
The phone is picked up and a British voice replies. "MacDuff residence, can I help you?"
"Please put me through to Lennox." Steve asks.
"May I ask who is calling."
"Tell him it's Steven St. Wolf."
"Certainly, Sir. Just a moment."
Less than a minute later, Lennox MacDuff gets on. "Steve, what can I do for you?"
"Lennox, I need some help." Steve then explains the situation to the Scottish immortal.
His reply is. "My God, I'll be out there with a few of my men. Do you need anything?"
"Yes, weapons. I'm running short on guns. I have this ammunition which kills the vampires, but not enough guns for every body."
"What caliber?"
"Anything in 45, 9mm or 308 calibers, plus extra magazines."
"Done, I'll see you in three hours."
"Thanks Lennox. The rendevous is the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Use the enclosed field in the rear for your craft."
*****
Stony Man Farm. . .
Barbara Price is going over the morning reports when her phone rings. She picks it up, hoping it's Hal. "Hello, Stony Man Farm."
"Barbara, this is Carl. Is Mack there?"
"Yes, he is, Ironman. Why do you want him? I thought you were on vacation."
"Some vacation. When Mack dropped us off, he introduced us to two FBI Agents. We've just spent the night helping them on their case."
"You don't mean the vampire cult raids. Don't tell me, you three have been helping on those?"
"Yeah, we have. Is Mack around?"
"Here he is." Barbara replies as she gives Mack her 'What the Hell are They Doing' stare.
Mack just grins as he takes the phone and turns on the speaker. "What's the situation Ironman?"
"Well Mack, first of all, thanks for getting us involved in this little mess."
"You're welcome Ironman." Mack replies with a grin. "Now, what do you need?"
Ironman then gives Mack a detailed situation report and what the plans were for that evening. Ironman closes it with. "Mack, I still can't believe what I've seen in the last twelve hours. But Gadgets, Politician and I are going to see it through. Can you come out with Phoenix Force and Grimaldi? And bring any extra weapons in calibers 45, 9mm and 308?"
"Where's the rendevous?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge."
"I'll see you in five hours. Now get some sleep." Mack replies as he hangs up the phone.
Mack turns to Barbara Price and tells her. "Get Phoenix Force into the War Room. We've got a situation in Los Angeles."
"Mack, you can't be serious. What Ironman described can't be happening." < Shit, does Mack understand what he's getting involved in? >
Mack slowly nods his head as he tells her. "I fought those things five months ago, Barbara. Vampires really exist and if they're doing what Ironman has just told us, then they're a threat to this country and the world. We have to fight them and defeat them. There is no middle ground."
Barbara's mind reels, < Mack fought them five months ago? How did he get involved with vampires and live? > Barbara keeps a poker face on her as she immediately orders Phoenix Force to the War Room.
*****
Richie Ryan is cleaning the gym, prior to it's early morning opening when the office phone rings. He rushes over and picks it up. "DeSalvo's Gym. Can I help you?"
"Richie, this is Steve. Is Duncan around?"
"He is Steve, but Amanda's here and he's a little preoccupied."
Steve's grin could be heard over the phone as he tells Richie. "Wake him up Richie, I need some help and I'm Calling out the Clan, so to speak."
"What the Hell does that mean?"
"Just tell it to Duncan, he'll understand." Steve tells Richie.
"All right. Hold on and I'll get him on the intercom." Richie tells Steve as he turns to the intercom and mutters to himself. < I hope Duncan doesn't kill me for this. > "Duncan, are you awake?"
"I am now Richie. What's wrong?" An annoyed Duncan asks.
"Steve's on the phone and he told me to tell you that he's 'Calling out the Clan'."
"Shit! Tell him to hold on. I'll be right down."
Richie hears his friend rush down the stairs and less than a minute later, he's in the office and talking to Steve on the speaker. Steve gives a quick run down of the situation and asks Duncan to come down with as many Immortals as he can get. "I'll be down today. Where are we meeting?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge, at 1600."
"Got it. Be seeing you." Duncan replies as Steve hangs up.
Duncan turns to Richie and asks. "Are you in?"
"In a heartbeat, Duncan."
"So am I." Both men turn to see Amanda standing there in Duncan's pajama top.
Duncan turns to her and asks. "I usually have to beg you to do something decent. Why not now?"
"Because I know vampires really exist. And I've seen what they can do. Anytime that I can take a few of them out is time well spent."
"Good, then let's get Methos, Justin and whoever else is in town to help."
*****
Wally the bartender is cleaning up the Coyote Bar and Grill after a late night, when he hears the phone ring. < Who the hell would be calling at this time? > He thinks to himself as he answers it. "Coyote Bar and Grill, can I help you?"
"Get Coyote on the phone. I need to talk to him." A voice orders on the phone.
Wally takes a deep breathe and slowly let's it out. "Mister, no one orders me around. Ask nicely and tell me who you are and then maybe, I'll let you talk to him."
"Old Son," The strange voice begins. "I'm not in a nice mode, so get Coyote on the phone, before I come down there and put you into the hospital."
Wally blanches, only one man has ever call him 'Old Son'. He takes a deep gulp and asks. "Is this the Wanderer?" He asks nervously.
"Yes, it is."
< Oh Shit, not him again. > "I'll get Coyote for you, sir. My apologizes for my earlier behavior."
Wally runs outside and finds Coyote working on his bike. "Boss, the Wanderer is on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
"Tell him I'll be in, in a minute."
"Yes sir." Then Wally runs back to the phone and repeats Coyote's words.
"Thanks, sorry about earlier, I've had a long night."
"Can I ask what happened?"
"Turn on the news, it'll be the top story."
Wally grabs up the remote and turns on the morning news shows and watches the footage from the four raids being played back and he turns pale at the number of dead. He looks down at the phone receiver in his hand, and asks. "Did you kill all those people?"
"No, I killed the things responsible for those murders."
Before Wally can ask, Coyote comes in and tells him, "Put him on speaker." Wally brings up the phone and presses the speaker button. "Wanderer, what do you want?"
"I need help, Coyote." Then Steve explains the situation to Coyote. As he finishes, he asks. "Are you willing?"
"No, this matter is none of my business." Coyote replies as a shocked Wally looks on.
"Why isn't this your business?"
"Because you mortals have to fight your own battles. I can't get involved in this one, nor can any of my family. Believe me, Wanderer, I want to help you, but if I do, something worse is going to happen. I'm sorry my friend, good-bye." And with that Coyote hangs up the receiver.
Wally looks open mouthed at his boss. Finally, his anger at a boiling point, he asks. "What was that shit Coyote? You Fey constantly meddle in human affairs and don't give a shit what Oberon says. So, why is this different?"
"Because Oberon told us that we can't help in this case and he won't take no for an answer."
Wally makes a fateful decision. "You may not be able to help, but I will. I was a Marine for thirty years and damned if I'm going to sit by and watch innocent people die." Wally grabs his coat and goes toward the door. As he reaches it, Coyote calls back to him.
"Wally you're fifty years old and out of shape. Those things will kill you."
"At least I'll die a man."
"Hold up a second." Coyote tells him. Wally walks back to him and watches as he reaches behind the bar and takes out a bottle. He turns to Wally and tells him. "Drink this. All of it."
"What is it?"
Coyote smiles. "You'll see."
Wally shrugs his shoulders and takes the bottle and drinks down it's contents. As he finishes, the room starts to spin. He almost falls, but Coyote catches him and puts him in a chair. A few minutes later the dizziness passes and Wally looks up at a smiling Coyote and asks. "What was that stuff?"
"Oh, just something from Avalon. Why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror?"
Wally gets up and his pants promptly fall down, but he doesn't notice this. He's staring at the image in the mirror. He remembers the face, it was his, when he was twenty two. He turns back to Coyote and asks. "How?"
"The water was from the fountain of youth. Which really exists on Avalon." Coyote replies as he gives Wally six more bottles. "Take these six bottles with you. If you need to, they can be used to heal almost any wounds. Now wait here a second and I'll get you some pants that fit and then you can go."
*****
Casey Romaine rolls out of bed and groans. < Shit! That's the last I let Gus and Glam get me into a drinking game. > Then he notices that the ringing isn't his head, but the phone on his bedside. < I'll kill whoever is calling me right now. Yeah, that'll sooth this migraine. > He reaches for it, planning on giving whoever it is Hell. "This is Casey and it better be important."
"Casey, Steve St. Wolf here. I need some help."
Casey's face blanches. < Aw Shit! God Damnit! I should have let the machine pick up. > Casey thinks to himself as he kicks himself. "What is it now Wanderer? Vampires trying totake over the world. Demons in Hollywood. Or is it aliens coming to invade us?"
"Well Casey, it's the first two actually. But, if it makes you feel better, there's an alien helping us." Steve replies, slightly surprised and amused.
"What!! Shit Wanderer, why do you get me into these situations?"
"Because the situation is black and white. You know that these things are evil and that killing them will save innocent lives. Besides, as Buffy puts it, it gives you the warm fuzzies."
Casey laughs and reaches over for a cup of cold coffee. "All right, what's the situation?"
Steve explains what's happened and what the plan was for that evening. Casey grunts and asks. "Mind if I bring Richard Blade and a few friends along?"
"Richard's always welcome and if your friends are like the like the last bunch. They're welcome as well. We're meeting at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge at 1600. You remember how to find it?"
"Not a problem. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Thanks Casey."
Casey stares at the phone in his hand and his face splits into an evil grin. < Glam, Gus and the rest of my friends were bitching about this get together not being any fun. Now they're going to get it. > Casey thinks to himself as he gets up and starts to prepare the road trip.
*****
Sin Jin Hawke wakes up to the ringing telephone by his bedside. He reaches over and picks up the receiver. "This had better not be a wrong number."
"Sin Jin, Steve St. Wolf here. I need to talk to you and your brother String."
"Is this important Steve?"
"Very."
"All right, give me a minute." Sin Jin replies as he gets up and checks his brother's room. His bed was empty, but the music coming from the back porch told him where his brother, String Fellow, was. He moves through the house and picks up a cordless phone and walks out into the morning light. As he approaches, his brother stops playing and asks. "Who is it?"
"Steve St. Wolf, says it's important."
"All right, let's go to the office." String replies as he puts down his cello and gets up.
As they enter the office, Sin Jin turns on the speaker phone and asks. "All right Steve, what do you need?"
"First turn on your television to the news."
Both brothers look at each other and shrug. Sin Jin picks up the remote and turns the TV to a news channel, where the top story was the four raids on the vampire cult in LA. Both brother's eyes take on a cold gleam when the body count is announced. Sin Jin turns off the TV and asks. "What do you have to do with these massacres?"
"I, and a group of friends, killed the things responsible for them. Now let me explain what's going on." And with that Steve gives the Hawke brothers a complete run down on the previous night's work and what was going to happen that night. Both brothers look at each other and nod their heads.
"We're in. What's the rendevous?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge at 1600 hours PST. There's a large, enclosed yard off to the side that you can use for a landing area."
"Thanks, see you then."
*****
"Folcroft Sanitarium, can I help you?" The lemony voice rasps out.
"Yeah, is Remo there?" Steve asks.
"Yes he is. Who is this?"
"An old friend. I need to talk to him."
"Very well then." The voice replies as it hands over the hand set to Remo. "He says it's an old friend."
"Thanks Smitty. Who is this?"
"Remo, it's Steve St. Wolf. I need your help. Are you willing?"
"When and where, Steve."
Steve explains the situation and then tells Remo. "The rendevous is the Sunnydale Motor Lodge, 4:00 PM, today. The old gangs getting back together. And then some."
Remo grins as he replies. "Party time." Then he hangs up the phone.
Remo turns to his boss and tells him. "I can't take whatever mission you got Smitty. I'm going to LA to help some friends."
Smitty smiles a lemony smile as he asks Remo. "To do what?"
"Take out the vampire cult menacing the city."
Smitty chuckles as he tells Remo. "I was planning on sending you to Los Angeles, to do the same thing. Glad to see I'll be saving the air fare this time."
Remo gives his boss a dirty look, then laughs. "Still the cheapest bastard alive."
Harold W. Smith, head of CURE and it's sole director grins evilly as he tells Remo. "Yes, I am."
Remo just shakes his head and prepares to leave. As he approaches the door, Smith tells him. "Good luck son, and come back in one piece."
Remo looks back at the old man he has worked for, for the last thirty years and notices a look of worry in his eyes. < Naw, can't be. Probably just thinking about the money he's saving. >
Smith looks at the closed door and mutters a soft prayer. "God go with you Remo. Please come back."
*****
Nash Bridges is rudely awakened from his sleep by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He rolls out of bed and looks at the clock. < Who the hell would be calling me at 6:00 am? > He picks up the cell phone and answers it. "Nash here. Speak to me."
"Nash, this is Scarlet. You got anything planned for today?"
"Why no Scarlet. What's up honey?"
"Have you seen the overnight news?"
"No, I went to sleep early, for a change. What happened?"
"Turn on the news Nash, you'll see."
Nash grabs the remote and turns on the local news. The top story of the hour was the four raids done by the LAPD on the vampire cult plaguing the city. Nash watches for a few moments, digesting it. He picks up the cell phone and asks. "How many did you get?"
"About three hundred."
"I take it you weren't alone."
"No Nash, we weren't alone. God Nash, I don't know how to describe what's been going on down here."
"How about from the beginning?"
"All right, but you won't believe half of it." Scarlet replies as she starts from the beginning. The meeting at Steve's house, the gathering of both groups to fight the vampires, Merlin's warning.
"You don't mean the real Merlin?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I do. It turns out that the guy we went down to meet works for Merlin as his personal champion, if you can believe it."
"God sister, what the hell is going on down there?"
"A fight for humanity, Nash." Scarlet then continues with the story. She tells him about Able Team joining the fight, and Captain Randall adding the LAPD's best SWAT team to the force and their raids on the warehouses, the supermarket and the Regal Tower hotel.
As Scarlet finishes, she hears Nash breaths slowly, digesting what was said to him. Then he asks. "Scarlet, how can we help?"
"Come down and bring the rest of the SIU with you."
"Scarlet, we're not as good as you are at taking these things out. We'll just be underfoot and in the way."
"The people we're working with have a special ammunition which kills the vampires, if you heart shoot them. It comes in 45, 9 mm and 308 calibers. It'll work in any gun. I know, we've been using it all night."
Nash quietly asks. "Will they give us a supply?"
"Yes, but right now we only have enough for this fight. They told me they'll have more made up and issue us all the ammo we need when this is all over."
"Damn Scarlet, where do we meet up with you?"
"You and my brothers can meet us at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. The rendevous is set for 4:00 o'clock. Do you need directions?"
"No, I've been there before. I'll get the gang together and see you there by two o'clock."
As Scarlet hangs up, Nash looks out of his window and watches as the sun rises over San Francisco. He thinks to himself. < Who were these people that Scarlet has teamed up with? Why are they fighting the vampires like it was a personal quest? Damn, I'll have to wake every one up now. So much for an easy day. > He shakes his head and starts to call his people in.
*****
Heather Morning Star picks up the phone, expecting her best friend, Amber. But it's not her. It's some guy asking to talk to her father. "Hello, I'd like to speak to Michael Night Wolf. Is he home?"
"Yeah he is. Who's this?"
"I'm an old friend, put him on."
"Fer Sure. You're probably a bill collector. I ain't giving you to my dad till I know who you are."
"Heather, either put your dad on the phone, or I'll have him tan that moon shaped birth mark on your butt until it turns blue."
Heather sucks in a deep breath and angrily asks. "How the Hell do you know about my birth mark? Who the fucking hell are you?"
"I'm the guy your dad stuck changing your diapers, when your mom had to go to work. That's who I am."
Heather looks at the telephone in her hands as though it was a snake getting ready to bite her. As she thinks about what to say, her father walks up behind her and asks. "Who's on the phone, honey?"
A startled Heather jumps up and goes "Eeeep!" She then turns around and tells her father. "The phone, it's for you."
Her father grins. "Don't worry Honey, it's only a bill collector. They're nothing to worry about."
"Yeah right, dad." His daughter mummers as he puts the hand set to his ear.
"This is Mike Night Wolf, can I help you?"
"Yeah Runt, I need some help. You interested?"
Michael Night Wolf lets out a startled breathe as he recognizes a voice from his distant past. He asks in a hushed voice. "Walker told me you died saving some kids from a lunatic with a gun. What happened?"
"I got better."
< Yep, that's Cherokee all right. Never give a straight answer when a crooked one will do. > "What do you need help with?"
Steve explains what's been happening in Los Angeles and what his plans were for that night. Night Wolf hisses and takes a deep gulp. "So, are you interested?"
"Yes, I am. How do Heather and I get out there?"
"Are you sure about bringing Heather here? After all, this might be ground zero, if we fail."
"Yes, I am. She'll be safer with you and your friends, then here alone."
"All right, you'll find two first class tickets at the counter for you at the American Airlines counter for the ten am shuttle to LA."
"First class? You've come up in the world Cherokee."
"Mike, I no longer use that name. As far as the world is concerned, Carson Jamieson died in Dearborn."
Night Wolf smiles as he asks. "All right paleface, what name are you using now?"
"Steven St. Wolf or Wanderer. Take your pick."
Night Wolf takes another deep breath and asks. "You know the Order of Teraka has a run on sight order concerning you?"
"So what else is new?"
"Can I ask why they're so scared of you?"
"I killed twenty three of their assassins and made sure they knew that I would kill any of them that I saw. Anything else?"
"Nope, just glad to see someone scaring the shit out of those animals for a change."
"It'll be good to see you again old friend."
"Same here." Michael Night Wolf replies as he hangs up the phone. He leans against the wall for a moment, deep in thought. < Damn, Cherokee still alive and fighting. I wonder if Mother Mary Kate knows? Yeah, knowing her, she probably does. > His reverie is interrupted by his daughter.
"Dad, who was that guy?"
"A ghost from the past, honey. He's called in an old debt and I'm going to repay it."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yes, it is. But the pay off is huge." < The survival of the human race. >
"Dad, where are you going?"
"We're going to LA, so pack up for a couple of days."
"Oh wow, LA. I can't believe it. How are we going? By bus?"
"No, we have first class tickets waiting for us at DFW."
"We're flying? That's so cool. I can't wait and tell Amber."
"You will do no such thing. You can tell her everything when we get back. < If we get back. >
"Understood Dad. I'll go pack."
*****
"Hammer Investigations, can I help you?" The sexy voice answers.
"I need to talk to Hammer. Is he in?" Steve asks.
"Mike's in, but he's in a meeting. Can I help you with anything?"
"Tell Mike it's Steve St. Wolf and that the poker party in Sunnydale is on again. He'll understand."
"All right, wait a minute." Velda replies as she puts Steve on hold. She walks into Mike's office and asks. "Mike, there's some St. Wolf guy on the phone telling me to tell you that 'the poker party in Sunnydale is on again'. What does it mean?"
Velda is surprised by the speed Mike shows reaching for the phone. "Steve, what's going on?"
"We got a bad one, Mike. We need you and any other Immortals you know to come to Sunnydale." Then Steve explains the situation and Mike's face gets a determined look.
"I'll be there and I'll bring my student Velda with me." Mike replies as he hangs up the phone. He then turns to Velda and tells her. "Pack your bags for a three day trip and bring your sword and gun. We're going to California to put paid to some vampires."
Velda reaches for her neck and shudders. Those things had 'killed' her, her first time. She owed them. < If I ever find that bastard Angel again. I'm taking his head. > She thinks to herself as she nods her head and goes to make the preparations.
*****
Byers looks at his caller ID box and shakes his head in wonder. < No one can block out the T-17 caller ID box, not even the Consortium. > He looks at Langley hesitantly as he picks up the phone and asks. "Who is this?"
"Byers, Langley, this is Frohike. You guys busy?"
"Frohike, how the hell are you calling us? The T-17 can't read your phone number or trace you back." Byers complains and is more than a little curious.
Frohike chuckles. "I'm working on the greatest system this side of NORAD, guys. It's got every bell and whistle you can imagine and quite a few that Langley could dream only about."
"So what's going in California? We saw the news this morning and can't believe the carnage."
"That's what I'm calling about. We need some help out here and you two are needed for your expertise. So pack up what you need and we'll get you a ride out here."
"Frohike, what the hell is going on?"
"Remember that tape I sent you yesterday?"
"Yeah, it looks like it's not faked. What has that to do with you?"
"I'm working with the two people in the tape. Mulder and Scully are here as well, helping."
"What are you talking about Frohike?" A suddenly very scared and wary Byers asks.
"The so-called vampire cultists are real vampires. Mulder and Scully and a small private army are hunting them down and they need our help to locate their next targets. So get to together your gear and be ready to be picked up in ten minutes." And with that the phone hangs up.
Byers looks at Langley and shrugs his shoulders. They start to gather the equipment to take with them in the center of the computer room. Precisely ten minutes later both men hear a voice ask. "Are you two ready?" Both men turn around and see a tall, dark haired man standing off to the side of their lab.
Byers looks at Langley and they both look at their security system and note that none of the sensors or alarms had been tripped. Byers looks back at the stranger and asks. "May I ask how you got past our security system?"
"You'll see." The man replies with a grin. "Now is that all of the equipment you need?"
"Yeah, pretty much so." Langley replies as suddenly both of them are standing in a large living room.
Sitting across from them, Mulder asks. "You guys want some breakfast? The coffee's fresh."
Both Gunmen are looking at Mulder like he's grown another head. They can't believe what just happened to them, but the sight of Mulder in black fatigues with an arsenal of weapons on or near him frightens them to the extreme. Langley quietly whispers to Byers. "Mulder looks like he's joined the Dark Side." Byers solemnly nods his head in agreement. Both men are roused out of their thoughts by the loud entrance of their partner Frohike.
"Guys, glad to see you could make it. Quinn had any problems finding them?"
"Not at all Frohike. I just looked for the place with more security than the White House and lo, there they were." Quinn replies with a grin.
Mulder chuckles and starts to take down his M-16 before his two friend's disbelieving eyes. Byers gets up the nerve and asks. "Uh, Mulder. Why are you dressed like an assault MIB?"
"He's not." Byers and Langley hear a voice from behind them comment. They turn to face the man from the Burger-To-Go video. "That's the battle uniform for a Knight of the Order of the Grail. I should know, I'm a Knight Lieutenant in the Order myself."
"Uhm, who are you?" Langley asks nervously, recognizing the man from the video.
"My apologies. My name is Steve St. Wolf and at present you're in my home. Welcome to Sunnydale, California and thank you for coming to help."
"Can I ask a question?" Byers asks.
"Sure, feel free." Steve replies with a grin.
"How did we get here?"
"Quinn did that little trick he calls teleportation." Steve replies with a grin.
"If I'm not being improper, who or what is Quinn?" Byers asks.
Steve looks over their shoulder and sees a wicked grin playing across Mulder's features. Steve sighs, as he thinks to himself < Still the little boy Mulder? What the hell, I'm the same way sometimes. > "Go ahead Mulder, I can see you want to tell them. Feel free."
Byers and Langley turn and look at their friend and Langley asks. "So give, Mulder. What's the deal with this Quinn guy?"
"Oh, it's quite simple really. Quinn is a member of what's called the Q Continuum. They're a race of nearly omni-potent aliens, not native to the planet Earth." As Mulder finishes explaining, he watches his two friend's jaws drop.
"You can't be serious?" Langley asks as he searches Mulder's features for the joke. He doesn't see one. "My God, you're not kidding are you?"
"No, he's not." Scully replies as she and Buffy walk in from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. Handing them to Byers and Langley, she introduces Buffy. Both recognize the girl from the Burger-To-Go tape. "This is Buffy, she's Steve's student."
Byers immediately notices the wedding ring on Scully's hand and a similar one on Mulder's. "Since when are you two married?"
"About a year now." Mulder replies with a grin, as Scully sits down in his lap.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Langley asks.
"Well, before we got married, we discovered a secret that we both shared. And that secret made it hard for us to be around any of our friends." Scully explains.
"What? You're both dying of cancer now?" Byers asks.
"No, the opposite. We're both Immortals." Mulder replies with a straight face.
"Oh come on now. The Quinn guy was enough. But you two being Immortals is a bit much, don't you think?" Byers replies.
Mulder just shakes his head and looks at Steve, who calmly states. "Don't look a me Mulder, they're your friends. You show them."
"All right, but you do me. I don't want Scully to have nightmares about this."
"Not a problem." Steve replies with a grin. "I still owe you for waking me up at 5:30 in the morning yesterday."
"I thought you forgot about that." Mulder replies with a grin as he removes his breast plate.
"Nope, just wanted for figure out a suitable revenge. How about a heart cut?"
"That'll kill me."
"Yep. What better way to prove to your friends that you're the real thing?"
"Oh go ahead." Mulder replies as he raises his arms getting ready to die.
Steve hands over his combat Bowie to Langley and Byers. "Take a look at this and confirm that it's real."
They look over the huge knife and examine it's 12 inch blade and confirm it's real Byers hands the knife back to Steve, who immediately stabs Mulder in the heart. Both men watch in horror as Mulder collapses. He's caught by Scully and Buffy, who gently lower him down, onto his back, the knife still in his heart.
"Go ahead and take the knife out." Steve tells Byers and Langley.
"But he's dead. You killed him, you bastard!" Byers yells out.
Steve grins. "If I had killed him, then Scully would have killed me." Steve then reaches down and pulls out the knife. The knife comes out with a sucking sound as Scully calmly puts Mulder's head in her lap. "Now, watch the wound."
Both Byers and Langley watch as the wound starts to close by itself. They look on as blue lightning sparks through the wound and in several minutes, the wound disappears. A few minutes later, Mulder's body convulses and he's back, alive and well. Byers opens his mouth and nothing comes out of it. Langley sways, but he remains standing and awake.
Mulder gets up and looks at his two friends and grins. Then he reaches over and gently holds up Langley and with Steve's help, puts him on the couch. Mulder turns to Byers and asks. "Now do you believe?"
Byers looks nervously around the house and he finally admits. "I have no choice but to believe. How did it happen?" Langley just continues to stare at Mulder's chest.
"Well, first we had to die." Mulder tells Byers as he tells him about the Russell Nash case and what happened.
Byers, Langley and Frohike listen in rapt silence. Finally Mulder ends it and Byers asks. "So you'll look like this forever?"
"Yep," Mulder simply replies.
"And Steve and Buffy are also Immortals?" Mulder nods his head. "How many Immortals are there?"
"About ten thousand of us." Steve replies.
"Why don't you try and take over the world?" Byers asks.
Steve smiles. "A few have tried, but the other Immortals usually stop them."
"How?"
"By killing them. You see, we have two rules that none of us breaks. We don't fight on holy ground and once challenged, we have to fight the challenger. No on can interfere, not our friends, family or allies. The only exception is that if an Immortal challenges another Immortal's student, then the teacher can step in and defend the student. Most of the time the fights are to the death, but lately things have changed, and most Immortals have stopped fighting among themselves and they are now fighting something else."
"What?" Byers asks.
"Vampires and Demons."
"You're not joking are you?"
"No, what's happened in Los Angeles has turned the stomach of many of us and we are banding together to fight them."
"Dear God in Heaven." Byers mutters to himself. "What can we do to help?"
"Frohike knows what has to be done. He'll show you the equipment and introduce you to Jenny and Willow, our resident hackers."
Just then Langley asks. "You guys said you were Immortal. So how can you kill each other?"
Steve turns to Mulder. "They're your friends. It's your's and Scully's call to make."
Mulder looks at Scully and she quietly nods her head. "All right, we can kill each other by cutting off our heads in single combat. The weapons of choice are swords, though some people have used axes in the past."
All three men touch their necks and wince. Then Frohike turns to his two partners and tells them. "Okay guys, the office and computer are this way." Buffy, Steve, Mulder and Scully watch them as they enter the office.
*****
Byers watches Frohike as he leads them into the spacious home office. < God, the guy probably only has a P2 300. Well at least we brought some of our stuff. > As he enters, his eyes rest on the two beautiful women working there. < Well, at least the company's decent. > Then, his and Langley's eyes both rest on the system taking up one entire wall. They watch as the two women play it like a concert piano. Moving in and out of various systems and networks. Byers and Langley turn to Frohike and ask. "Frohike, what is that thing?"
"Just your usual Pentium 8.5, 2,000 MHZ system."
"P 8.5, 2,000 MHZ? What else?" A breathless Langley asks.
"Watch the drool, Langley. The ladies might take exception." Frohike mutters, then continues. "It's got 360 meg of RAM, a stacked 150 Gig hard drive, satellite access for the modem, and the display is holographic."
"Sweet Jesus, where did he get it?" Byers asks in awe.
"Steve ain't telling and I ain't asking." Frohike replies with a smile.
"What is it capable of?" Langley asks.
"Well, we hacked into and took over control of a Key Hole satellite with it."
"You're joking." Byers replies, staring dumbly at the computer before him.
"Nope, just take a look at one of the sub programs we have on stand by." Frohike tells them as he walks into the office and approaches the red head sitting at the consol and asks. "Willow, could you pop up a real time image of Los Angeles for my twofriends?"
"Sure Frohike."
Byers and Langley watch as the monitor turns into an overhead shot of the down town Los Angeles area. As they watch the real time scene, Langley turns to Byers and mutters. "At least Frohike was right, this system is the sweetest thing this side of Cheyenne Mountain."
*****
Mulder reaches into his pocket and hands Scully a twenty as she smiles sweetly.
Steve noticing the exchange of cash asks. "What was the bet?"
"That either Langley or Byers would yell when they found out what kind of computer they would be working on." Scully replies with a grin. "I said they'd be too shocked. I won."
Quinn, standing to the side, grins to himself. < What an interesting group of people I've found. They treat me as one of them and respect my abilities and don't try to abuse them. >
Steve looks at the time and announces. "All right people, everybody to bed. We've got a lot of work tonight and I want everyone at 100%."
Part 33 - Relationships
(No, I Don't Have Anything Smart to Say About This Chapter)
Steve is getting ready for bed when someone knocks on the door. "Come in." He calls out.
Buffy enters the bedroom and closes the door behind her. Steve looks at her with a smile on his face. "What's wrong?" He asks.
"Oh, I need a place to shower, everything else is taken. Mind if I use yours?"
"Sure, help yourself. I left extra towels in the cupboard."
"Well, I kinda need something else too."
"What?"
"Got any spare T-shirts? Randi and Nakao, borrowed all of my clothes. I don't want to go home, because my mom will ask too many questions."
"Sure." Steve replies as he goes to his T-shirt drawer and pulls out a black T-shirt. He tosses it to Buffy. She opens it and reads what's written there.
"Oh, this is you all right. 'Yeah, I Walk Through The Valley of Death, Fearing No Evil, Because I'm Baddest Mother Fucker There.'"
Steve grins sheepishly. "Frank gave it to me for my last birthday."
"I bet he did." Buffy giggles as she goes to take a shower.
Steve slips under his covers and prepares to go to sleep. A few minutes later, Buffy leaves the shower, wearing only the T-shirt. It reaches to her mid-thigh. She slowly walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge. She looks over to Steve and asks. "Steve, I know this isn't a good time to ask, but where are we going?"
Steve raises himself from the bed and sits up. "Buffy, you're right. I don't think this is the right time to talk about that. We've still got a lot to do tonight and to be blunt I don't want to cloud my thoughts." Buffy looks as though she's ready to cry. Steve continues to explain. "But since your asking. I do want a relationship with you and I would like to talk about it. But the day before we go into a serious fight isn't the right time. We can always talk tomorrow."
"I just want to know, how do you feel about me?" < In case I don't make it. > Buffy thinks to herself.
"Buffy, you are the first woman, since I lost Kathy, that I have come to care for and love. I want with you what Mulder has with Dana. A deep and loving relationship that nothing can come between."
Buffy looks into Steve's eyes and feels the deep love there. She leans forward and kisses him. The kiss deepens and quickly, both of them are lying on the bed removing what little clothing they have.
"You know, we're supposed to get some sleep?" Steve reminds Buffy as he is removing her T-shirt.
"We can do that later." Buffy replies with a grin as she moves back, naked into Steve's arms. Steve reaches down and pulls off his sweats and Buffy presses her body against his. The reaction is immediate, Buffy's kisses become more and more passionate. Steve starts to lower his kisses and soon is kissing her neck, then her breasts. He slowly moves down to her clitoris as his lips softly kiss it and then he starts to nibble it. Buffy's hands leave Steve's growing penis, to push his head in deeper into her vagina. As Steve slowly nibbles and kisses and sucks Buffy's wet pussy, she starts to moan loudly. "Oh God yes, oh please don't stop. I'm almost there. Oh, Yessssss, that's the right spot."
Buffy urges Steve on as he gives her the best orgasm she's ever had. As Buffy finishes, Steve gently pulls her legs apart and slowly crawls up her body, kissing it as he goes. Soon Buffy is staring into Steve's eyes as they kiss again. They break up the kiss as Steve moves away from her, trying to position himself, between her thighs. Buffy reaches down and takes Steve's member and moves it's head to her vagina and gently places it there. Steve slowly lowers himself into her and both gasp at Buffy's tightness. Steve slowly pumps into her and rocks back and forth. Buffy moves with him, accepting him inside her.
As Steve fully enters her, he takes hold of her buttocks and easily moves them into a sitting position. Once there, Steve easily kisses her full on the mouth as Buffy moves slowly up and down on his cock. His mouth wanders down to her breasts as he gently sucks on each nipple, causing it to harden and become extremely sensitive. After a few minutes of this, Buffy pushes Steve down onto the bed and she lays down on top of him, moving in synch with his thrusts. Steve reaches up and gently squeezes and massages her butt. After a short while, Buffy and Steve roll over and they continue to kiss. As they kiss, Steve begins to move into her with a long and slow rhythm, pushing in and out slowly. Buffy encircles his waist with her legs and pulls herself onto him, speeding up the rhythm. Steve then moves both of Buffy's legs onto his shoulder allowing himself maximum penetration. Buffy shudders with an orgasm and she starts to tremble with the release. As Buffy's orgasm reaches it's climax, Steve begins to come inside her. As they finish, Buffy looks deep in his eyes and tells him. "I love you." Steve kisses her deeply and tells her. "Buffy, I want you with me always. Never doubt that I love you."
Buffy deeply kisses Steve and she reaches down between them and starts to caress his manhood. Steve gently reaches down and takes her hands away. Buffy asks. "Steve, don't you want to make love again?"
Steve takes a deep breath and let's it out in a sigh. "Buffy, I love you a lot, but we need our sleep. We still have a mission tonight and I want us both to be rested. After this is over, I'm taking you away with me for a week and I'm not going to let you of bed for that entire week."
Buffy giggles and asks. "Where are we going?"
"I have a condo in the Bahamas. We can use that for our vacation."
"Oh pooh, I was hoping to get a honeymoon suite in some fancy hotel."
"We can do that as well. Name the place and we'll go. It's going to be our vacation and I want you happy."
"Good," Buffy replies, then goes to sleep in Steve's arms.
*****
Outside, Cassandra is leaning against the door listening in. Frank walks up to her and quietly asks. "What's going on?"
Cassandra smiles as she replies. "Something that should have happened a couple of months ago."
"You don't mean?"
"Yes, they've finally done it. And it's about time." Cassandra replies as she takes Frank's arm into her own and leads him to their bedroom. Both grinning from ear to ear.
Part 34 - Reality Bites (Cancer Man Cometh - With a Helping Hand?)
Cancer Man's telephone rings, as he picks it up, he dreads what his agents are going to tell him. "What is it now?"
"Sir, we've been monitoring the situation in Sunnydale as you asked."
"What's the update?"
"They're calling in backup Sir. A lot of backup. The phone taps have them calling at least another forty people in."
"Do we have any assets in the area?"
"Yes Sir, a full company of Blue Berets, under the command of Maj. Jack Gerber."
"Do we know where the rally point is?"
"Yes Sir, the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. At 1600 hours, today."
"I'll take care of it. Order your operatives to leave the area."
"Yes Sir. Good bye."
Cancer Man hangs up the phone and dials another number in California. The phone is picked up by Maj. Gerber himself. "Gerber here."
"The call sign is Gibraltar. The code phrase is: Odin, Tyr, Thor, Balder."
Gerber's voice snaps to attention. "Yes Sir."
"Here are your orders: FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully are working outside the Bureau and they are using non-Bureau assets. They are meeting additional assets at a rally point located at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. The time of the meeting is 1600 hours, PST."
"Sir, are we to eliminate these assets?" Major Gerber prompts.
"No, you are to offer your services to him. No questions asked."
"But Sir, we tried to kill Mulder and Scully in Puerto Rico."
"I know that. And so do they, probably. But they need the help and you are to provide it to them and their associates. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear sir. May I ask what is the mission that you are sending us on?"
"Do you believe in vampires and demons, Major?"
"I hope you're joking, Sir."
"No, I'm not. Mulder and Scully's people will show you how to fight them. You are to give them your complete support. They're facing a large number of vampires and possibly a demon or two."
"Understood Sir. I'll prepare the men."
"Good. And Major..."
"Yes Sir?"
"Good luck and watch your backs."
"Thank you Sir. But one question, if you don't mind."
"What is it?"
"Would it be possible to get in touch with Mulder and Scully before the rendevous? Just to make sure it doesn't suddenly turn into a shooting match."
"Good idea Major. Mulder and Scully can be found at 317 Brandt Terrace, Sunnydale. Please be polite when you get there. Their host is a rather dangerous individual."
Major Gerber grins. < Yeah, right. > "Sir, we are the best. This guy has to be something else to scare us."
"Major, I understand you served in the 5th Special Forces group in the early eighties. Am I correct?"
"Yes Sir. That is correct." Gerber replies with a trace of pride in his voice.
"I'm sure you ran across an individual by the name of Carson Jamieson?"
"Cherokee? Of course I did Sir. He was the best. But he's dead."
"No he's not." And with that the phone clicks dead.
Major Gerber hangs up the phone and stares at it for a minute, thinking. < Cherokee still alive? And helping Mulder and Scully? This is going to be one fucked up mission. I can feel it. Damn, I wonder if Ritter knows? >
Part 35 - Road Trips
(Bob and Bing are Busy, Jerry and Dean Still Aren't Speaking, So We Have to Make Do With Stale Peanuts and Bad Puns)
San Francisco - SIU Headquarters:
Nash Bridges gets out of his vintage Barracuda and approaches his three partners, Joe Domingeuz, Evan Cortez and Harvey Leek. All three men are standing, waiting for Nash to come in before they begin the trip south to Sunnydale. As Nash approaches, he asks Harvey. "Did you get everything we need?"
"Yeah, six 308 caliber assault rifles with an additional ten magazines per. The armory guy was curious why we needed such heavy firepower, but I told him we wanted to get in some practice."
"Good. Joe are we clear for today?"
"Yeah, except for one little problem."
"What's the problem Joe?" As soon as the question is asked it is answered.
"Yo, Nash, over here." Rick Bettina calls out, closely followed by two men.
"Listen Rick, I'm really busy here. So, this had better be important."
"Nash, let me introduce you to Detectives Peter Caine and Kenneth Griffin of the Toronto Police Dept. They'll be working with you for the next couple of days. Studying your methods and stuff like that."
Nash pulls Rick over to the side and quietly tells him. "Listen Rick, you remember those things that we had to take out a few months ago?"
Rick's eyes widen as he asks. "Are they back?"
"No, but they're in LA and Scarlet called me early this morning asking for backup. The four of us and Scarlet's brothers are going down there to help fight those things."
"Correction, the five of us."
"Rick, you don't have to come."
"Wrong, those things almost killed me and my family. I'm going to help. Besides, it's the only way you're going to be able to get out showing Caine and Griffin around."
"That's blackmail, Rick."
"Blackmail is such an ugly phrase, Nash. I prefer opportunity enhancer." Rick replies with a grin.
Nash cracks a smile as he replies. "Rick, you keep on having this type of attitude and I might just start liking you."
"Thanks Nash, nice to know I'm appreciated. But.." Before Rick can continue two Explorers pull up next to Nash and Rick. Both Nash and Rick go for their guns, but, as the front passenger gets out, both men relax.
Sean O'Hara grins as he greets two good friends. "Hello Nash, Rick are you both ready to leave? Or is there a problem?"
"No problems Sean. We're ready to go in a couple of minutes."
"Not a problem Nash. But I have a little puzzle for you, before we get on the road."
"What's the puzzle Sean?"
"Last night, me and the boys were out hunting in Oakland and found a strange sight. Four people taking on a dozen of the toothy bastards and winning hands down. After they took their leave, we got the drop on them. We brought them back to our place and started to ask questions. None of them wanted to talk. But, after Scarlet called and asked us to go down to Sunnydale for the meet today, all four started to talk. Turns out they were part of the group that help out Scarlet and Snake Eyes last time they were down there. Interesting, isn't it?"
"Very interesting. Care to introduce me to the person in charge? I'm very curious about Scarlet's friends from Sunnydale."
"Be my pleasure Nash." Sean replies as he opens the rear passenger door. "Allow me to introduce you to Miss Kyra Adams. Miss Adams, Inspector Nash Bridges, Captain of the SFPD Special Investigations Unit."
Nash looks over the lady in question and thinks to himself. < Man, this is one fine lady. What the hell is she doing hunting vampires? >
Kyra looks over Nash in turn and thinks to herself. < Cute, not as cute as Duncan, but he'll do in a pinch. >
*****
Peter Caine looks over the meeting between Rick Bettina and Nash Bridges and quietly tells his friend and partner, Kermit. "Looks like we're going to get dumped Kermit. How much do you want to bet that's want's going to happen?"
"I never take sucker bets Pete. But I'd lay on odds that something strange is going on." Kermit replies as he watches the two detectives talk to the large red haired man. < God, he's a big one. > Then he notices the face of the woman getting out o f the back of the sport utility vehicle. < Shit, she's dead. It can't be Kyra. > "Pete, that woman, she's supposed to be dead. I saw her die ten years ago."
"You sure it's her? It could someone that looks like her, Kermit."
"No, the mannerisms, the way she's speaking, it's Kyra." Kermit then turns to Pete. "I've got to talk to her. Peter, I never got a chance to tell her that I loved her."
*****
New York City - LaGuardia Airport
Connor reaches the American Airlines terminal and feels the 'Buzz' of an approaching Immortal. As he turns around, he spots two people, a man and a woman, slowly approaching him. As they draw near, Connor tells them. "I'm not interested in playing any 'Games' today. So, if you don't mind, we can discuss this after I get back."
"Buddy, I really don't care shit about the 'Game'. We've got some important business to get to in California and I don't need some idiot getting the way." Mike testily replies.
"May this business be in Sunnydale?" Connor asks, realizing that these two could be friends.
"Yeah, it is. How do you know?"
"A lovely lady named Dana called and asked for help. You two?"
"I know the lady in question. Nice to meet you. The name's Hammer, Mike Hammer. This," Hammer points to the lady next to him. "Is my student Velda Thomas. And you are?"
"Connor McLeod, of the Clan McLeod."
"Any relation to Duncan of the same clan?"
"Same clan, different vintage. I'm the better looking one." Connor replies with a roguish grin.
Velda smiles and Mike chuckles. "All you Highlanders are the same."
As they approach the American Airlines counter, Connor asks. "Can you tell me what the situation is like, in more detail?"
"Sure, not a problem. But let's get on the plane first."
At the counter all three present their tickets and the woman behind the counter smiles at Connor's first class ticket and immediately processes it. As she looks at Mike's and Velda's coach tickets, she frowns and tells them. "I'm sorry, sir, miss. But it appears as though the flight's been over booked and we're going to have to give you a later flight. The next flight leaves in three hours."
"We can't wait. We have to be in Los Angeles by four o'clock for an important meeting." Mike angrily states.
Before the woman can protest. Connor raises his hand and asks. "Is there room for them in first class?"
"Yes, sir, but they'll have to buy the first class tickets. My manager won't all me to move them up to first class, without paying for it."
"Please tell the manager that Mr. Connor McLeod is here. He'll recognize the name."
"May I ask why?" The woman's ire starts to show. < Who the hell was this guy to butt his nose in? >
"My cousin and I own a large block of voting stock in American Airlines. The manager knows me from the last stock holder's meeting."
< Right, I'm sure. > The woman thinks snidely as she reaches for the phone. < Let's see how this guy likes to have his lies thrown back into his face. > "Mr. Raines, there's a Connor McLeod out here and he wishes to see you."
"I'll be right out." Mr. Raines replies crisply.
The woman smiles smugly < He's going to get his ass chewed out in front of his friends. And I thought it was going to be a bad day. >
Mr. Raines approaches the counter and he immediately recognizes Connor. "Mr. McLeod, always a pleasure to see you. May I ask what is the difficulty?"
"Certainly," A smiling Connor replies. "Flight 544 has been over booked and my two friends have tickets for it, but the lady won't move them up to first class, without charging them for the additional fare. I don't think this is fair, do you?"
"It isn't. Miss Henderson, please issue Mr. McLeod's two associates first class tickets for Flight 544. Do you want them together?"
"Yes that would be most accommodating, we have quite a bit to discuss on the flight over."
"Thank you Mr. McLeod, and you sir, miss for flying American." Mr. Raines replies as he leaves.
Connor turns back to the woman and asks. "Are those tickets ready?"
"Yes sir, here they are." < Shit, Raines just folded up. Who the hell is this guy? >
As they leave to board the plane, Mike turns to Connor. "Thanks for the help, Connor. Let me know if I can ever return the favor."
"Knowing what we're getting into will be favor enough Mike. Duncan told me what happened five months ago, but I find it hard to believe."
"Believe me Connor, if I hadn't been there, done what I'd done, I won't either."
*****
Somewhere in Virginia - Stony Man Farm - The War Room:
The men of Phoenix Force have gathered in the War Room of the Stony Man Complex. Seated around the table were the five commandos compromising the elite anti terrorist unit, Jack Grimaldi, their pilot, Yakov 'Katz' Katzenbergen, the team strategist and Cowboy Kissinger, the unit armorer. As the men assemble, they look at each other and wonder what the emergency was.
"Gary did Mack mention anything?" David McCarter asks the unit leader.
"No David, he didn't. I'm as much in the dark as you are." Gary then turns to Yakov Katzenbergen, the unit's field strategist and former Phoenix Force team leader. "Katz, did Mack mention what all the uproar is about?"
"Not yet, but here comes Mack and Barbara."
Mack Bolan and Barbara Price enter the War Room and sit down in their respective seats. Mack begins the meeting with. "I take it all of you have heard about the raids on the vampire cult being conducted by the LAPD?"
Everyone looks at each other, wondering where this was leading to. Gary Manning asks. "What do those raids have to do with us?"
"Able Team has been participating in the raids and Carl called in a few minutes ago and gave a rather grim status report. As well as a request for backup."
"So what's the situation? The news reports have been sketchy at best."
"The news is grim and we're going to have to react quickly." Mack replies, then gives the Stony Man warriors a run down of the previous night's events.
"Mack, that is the craziest story that I have ever heard. And I've listened to McCarter's stories for the last eight years." Calvin James comments with a grin.
Mack picks up a VHS tape and puts it into the VCR. "This tape was made five months ago, in a small town in California. Watch it and tell me what you think." The group watches the tape unfold in the Sunnydale High School gym. As the tape zooms in on Mack and the two people standing on one side of the gym. David McCarter spits out his Coke. T.J. Hawkins drops his coffee mug. Mack stops the tape and asks. "David, TJ, what is it? You two look like you've seen a ghost."
"That bloke standing next to you and the girl. Who is he?" David asks in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah, that guy." T.J. mutters.
"A friend by the name of Steve St. Wolf, why?"
"That's not his name, Mack. That guy was supposed to have died fifteen years ago. Shit, he hasn't changed one bit." David McCarter replies.
"Who is he David?" Calvin James asks.
"Carson 'Cherokee' Jamieson. One of the toughest bastards that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"How'd you meet him?" Mack asks.
"In 1980, he was part of the SAS/Green Beret exchange program. During his stint in the SAS, he was assigned to my unit. Naturally, we treated him like the delicate flower, that we knew all Green Berets were." McCarter replies with a grin, then continues, more seriously, "One night, on a patrol, our unit was ambushed by the IRA and two of us were wounded. The rest of the team was forced back and the IRA was pressing it's advantage when Jamieson grabbed up an extra rifle and went back for the wounded. That madman waded through the fire fight and carried out both men on his shoulders, firing all the way. Naturally my unit commander ordered that he be given cover fire while he carried our team mates out. After that, we retreated back and got some backup.
"By the time the Marines made it in, the IRAs were gone, leaving thirty dead behind. Our commanding officer, Brigadier McPherson, came down personally for a status report. After Captain Sinclair informed him of Jamieson's bravery, McPherson, read Jamieson the riot act about only being an observer and not participating in any action. Jamieson told the old man off and told him if the situation repeated itself, he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. McPherson ordered our unit to stand down and return to base. Three days later we were ordered to muster out in our dress uniforms. Brigadier McPherson then showed up and walked up to Jamieson and presented him a Victoria Cross. He was transferred back to the States shortly after that. In 1983, Jamieson, supposedly died, saving a group of kids from a nutcase armed with an AK-47. When we heard what happened, my unit lifted a glass to him, in memory, at the Lion's Pride Pub. That's the last we heard of him, until now."
Mack turns to T.J. and asks. "T.J., where do you know Steve from?"
"When I first joined the Rangers, he was the base martial arts champion. Being a smart ass, I tried to take him on in hand to hand. After he beat the crap out of me, he set me straight and took me under his wing. About two months later, he left, his enlistment was up. But, in that time he taught me a lot." .
Mack turns to Aaron 'Bear' Kurtzman, Stony Man's computer expert. "Bear, can you pull up Jamieson's file?"
"Already done it. Do you want the gist of it or everything?"
"Give us a run down. Start with his commendations."
"Two silver stars, three bronze, two purple hearts, the Victoria Cross and he was nominated for the Medal of Honor."
"Why was he nominated for the Medal?" Calvin James asks.
"According to his file, he carried one of his wounded team mates through eight miles of jungle to their landing zone, after completing their mission. After he reached the LZ, he left his team mates and went back to recover the body of their commanding officer, a first lieutenant Joshua Henderson, who was fresh out of training and on his first classified mission. He brought the lieutenant's body back and Captured one of the leaders of the Columbian drug gang they were taking out. In his report, Jamieson gave the lieutenant all of the credit for the successful mission. Jamieson's team mates reported his valor and courage. Their commanding officer, a Captain Ritter, nominated him for the Medal. The lieutenant's father, a Colonel Henderson, co-sponsored the nomination. It was shot down by some CIA big shot, due to the classified nature of the mission." Bear continues to scan the text, then he lets out a low whistle. "Mack, this guy completed one hundred and thirty one missions, no failures. And he always brought his men back, wounded or dead."
The War Room is silent as Bear finishes. Mack clears his throat and continues the video tape. The group watches as almost two hundred vampires enter the gym and face the trio. They watch in awe as the battle starts and how quickly it's fought. Near the end of the battle, Calvin James asks. "What's happening to them? How come there are no bodies?"
Mack pauses the tape and explains. "When a vampire is made, the human being is killed. A demon then takes over the body and basically animates the corpse. When the demon is destroyed, the body immediately breaks down."
"How do you destroy the demon?" Raphael Encizno asks.
"Various ways. But as the video tape shows, we initially used fire to kill about a third of them, then, we moved in with swords and wooden stakes. We killed them by beheading them with the swords or stabbing them in the heart with wooden stakes."
"Damn, talk about up close and personal." David McCarter cracks. "Are we going to have to go toe to toe as well?"
"No, Steve and his people have come up with a wooden bullet. It has to be fired into the heart of the vampire for it to be effective, but I don't think that you'll have a problem with that. Effective range is approximately 100 yards and it breaks up after it hits the vampires, so no collateral damage will be done."
"Mack, who are those other people there? Especially the girl who was standing next to you and St. Wolf.? She couldn't be over eighteen years old. < Damn, it couldn't happen again. I hope to God that girl is not a Slayer. > What is that child doing there?" Barbara Price asks, angry that someone so young should be exposed to such violence..
Mack looks over the room and lets out a low sigh. "They're friends of Steve St. Wolf. I was at Casey Romaine's place with three other friends, when he got the call from St. Wolf. After St. Wolf convinced Casey to come and help, Casey convinced us to lend a hand. The rest were called in by St. Wolf. The girl is Buffy Summers and she's what's called a Slayer. And before you ask, she was fighting vampires for two years, before Steve came into the picture."
Barbara shudders as she looks at Mack's cavalier attitude about the Slayer. < Two years? How could that child fight vampires for two years and live. My aunt barely lasted four months. What is so special about this girl? >
"Slayers are myths." Yakov Katzenbergen replies, unconvinced at his own statement.
"What are they, Katz?" Gary Manning asks.
"They're supposedly girls given the strength, speed and skill to hunt and kill vampires. Hebrew legends talk about them. But I never believed the myths, until now."
"Believe them Katz. She's the real thing." Mack replies to a silent room. "Now, we've got to get to the Sunnydale Motor Lodge by 1600 PST to rendevous with the rest of the people and Able Team. Cowboy, break out extra weapons in 9mm, 45 cal. and 308, plus extra magazines."
"Are we going to be fighting with the people on the tape?" Cowboy asks.
"Probably, but Steve has more access to assets this time and so far we have the following people involved. Two LAPD SWAT teams, respectively the Rangers and Zombies, about fifty uniformed LAPD officers. A ninja clan called the Storm Shadows, a half dozen FBI agents and thirty members of a Black Ops Group called Section Seven called in by St. Wolf, as well as Steve's group, of about a dozen."
"Mack, that's a small army. Are we really needed?" Katz asks.
"Yes, at best estimates they'll be facing about three hundred vampires. And this time the vampires will be expecting them. So we are going. Any questions?"
"Yeah, is it all right if we call in John Trent? After all, they have their ninjas, so why can't we have our own?" Gary Manning replies with a grin.
"All right, but tell him only to meet us at the Motor Lodge. We'll tell him everything there. Am I clear?"
"You got it, Mack." Gary replies as the meeting breaks up.
*****
Barbara and Mack hang back and talk. "I'm going with you, Mack."
"Barbara, this is going to be one of the most dangerous mission that we've ever undertaken. Please stay behind."
"Mack, I just saw a seventeen year old girl fight a large number of vampires. If she can do it, then I can as well."
"Barbara, Buffy has been hunting and killing vampires and demons since she was fifteen. I have no control over that, but I do have some control over this mission, and I want you to stay behind."
Barbara's eye flash as she angrily tells him. "Mack, I'm no child and I was a top operative for the CIA, before I met you. And this is something that I want to do. I owe it to my aunt."
"What does your aunt have to do with this?" Mack asks, curious.
"She was a Slayer, Mack. Some vampires butchered her four months after she became the Slayer. Her Watcher, that conceited French bastard, told us that she died well. I don't want the same thing happening to this girl."
"Of that you have nothing to worry about." Mack replies with a mischievous grin. < God, if she only knew Buffy was an Immortal, she'd kill me. >
*****
San Francisco - Apartment of John Trent
John walks over to his telephone and quietly asks. "Hello, who is this?"
"John, Calvin James here. We need you for another mission. You available?"
John takes a deep breath and looks over his apartment/Dojo, still empty of students and replies. "Yes Calvin, I'm available. Where do I meet you?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Can you make it by 1400 hours?"
"I can make it two hours. Do you want me to leave now?"
"Sure, and get us five double rooms."
'Why five double rooms?"
"Because Mack, Barbara, Cowboy and Grimaldi are joining us on this mission."
"That's a lot of people and fire power James, can I ask what the mission is?"
"We'll tell you when we get there. Then you can make up your mind."
"All right James, I'll be there. Bye."
*****
Casey Romaine's Montana Ranch
The six men spread across the living room in various stages of a drunken stupor are suddenly awakened by the loudest noise that any of them has ever heard. Casey's extra large air horn. Gus Beiderman reaches for an empty holster to shoot the individual responsible for the unwelcome noise. After finding his holster empty, Gus opens his eyes and asks in a German accented voice. "Casey, my friend, please stop with the noise. I'm too old to be woken up this early, yes?"
Casey grins as the rest of his house guests slowly wake up. He watches as Glam, his oldest friend, looks dazedly around himself. < Probably looking for another beer. >
Hurvolf and Richard Blade look up from a drunken stupor and Richard asks. "What's the problem Casey? Why are you waking us up this early for?"
Casey grins as he tells them. "I just had a phone call." Richard Blade blanches.
"Not from Steve St. Wolf, I hope." Richard asks, remembering the last time that Casey started out like that.
Casey's grin spreads as tells Richard. "God Richard, you must be psychic. That's exactly who called and asked for some help. You interested?"
Richard looks at Casey and evenly replies. "You should know, by now, Casey that I'm always interested in protecting the innocent. So what's the mission this time? More vampires?"
Casey nods and grins as he turns on the television to CNN. The top story is the raids on the vampire cult in Los Angeles. The men watch in horror as the number of dead innocents is read off by the news caster.
Ex-Green Beret, Jim Gilbride watches in horror and asks. "What the fuck happened in LA?"
Casey then gives them the situation report given to him by Steve St. Wolf. After he finishes, Hurvolf asks. "Are we going to help, then?"
"Only if you want to. Understand that there will be above fifty Immortals there and they've all agreed not to play in the 'Game'. So you won't have to worry about your heads. And you'll be expected to honor their wishes in that regard as well."
"Casey, I think that I speak for all of us here, when I say that none of us ever wanted to play the 'Game'. And after I received that manuscript and it's translation, I've had even less of an appetite for it." Teacher replies as suddenly every Immortal in the room stiffens and moves to their swords.
"Hello, my love. I'm back." A voice replies from behind Casey.
Casey turns to one of the most beautiful sights in his long life. His wife, Lida was back from Europe. "When did you get back?" His friends relax and stop reaching for their swords.
"Just a couple of minutes ago. And I brought a pair of old friends." Lida replies with a smile as two women enter the room.
The look they give the men, in various stages of sobriety, causes them much discomfort. Finally the red head comments. "I see that your parties haven't changed much in the last fifteen hundred years. And you taste in friends hasn't improved, either." She replies, noticing Glam and Hurvolf.
"Hello Sonja, Gabrielle, where have the two of you been for the last twenty years?" Casey asks with a grin. < God, these two haven't changed one bit. They could still strip a man's hide off with just a glare. >
"Trapped by a rock slide in the Himalayas. We were searching for a manuscript which told of the secret to the 'Game'. We were just freed by another rockslide about a year ago and went to Paris to recover and catch up on what's happened while we were out." Sonja replies.
"Would this happen to be the manuscript that you were searching for?" Teacher asks, handing them a photo copy of the Krevar manuscript.
Both women look over the photo copy and then Gabrielle asks. "Where did you get this copy from? And where is the original? Who provided this to you?"
"I don't know. It was overnighted to me about five months ago. Who ever sent it, sent a translation as well." Teacher hands over the translation. "Along with a note saying that I have to make up my own mind about it's veracity. For some reason, I believe that it's the real thing."
Sonja and Gabrielle shake their heads and mutter. "Who could have translated this? It's in Hyborean. No one but you or me even knows that language existed. And who found it? The temple was supposed to be a death trap for anyone who entered it. Mortal or Immortal."
While the Sonja and Gabrielle are discussing the manuscript, Casey is looking at the wall and grins. < Should I tell them or better yet, let them stew for a while? The right thing to do would be to tell them, but then where would the fun be? >
Lida, standing off to the side notices her husband's grin. < Damn, Casca knows something. And he's going let Sonja and Gabrielle suffer. Not this time my husband. These two are my oldest and dearest friends. > "Sonja, I think maybe Casca knows something."
Casey's head snaps back to his wife, with a pleading look in his eyes. "Lida, how would I know anything about that manuscript. You know that I've never interfered in the affairs of the Immortals." The three women walk deliberately toward Casey and he backs up against a wall. He calls over to his friends. "Are you going let them do this to me? What sort of friends are you?"
"The kind who know when not to interfere in a situation." Teacher replies with a lop sided grin attached to his face, enjoying Casey's discomfort, immensely.
"And the kind who know that if we do, we won't have our balls, shortly there after." Hurvolf replies with a grin.
Richard, Glam, Jim and Gus, meanwhile are falling over in spasms of laughter. Gus gets enough wind back to tell Casey. "Oh my dear friend, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. But never worry, I will sing of your bravery to the world." Gus then turns to the other Immortals. "Now, any of you care to bet how long Casey can take it?"
Casey's back hits the wall and he finds himself surrounded by his wife and her two friends. Lida leans in and sweetly asks. "Now Casca, please tell our friends who found the manuscript and where they can find this person or," Lida reaches down and caresses Casey in a very sensitive spot. "You will never share my bed again."
"But Lida, my love. We've been married for fifteen centuries. Can't I have a little fun at Sonja's and Gabrielle's expense? After all, they've constantly pulled shit like this on me."
"No, my husband, you may not, this time. They've been through a lot and they need to finish this quest. So tell them or else." Lida's hand stops caressing and suddenly squeezes.
Casey gasps out an. "Ompf," then Lida stops squeezing. Casey looks into her eyes and sees no mercy there, then he looks at Sonja and Gabrielle and finds no relief there either. He, then looks over to his so-called 'friends' and watches as they bet on how long it'll take Lida to crack his resolve. < Screw it. Lida's right, they should meet Steve St. Wolf. After all, what are friends for? And Wanderer should be cursed with this precious pair. > Casey's mouth splits into an evil grin as he tells his wife and her two friends. "The man's name is Steve St. Wolf."
Hurvolf screams out, "Pay me suckers, I knew Lida would get it out of him in no time." The rest of Casey's friends grumble, but fork over the money.
Gus looks over to Casey as he pays Hurvolf and yells out, in disgusted tone of voice. "Some man you are Casey. You couldn't even hold out for ten minutes, so I could win the bet."
Lida and her two friends don't pay any attention to Hurvolf and the rest of Casey's friends, as a shocked and disbelieving Lida asks. "Not the same Steve St. Wolf that you curse so much about? The same man who dragged you to Libya? And who you swore to kill the next time you saw him?"
Casey nods his head in agreement. "Yes, that Steve St. Wolf. But I never said I'd kill him. Just beat the hell out of him."
Sonja and Gabrielle share a grin and a thought. < Anyone who pisses Casca off this much, we've got to meet. If only to compare notes and methods. >
"Where do we find him?" Sonja asks.
"You don't. We're going to join him."
"May I ask what are you going to be doing with Mr. St. Wolf." Lida asks, suddenly suspicious.
"Since you flew in from Europe, I take it you haven't had a chance to see the news yet?"
"No, we haven't. Why?"
Casey turns on the TV to CNN again. "Take a look at what's happening in Los Angeles. While my so-called friends gather together the weapons that we'll need for the mission."
The three women watch the news reports for several minutes and Lida is in shock at the carnage caused by these so-called cultists. Sonja and Gabrielle are more reserved and ask. "What or who could have caused these mass murders?"
"Vampires trying to raise the Aztec God of War." Casey replies, then explains the situation to the three women, including the plans for that night and the rendevous. Then Casey calls the airport and makes arrangements to fly out to Sunnydale on his private Lear Jet.
*****
Kyra and Nash are discussing the trip to Sunnydale, when Nash feels a hand on his shoulder and someone mutters. "Excuse me, but I have to talk to the lady."
Nash turns and sees that it's one of the Toronto detectives. The one with the sun glasses, asking him to move away from Kyra. Nash looks over to Kyra and she quietly nods her head and Nash, Rick and Sean move away, leaving them alone. Kyra looks over Kermit and asks. "So, Kermit, what brings you to San Francisco?"
"An exchange program, between the SF PD and the Toronto PD. But enough about me. How in the hell did you survive? When I last saw you, you were shot at least a dozen times."
"Would you believe good living and a little bit of luck?"
"No."
"Then, you don't need to know." Kyra replies in a cold tone as she turns around and tells Nash. "Inspector Bridges, we're leaving now. We'll meet you at the rendevous."
"You got it sister." Nash replies, then he turns to Rick Bettina. "Listen Rick, these two are your responsibility, so keep a rein on them. We'll see you tomorrow and give you a run down on what happened."
Rick relents. "All right Nash, I'll keep an eye on our two guests. But I don't like being left out of the fight like this."
"Sorry Rick, but we need some one here to handle any emergencies that come up and you're it."
"Understood Nash. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good trip." Rick replies as Nash gets into his car and the convoy leaves, headed south. As they leave, Rick mutters under his breath, "I'll see you as soon as I lose these two."
"You won't loose us that easily." Kermit replies, standing just behind Rick.
Rick jumps, turns and sputters. "How the hell did you sneak up behind me?"
"I was a mercenary soldier for ten years, and before that, I was Special Operations." Kermit replies. "Now, do you know where are those people going?"
"Yeah, I know where they're going, but I can't tell you."
"All right then, you can take us." Peter Caine replies.
Rick thinks about it for a minute. < Well, Nash never told me not to go to Sunnydale. Why not? > "All right, but I drive."
Kermit looks at Peter and smiles. "All right, you can drive."
"Good, then let's go. We have to be at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge by four o'clock." Rick replies as he heads to his car, followed by the two Toronto detectives.
*****
Frank Parker wakes up from his latest trip and takes off his helmet. He quickly gets up and leaves the sphere and strips off his flight suit. He looks around and finds himself in Kansas City, Kansas. He spots a pay phone and calls in. "This is Conundrum. I'm presently in Kansas City, Kansas. Have a recovery team get the sphere."
The operator puts him through to Talmadge and the rest of the mission teams as she replies. "Understood Conundrum."
In the mission office the team gathers around a speaker phone and a gray haired project director named Talmadge asks. "All right Frank. Can you tell us the nature of the emergency?"
"We have a code red. Have Donovan get together as many SeALs as he can and meet me in Los Angeles. I can't explain it now. The clock is ticking and we have to be in Los Angeles before six o'clock today to stop a major disaster."
"Understood Frank. Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah, keep everybody else away. If this goes bad, we might have to nuke Los Angeles."
"Frank, you can't be serious."
"Yes Sir, I am. If this situation goes south then have the President drop a bomb on Los Angeles. I'll call back with the coordinates later." Frank replies, then hangs up and flags down a cab.
To Be Continued...
(The Future Isn't Always Written In Stone)
Frank Parker looks over the blue prints that have been handed to him and asks. "Why do I have to memorize these blue prints?"
The scarred man looks at Parker and smiles weakly. "Because you have to Mr. Parker. Those things will destroy humanity if you don't warn them."
"Who are you two? You suddenly appear from no where and tell us this all started in Los Angeles seven days ago. How can you be certain?" Talamadge asks.
"My name is Casey Romaine, my partner Fox Mulder and I were there when it started. We had the bastards. We could have killed them and prevented all of this from happening. Wanderer only made one mistake. He didn't take out all of the . . ." Casey's words to Frank Parker are cut off by the sound of a body hitting the wall behind them. Parker and the man called Romaine turn around and watch the security chief, Ramsey, slowly slide down the wall, leaving behind a blood trail.
Ramsey looks up at them through pain filled eyes and croaks out. "They've found us. You don't have much time. Get back there and stop them, Parker."
"Where's Donovan?" Parker asks.
"It killed him. That monster picked him up and just ate him whole. Now get your ass in gear and stop them." Ramsey orders as he slumps down, dead.
Parker's knocked out of his reverie by the sound of gunfire as Casey fires into the monster that had killed Ramsey. He picks up Ramsey's pistol and fires into the creature, forcing it back. He quickly follows Olga out of the office and to the hanger where the sphere is. Fox Mulder follows them, offering what little protection he can. Casey Romaine stays, holding back the monsters, giving them precious seconds.
Casey looks at the monsters coming for him and quietly asks. < God, please let Parker fix this. I can't see you allowing this to happen. But, if I die tonight, at least let me be with Lida and my family. > As the first monster approaches, Casey cuts loose with his machine gun and cuts it in half. He goes through the last of his ammunition and reaches for his Gladius and lays into the monsters.
Suddenly, a vampire attaches itself to his neck and sinks its teeth to Casey's neck. The vampire takes a single drink of Casey's blood, screams horribly and falls down dead. Casey's luck doesn't hold as a demon of the second circle reaches him and cuts him apart with its razor sharp talons. As he falls, Casey cuts open the demon and his blood quickly poisons it. As his eyes close for the last time, he sees the face of God as he accepts him into his embrace and forgives him for his past deeds.
*****
In the hanger Frank Parker has quickly donned his orange space suit and he straps himself into the chair. He hears Olga running an accelerated countdown and he quietly prays to himself. < Dear God, let me get to them. > Parker's forced out of his thoughts by the sound of Olga screaming. He quickly radios to the control room and asks. "Olga is everything all right?"
A strange voice, with a British accent, answers back. "No mortal, the lady is not all right. In fact she's making a fine meal for my Drusilla. The man with her is already dead. Would you like to be my next meal?"
"Fuck you asshole." Frank Parker yells out as he punches the button, starting his journey back.
Spike watches as the blue sphere disappears and grins as he comments. "Neat. I wonder where he went?"
The Chronicles of the Slayer and the Wanderer II - Calling Out the Clan
Part 1 - Death Drives a Blazer - Los Angeles - 9:00 p.m.
(Being a Vampire Slayer Ain't Everything It's Cracked Up to Be)
Los Angeles - Eight Days in the past.
Robert Hascombe is feeling good tonight. His old friend, Quinn is coming by for a visit and dinner. Robert has just spent the last two hours gathering together the ingredients for Quinn's favorite meal. As he is reaching for the keys to his ground floor apartment, a pair of hands reach out of nowhere and grab him. His face is slammed against his closed apartment door and he's thrown onto the floor. The attacker, a large young man, easily overpowers the older Hascombe, as though he were a small child. Finally, he drags Hascombe into the stairwell.
He bends Hascombe's head back, exposing his neck. He rears his head, opening his mouth, baring his fangs, his face takes on a demonic form. Robert begs for his life, the vampire laughs as he savagely bites him in the neck, tearing it apart, sucking out his life blood.
A few minutes later the vampire gets up from his second victim of the night, sated, for now. As he gets up to leave, he hears the front entrance close. He immediately moves to the side of the stairwell door. Cracking open the door, he watches as a young girl enters the lobby. She is looks directly at the grocery bag belonging to his last victim. She's blond and about 5'4" and about 110 pounds. She looks around the lobby trying to see what happened to the bag's previous owner.
The vampire decides to make it three for tonight, and attacks the girl. The vampire rushes out from his hiding place and with outstretched arms, attempts to drag the girl down and kill her. The girl turns around suddenly and kicks the vampire in the face. The force of the blow is enough to stun him. The vampire back pedals to get some fighting room.
This is no normal girl, the vampire realizes. She's entered into a fighting stance of some martial art form unfamiliar to the vampire. The vampire feints with a round house punch to the left and the girl moves to the right, going for it. The vampire smiles, he has her. As he moves into his real attack, the girl reverses his feint by grabbing his arm and twisting it and shoving him face first into the wall, at least a half dozen times. Hard.
As she let's go, the vampire falls to his knees and watches as the girl pulls out a Katana out of her trench coat. It's blade glowing a pale blue. He looks up at her and asks one final question. "Who are you?" Not believing that he could be beaten by this girl.
"I'm the Slayer." Buffy answers as the sword comes down taking off the vampire's head. The head and body quickly turn to dust.
She moves to the stairwell to check on the vampire's last victim. She looks at the neck wound and shakes her head. She didn't make in time. < Damn, another innocent life lost. >
Buffy puts her sword back into it's scabbard, as she walks out of the apartment building to the waiting car.
A tall, brown haired man sits behind the wheel of a dark blue Tahoe. As she gets in, he asks. "How'd it go?"
Buffy takes a deep breathe as the car pulls away from the building. "Not good, Steve. I didn't make it in time to save the victim. He looked like a sweet old man. *Damn It* I hate my life. Why can't I save everybody. The world would be a much happier place, wouldn't it?" She asks softly.
Steve looks at his student of five months, and replies. "Buffy, no matter how good we are, there will always be someone out there, who we can't save. Not even Superman can save everybody. We just have to do the best we can and go on." He tells her as he reaches over and squeezes her hand. Buffy just smiles and returns the squeeze, then leans her head on his shoulder for some moral support.
"How's about some food? We've spent the last four hours hunting down seven vampires, and I'm hungry." Steve remarks.
"Sounds like a good idea, there's a burger joint not too far from here, that I used to go to when I lived here, in LA. They make the best onion rings in town." Buffy tells Steve as they make their way down Nathan's Lane.
A few minutes later another tenant comes home and finds Robert Hascombe's body in the stairwell. The police are immediately called in.
Part 2 - A Meeting of Interests
(Never Judge a Slayer or an Alien, By It's Cover)
The being known to Robert Hascombe as Quinn, walks slowly down the street to his old friend's apartment building. Hascombe and Quinn had been friends for the last thirty years and have always tried to get together whenever possible. Tonight was to be one of those nights. He had stopped at the bakery to pick up some pastries for desert. He had checked his watch and saw that he had time to spare, so rather than just popping into Robert's apartment, he decided to walk over, and enjoy the fresh air.
As he turns the corner onto Nathan's Lane, Quinn sees all of the police cars pulled up to the front of Robert's building. Worry for his friend quickens his steps as he hurries over to see if Robert is all right.
As he approaches the front of the building, a police officer politely stops him. Quinn, knowing that the police officer is just doing his job, doesn't blast him into atoms. Quinn asks about his friend, Robert who lives in the building. "Officer Russell," Quinn asks, reading the officer's name tag. "Can you tell me if my friend, Robert Hascombe is all right? He lives in apartment 1C."
The officer looks at Quinn for a second and asks. "Can you wait here for a moment please, Sir?"
The officer goes into the building and returns a couple of minutes later with a lovely young woman, who escorts him into the building. She identifies herself as Det. Tracy Vetter.
"Sir, can I have your name please?" Det. Vetter asks Quinn.
"Certainly, Detective. My name is Quinn." Quinn replies.
"Mr. Quinn, may I have your full name please?" Det. Vetter asks as she pauses in her writing.
"That is my full name." Quinn replies as they enter the lobby.
Det. Vetter looks up at the ceiling, rolling her eyes. < Only in California, Toronto was a lot better. > She thinks to herself.
The scene in the lobby is chaotic. Police and forensic people are everywhere. The detective escorts him to the chief investigator of the major crimes unit, Captain John Randall. Captain Randall takes one more look at the crime scene and turns to Quinn as Det. Vetter introduces him.
"Good evening Mr. Quinn. I'm sorry to tell you this, but it appears as though your friend, Mr. Hascombe, has been murdered here, tonight." Captain Randall tells Quinn.
"May I ask how this happened?" A very distraught Quinn asks. The box of pastries falls from his shaking hands.
Randall looks into Quinn's eyes and his gut tells him to give it to this man straight. "Someone grabbed your friend at his apartment door, slammed his head into the door and dragged him to the stairwell, ripped his throat out and drained all of the blood from his body. The murder happened about thirty minutes ago." Captain Randall bluntly tells him. "This is the twentieth murder like this in Los Angeles, this week.Quinn is shocked. How could someone do this to Robert? Of all of the beings Quinn has known in his long life, Robert was one the most gentle and caring individuals he had ever known. Now this gentle, caring man was dead in a stairwell. Quinn was angry, somebody was going to pay for this. As he formulates a plan, he notices that Captain Randall is trying to ask him some questions, < Those questions will have to wait. > Quinn thinks to himself. < First, I have to save Robert. >
Quinn uses his powers to side step time and travel back to the murder, just as it happens. He witnesses the assault and watches as the being drags Robert into the stairwell. As the being laughs, Quinn stops time and grabs Robert, replacing him with a non-sentient double.
"Robert, open your eyes." Quinn tells him.
Robert opens his eyes and sees his friend, Quinn. Then he looks over and sees himself with the thing that was trying to kill him.
"Quinn, how?" Robert sputters.
"Don't worry, that's not you. It's a double I created and replaced you with." Quinn tells him. "Now I want to see what that thing is going to do."
They watch as the being rips into the double's throat and greedily sucks down the blood.
"My god, that's a vampire." Robert gasps out. "I thought they were only myths. Stories to scare children"
"Well it looks like this one is real enough" Quinn replies, as he watches, in fascination, as it completes it's feeding.
As Quinn is thinking of a suitable punishment for the creature, it suddenly moves to the door and opens it slightly, looking into the lobby. Quinn phases himself and Robert to the lobby, still out of time and observes the girl entering. They watch as the girl walks up to the spilled groceries and looks around. The vampire hiding in the stairway suddenly leaps out to grab the girl.
Robert, seeing this, turns to Quinn. "Quinn, you must help her." Robert pleads
As Quinn is preparing to help her, the girl slams a kick into the vampire's face, stunning it. Both Robert and Quinn are surprised at the turn of events and wait to see the outcome. They watch as the girl beats the vampire senseless, by repeatedly slamming him, head first, into a wall.
"My God, how can a little girl like that beat a vampire?" Robert mutters. Quinn is curious as well. They watch as the vampire asks in an awed voice "Who are you?" They continue to watch as she pulls out a sword with a glowing blade, from her trench coat, and the girl replies. "I'm the Slayer", and then she beheads it. Both watch, amazed, as the body and head turn immediately to dust.
The girl puts the sword back into her coat and goes to check on the double's body. Quinn and Robert both see how saddened she is by the sight.
As they follow her out, Robert asks. "Quinn, what's a Slayer, and where did that sword go? It should be sticking out of her coat, but I don't see it. And why was it glowing?"
"The Slayer part, I don't understand either, but the sword disappeared because of spatial displacement. Curious, humanity shouldn't have that knowledge, yet. The blue glow was something that I haven't ever run into before either." Quinn mutters, entranced by what has just happened. "Let's follow her." Quinn states.
They follow her to a dark blue off road vehicle, and listen to the girl and her companion's conversation.
Robert turns to Quinn. "Did I hear correctly? These two people have killed seven vampires this night?" He asks in awe.
Quinn nods his head. Turning to Robert, he says. "Let's follow them. This could prove very interesting."
"Ah Quinn, would you mind answering a question for me?" Robert asks.
"Sure, Robert. What is it?"
"How are you doing all of this? The double, people not being able to see us, everything." Robert asks in a hushed whisper.
Quinn takes a deep sigh and begins. "First Robert, I'm not human." Robert nods in acceptance. "Second, I'm a member of what's called the Q Continuum. What that is, is basically a group of omnipotent beings who are superior to everything else in the universe. We have almost ultimate knowledge and can bend reality as we see fit. That about covers it." Quinn tells him.
"Then why are you my friend? You could know anybody in the world, the richest and most famous. Why choose an old piano player?" An awed Robert asks.
"Because you never were anything but yourself and you gave me your friendship freely, Robert. You never asked anything of me either, just my company. Very few people are like that. It's something that I always liked about you. Besides, being omnipotent gets to be boring, real fast. And having good friends to talk to, or share an evening with is something that I've always cherished." Quinn answers.
"So what's to become of me now, Quinn? The police think that I'm dead and I can't just appear back in my apartment. There would be too many questions and the government would find out about you and try to hunt you down." Robert tells him.
"Oh that's no problem." Quinn tells him, with a smile, as he holds up a mirror. "Here's the present that I was going to give you on your next birthday." Robert holds up the mirror and looks into the face of a twenty year old. He touches it hesitantly, wondering if it was an illusion.
He turns to Quinn, and asks in awe. "How. . . , how did you do this?"
"Simple, I rejuvenated your body back to where it was when you were about twenty." Quinn tells him with a smile. "You're my friend Robert. I couldn't watch you die of old age, when you haven't even seen another world."
"Quinn, I don't know what to say, other than thank you." Robert tells him in a hushed voice.
"Just don't change on me, Robert." Quinn tells him with a smile.
They move in behind the couple as they sit down to eat at the restaurant. The man called Steve holds out the girl's chair. Robert smiles, acknowledging the man's sense of chivalry.
Quinn asks. "Robert, why did he hold out the chair for the girl? She looks able enough to do it herself."
"Quinn, it's not the fact that she could do it herself. It's the fact that he had the courtesy to do it for her. Manners say much about a man. And how a woman looks at him. And it's obvious that," Robert points to Buffy, "that girl adores him."
The waitress comes over the table shared by Buffy and Steve. She gives the day's specials and takes their orders. Buffy orders a cheese burger and Steve orders a couple of slices of pizza. While they eat, they go over the night's events. Quinn and Robert listen in wonder and awe.
"I wonder where all of these new vampires came from. I thought we had cleared LA last week?" Steve asks.
"Don't know, maybe the big conventions attracted them. It's been a while since we got seven of them in one night." Buffy remarks.
"They might think that hunting's easier with so many strangers in town. Let's check in with Giles." Steve comments as he reaches for his cell phone and dials Giles' home number. He holds the phone between Buffy's and his ears. Jenny picks up the phone.
"Giles residence, can I help you?" Jenny asks.
"Hi Jenny, you guys naked yet?" Steve replies with a smirk.
"Buffy are you listening in?" Jenny asks.
"Yes, I am." Buffy replies with a giggle.
"Then smack that boyfriend of yours for me. Really hard." Jenny tells her with a giggle.
Buffy smacks Steve on the back of the head.
Steve drops the phone on the table and looks at Buffy. "What was that for?" He asks.
"Jenny asked me to smack you, so I smacked you." Buffy replies with a smug look.
*****
Quinn gives Robert a look and asks. "May I ask what is going on, now?"
Robert chuckles and replies. "Young love."
*****
Meanwhile Steve and Buffy are having their usual argument with Giles and Jenny, their Watchers . . . .
"Listen Giles, next time Jenny tells Buffy to smack me, she gets to do the hand to hand combat practice with her." Steve tells them.
"Steve, you brought it on yourself. The idea, that Jenny and myself are here, naked, pleasantly cool and tucked away, while we should be watching you hunt vampires on a hot, humid July night in Los Angeles is utterly preposterous." Giles replies. His smirk could be heard through the phone.
"Okay, so which one of you is wearing the top, and which one the bott..Ouch!!" Buffy smacks Steve, again.
"What was that for?" Steve asks.
"For stealing my line." Buffy replies with a giggle.
"All right children, that's enough." Giles replies over the cell phone. "Can you two stop bickering long enough to give me a status report."
Buffy and Steve look at each other and grin evilly as both reply at the same time, "Yes Giles, Oh Supreme Watcher of Miss Calendar's Behind."
"Steven St. Wolf, you are a forty year old Immortal, but you act like a teenager. Buffy Summers, you should act more like an adult and not drag Steve down to your level." Giles replies in an exasperated voice. Jenny could be heard in the back ground, laughing.
Steve and Buffy are laughing at Giles' comment. The rest of the patrons wonder what's so funny, but the go back to their meals with amused shakes of their heads. Buffy and Steve manage to get a hold of themselves and get back to business.
"Are we through having fun at your Watcher's expense?" Giles asks.
"Yeah Giles, sorry, just relieving the tension. The hunt's been a little heavy tonight. We got seven tonight. We were just thinking that maybe a new vampire clan moved into town." Buffy replies.
"You might be right." Giles muses. "So far you've killed thirty four vampires this week and it's only Thursday." Giles replies. "The previous three weeks have seen much less activity."
"I wonder what the hell they're planning." Buffy comments.
"Nothing good." Steve replies.
*****
Meanwhile, outside the Burger-to- Go, a group of fifteen vampires finishes off two of their latest victims. The leader, a large and burly vampire calling himself Thomas, decides to fill up for a couple of nights and maybe add a couple more vampires to the population. He points to the Burger-to-Go and orders. "Let's take over that place and drain it dry!!"
Thomas orders three vampires to the rear of the restaurant, in case anyone manages to escape out the back. The rest of the vampires follow his lead as he walks through the front door and orders everyone in the restaurant herded into a corner. His vampires move to comply.
*****
Above the vampires, Billy and Jinx have moved into position and are making ready to attack the vampires. The rest of their clan was about ten minutes behind them, but the lives of innocent people mattered and they have decided to attack the vampires as they try to take over the restaurant, giving the patrons a chance to run. Hoping that the rest of the clan makes it in time to save their lives.
*****
Robert turns to Quinn and says. "You were right Quinn. This is turning out to be a very interesting and enlightening evening."
Quinn takes a quick look by the door, and tells Robert. "And it's about to get more interesting." Robert looks at Quinn, wondering why he would say that. Quinn points to the door that's now blocked by a dozen vampires.
"Are you going to help?" Robert asks.
"Only if they need it." Quinn replies, happy just to be an observer in this situation.
Part 3 - Slaughter at the Burger-to-Go (Are You Ready To Rummmmble, and No, Fonzi is Not Around, But Richie's Making a Movie Just Down the Street)
Buffy suddenly jerks when the first vampire steps through the door. She looks over to the door and sees a dozen vampires. Steve notices her actions and quickly tells Giles, "Giles, a dozen vampires just walked in. Gotta go." Then he hangs up the phone.
*****
Giles stares at the phone in his hands and he offers up a silent prayer for the girl that he thought of as his daughter and the man who has become like a brother to him. He turns to Jenny, worry showing on his face.
Jenny seeing the expression on his face asks simply. "How many?"
"A dozen. I hope they can win against those odds."
"Rupert, those two are the best. Don't lose hope."
"I know, but sometimes it's just so hard."
"Hush now," Jenny tells him as she wraps her arms around him. "You know they'll win. They have to."
*****
The leader, obvious by his sheer size and attitude, orders the other vampires to herd the patrons and staff off to one side. Making it easier to pick and choose their victims.
Quinn and Robert notice Steve and Buffy moving to the side, away from the other patrons. Thomas, the lead vampire, notices this as well, so he orders four vampires to attack them, thinking them easy targets. As the vampires pounce, Buffy takes out a stake and stabs one in the heart, dusting him. Steve grabs a vampire by the throat and plunges a stake into it's heart. Buffy then ball kicks another vampire. As it doubles over, Buffy gives it a taste of wood. Steve takes out the fourth vampire with a straight arm stab to the heart. The four vampires are gone in less than a minute. Steve and Buffy haven't even broken a sweat.
Quinn, Robert and Thomas watch the man and woman defeat the four vampires sent against them. Quinn and Robert are impressed with the couple's combat skills. Thomas suddenly finds doubt in his ability to take these two.
*****
Billy and Jinx hesitate in their attack. After seeing the four vampires being taken down, they decide to wait and see what happens and help, if these two needed any help.
As they watch Jinx asks. "Who the hell are those two?"
"Don't know, but I think the fight's just gotten interesting."
*****
The vampire leader steps forward. "Who are you two? No normal humans can kill four vampires in less than a minute." He said.
"Oh, so sorry, we forgot to introduce ourselves." Steve replies sarcastically. "Allow me to introduce us. I'm called Wanderer." The vampire leader turns even paler. "And the pleasant young lady next to me is the Slayer." Several vampires start to move toward the door.
Buffy executes several back flips and lands next to the two vampires guarding the hostages. As she lands, both vampires attack her. Her sword cuts in a complete 360 degree circle, taking both heads. Both bodies and heads disintegrate before they hit the floor.
Meanwhile, Steve heads for the door. As he jumps over a table to block the vampires trying to escape, he pulls out his Katana, and goes into a tumble, cutting off the legs of a running vampire. As he gets up from the tumble, he takes the vampire's head. Another vampire, seeing Steve distracted attempts to attack him with a flying tackle. Steve, seeing this, punches the vampire in the face with a tiger's claw strike. The vampire falls down to its knees, its face smashed in, stunned. A normal man would be dead from such a devastating blow. Steve takes a wooden knife out of his coat and stabs it in the heart. Then, he takes the same knife and throws it into the heart of the vampire standing by the door, dusting it, before he could run.
In less than three minutes the odds have dropped from twelve to two to three to two. The three remaining vampires are scared. One of them attempts to grab a child for a hostage. Buffy stops him with a thrown stake through the heart. The leader and his last vampire rush Steve, who is now blocking the door. The leader grabs his crony and throws him into Steve, trying to knock him down. Steve, seeing what is going on, ducks down and slices the vampire's head off as he passes over him. A cloud of dust lands in the parking lot.
*****
Outside the restaurant, Billy and Jinx watch in fascination, as the man and woman take out the vampires. Jinx turns to Billy. "Billy, those two are incredible. I've never seen anyone able to draw a sword while doing a series of back flips, and then behead two opponents on the landing."
"Neither have I, Jinx. Didn't they come here in that blue blazer?" Billy asks as he takes photos.
"Yeah, they were the last people in before the vampires attacked."
Billy moves to the car and plants a G.P.S. tracker on it. Billy and Jinx then move back to the roof, the outcome in the restaurant beyond question.
*****
The leader, seeing what happened to his crony, tries for a window but Buffy trips him with a sweep kick. He gets up and grabs a chair, trying to beat Buffy down with it. Buffy steps back, letting the chair pass by her. Then she steps in and cuts open the leader's gut with her Katana. He falls to his knees, holding in his guts in with both hands. Buffy walks up to him and cuts off his head. The battle's lasted less than five minutes, but both are tired.
As they make their exit, Steve comments. "I guess that this means no dessert."
*****
Robert and Quinn standing off to one side, slightly out of phase are speechless. Quinn is the first to speak. "Never on a thousand worlds, have I seen a pair of warriors, this deadly. This is proving to be a real learning experience."
"You've got that right." Robert comments. "Are we going to follow them some more?"
"Yes, I do believe we will, Robert." Quinn states as they follow the pair to the dark blue Blazer in the parking lot.
*****
Buffy looking at the large number of police car approaching, as they enter the Tahoe, comment wryly. "I think we should get out of here. The LA police doesn't like vigilantes too much. Especially when we've just killed a dozen vampires and left no bodies, but plenty of witnesses."
"So, shall we go home now?" Steve asks.
"Yep, but let's give Giles a quick update," Buffy comments.
Buffy picks up the cell phone in the Tahoe. She sets it on speaker and waits for Giles to pick up.
"Buffy, Steve. Are you both all right?" A worried Giles asks.
"Yes, Giles, we're both all right." Buffy replies.
"What happened at the restaurant?" Giles asks.
"Scratch another twelve vamps Giles." Steve comments.
"Another twelve? How long did it take you to defeat them? It's not even ten minutes since you hung up on me." Giles comments.
"About five minutes, Giles" Buffy replies.
"My word, you two are getting too good at this." Giles comments.
"Giles, I think our earlier speculation was right. Another large group of vampires has moved in." Steve comments.
"It's possible. They might be filling in the vacuum you two have created by killing most of LA's vampires. I'll have to check with the other watchers and see who's on the move, so to speak." Giles replies.
"All right Giles, check it out tomorrow. We're calling it a night." Buffy tells him.
"Giles, who's doing patrol duty tonight?" Steve asks.
"Frank and a lady named Cassandra, are handling the patrol duties this night." Giles replies.
Steve smiles. His best friend, Frank, has had the hots for the Immortal Cassandra for the last seven years. And by the way she constantly made time to be with him, the feelings were mutual.
"We should make it back home in time for the final patrol. Want to make it a foursome?" Steve asks Buffy.
"Sure, it'll give me time to get to know the lady in Frank's life." Buffy replies with a smile.
Part 4 - Aftermath At The Burger-To-Go
(Frohike Finds a New Goddess)
The parking lot of the Burger-to-Go is filled with police cars. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter are on the scene. The police have found two bodies stuffed in the parking lot dumpsters. Both bodies had been drained of blood. < This case was getting too fucking weird. First that Quinn just up's and disappears with half the LA homicide unit watching. And now this. > Captain Randall thinks to himself.
All of the patrons questioned have basically given the same story. A dozen men had invaded the restaurant, and proceeded to herd the patrons and staff into a corner, and do what? That's where the stories split up. First, some of the patrons reported that a man and a woman had fought off the invaders with swords that glowed like light sabers. A second group had reported that the man and woman used wooden stakes. And the final group's story is the weirdest of the lot. Who could believe that two groups of aliens had fought it out? One group protecting the people, the other group, trying to drain their blood. The good aliens had won and left, destroying the bad aliens. But to top it all off, the security camera tape had been stolen by someone.
< Only in LA > Captain Randall thinks to himself. He turns to the FBI Agent assisting his team, Joe Tanaka. "Joe, what do you think happened here? I can't believe any of the stories those people," Captain Randall looks over at the witnesses, "are saying. It just boggles the mind. People do not turn to dust when they are killed."
"John, I can't make sense of this either. I don't want to do this, but it looks like I'll have to call them in." Joe tells Captain Randall.
"Who are you talking about, Joe. At this point, I'm ready to call in every psychic and gypsy in town to solve this case." Captain Randall replies.
"I'll have to clear it with my boss, but I'm going to request the 'Spook Patrol'." Joe tells him.
"The 'Spook Patrol?' Who the hell is that, the Ghostbusters' competition?" Captain Randall cracks.
"No John, it's the FBI's X-Files division. The two agents who run it, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, are nicknamed Spooky and Ice Queen, respectively." Joe tells him.
"You're kidding, I hope." Captain Randall replies.
"I wish I was. I meet them about five months ago, and they left a very bad impression." Joe replies, not mentioning that they had reprimanded him for attempting to interfere in one of their cases.
******
Officer Jarod Russell has just finished taking the statement of a young woman and looks over the scene in the Burger to Go. < What these people are describing is incredible. When I decided to involve myself in this case, I never thought that solving it would be beyond my skills. > Jarod fingers the vial of dust in his pocket. He would analyze it tomorrow at Cal State. < And what is a Slayer exactly? >
As he is standing next to Captain Randall and Agent Tanaka, he overhears their conversation and decides to look up Agents Mulder and Scully and the X-Files.
*****
Meanwhile, across the street, Frohike of the Lone Gunmen, was standing there watching the chaos around the Burger to Go. He and his cousin Matt had stopped there to get something to eat and witnessed everything. Matt had grabbed the surveillance tape on their way out, before the cops came.
Matt, standing next to his cousin Frohike, couldn't believe what he just seen go down in the restaurant. The tape he had 'borrowed' contained the proof they needed to uncover another government conspiracy.
Frohike turns to Matt. "Let's get back to your place. I need to call my partners and Mulder about this." Matt nods his head and goes to his car.
*****
On a rooftop, overlooking the Burger-to-Go, Jinx and Billy of the Storm Shadow Ninja clan watch as the police move about making notes and taking pictures.
"Jinx, I saw the battle, but I still can't believe what I saw." A shaken Billy comments.
"I know Billy. Those two were incredible. Do you think that it's the same people Scarlet and Snake Eyes told us about?" Jinx replies.
"Must be. Hope the photos I took come out." Billy replies, as Tommy, Nunchuk and Shuriken arrive.
Tommy noting the police cars asks. "What happened?"
Billy and Jinx quickly give a detailed report on the battle and it's outcome. Tommy looks down on the chaotic scene below and simply says. "Let's go."
The clan leaves the roof, going back to their base of operations.
*****
In an alley across from the Burger to Go, the three vampires left behind by Thomas watch the scene before them. They had seen Thomas lead eleven vampires into the restaurant and get slaughtered by the man and woman. A vampire named Reggie decides to go back and tell their queen that the Slayer was in town and she wasn't alone.
*****
At Matt's apartment, Frohike puts the tape into the VCR. They watch the video of the fight repeatedly. Especially the parts with girl in it.
"My God, she's a goddess." An awed Frohike states.
Matt is grinning ear to ear. He's heard his cousin only talk about one woman, Dana Scully.
Frohike reaches for the phone and calls Mulder's cell phone.
Mulder answers. "Mulder"
"Mulder, this is Frohike. I'm in Los Angeles and something's happened." Frohike tells him.
"What happened, Frohike?" A worried Mulder asks.
"I've got a video tape of government super soldiers armed with disintegrators, killing aliens." Frohike exclaims.
"Hold on Frohike, describe exactly what happened." Mulder tells him. Frohike then describes the situation at the Burger to Go and the two super soldiers who had rescued the people inside.
"Listen to me, Frohike," Mulder tells him. "Don't do anything. I have a friend in the area who will help you. Go to this address in Sunnydale." Mulder gives Frohike Steve's home address. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM. He'll know what to do with the tape."
"Thanks Mulder, I'll be careful." Frohike tells him and hangs up the phone.
Frohike turns to his cousin Matt. "Can you tell me how to get to Sunnydale tomorrow?"
Matt nods his head. "Sure, no problem."
"Okay, let's boot up your computer, transfer this image to digital and send it to Langley and Byers, just in case." Frohike tells him.
After they finish uploading the tape, Frohike turns to Matt.
"All right, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Frohike says.
*****
At the Storm Shadow Clan's LA base, Billy has just finished developing and blowing up the photographs he had taken at the Burger-to-Go. He immediately takes the still wet photos to the conference room, where the rest of the clan is waiting for them. As he enters the room, a group of anxious people wait for him.
He places the photos on the situation board and then moves away. A man and a woman walk up and examine the pictures closely. After a couple of seconds, they turn to their 'family' and confirm the identities of the two people in the photos.
"It's them." The woman confirms. "The man is named Steve and girl is named Buffy. They're still alive." Her husband merely nods his head in agreement and smiles. Scarlet turns to Billy and Jinx and asks. "You only saw these two?"
Billy and Jinx nod.
"I hope Mack is also alive." Scarlet murmurs.
Tommy turns to Billy and Jinx and asks, "Did you get the license plate of the vehicle they were using?"
Billy replies. "No." Tommy casts his apprentice a hard glance. Billy smiles, as he tells them. "I planted a G.P.S. tracker on their car. I have it's current location on my computer map right now."
Tommy cracks a smile. "Good, we'll pay them a visit tomorrow afternoon. Now let's get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a long day and night."
*****
Scully's Apartment - Richmond VA.
Mulder wakes up to the sound of his ringing cell phone. He reaches for the phone, hoping not to wake up his wife, Dana. He hits the send button and answers. "Mulder."
"Mulder, this is Frohike. I'm in Los Angeles and something's happened." The excited voice tells him.
"What happened Frohike?" A worried Mulder asks.
"I've got a video tape of government super soldiers armed with disintegrators, killing aliens." Frohike exclaims.
"Hold on Frohike, describe exactly what happened." Mulder tells him. Frohike then describes the situation at the Burger to Go and the two super soldiers who had rescued the people inside.
Mulder could barely keep in his laughter. Frohike was describing a vampire hunt. Buffy and Steve were still at it, and Frohike somehow got caught in the middle of a battle.
"Listen to me, Frohike," Mulder tells him. "Don't do anything. I have a friend in the area who will help you. Go to this address in Sunnydale." Mulder gives Frohike Steve's home address. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 PM. He'll know what to do with the tape.
"Thanks Mulder, I'll be careful." Frohike tells him and hangs up the phone.
After Frohike hangs up. Mulder lets out a long, wicked laugh. The laughter wakes up Scully, who's sleeping next to him.
"Mulder, what's so funny?" A sleepy Scully asks.
Mulder tells her about Frohike's call and where he sent him to drop off the tape. Dana starts to giggle.
"You are evil Mulder. Do you hear me? Evil." Dana tells him between giggles. "Oh I wish I could see Frohike's face when he walks into that house."
Just then, her phone rings. Dana gets control of herself as she answers it. "Hello, Scully here."
"Scully, this is Skinner." The caller identifies himself. "I've just had an emergency request for you and Mulder. Pack your bags, you're both leaving on the 10:00 am flight to L.A. But you have to report to my office first, at 8:00 am, for a quick briefing. Do you what me to contact Mulder and tell him?" Skinner asks.
"No sir, he's woken me up a lot of times in the middle of the night. Now, I'll have the pleasure of waking him up." Scully replies with a chuckle.
Skinner also chuckles. "Scully, you're starting to get Mulder's warped sense of humor. Enjoy."
"No problem, sir. Good night." Dana tells Skinner as she hangs up. "Well, it looks like I got my wish." Mulder arches an eyebrow. "Skinner's sending us to LA on the 10:00 am flight. Do you think we could make it to Steve's place before Frohike?" Dana asks.
"And you called me evil? Scully would you marry me?" Mulder asks.
"Too late, I already did." Dana replies with a grin. As she reaches for Mulder. "You know, we still have a couple of hours. And we could sleep on the plane."
Mulder takes her into his arms. "Why Mrs. Mulder, I do believe you want sex."
"Shut up G-man and turn off the lights." Dana tells him.
*****
The vampire called Reggie approaches the figure sitting on the throne like chair. Her name is Katherine. She was once an English noble woman, but a vampire had changed that back in 1125. She now ruled several hundred vampires as their leader. Thomas had been one of her best lieutenants. Reggie approaches the throne and gets on his knees before her. She looks up from the newspaper that she's reading and asks. "Where's Thomas?"
"Gone, Mistress." Reggie replies.
She drops her newspaper and commands. "What happened."
Reggie describes Thomas' plan to attack the restaurant and drain it's patrons dry. He then tells her about the battle he had witnessed inside the restaurant and how all twelve vampires were destroyed. After he finishes, Reggie kneels there waiting for his queen's judgement.
Katherine quickly digests the news that Reggie has brought to her. The Slayer was still hunting in Los Angeles and She had a partner. < So that's how she's been able to kill so many vampires. This could mean problems for my plans to bring back the Demon Throlog, the Merciless. I need time to think. > She calls over a female named Lisa and orders. "Lisa, take Reggie and the other two, and have Pamela draw sketches of what the Slayer and her partner look like. Then bring the sketches to me."
As Reggie gets up to leave, Katherine turns to him. "Reggie, you were correct in coming back here with this information. Good job."
Reggie breathes a sigh of relief, his queen would allow him to live a time longer.
*****
Jarod is not having a good night. He had almost been caught four times while he accessed Agents Mulder and Scully's case files. The sentry program on their files was far beyond what would be normal for the rest of the FBI. But his patience and determination has paid off. He was finally able to get into their files. And what he found there makes him almost wish that he hadn't. Some of the cases these two had assigned to them were so far beyond the norm, that they should have qualified as science fiction or fantasy stories.
Since Jarod had escaped the Centre, he had indulged himself in various aspects of real life. Last Halloween, Jarod had read up on the witches, vampires and other things that go bump in the night. But, he had never believed that he would see actual FBI files, case histories and investigations into werewolves, vampires, aliens, mutants and other supernatural phenomena.
The mere fact that the FBI had two Agents with the credentials of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigating them was enough to raise the hairs on Jarod's neck. This pretend had just gotten really strange, but Jarod was determined to see it through to the end. The death of his friend Heather Michaels demanded it.
< Heather, why did you have to die? > Jarod thinks to himself as he remembers the young nurse who patched him up after one of his pretends almost cost him his life. She never asked anything for herself, just that Jarod finish his work. Jarod's head straightens up and his eyes take on a hard look as he looks over the files in front of him. < You helped me and now I'm going to avenge your murder, Heather. And nothing will get in my way. >
Part 5 - Patrol Duty - Sunnydale - 11:00 p.m.
(How Do You Spell Trouble -
Have Two Best Friends, Date Two Independent Women,
Bring the Women Together and They Actually Begin to Compare
Notes on Their Significant Others)
Steve and Buffy make it back to Sunnydale by 11:00 p.m. Steve calls his house to see if Frank and Cassandra are in. The machine comes on. He turns to Buffy.
"They're not at the house. Where do you think they are?" Steve asks.
"Probably hunting in the grave yard." Buffy replies.
*****
Meanwhile, Frank and Cassandra are at the Bronze, having a dance. Two vampires had been dusted that evening and the last three patrols were fruitless. So they had decided to see what was going on at the Bronze. The dance part had been Frank's idea, so they would blend in. The slow dance had been the band's, thanks to the hundred that Frank had slipped to the lead guitar.
The mood of the club is shattered by the sound of the door smashing closed and the shriek of the lead guitar player being impaled by a spear. Frank and Cassandra turn to face three vampires wearing armor and carrying weapons.
"We want the Slayer." The leader shouts out. "If we don't get her, everyone here dies tonight.
Frank is pissed, they've ruined his evening with Cassandra. He steps forward and pulls out his modified H&K Spec Ops 45 and points it at the leader. Cassandra steps over to their table and pulls out her sword. She moves back to Frank's side, ready for anything.
"You bastards ruined my evening. Now I'm going to make sure you never see another sunset." Frank tells them.
The leader laughs. "Bullets can't hurt us, mortal. Go ahead and shoot." He exclaims.
Frank shoots all three vampires in the chest. They become dust. Frank just smiles, and puts away his gun. < Too bad they don't know about wooden bullets. > He turns to Cassandra, and says. "Let's go home. I think the night is shot."
Cassandra just nods, reaching for her coat and puts her sword away. The sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. The rest of the Bronze's patrons are getting up from the floor where they went when the fight started. Everyone looks at the body of the lead guitarist, still standing, being supported by the spear.
When the police come, they clear out the Bronze and make the usual reports ruling the death an accident.
*****
Frank and Cassandra get to the house just as Buffy and Steve are pulling out to look for them.
Steve and Buffy pull their car back into the driveway and wait for Frank and Cassandra to pull in along side their car.
"Frank, how goes the hunt?" Steve asks as the group makes it's way to the side door of Steve's house.
"Fine Steve, we got five tonight. Two in the cemetery, and three attacked the Bronze, trying to get to Buffy. The three in the Bronze wore armor and carried weapons." A tired sounding Frank tells Steve and Buffy.
"Did you say that the last three wore armor?" Buffy asks, as she opens the door and turns off the alarms.
"Yep, they wore armor, but the bullets got through it and shredded their evil little hearts." Frank replies with a grin. < When did Buffy get a key to Steve's house? >
"Damn! It's the 'Three' again. I thought the previous master destroyed them." Buffy tells them.
"Well, we'll have Giles look it up in the morning." Steve tells her. "Do you need a ride home? I'm ready to hit the sack."
"No, I'll stay here tonight." Buffy replies with a smile. "In one of the guest rooms. Besides, it'll give me a chance to talk to Cassandra."
"Who's covering for you? Willow?" Steve asks.
"Yeah, Mom thinks I'm studying over there tonight." Buffy tells Steve.
Meanwhile Frank and Cassandra are whispering to each other. They both turn to Steve. "Steve, Buffy." Frank tells them. "Cassie and I are going to bed. Goodnight."
"Rats. Now I don't get any dirt on Frank." Buffy pouts. Steve and Cassandra laugh, and Frank just glares at her.
"Listen here, little girl," Frank warns. "I am not your boyfriend. He is." Frank points to Steve. "Do whatever you want to him. Hell, I'll help. But keep out of MY life."
Buffy starts to explain, but she breaks down and starts to cry. Steve immediately goes to her defense.
"Frank, relax. Buffy meant no harm by it." Steve explains.
Frank turns to Steve, and angrily tells him. "Steve, you've always been the type who likes to settle down and have a permanent partner. That's why you don't mind how she's been setting you up these last two months. Me, I don't let anyone tell me how to live. If Cassandra and I want to stay together, we will. But no seventeen year old match-maker will do it for us."
Cassandra, walks over to Buffy and quietly talks to her for a couple of seconds. After talking to Buffy, she gently hugs her and gives her a tissue.
Cassandra then walks over to where Frank and Steve are arguing. "Frank, Buffy wanted to talk to me about her relationship with Steve. Her remark about you was just an excuse, so Steve wouldn't be suspicious."
The anger just drains away from Frank's face. He looks over to Buffy, who's crying on the couch. He goes over and talks to her.
"Buffy, I'm sorry that I exploded like that. Cassandra and I were having a good time when those three vampires ruined it. That really pissed me off. I didn't mean to take it out on you. Sorry." Frank stammerers out.
Buffy gives Frank a smile. "I know where your coming from Frank. Twelve vamps ruined my dinner with Steve tonight. No bad blood." Buffy holds out her hand. Frank takes it and she gives him a hug.
"All right, if everyone is finished. Let's all get some sleep. Buffy, treat the last bed room on the right as yours." Steve tells her.
"You mean permanently?" Buffy replies with a smile.
< What the hell did I just do? > Steve thinks to himself as he replies with a sigh. "Yes, permanently, if you like."
"Cool." Buffy replies, as she bounces up, gives Steve a hug, and takes her overnight bag upstairs.
"What did you just do, Steve?" Frank asks with a grin on his face. Cassandra walks up to him and wraps her arms around his waist, waiting for Steve's reply.
"I think I just asked her to move in." Steve replies in a whisper.
"Well worst things have happened, and you got through them. So get used to it. Good night." Frank tells Steve. Frank and Cassandra turn around and go to their room, quietly having a good laugh.
Steve just stands there, wondering who set him up. Buffy couldn't have thought of this on her own. Or pulled it off by herself. It had to be either Frank or Cassandra, but probably both. He will definitely get even for this.
*****
As Frank and Cassandra enter their room, both laugh. "Did you see Steve's face when he realized he was set up?" Frank comments between laughs.
"Yes, but he didn't look too pissed. I wonder what's on his mind?"
"Probably figuring out a way to get even with us. It's definitely going to be something nasty. Bet on it." Frank replies with a grin, not caring in the least.
"Those two need to be together. Steve is taking far too long."
"Steve knows Buffy's history and doesn't want to hurt her."
"Frank, sometimes going too slow, also hurts" Cassandra tells Frank as she turns down the bed.
"I know, but Steve also has his personal feelings to sort out." Frank explains as he gets into bed with Cassandra. "He hasn't been with a woman since his wife Kathy died."
"Fifteen years? Frank, that's not healthy. Even for an Immortal."
"Tell me about it. But Steve loved Kathy a lot and Buffy's the first woman that's ever gotten past the shell he's built up around himself. Just give them a little more time and we'll have to drag them out of the bedroom."
"And if they don't?"
"Then we lock them up together for a week and let nature take it's course." Frank replies with a grin.
Cassandra shares his grin. "Think the others will help?"
"Oh yes, especially Willow and Cordelia. Those two are getting pissed that Buffy and Steve haven't done anything yet."
"Sounds like a plan." And with a grin Cassandra rolls over and turns off the light. "Now get over here." Cassandra orders.
"Yes, Ma'am." Frank replies with a grin as he reaches for her in the darkness.
Part 6 - Debriefs, Dissertations and Convergences -
J. Edgar Hoover Federal Building - 8:00 am
(Rogaine is Definitely Not a Good Christmas Present For Your Superior/
When Someone Offers You an Assault Force, Take It.)
Mulder and Scully were making their way down the hall toward Assistant Director Skinner's office. He had ordered them in to brief them on the situation in LA.
Skinner's secretary waves them in. Assistant Director Skinner is sitting behind his desk, working on some reports. He waves them into the chairs in front of his desk.
After finishing the reports, Skinner looks directly at Mulder and Scully as he tells them. "There have been a rash of vampire type murders in Los Angeles over the last two months and in the last two weeks, they've escalated dramatically. The local police are stumped and the FBI field office can't figure it out either." Skinner tosses a thick file folder across his desk. "The field office has requested your help. But they've asked me to rein in your attitudes," Skinner crosses his arms and looks directly at Scully. "Especially yours Agent Scully. Now I don't know where they got the idea from, and I'm quite curious. Care to explain?"
Scully shifts uneasily in her seat as she begins. "Director Skinner, the last time we were in LA, one of Agent Daniels' people, an Agent Tanaka, attempted to usurp a case that we were working on. I took the liberty of informing him that our orders came directly from you, and that Agent in Charge Daniels had no right to order us around. If he had any questions on the matter, to take them up with you, personally." Scully explains.
Skinner looks at Scully for a moment, before he says. "Well that explains it. Daniels always was an asshole, this just confirms it." Skinner replies with a grin. "All right you two, have a good trip and don't piss too many people off."
Mulder and Scully get up and leave. As they're going to their car, Mulder slyly comments to Scully. "Well that's a switch, this time they're complaining about you."
"Mulder, if you ever want to have sex again, shut up." Scully replies with a grin of her own.
"Ahhh Scully, why can't I have a little fun?" Mulder whines playfully as they get into their car for the drive to the airport.
"Because I don't want you to." Scully replies with a mischievous smile.
"Why Mrs. Mulder, I do believe you are having fun with me." Mulder comments.
"Of course I am, what else is a wife for?" Scully replies with a smile.
"Let me call Steve and tell him what's going on." Mulder tells Scully.
"Mulder, it's 5:30 am in Sunnydale, and Steve is probably still asleep. Don't forget he and Buffy spend their nights hunting vampires." Scully replies.
"I know." Mulder replies with a grin as he reaches for the cell phone.
Mulder dials Steve's home number and a sleepy Steven St. Wolf answers. "It's now 5:30 am, if the world isn't ending in twenty minutes or you're not a super model who wants to jump my bones, then you are dead, whoever you are."
Mulder snickers, as he replies. "Wake up sleepy head. This is your favorite FBI agent calling to say hello. Hello." Then Mulder hangs up the phone. Scully shoots a 'what the hell are you doing' look at him. Mulder just grins.
A minute later, his cell phone rings. Mulder answers it. "Mulder is not here right now. He is on his way to LA to investigate a series of vampire like murders. Please leave a message at the beep. BEEP."
"Mulder, I am definitely going to beat the hell out of you, next time I see you. Couldn't you have called me in an hour?"
"Sorry Steve, I couldn't resist. Listen, we'll be in LA in about six hours. After we check in with the locals, then we'll come by the house. Got any empty rooms available?"
"For you and Dana, of course I have a room. Are you two really investigating the vampire deaths in LA?"
"Sure are." Mulder confirms it. Steve chuckles. "Now that's irony. Buffy will be happy to see Dana again. Frank and Cassandra are here as well."
"Sounds like we're going to have some backup on this case. We'll be over by 3:00 p.m. There's another matter that we have to discuss with you and Buffy when we get there. Nothing important, but I think you two will get a kick out of it."
"Okay, see you at three o'clock then. Have a pleasant trip." Steve says, then hangs up and goes back to sleep.
*****
After Mulder and Scully leave Skinner's office, a back door opens and the man Mulder and Scully refer to as Cancer Man enters. He looks directly at Skinner and comments with a smile. "So the Los Angeles office is having a problem with vampires. This type of case is their speciality."
Skinner looks at the man in distaste. "I take it that they won't be stepping on any of your toes this time?"
The man chuckles evilly. "Definitely not. Keep them out there for as long as they need to stay and solve the case. If Daniels gives you any problems, back them up. I'll make sure that twit doesn't screw with them."
*****
Mulder and Scully make to it the Dulles International Airport with time to spare. As they enter the boarding area for their flight, both feel the familiar 'buzz' of another Immortal. The look around and see four men walking towards them. The man in the lead is known to both. Five months ago, he had helped them, Buffy and Steve, destroy two hundred vampires. The man's name is Mack Bolan.
As Bolan's group approaches, Mack holds out his hand. "Mulder, Scully, it's nice to see you both again. It's been what, five months since we met?" Mack comments. His three companions share a common trait with Mack. They all have the look of professional soldiers.
"Hi Mack. What are you doing here?" Mulder asks taking his hand.
"Just wishing my friends here," He introduces Carl 'Ironman' Lyons, Herman 'Gadgets' Schwartz and Rosario 'Politician' Blancanales, "a pleasant trip. They're on the way back to LA for some rest and relaxation. Where are you two off to? Not LA, I hope." Mack replies with a grin.
Mulder looks at Scully, who nods her agreement. "In fact we are. There are a series of murders in LA that we're going to help investigate. You know the type, you helped us with the last one." Mulder tells him.
Mack thinks back to what happened five months ago, when he, Mulder and Scully, along with friends old and new, helped rid the town of Sunnydale of two hundred vampires. Mack makes a decision. Then he turns to his three friends, and calls them over. "Carl, I know I promised you three some time off. But Mulder and Scully may need some backup. Are you three willing to lend a hand?"
His three friends nod their agreement to help.
Mulder and Scully are surprised at Mack's generosity. They look at each other and silently agree, only if they need the help in the worst way, would they call in Mack's friends.
Mulder turns to Mack. "Mack, we already have local backup. Steve and Buffy are more than capable of helping us." Mulder explains.
"I know Steve and Buffy are capable, but if the shit hits the fan, call in Carl. He'll be able to cut through the bull shit and help you get things done. Especially with the LAPD." Mack explains.
Mulder and Scully look doubtful. Mulder voices his doubts. "Look Mack, Scully and I can't have a private vigilante group running around LA. The Bureau and locals won't stand for it."
"Mulder, have you ever heard of the Stony Man group?" Mack asks quietly.
"You mean the top secret, covert operations unit that doesn't exist, and answers only to the President? Nope, haven't heard a thing about it." Mulder replies with a grin.
Mack laughs. "Mulder, you are one dangerous bastard, I'm glad you're on our side. Let me introduce you to Stony Man's American operations group, code named Able Team." Mack nods to his three friends.
Lyons, Blancanales and Schwartz, who have been listening in, nod their heads in acknowledgment.
Lyons looks over the two Feds that Mack had introduced him to. They weren't your run-of-the-mill Feds. For one thing, they weren't full of themselves. Lyons looks over at Mulder and his partner, Scully in detail.
Mulder was tall and lanky. His eyes told his story. Grief, pain and loss. While most people would be down, it had only made this man stronger. Lyons could respect that in a man.
Scully was a head shorter than Mulder and well built. Her eyes mirrored Mulder's. These two had seen the dark side of humanity and survived. No, not just survived, become stronger as individuals, and as partners.
Lyons also notes one other fact. These two were partners in the truest sense of the word. They would back each other up, no matter what. < I wonder if they're sleeping together? Probably are, from how close they're standing together. > Lyons thinks to himself with a grin. His thoughts are shared by his two partners.
Schwartz is thinking. < Where have heard this guy's name before? > Then it hits him. < Bear mentioned this guy several times. > Schwartz doesn't remember what Bear was talking about, but he would definitely call him about it.
Mulder, Scully and Mack chat for a short while until the flight to LA is called. Able team and the two FBI agents board their flight. Mack wishes them all good luck and good hunting. As he watches the plane climb into the sky, he sends a silent prayer hoping Able Team survives this mission.
*****
In the corner, off to one side, supposedly reading a magazine, an agent of the Cancer Man makes notes and takes photos of Mulder and Scully's meeting with Mack and his three operatives. After they board the plane, he gets up and follows Mack to his car and gets his license plate number.
The agent then goes back to his office and turns over his notes and photographs to his superior, who immediately gives him a fresh assignment.
The photos are developed, the license plate and it's owner are researched and a report is printed up. All of this is assembled and placed in the 'in' box of the Cancer Man's desk for his review.
Also in the 'in' box are the transcripts from Mulder's and Scully's phones, for the last 48 hours.
*****
Buffy wakes up to the pounding on her door. She turns over and checks the time. It's 7:00 am. She rolls over and sleepily yells. "Mom, it's only 7:00. I don't have to get up for another half hour."
She instantly wakes up when a male voice replies. "Buffy, I want to get some early practice in this morning. Oh, and your mother's not here, so clean up your room." She hear's Steve's chuckle as he moves away from the door.
Buffy gets up and puts on a pair of sweat pants and her favorite 'Don't Trust Anyone Over 300 sweat shirt. As she goes to the door, she also gets her wooden kendo sword out for the practice. < Knowing Steve, I better be ready. > Buffy muses. As she opens the door, a sudden flash catches her eye and she brings up the blade in time to block the slash aimed at her head. She counters with a side kick and a slash of her own.
Steve back pedals and blocks both blows with his thigh and blade respectively. He starts to fence in earnest, cutting high, then low, then to the middle. Steve is setting up a rhythm to the fight. Buffy sees this and hopes that Steve will make a mistake and she can get past his guard. As he hits low, Buffy expects him to go to the middle, but he suddenly goes for her thigh. She barely gets her sword down in time to block the blow, but Steve follows this with a kick to her side, which does connect.
Frank and Cassandra are both rudely awaken by the battle outside their door. Both get up and are armed within seconds. Cassandra pulls open the door while Frank prepares to open fire on anyone outside the door. Frank watches as Steve passes the door. He gets ready to blast whomever Steve is fighting. As the figure draws past the door Frank sees that it's Buffy.
"What the HELL is going on here?" Frank yells.
"Well (ungh) Steve told me to get (omph) up and get in (ouch) some practice. This (ugh) is his (omph) idea." Buffy explains as she continues to fight Steve.
Steve is slowly backing down the stairs as he replies. "Sorry about (omph) waking you and Cassie (ouch) up, Frank. But (whack) I thought Buffy could use a little (mmgh) realism in her practice today."
As the two battle their way down the staircase, Steve sees his opportunity and stabs Buffy in the foot as she's stepping down. Buffy immediately loses her balance and falls forward. Steve, expecting the fall, drops his sword as he catches her in his arms.
"Couldn't let you break your neck." A smiling Steve tells her. "That would make you late for school." Buffy just smiles sweetly as she knees him in the groin. He quickly loses his smile as he bends over in pain. Buffy then touches Steve's neck with her practice sword and tells him. "Gotcha."
Frank and Cassie are standing on the staircase having a good laugh.
"He deserved that, Buffy." A laughing Cassandra tells her.
"That's for Damn sure." Frank adds between laughs.
"Okay, (umph)" A bent over Steve replies. "That's (ouch) enough practice for this morning."
"Thought so." A laughing Buffy replies, as she picks up her practice sword and heads back to her room to get a shower. As she passes Cassandra, Cassandra gives her a high five.
*****
Quinn and Robert, still out of phase turn to each other. "Now that's a new way to wake up in the morning." Robert cracks with a smile. Quinn just nods and watches.
*****
Meanwhile, in the vampire lair. . .
Katherine is looking over the sketches just given to her by Lisa, her assistant. The sketches are of the Slayer and her companion. She studies them in detail, especially the companion's. She turns to Lisa and asks. "What do you think, should we turn him to our cause?"
Lisa looks over the sketch and replies. "Well mistress, he's rather handsome and quite deadly from Reggie's description of the battle. He would make a fine general for you. But first the Slayer must be killed."
Katherine smiles. "Of course. Have copies made and spread around our community. I want the pleasure of changing him for myself."
Lisa bows as she replies. "It will be done as you ask, mistress." And as she leaves, Katherine gives another order.
"Lisa, tell most of our vampires to stay inside tonight. I don't want to lose any more to the Slayer and her companion. We can hunt them down after we free Throlog."
Lisa smiles as her queen gives an evil laugh.
*****
A few minutes later, everyone is in the kitchen grabbing some breakfast. Steve then breaks the news. "Mulder and Scully are coming back today."
"Why?" A curious Buffy asks.
Steve's mouth spreads into a grin. "They've been put in charge of the case handling the vampire murders in LA."
"Talk about a Fox in the hen house." Frank comments with a chuckle.
"Yep." Steve replies, then turns to Buffy. "Buffy, could you have everyone here today at about two?"
"Not a problem. Giles and the rest will be happy to see Dana and Mulder again.
"Buffy," Steve reminds her. "don't forget to ask Giles about the 'Three'."
"Not a prob. He'll probably spend all day looking it up." Buffy replies.
*****
At the school library, Buffy meets with her friends and mentors for a brief meeting before summer school starts. She gives a brief rundown on the previous night's hunts and passes along the information about the 'Three'. Giles is surprised.
"Buffy, are you sure it was the 'Three'?" Giles asks.
"Well, I wasn't there. But Frank and Cassandra described them to a 'T'." Buffy replies.
"Well, I'll just have to look this up in the Codex." Giles comments.
"One other thing guys," Buffy comments. "Dana and Mulder are coming back this afternoon. And Steve wants us by his place by two, for a meeting with them."
"May I ask the nature of their visit? Is it business or pleasure?" Giles asks.
"Business mostly. They've been put in charge of hunting down the 'vampire' serial killers in Los Angeles." Buffy replies with a grin.
"Oh my, now that is most ironic, isn't it?" Giles comments with a wry grin. Every body else laughs. And with that, the first period bell rings.
As they walk out Willow asks. "So how are things going with you and Steve?"
Buffy smiles. "Steve just gave me my own room. Frank and Cassie helped set him up last night."
"Does he know he was set up?" Cordelia asks.
"Yeah, but he's not going to do anything about it." Xander replies.
Buffy turns to him and asks. "Why?"
"C'mon Buff, you mean you haven't seen how he looks at you? The guys got it bad." Xander tells her.
"Oh please. He does not have it bad." Buffy replies.
"Yes, he does. Only the two of you don't see it." Xander says.
Willow nods in understanding, thinking of Xander and herself.
*****
The flight to LA is uneventful, other than Mulder and Scully get to know the men of Able Team better. As Mulder, Scully and the men of Able Team deplane, they exchange local phone numbers. As they make their way to the luggage carousel, Agent Tanaka, finds them.
"Agents Mulder and Scully, I'm so glad you could make it out here so quickly." Agent Tanaka comments.
"Couldn't refuse a case like this one, Agent Tanaka." Mulder replies with a smile.
"Let's get your luggage. I have some bad news. We couldn't get you hotel rooms because of several major conventions in town. And all of our safe houses are full." Agent Tanaka tells them.
Scully smiles as she replies. "Don't worry about us, Agent Tanaka. We have a friend in Sunnydale. He'll put us up."
"Sunnydale? Isn't that were you two were going on your last case?" Tanaka comments.
"Yep, it sure was." Mulder replies non-commitadley, as he gets their suitcases.
Before Agent Tanaka can reply, Carl Lyons walks over. "Mulder, Scully, we're leaving now. You have my phone number in case you need some backup on this case. Otherwise, see you around." Carl, Gadgets and Politician then walk away.
Agent Tanaka obviously doesn't like the interruption, but Carl's large size and demeanor keeps him quiet. < Shit, what the fuck are THEY doing here? And talking to Spooky and the Ice Queen? The boss had better know about this. > As the three strangers walk away, Tanaka asks. "Who were those three men, Agent Mulder?"
"None of your business." Mulder replies with a cold smile.
"Very well then, let's go meet Agent in Charge Daniels and Captain Randall of the LA police major crimes unit." A stiff Tanaka tells them as he leads them to his car, waiting outside the terminal.
Part 7 - Meeting the Lead Agent
(How Do You Spell Incompetent Asshole - D*A*N*I*E*L*S)
The ride to the LA office of the FBI, is quickly over. As Mulder, Scully and Tanaka pass through the office, Mulder accidently bumps into a female agent and three of her colleagues. One of them is agitated about something.
"Sorry about that, ahhh, Agent Kowalski." Mulder apologies to the female agent as he reads her name tag. Her three colleagues hold back, waiting to see what happens.
"No problem, Agent Mulder?" Agent Kowalski replies, looking at Mulder's FBI identification. Her three colleagues relax. "Nice bumping into you." She replies with a smile.
Mulder, Scully and Tanaka watch as Kowalski and her friends leave. Mulder asks Tanaka a question. "Those three with Kowalski, they're not Bureau are they?"
Tanaka sniffs in distaste. "They're Kowalski's pet project, paroled ex-cons who work for the Bureau, doing stings." Tanaka explains.
"Interesting concept. Does it work?" Scully asks.
Tanaka just glares at her. Scully looks to Mulder and silently tells him // Guess it works pretty well then. Tanaka doesn't want to talk about it. Must be embarrassed by their success. //
Any reply is cut short as they're ushered into Agent Daniels office. In the office, sitting behind his 'power' desk is Agent in Charge Daniels. Standing off to one side is a pair of LA police detectives, being unimpressed by Agent Daniels. Mulder and Scully immediately take in their surroundings. The entire office screamed 'Look at Me, I'm Important'. < Skinner was right, this guy is an asshole. > Mulder thinks to himself. < He'll probably blame us and the LAPD if the case goes south. And take the credit, if it gets solved. >
Agent Tanaka introduces Mulder and Scully to everyone. Agent Daniels rises up and shakes their hands. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter only nod their heads in greeting.
< So these are the FBI's specialists in the weird. > Det. Vetter thinks to herself, looking the pair over. < They look pretty normal to me. >
Captain Randall gets right down to business. "You two ready for the weirdest case you've ever been on?" Randall asks.
"Depends on how you define weird, Captain Randall." Mulder replies with a straight face.
"How's about vampires, Agent Mulder? Is that weird enough for you?" Randall asks.
"Nope. Been there, done that." Mulder replies nonchalantly. Agents Daniels and Tanaka are shocked at Mulder's comment and nonchalant attitude.
"Agent Mulder, there is no reason to be flippant with Captain Randall." Agent Daniels tells him.
Mulder turns to Agent Daniels and tells him, "Agent Daniels, we've hunted down and Captured serial killers who 'thought' they were vampires before. < and the real thing as well. > This case is nothing new to me or Agent Scully."
Captain Randall looks Mulder directly in the eyes. After a minute, he shudders and turns away. < What the hell has this guy been through? He's too young to have been in Vietnam. No wonder they call him 'Spooky'. > Captain Randall thinks to himself. "All right, Agent Mulder, have you and your partner looked over the case files?" He asks.
"We looked over the abridged version on the plane ride over." Mulder replies. "Is there anything else to add to the file, since yesterday?"
"Yeah, there is." Captain Randall replies. "It appears as though our vampire serial killers have attracted a pair of, get this, light saber armed 'vampire hunters'."
"Light saber armed vampire hunters? What is this a Hammer/Lucas film crossover?" Scully asks.
"Yeah, light saber armed vampire hunters. They've been stopping the serial killers. We have several reports of a man and a woman rescuing people from the killers. Every time they show up the serial killers just disappear. We haven't been able to track those two either." Randall explains.
A thought passes between Mulder and Scully. < Buffy and Steve have been busy. >
"Do you have any ideas?" Agent Tanaka asks.
"Nothing at this time." Mulder replies.
"So, we basically start at the beginning, again." Captain Randall comments.
"No, not at the beginning. Is there any way that Scully and I can see all of the incident reports?" Mulder asks.
"Yeah, sure. Can I ask why?" Randall asks.
"We want to study them for patterns and similarities. Who knows, we may find something you missed. Our outlook and view on things might be different than your's." Scully explains.
"Sounds good. When do you want to get started?" Captain Randall asks.
"Later tonight. Right now we want to get settled in." Mulder tells him. Then turns to Agent Daniels. "We'll need the use of a Bureau car for the duration of our stay."
"Where are you two staying in town?" Agent Daniel asks, his voice hard with tension. < I don't like these two, one damn bit. >
"Since all of the hotel rooms are full, Scully and I are staying with a friend in Sunnydale. We left the address and local phone numbers with your secretary." Mulder tells him.
"Sunnydale? Nothing ever happens there. At least you'll have some peace and quiet." Captain Randall replies.
"That's the truth." Mulder tells him. < If he only knew the real truth about Sunnydale. He would have a heart attack. >
"That's it for today then?" Agent Daniels says, relieved that the meeting is over. "All right, Agents Mulder and Scully, we'll see you later tonight then."
"Yes, we should be back by 9:00 p.m. But we won't be here. We're going directly to the police station and review the files there." Mulder replies just before he leaves. "Oh and by the way sir, nice desk. My mother keeps one just like it in the garage. She uses it to arrange flowers."
"May I ask why you don't want to work at the Federal Building, Agent Mulder?" Daniels asks, put off, but ignores the desk insult. < For the present. >
"Because, all of the case files are at the LAPD. Why do they have to be dragged up here, when we can look at them just as easily over there? We'll also have an easier time interviewing the detectives and officers involved." Mulder replies to Daniels. Then he turns to Randall, who's smiling now. "Captain Randall, do you have a problem if we interview your officers and detectives, as they become available, at your offices'."
"No problem at all. In fact they'll appreciate it. I'll set you up with an office and a couple of desks." Captain Randall replies as he and Det. Vetter are covering the their grins. Mulder just told Daniels off. And insulted his 'precious' desk as well. He was starting to like this guy.
Part 8 - Reputations
(They can hang you or drown you. Take your pick.)
Christine Kowalski and her three colleagues walk into her office. As she closes to the door, she leans against it for support. Her friends can hear her mutter. "I can't believe they brought *HIM* in. My God, Daniels must be desperate."
"Brought who in, Christine?" Isaac 'Ice' Gregory asks.
"Oh sorry guys. You're not FBI, so you won't know about *HIM*." Christine replies as she sits down.
"All right already, who is he? That Mulder guy who bumped into you in the hall?" Charlie O'Bannon asks. Christine only nods her head.
"What's so special about this guy, Christine?" Ice asks.
As Christine takes a seat at her desk, she begins. "Well to begin with, he's one of the best profilers the Bureau has. When he was on the Violent Crimes Task Force, he wrote the proverbial book on serial killers. His profiles were better than ninety percent accurate, every time. That earned him the nick name 'Spooky'." Christine's three friends are impressed. Christine continues the story.
"He could have written his own ticket to any post in the Bureau. But, somehow he came across some open cases referred to as X-Files. Cases that couldn't be solved or were unsolvable. With his pull, he got the cases assigned to him, and the Bureau formed a division called the X-Files, that was about six years ago. A few months after the X-Files started, Mulder had a partner assigned to him. A woman named Dana Scully. She's one of the Bureau's best pathologists. That woman with Mulder was probably her. Since then, those two have gotten every weird and strange case that's come into the Bureau. And there have been some strange ones."
"A friend of mine in the Newark, New Jersey office told me about one of their cases dealing with a fluke man." Ice, Charlie and Alphonse stare at her. "Don't look at me. Donna told me that they had to kill it by cutting it in half as it tried to escape to the ocean." Christine tells them.
"So that's why Agent Mulder is carrying a sword?" Alphonse Royo asks.
Alphonse's three friends are shocked at what he just said.
Christine gets a hold of herself, as she asks. "What do you mean 'he's carrying a sword'? Where would he put it?"
"It was in his trench coat. When he bumped into you, his coat opened and I saw the sword." Alphonse explains.
"Now why would an FBI Agent be caring a sword?" Ice asks.
Charlie O'Bannon thinks back to stories his grandmother told him of the old country. "Because, sometimes a bullet won't stop what they're facing." He softly mutters.
Everyone looks at him. Ice asks. "What do you mean by that, Charlie?"
"Well, when I was growing up, I spent a lot of time with my grandmother. And she would tell me stories of the old country. Some of the things she talked about couldn't be killed with a bullet. You needed a sword or a cross or both to kill it. If those two are getting all of the real weird stuff, that the normal cops and feds can't handle, I can see why he's carrying a sword." Charlie explains.
Christine turns to Alphonse, remembering his request for a meeting. "Sorry Alphonse, what did you want to tell us, before we got started on this?"
Alphonse looks saddened and the news he gives leaves everyone sad as well. "Remember Jack Hastings and his family?" Everyone nods. They remember the scrappy little handy man who stepped forward, despite the threats, to testify against a mobster. "Well, I just heard from Francine that they found Jack, his wife and their four kids, all dead. Victims of the 'vampire' killers."
"Oh man, they didn't deserve that." Ice angrily comments.
"So, what are we going to do about it?" Charlie asks.
"Simple we're going to get involved in the case." Christine says as she gets up. "I'm going to see Daniels about getting assigned to this case."
"That's a fact." Ice replies as he gets up, along with Alphonse and Charlie, to follow Christine to Daniels' office. As they turn the corner, they hear shouting coming from Daniels' office.
Christine walks over to Daniel's secretary, Barbara, and asks. "What's got Daniels so pissed off?"
"Spooky and the Ice Queen weren't impressed by the boss' desk and they were even less impressed with him, and they made the fact known." Barbara giggles. "The boss just called Assistant Director Skinner to complain about their attitudes and to send them back to D.C. A.D. Skinner told the boss that if he wanted this case solved, he should keep them. Otherwise, the Director will want to know why two of the Bureau's best investigators were booted off the case." Barbara explains.
Kowalski and her crew are surprised. < Mavericks like Mulder and Scully had to be good if A.D. Skinner AND the Director themselves were backing them up. > Kowalski thought to herself.
Just then, Joe Tanaka opens the door to Daniels' office and sees Kowalski talking to Barbara. He quietly closes the door and turns back into the office and talks to Daniels. "Boss, Kowalski's outside talking to Barbara. Why don't we give this case to her and her three stooges? If anything goes wrong, we'll be rid of all of them, in one shot." Tanaka explains.
Daniels' face spits into an evil grin. He reaches for his buzzer. "Barbara, have Kowalski come in here immediately."
"Right away, sir." Barbara replies.
Kowalski walks into the office, immediately noticing the grins on Daniels' and Tanaka's faces. < Shit what did we do now? > She thinks to herself.
"Kowalski, I need Tanaka on another case. I'm assigning the vampire killings to you and your misfits. You will be in charge of this case. Fail, and you'll be working in Alaska, and your 'specialists' will be back in jail. Am I understood?" Kowalski just nods her head. "Then take the rest of the day off, and report to the LAPD major cases unit tonight with your 'people' and coordinate everything with Agents Mulder and Scully." Daniels tells her.
Kowalski doesn't say a word, she just gives Tanaka a glare and leaves the office. Outside, Ice, Charlie and Alphonse are waiting for her. She gives them the news as she walks over to Barbara and asks. "Barbara, how do I get in contact with Agents Mulder and Scully?"
Barbara just hands over a slip of paper with a Sunnydale address and phone numbers on it as she explains. "They couldn't get any hotel rooms, because of the conventions, so they're staying with a friend in Sunnydale. A guy named Steven St. Wolf."
*****
Meanwhile in the parking garage, Captain Randall and his partner, Det. Tracy Vetter are going over what happened in Daniels' office.
"What do you think of the two 'specialists' the Febbies brought in, Tracy?" Randall asks.
"They are definitely not your usual Febbies. Did you see the way they treated Daniels? No one who cares about their careers treats a superior like that. Only cops who care about solving their cases." Tracy tells him.
"Yeah, I think we finally got the help we needed on this case. C'mon, let's go back and make sure they have an office to work in. It's the least that we can do." Randall tells her.
"Captain?" Vetter asks. "Think we should pick them up? Show them that we're willing to work with them?"
Randall thinks it over as he pulls the car out onto Main Street. "Not a bad idea, Tracy. Did you get their address?" He asks.
"Yeah, I got a copy from the secretary." Tracy replies as Captain Randall's cell phone rings.
"Randall." He answers.
"How's it going, John?" The voice at the other end answers.
Randall immediately recognizes his old partner's voice. "Ironman, what the hell are you doing in LA?"
"I've got a few days off. And decided to hang around the old neighborhood." Ironman replies.
"Sure Ironman, sure." Randall replies, not convinced, then asks. "Are any of your people working out here, right now?"
"Not to my knowledge, John. If they were, I'd tell you." Ironman replies. "Why are you asking?"
"Because we've got a couple of vigilantes out hunting the 'vampire' serial killers. I thought they might belong to you, since they follow your policy of 'take no prisoners'." Randall tells him.
"Like I said, I don't know shit about them. If you want some help, the guys and I will lend a hand, if asked." Ironman replies.
"Thanks for the good word, Ironman. I'll keep it in mind. Have a good time." Randall replies, then turns to his partner.
"Tracy, this case has just become something else." Randall tells her.
"What do you mean John?" Tracy asks.
"Ironman is in town with his two friends. And that can only mean trouble."
"Oh shit." Tracy replies thinking back to the last time those three were in LA and how high the body count got.
*****
Ironman hangs up on his phone call with Captain Randall, just as Gadgets Schwartz has just finished talking with Bear, Stony Man's computer expert. He turns to Ironman and Politician and just shakes his head.
"So, it's that bad." Politician observes.
"It can't be. Mack wouldn't do that to us." Ironman comments.
"It's worse. According to Bear, Mulder and Scully are the FBI's experts on the paranormal. Their cases include aliens, monsters and the supernatural. Especially aliens. The NSA has constant trouble with those two getting too close to some of their operations."
"Bear pulled up a few of their cases. Those two have worked on cases involving, get this, werewolves, vampires, the Jersey Devil, mutants and all sorts of weird stuff. I'm sorry to say this, but I hope they loose our phone number." Gadgets laments.
"I hope not." Ironman comments.
"Why, Ironman?" Politician asks.
"Because, I've always wanted to try to take out an alien." Ironman grins. "But back to business, John Randall just asked me if we had anyone working the vampire case."
"Why?" Gadgets asks.
"Because there appear to be a pair of vampire hunters hunting the serial killers." Ironman replies with a grin. "And from John's description, they don't take prisoners. He all but said their style reminds him of us."
Part 9 - Research
(Vampires - Are They Myth or Just Another Urban Leech Like Politicians)
Jarod looks up from his microscope and rubs his sore eyes. He has just finished re-testing the dust sample for the fifth time and the results were the same. Decomposed human remains, approximate age, according to the carbon dating, 180 years old.
He thinks back to the events of last night and the descriptions the witnesses had given him. < Two people, a man and a woman, armed with glowing swords and wooden knives, fighting off the twelve men who attacked the Burger-to-Go. The man called himself, Wanderer, the woman, the Slayer. Every time they would kill one of the men, they would turn to dust immediately. What kind of weapons were these people using, that turned people into dust? Some of the people called the twelve men who were killed vampires. > As Jarod leaves the laboratory, he decides to do a little research into the vampire myth and see how all of these events coincide. In the library, Jarod asks about books on vampires. The librarian, a cute brunette, points him to the occult/mythology and popular fiction sections of the library.
A few hours later, an even more puzzled and worried Jarod leaves the library. He had read every factual book in the library on vampires (there weren't many to begin with) and some of the fictional stories as well. < That Anne Rice was particularly good. > The experience had left him wondering. The only thing of interest was the name Slayer appeared in all of the factual books. It was supposed to be some legendary vampire hunter gifted with mystical strength, stamina, speed and the ability to sense vampires. < Could both of these people be Slayers? That would explain the ease with which they took out the twelve vampires. >
As Jarod leaves the library, he decides to call his mentor, Sidney. As he dials Sidney's private cell phone number, Jarod wonders how to ask him about this. As the cell phone rings, it's picked up on the second ring and a cultured, Belgian accented voice asks. "Hello, this is Sidney."
"Sidney, this is Jarod," Jarod begins and asks. "I have a question for you, do you mind?"
"No, Jarod, please ask." Sidney replies.
"Are vampires real?" Jarod asks.
Sidney laughs. "No Jarod, vampires are not real. They are nothing more than myths and legends used to scare unruly children to bed."
"Then why does the FBI have an entire division dedicated to investigating such things?" Jarod asks.
"What do you mean by that?" Sidney asks, now curious.
"I came across some information recently and followed it to it's source, the FBI's X- Files division. They study and investigate paranormal type crimes." Jarod tells him.
"My God, I hope you're joking." Sidney replies.
"No, I hacked into their case files and the personal files of the two lead investigators. Did you know their system had better protection than NORAD? I wonder why? Broots is going to have a devil of a time trying to get in. Who ever is protecting that system almost caught me four times, before I could down load the files I was looking for. And to quote one of my new friends, the files are a real humdinger." Jarod tells him.
Sidney laughs, then asks. "Jarod, does this have anything to do with the recent rash of vampire like killings taking place in Los Angeles?" "Yes," Jarod replies. "Heather Michaels was killed by one of those things and I'm going to make sure that whoever or whatever did it is brought to justice.
"Jarod, don't." Sidney asks. "Whatever is going on is too much for even you to handle." "I'm not alone Sid, there are two other people hunting these things and I'm going to try and help them." Jarod tells him.
"What do you mean, Jarod?" An anxious Sidney asks.
"Last night, twelve of these 'vampires' attacked a fast food restaurant called the Burger-to-Go and tried to kill everyone inside. A man and a woman attacked them and somehow killed them all, saving everybody in the restaurant. They then left the restaurant without a word." Jarod tells him.
"Jarod, please," Sidney begs. "Leave Los Angeles immediately. You don't know what you're facing. Let the police and Federal authorities handle it. Just get out of there."
"I can't Sidney, you know that." Jarod replies as he terminates the connection.
The Centre - Blue Cove Delaware
Dr. Sidney Green closes his personal cell phone and stares up at the wall, contemplating his recent conversation with his wayward Pretender. < Jarod, hunting the vampire killers in Los Angeles? He doesn't know what he's doing. I've never prepared him to fight a myth before. > Sidney turns and picks up the phone and calls Miss Parker. "Miss Parker, this is Sidney. I have a location on Jarod. Please come here with Mr. Broots." Sidney then hangs up the phone and stares again into the wall, hoping he has made the right decision. A few minutes later, Miss Parker enters, followed by Broots, the computer specialist.
"So Sidney, where is Ratboy?" Miss Parker begins without preamble.
"In Los Angeles, hunting the vampire killers plaguing that city." Sidney replies.
"You're kidding?" < I hope. > Miss Parker asks.
"I wish I was. A friend of his, a woman named Heather Michaels," Miss Parker stiffens. "Was killed by them and he is seeking revenge for her death. He told me that he's looking to join up with a pair of vigilantes already hunting the vampires." Sidney explains.
A startled Broots asks. "You don't mean the man and woman who rescued those people at the Burger-to-Go, last night?"
A puzzled Sidney gives Broots a questioning look. "Why yes, Broots, that is exactly the pair I'm talking about. May I ask how you know about them?"
"Spill it Broots." Miss Parker tells him in a low voice.
"Well, you see, my friend Langley from D.C. sent me this digitized video early this morning. He wanted me to examine it to see if it was a fake. It's not, at least I don't think so." Broots hurriedly tells them.
"Do you have it with you?" Sidney asks.
"Yeah, I brought it with me to double check, using Centre equipment." Broots explains.
Miss Parker practically purrs. "Why Broots, using Centre equipment for personal reasons. I am surprised."
"Well, I was going to do it on my lunch hour and it wouldn't have done anything to the equipment, just used up computer time." Broots, halfheartedly explains.
"Broots, shut up and show us the tape." Miss Parker tells him.
Broots takes them to the computer lab and sits down in front of a large monitor.
"The video tape is one of those four in one shots. That means that the video screen is split into four different camera views of the restaurant. I've spliced the video into individual shots, so the resolution is much better. If you want to see the original, I can show that to you as well, but the resolution is not too good." Broots explains.
"Thank you Mr. Science. Now roll the damn tape." Miss Parker orders.
Sidney and Miss Parker watch first watch the four way view of the original tape, then they watch Broots' enhanced versions. Both are in awe by the time they finish watching the tape.
Miss Parker turns to Sidney. "Sidney, this can't be real. Those two people couldn't have done what I've just seen. And what the hell happened to the bodies of their victims?"
"I know Miss Parker, those two seem beyond human somehow. Broots, can you enhance their faces? Can we see what those two people look like?" Sidney asks.
"Sure Sidney. I blew up sections where their faces were clear. Here's what they look like." Broots tells them as he expands a pair of pictures, one of Steve St. Wolf and one of Buffy Summers into a split screen on the computer. Miss Parker and Sidney look closely at the pair of fighters who had decimated twelve people in a matter of minutes.
"The girl couldn't be over eighteen and the man looks like he's in his mid twenties. How could they become so proficient in fighting in that short a time? Could they be a project that got loose? Maybe something from the military?" Sidney comments as Sam, the sweeper, comes up behind him. Sam looks at the pair of photos in the computer monitor and screams.
All three turn to the scared sweeper. Miss Parker grabs him and smacks him in the face, telling him. "Get a hold of yourself Sam. Nothing can hurt you here."
"But, but, but the picture. That's HIM. Oh please don't make me go after him again. I can't face him." Sam stutters out.
"Face who Sam?" Sidney asks.
"HIM!" Sam points to the picture of the man from the Burger to Go.
"Do you know who he is?" Miss Parker asks, worried. She had never seen Sam react like this before. He had always been the quiet professional. A brick wall, always calm, never flustered.
"Yes, his name is Carson Jamieson. He's a private detective from Dallas, Texas. He's also responsible for the deaths of at least twenty six sweepers, three cleaners and three of Mr. Raines' 'Specialists', almost half the entire field security force the Centre had in 1982." Sam tells the stunned trio.
"Sam, are you sure it's him? The man in this picture couldn't be more than twenty four, maybe twenty six years old. I find it hard to believe that this is the same man." Sidney replies.
"Pull up his file then. The Centre obtained a copy of his military file." Sam tells him.
Broots immediately accesses the file, and as it scrolls across his monitor, he begins to read it. He orders the file printed for Sidney and Miss Parker, but as he reads more and more of it, Broots begins to have a bad feeling in his stomach. His stomach really sinks, when he reads the bottom of the file: 'Killed in August 1983, Dearborn, Michigan by Centre asset Trevor Howard.'
"Sidney," Broots calls out.
"Broots, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost." Sidney comments on Broots' pale complexion.
"I might have. According to our files, Carson Jamieson has been dead for fifteen years." Broots tells the stunned group of people.
Part 10 - History Re-Visited
(Smoke Filled Rooms and Histories From A Cigarette's Perspective)
Cancer Man is relaxing at his desk, slowly smoking a cigarette. He's planning on a quiet weekend. < Maybe do a little writing this weekend. > He thinks to himself. His two major problems, Mulder and Scully were gone for the week, on a case that he and his superiors had absolutely no interest in. Suddenly his phone rings. His stomach sinks. < Not this soon, they haven't been in LA longer than two hours. > He reaches for it and picks it up, asking. "What is it?"
"Sir, this is Tanaka," Tanaka begins. "I retrieved Mulder and Scully from the airport as per your orders. But a situation has come up." Tanaka hesitates.
"What is the situation, Tanaka?" Cancer Man asks. < Damn. >
"Sir, they were seen talking with known operatives of the Stony Man Group. Specifically, their domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team." Tanaka tells him.
Cancer Man's stomach does a flip flop and he reaches for the Maalox. He then asks Tanaka. "Anything else?"
"Sir, there's one other item you should know about. Because of the hotel room shortage, they're staying with a friend in Sunnydale, a man called Steven St. Wolf." Tanaka gives him the address. "Also, they were in Sunnydale five months ago on another case."
Cancer Man writes all this down and then tells Tanaka. "Tanaka, good job, keep me posted of any sudden changes and keep away from those two." And then he hangs up the phone.
Cancer Man reaches for his 'in' box and reviews the surveillance file from the airport. He suddenly slams it down. The photos taken show Mulder and Scully amicably talking to Bolan himself. < Damn, what the hell are those two trying to do to me? Give me a heart attack? > Then, he grins ruefully. < Knowing them, they probably would do it just to see if I'd keel over. > He reaches for his buzzer and calls in his research specialist. The specialist immediately comes in and Cancer Man tells him. "I want you to pull everything on the Stony Man Group's domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team, that you have. Also, I want you to find out everything that you can about a man called Steven St. Wolf, who resides in the town of Sunnydale, California. Also Mulder and Scully were in Sunnydale five months ago, I want a copy of their reports and I want everything yesterday." The specialist nods his head and leaves to do his duty.
Cancer Man then reaches for the phone and dials a Los Angeles number. No one answers when they pick up. He speaks into the silence. "I want the house located at 317 Brandt Terrace in Sunnydale, put under immediate observation. And I mean immediate as of twenty minutes ago." Then he hangs up the phone.
*****
Two hours later, the research specialist re-enters Cancer Man's office. As his employer waits, he produces seven thick folders, a thin folder and several note sheets. Cancer Man sighs deeply and waves him into a chair for what he knows is going to be bad news. How bad, he doesn't know yet, but knowing Mulder and Scully, it could be anything.
The specialist begins. "Sir, these first four folders are respectively, the team file on Stony Man's domestic anti-terrorist unit, code named Able Team and the personnel files on it's operatives, Carl Lyons, Herman Schwartz and Rosario Blancanales. These other two files are on the man called Steven St. Wolf a.k.a. 'Wanderer' and another man named Carson Jamieson a.k.a. 'Cherokee'." Cancer Man looks up in question. The specialist continues. "The man known as Steven St. Wolf has no records dating back past 1983. I ran his driver's license photo against every one in the files matching his description. The man called Carson Jamieson was a 97% match, but he died in 1983. The seventh folder is for a Frank Scully a.k.a. Frank Iverson, a known associate of Steven St. Wolf's. The last folder is a copy of Mulder's and Scully's field reports from five months ago."
"Can you give me a rundown on their last case in Sunnydale, first?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes sir. They were investigating the theft of a Strella Anti-Tank rocket from one of the local military depots. The report concludes that the rocket theft report was erroneous. The rocket was actually used in a practice simulation. The report is wrong." The specialist replies.
"You mean Mulder and Scully were actually wrong for once?" Cancer Man asks.
"No Sir, they fabricated the evidence to show what they wanted to show." The specialist replies.
"The report was fabricated?" Cancer Man asks, surprised.
"Yes sir, Mulder and Scully convinced the CID investigators that the rocket was used during a simulation and the launcher had been misplaced. They even presented them with the launcher, sans rocket. Since the Army didn't want any bad press and they had the launcher, they went along with it." The specialist explains. "Also, there is a letter from the principal of Sunnydale High School. He complains about the damage caused to his gym, but thanks the Bureau for repairing it so quickly. He also complains about the attitude shown by Special Agents Mulder and Scully, especially Scully."
Cancer Man grins. "My oh my, Mulder and Scully fabricating reports and covering something up. This is a new side to them, especially Scully. Most interesting. < Maybe there's hope for those two. > Now tell me about St. Wolf and Jamieson. Specifically, how did Jamieson die or supposedly died?"
The specialist looks back over his notes and replies. "He was killed by a man named Trevor Howard in Dearborn Michigan. The report goes on to say that Howard was going to shoot up a group of elementary school children and Carson rammed him with his motorcycle before he could do it, killing him. Before he rammed Howard, Howard shot him twenty times for his trouble. Jamieson died on the way to the hospital, but his body mysteriously disappeared shortly thereafter. The local police have no other information on that case. The State of Texas had requested the body to be sent back to them."
"Why would Texas want his body?" Cancer Man asks.
"Because Jamieson was wanted in Texas for six counts of murder. The men he killed were responsible for the rape/murder of his young wife, Katherine Sinclair Jamieson. They walked because someone in the evidence room tampered with the evidence before the trial and the judge was forced to release them. After that, Jamieson hunted them down and killed them. A Texas Ranger named Walker was put in charge of the case, but he never seriously pursued it. Which is strange in itself."
"Why?" Cancer Man asks.
"Because this man Walker has been known to violate the Mexican border in hunting down his fugitives. Walker even makes the Mounties look bad in that respect."
"What is Jamieson's background?" Cancer Man asks.
"U.S. Army, 1975 to 1982. Psychological tests read him as extremely stable, with an IQ of 150. Military Speciality, Special Forces Pathfinder/Sniper. Service in Lebanon, Panama and multiple classified operations. Commendations, US Army - two silver stars, three bronze, two purple hearts, nominated for the Medal of Honor, declined because operation was classified. Commendations, Other, Victoria Cross for bravery above and beyond the call of duty in saving the lives of his fellow SAS troopers during an ambush in Northern Ireland. Specialized training includes Jungle Warfare School, U.S. Army Sniper School, Airborne Infantry School, Special Air Service exchange program, GSG9 exchange program, French Foreign Legion Desert Training and Finlandic Special Forces Arctic Warfare Training. Non-Standard Training includes, black belts in Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Zen Sword, Philippine stick fighting, archery, fencing and tracking, other skills are languages, specifically Spanish, German and French."
"My God, this man was a walking weapon. Why didn't we attempt to recruit him?" Cancer Man asks.
"We did. He refused the position. Interviewer's note states, 'Jamieson promised his wife Katherine to leave that world behind'. No other attempts were made to contact him."
"Did we have anything to do with her death?" Cancer Man asks.
"No sir, completely random occurrence. Ranger Walker was able to link those same six men to a dozen rape/murders in the States of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. I guess that's why Jamieson was made a low priority."
"One other note, sir." Cancer Man nods, the specialist continues. "There was a complaint about Jamieson from the Centre in Blue Cove. They requested help to remove him and you refused." The specialist comments.
"I did? Would you care to remind me of the specifics?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes Sir. After he left the Army and married his wife, Katherine, Mr. Jamieson became a private investigator specializing in lost or stolen children. On at least one occasion he was responsible for recovering a subject that the Centre attempted to obtain. Mr. Parker and Mr. Raines felt that he was a threat to them and their work. They requested some help in removing him. You told them to go screw themselves and you had us warn him on the Q.T." The specialist replies with a grin.
Cancer Man shares that grin, remembering the faces of those two stuck up fools, Parker and Raines. Especially when they came back the second time complaining about the loss of two dozen 'sweepers', three of their 'cleaners' and three of their best assassins.
"Pity he's dead. Now tell me about Steven St. Wolf" Cancer Man asks.
"In six words, Sir?" Cancer Man nods. The specialist continues. "Modern day Indiana Jones style adventurer."
"You have got to be kidding." Cancer Man replies in a disbelieving voice.
"No, sir. Steven St. Wolf is a dealer in antiquities and rare artifacts. He's also well known as a treasure hunter and explorer. Also, he has at present, no less than four death sentences hanging on his head." Cancer Man raises his eyebrows at this. "Two are from Libya, the other two are from the countries of Iran and Iraq, respectively Remember that raid that Kaddafi blamed on a US Marine Division, about seven years ago?" Cancer Man nods. "That was him and eight operatives rescuing a group of kidnaped American students from an international group of white slavers. They also crippled most of the Libyan's Air Forces as a bonus. He raided Lybia a second time, two years later, to rescue a friend of his, a British flyer, a Sebastian Sinclair, who was shot down and Captured over the Gulf of Sidra. In Iraq, eight years ago, he rescued two downed U.S. Air Force pilots and a fellow antiques dealer, a Connor Macleod. He and Macleod were also responsible for taking out their main chemical storage depots. In Iran, ten years ago, he retrieved some stolen children and returned them to their parents. While he was there, he also rescued three CIA operatives and got them out, as well."
"Shit, what else is there?" Cancer Man asks as he watches the researcher's face.
"The CIA agents' control officer was Jack Ryan. And according to the files Ryan has used St. Wolf several more times over the last eight years." The specialist replies.
Cancer Man shakes his head and sighs. < Can it get any worse? > "Anything else I should know about?"
The specialist looks at his notes and replies. "There is the matter of the Order of Teraka."
"The assassin's order? What do those amateurs have to do with him?" Cancer Man asks.
"In India about five years ago, he protected an old man named Akbar from the Order. In the process he killed twenty of their members. Now they refuse every contract that has something to do with him." The specialist replies with a grin.
"Good for him. Those idiots have caused us all sorts of problems over the years. They deserve what they got."
"Bottom line, sir, this individual is one of the most dangerous men in the world. Taking him down would require a massive expenditure of resources and possibly incur the wrath of some very powerful people." The specialist comments.
"Can you tell me what his connection to Mulder and Scully are?" Cancer Man asks.
"There are three connections, sir. St. Wolf and Mulder worked on two cases together, before Mulder re-opened the X-Files. And the third is his associate, Mr. Frank Scully a.k.a. Iverson. Mr. Scully is Dana Scully's cousin."
"Why does he use the name Iverson?"
"He was disowned by William Scully Sr. He supposedly murdered a member of his SeAL team and escaped from the brig. William Sr. then disowned him and broke all ties with him. The name he's using now is his grandmother's maiden name. The Iverson family helped him while the Navy was actively hunting him and got him out of the country and set up his new identity."
"What were the cases that St. Wolf and Mulder both worked on." Cancer Man asks.
"Both were serial killers who specialized in children, Sir. Respectively John Dupree a.k.a. the Louisiana Butcher and Sebastian King a.k.a. the Gourmet. When both of these men escaped from our jurisdiction, and when the Bureau refused Mulder's request to hunt them down, St. Wolf went after them. He brought back Dupree alive, but he had to kill King to save a small child who would have been his 26th victim."
Cancer Man sits back in his chair and takes a deep breath. Then he turns to his specialist. "Is that all on St. Wolf?" The specialist nods. "Now tell me about Able Team and the men in it."
"Sir, Able Team is the Stony Man Group's domestic anti-terrorist team. It's made up of three individuals, Carl Lyons, the leader, Herman Schwartz, technical specialist and Rosario Blancanales, linguistics and heavy weapons. Their code names are respectively, Ironman, Gadgets and Politician."
"Lyons is a former LA police Sergeant, and Schwartz and Blancanales have served with Bolan in Vietnam and during his Executioner period. They have racked up an impressive record of kills over the last ten years and they have never been known to back down from anything. Their psych profiles state that all three are highly intelligent, have high moral and ethical codes and are extremely loyal to Bolan, the United States and each other." The specialist finishes
"Thank you, you can go now." Cancer Man tells the specialist.
"Sir, may I add something?" Cancer Man nods. "Sir, St. Wolf has some major holes in his files. We don't know who all of his backers are, or if he has any friends inside the organization. This man is an enigma. Please be careful." The specialist then gets up and goes.
Cancer Man turns to his window and watches the people move in and out of the Capitol, going about their business. < You're right old friend, I'll be careful for both our sakes. Mulder, what the hell did you get me into this time? > He then reaches for the phone and dials a number in Los Angeles. "Is our operative in place?" Cancer Man asks.
"Yes." Comes the one word reply from the other side of the country.
"Good. Keep me posted of any changes." Cancer Man hangs up the phone, wondering where this was all going.
The Centre
Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots have Sam, the sweeper, sitting in Sidney's office, answering questions about the man called Carson Jamieson. They had gone over the man's military and civilian records with a fine tooth comb, and were in awe of the man. Miss Parker turns to Sidney and asks. "Sidney, could this man be a natural pretender?"
"Possibly, but I doubt it. He might become one, with the proper training. But, I would classify him more as a McGyver type." Sidney replies. Broots snickers as Miss Parker glares at him.
"We have got to disconnect your Cable, Sid." Miss Parker comments, then she turns to Sam. "All right Sam, start at the beginning." Miss Parker tells him.
"Yes Miss Parker," Sam begins. "It was one my first projects for the Centre. In September 1982, Mr. Raines ordered us to abduct a child named Johnny Fredericks. Mr. Raines felt that Johnny had a lot of promise for one of his projects. The kidnaping went well and we were going to bring the child to the Centre in a couple of days time, after the heat had died down. It all went to hell when the parents hired Jamieson. He was a private detective working out of Dallas, specializing in lost or stolen children. That bastard started to hound us almost immediately."
"I still can't figure out how he found the safe house in Houston, but he did. The cleaner ordered me and another sweeper to get the kid to our secondary position, while he and the rest of the team took care of Jamieson. When we got to the next safe house, we checked back in with the office and we were informed that the cleaner and seven sweepers were in the morgue courtesy of Jamieson. Mr. Raines ordered in two additional cleaners and their teams to help at the private airport. Charlie and I were able to get the kid to the airport, but Jamieson and something were right behind us."
"What do you mean 'Jamieson and something'?" Sidney asks.
"I don't know what it was, but it was dangerous." Sam tells them. "We were at this rural air strip outside of Texarkana, when they attacked. The two cleaners had their men in place, but it didn't do them any good. Jamieson attacked from the front with a pair of 45s. It seemed that every time he'd shoot one of those guns, one of us were killed. Then, something attacked us from the rear. I don't know what it was. I only saw glowing red eyes and heard a low growl. Then, the screams came. The rest of the cleaners and sweepers were trying to fight off Jamieson and that 'thing' and they became hamburger."
"Those two didn't hesitate a second, every one with a gun was dead or dying. In a couple of minutes, everyone but me and Johnny were dead. I wasn't attacked, probably because I was holding Johnny at the time."
Sam takes a deep gulp as he continues. "As the smoke was clearing, Jamieson walked up to me with something by his side. It was standing in the shadows, softly growling, so I couldn't see anything but the two glowing red eyes floating about five and a half feet above the ground."
"Jamieson offered me a choice, give up Johnny and live or die. No other alternatives. I gave him Johnny and he gave me a message for the Triumvirate. He said, 'Steal another child and I find out about it, I'll hunt you all down and kill you.' When the Centre plane came in with another sweeper team, I reported in. Mr. Raines and your father decided to leave the child alone after that."
"I find it hard to believe that my father and the burned out husk could just pick up and leave Jamieson alone. Especially after he killed all of those Centre operatives." Miss Parker states.
"They didn't," Sam tells her. "They sent three assassins after him. He killed everyone of them without a problem. The last assassin's head was sent to Mr. Raines in the mail with the note 'I know who you are.' After that, they left him alone."
Miss Parker just smiles. < I wish that I could have seen that corpse's face when he opened that box. >
"Did they ever find out what helped him at the airport?" Sidney asks.
"No, but some of the specialists wondered why the torn up bodies had teeth and claw marks on them and wolf hairs and the surrounding area had large wolf prints." Sam tells him.
The trio look at each other and shudder.
"Miss Parker, may I have the rest of the day off, please?" Sam asks.
"Why?" Miss Parker replies.
"Because, I want to get blind staggering drunk, Ma'am." Sam replies straight forward, Miss Parker nods and he hurriedly leaves the office and building.
"Sidney, what the hell has Ratboy gotten himself into?" Miss Parker asks.
"I wish I knew." Sidney mutters, then turns to Broots and asks. "Broots can you access the FBI?"
"Sure Sidney, no problem. What do you want?" Broots asks.
"I want access to something called the X-Files." Sidney tells him.
Broots immediately turns a paler shade and nervously asks, "Sidney, why do you want to access those files?"
Both Sidney and Miss Parker look at Broots and wonder what this man really knows.
"Because Jarod mentioned going into them, and he said that they contained some strange cases." Sidney tells Broots.
"Strange isn't the word for it." Broots mutters. "I hope for Jarod's sake he doesn't get involved with those two."
"Out with it Broots. What two?" Miss Parker orders.
Broots nods his head as he begins. "Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. They run the X-Files."
"And how would you know about these X-Files?" Miss Parker asks.
"My friend Langley and his two partners, Byers and Frohike, run a government conspiracy magazine called the Lone Gunmen. Langley told me about the X-Files a couple of years ago, when he asked me to help analyze a piece of a UFO." Broots explains.
The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as Sidney and Miss Parker stare at Broots' revelation.
"You must be joking." Miss Parker states, then see looks into Broots' eyes and sees the fear in them. Then she whispers. "Please tell me you're joking."
"I wish I was." A shaken Broots replies. "Mulder and Scully brought in a piece of what we termed organic metal, to be examined. And from the way those two were talking, this wasn't the first such case they had worked on."
"Organic metal? Broots such a thing is impossible. Humanity couldn't possibly have the capability to create such a thing." Sidney tells him.
"Who ever said the piece came from Earth, Sidney? According to Mulder, it was a part of a UFO that crash landed in Minnesota, about two and a half years ago. Mulder and Scully had found the ship and the alien remains. Before they could get it properly excavated, the military took the site over and everything, but that piece of metal, disappeared." Broots tells them.
"And these two people are involved with Jarod, how?" Miss Parker asks.
"They've been put in charge of the vampire serial killings in Los Angeles." Broots replies. "Langley told me this morning, as he downloaded the video."
"Damn it Sidney, we have to get him out of there!" Miss Parker exclaims.
"I agree with you." Sidney replies, then turns to Broots. "Can you get a location on Agents Mulder and Scully in Los Angeles?"
"Sure, Sidney. Federal agents have to register their location with the local office and I should be able to get a location. Give me a couple of minutes."
A few minutes later, Broots returns. "I've located Agents Mulder and Scully. They're staying with a friend in a Los Angeles suburb called Sunnydale. The address is 317 Brandt Terrace."
Miss Parker grabs the address and tells her two associates. "Good, let's go. The jet is waiting for us at the airport."
"Are we taking any sweepers with us?" Broots asks.
"No." Miss Parker replies.
"Yes you are." A deeply cultured voices tells them.
Miss Parker turns around with a look of venom in her eyes. Who would dare to countermand her order? As she finishes her turn she sees the face of her father. "Daddy, what is it?" She asks sweetly.
"I'm sorry pumpkin, but I can't let you, Sidney and Broots go to Los Angeles without protection. The situation there has been dangerous. So I'm sending Gar and Willy with two sweeper teams as backup. And I'm not taking no for an answer." Mr. Parker tells his daughter as he and Mr. Raines walk away. Gar and Willy and their sweepers stand in the hallway waiting.
Part 11 - Welcome Back to Sunnydale
(Mulder Has a Weird Sense of Humor.
And I'm Just as Bad, Because I Understand It)
Mulder and Scully reach Sunnydale at about 2:30. They pull up to Steve's house and park the car in the driveway. Mulder grabs their bags from the trunk.
As they approach the side door, they feel the familiar 'Buzz' of another Immortal. The side door opens, showing a smiling Buffy Summers.
"Dana." She cries out and gives her a hug. Mulder standing behind her watches the scene as the two women hug each other. Dana and Buffy had formed a close friendship over the last five months.
"All right you two, break it up. Before I get jealous." A smiling Mulder comments.
"Oh, shut up Mulder." Buffy tells him as she gives him a hug as well. Then she escorts the two into the house.
The group sitting around the living room is familiar to both agents. Steve St. Wolf gets up to greet both agents.
"Hello Mulder, Dana. How was the trip?" He asks.
Mulder smiles as he replies. "Uneventful. But I'm glad you got everyone together." Mulder grins an evil grin as he lays out the situation in LA. Then he brings up the little matter of the video tape Frohike has and his plan.
The entire room erupts into laughter. Frank stops laughing long enough to tell him. "Mulder, that is the most evil and conniving plan that I've heard in a long time. God, I can't wait to do it."
*****
Outside, the entire conversation is being listened to. Billy and Nunchuk are laughing as well. Tommy and Scarlet, watching the house, stare at them. Billy stops laughing long enough to tell them what's going to happen. Both of them start to chuckle quietly.
Scarlet picks up her cell phone and calls the LA base. "Jinx, Scarlet here. It's confirmed these are the people we were looking for. Gather the rest of the clan. We're going to pay them a little visit tonight." Jinx confirms and the connection dies. Scarlet turns to a smiling Tommy, who's now listening to the plans being hatched against a man called Frohike. "Anything interesting?" She asks.
Tommy reluctantly gives the ear piece back to Nunchuk and smiles. "These people certainly have a warped sense of humor. I can almost feel sorry for this Frohike guy."
"Sorry enough not to watch?" Scarlet asks.
Tommy smiles an evil grin. "Definitely, not."
*****
In a car not too far away Cancer Man's operative also has a good laugh. < Damn, this stake out could turn out to be fun after all. > He thinks to himself.
*****
Robert and Quinn are also listening in, and enjoying the play between everyone present. "These people certainly have an interesting perspective on life." Quinn remarks.
Robert laughs. "They're people who enjoy life, Quinn. Nothing more. But, they do have a wicked sense of humor."
Part 12 - Frohike Gets His
(Frohike Has a Wet Dream -
His Two Favorite Women in One Room, At the Same Time
And a Super Computer, To Boot)
It's four o'clock and the front door bell rings. Mulder checks the video monitor and sees that it's Frohike. He whispers to Cordelia. "It's him. Remember the plan?" Cordelia nods with an evil grin. She goes to meet Frohike dressed in one of her sex kitten outfits. Everything's tight and shows as much as possible.
Cordelia answer's the door in her best air head. "Hello, who are you?"
Frohike's jaw drops, and he goes "Umina, umina, umina." Finally Frohike get's his eyes off Cordy's chest and asks. "Are you Mulder's friend." < I hope to God so. PLEASE LET IT BE SO. >
"Oh, you mean Foxy?" She asks. Frohike only nods and smiles.
"You must be his friend Frohike. Oh please do come in. Foxy told me to expect you today." She lets him into the house, as she continues. "Foxy never told me you would be soooo handsome." She tells him as they enter the living room.
Frohike following Cordy into the living room thinks to himself. < Man, I've definitely got to get Mulder something really special for his birthday. >
Cordy sits Frohike on the couch next to her. He can't stop grinning.
*****
Willow and Jenny were in the office, running the cameras spread all over the living room. They were catching everything in full color and sound.
Willow and Jenny both grin as they watch Cordelia in action. "I thought Xander was bad, but this guy makes him look positively cool." Willow comments.
Jenny just nods, grinning evilly.
*****
Cordelia moves onto the next phase. She moves over, giving Frohike a good look at her ample chest as she says. "Foxy never told me, he was sending such a handsome man to see me."
Frohike's mouth just hangs there, when suddenly the lights go out. Frank, Steve, Xander and Buffy sneak up on him and drop a black hood across his head and tie him up.
Frohike's quickly tied up and gagged. Then he's moved to straight back wooden chair. A few minutes later everything is set up.
Buffy and Steve stand in front of Frohike, while Xander and Frank remove the hood. When Frohike sees who's holding him prisoner, his eyes bulge.
"Hi there, remember us?" Steve tells him. Frohike shakes his head and tries to talk through the gag in his mouth. "Now, promise not to scream and the gag will be removed." Frohike nods. Steve nods to Frank and the gag is removed.
Frohike gulps several times before he begins to speak. "Who are you? Why are you holding me prisoner?"
Buffy smiles. "Well, we kinda heard about this video tape you have of us from last night. And since we're not Tommy and Pamela, we would like to have it back."
A scared Frohike immediately denies all knowledge. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, I think you do." Mulder replies from behind Frohike.
Frohike freezes, as Mulder moves to the front, showing himself. "Mulder is that you?" Frohike quietly asks.
Mulder smiles as he and Giles sit down in front of them. "Hello Frohike, I see you're already familiar with my friends."
A confused Frohike sputters. "Mulder what the hell are you talking about?"
"Frohike, allow me introduce you to Steven St. Wolf and his partner, Buffy Summers. The gentleman on my right is Rupert Giles. He'll explain everything to you." Mulder tells him.
"What the hell is going on here, Mulder? And what are you doing here?" Frohike asks.
"Before I explain, I want your word that it never leaves this house, except to tell Langley and Byers." Mulder tells him.
Frohike doesn't like it, but he knows Mulder and trusts him. "You have my word."
Frohike patiently waits for Mulder to begin.
Mulder begins. "Frohike, let me begin by saying that this matter has absolutely nothing to do with aliens. The government might be involved, but probably isn't. What you saw last night was a vampire hunt. My two friends," He points to Buffy and Steve. "Are vampire hunters."
Frohike digests this and then replies. "You have got to be kidding."
"No, I'm not. Remember that video tape you gave to Scully and me about two months ago?" Frohike nods. "Well, that tape showed Buffy killing a demon called 'The Judge' with a Strella Anti-Tank Rocket. The people working with 'The Judge' were vampires. The Judge's purpose was to destroy all of humanity." Mulder explains, then turns to Giles. "Giles would you care to finish explaining?"
"Certainly, Mulder." Giles replies as he begins. "Mr. Frohike please let me explain the situation here in Sunnydale. But in order to give you all of the information, I have to start at the beginning." Frohike nods. Giles then begins the story:
"This world is older than you know, and contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons, Demons walked the earth; made it their home -- their Hell. In time they, the Demons, lost their purchase on this reality, and the way was made for the mortal animals. For Man. What remains of the Old Ones are vestiges: certain magicks, certain creatures, and Vampires."
"As long as there have been Demons and Vampires, there has been the Slayer. One girl in all the world, a Chosen one, born with the strength and skill to hunt Vampires and other deadly creatures, to find them where they gather and to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their numbers. Buffy is the Slayer for this generation"
"This town, Sunnydale, sits on top of the Hell mouth. The Hell mouth is the sole remaining way that demons can re-enter this world. If it is re-opened, then the demons can come back. Because of this, it is also a mystical convergence that draws such magical creatures as vampires and demons here in greater quantities than would be normally seen. The previous Master vampire attempted to re-open it, but was stopped by Buffy and us.
"I am the Watcher assigned to Buffy Summers." Giles states. "A Watcher serves by finding the next Slayer, leading her on her path. It is the destiny of the Watcher to guide the Slayer. Also when one Slayer dies, the next is called and trained by the Watcher."
"For the last two years, we have been fighting a holding action against the dark forces. Up until five months ago, it was all we could do to hold them back, and we were losing."
"So what changed the situation?" Frohike asks.
"A convergence of forces came to Sunnydale. Your friends Mulder and Scully were an important part of the equation. Another part was Mr. St. Wolf here. Through them, we were able to assemble a small army of warriors. These warriors were able to deal a death blow to the vampire hoard running rampant in this town. Since then, through Mr. St. Wolf, we have been able to mount a stratified defense of the town and go on the offensive, attacking vampires in other locations, such as Los Angeles.
Frohike turns to Mulder, an expression of total disbelief etched on his face. "Mulder, I can't believe that you are buying this load of crap."
"Well, we hoped that you would believe us. Now we're going to have to prove it to you." Mulder tells him.
"May I ask how you're going to do that?" Frohike asks him.
"Simple, you're going hunting with us, tonight." A smiling Buffy tells him.
"You can't do that." A suddenly scared Frohike looks to Mulder for support.
"Don't look at me Frohike, last time we were here, Scully and I wound up fighting two hundred vampires." Mulder tells him.
"I don't believe it. Scully fighting vampires? The world has truly gone insane." Frohike states.
"Believe it Frohike." Scully tells him as she comes around and sits next to Mulder.
Just then, the front doorbell rings.
*****
In his car outside Cancer Man's operative is staring in disbelief at his headset. < This can't be real. Man, wait til the boss hear's this stuff. He's gonna have a coronary. >
*****
Part 13 - A Convergence of Forces
(We didn't order any Ninja and Con Toppings On Our Pizzas)
Frohike can't believe what has just been told to him. < Mulder and Scully hunting vampires. What has the world come to? > His thoughts are interrupted by the front door bell. As he watches, everybody in the room pulls out various weapons. Almost as if they're expecting a fight. The strangest thing he notices is that everyone, including Mulder and Scully, were also carrying swords? What the hell was going on here?
Frank goes to answer the door. He hopes it's just a Jehovah's Witness, but he pulls out his H&K Spec Ops 45 just in case. < Opening Steve's front door could be hazardous to your health. > Frank thinks to himself with a grin.
He checks through the peep hole and sees a man and woman standing there. He pulls open the door and asks. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so." The woman begins. "We're looking for couple of friends, Steve and Buffy. Would you know where to find them?"
"Hold on a sec." Frank tells her. He turns around and goes back into the living room. "Steve, Buffy there's a man and woman outside who are looking for you."
"Willow," Steve calls out. "Pop up a holo of who's on the front porch."
In the office/computer room, Willow and Jenny immediately get the job done.
In the living room, a hologram of the people waiting on the front porch pops up in the middle of the coffee table. Buffy and Steve quickly exchange glances and both nod in recognition. Scarlet and Snake Eyes.
Meanwhile Frohike is looking at the hologram. < What the hell? Nobody can create holograms like that yet. >
Steve turns to Frank and tells him. "Let them in."
Xander turns to Steve and Buffy. "Steve, Buffy, aren't those the two ninjas from the sewers?"
"Yeah, that's them." Buffy confirms it.
Scarlet and Snake Eyes enter the house with Frank. He escorts them to the living room where everyone is waiting. As they enter, they notice Frohike sitting tied up in a chair, and decide not to comment on it. But, the most startling part was the number of young people present. Most of them couldn't be over eighteen. They knew about Buffy and Xander, but the sight of Cordelia, Amy, Oz and Willow standing there with weapons drawn and ready, really brings to mind how powerful this struggle was. Neither asks any questions as they approach Steve and Buffy. Scarlet begins with. "I said we'd be back to help."
"How are the kids?" Buffy asks.
"They're great. Their grandfather is taking care of them while we deal with the vampires." Scarlet answers. "Where's Mack?"
"He's alive and kicking. Scully and Mulder saw him this morning in D.C." Steve replies.
Scarlet lets out a sigh of relief. Snake Eyes just smiles.
"What took you so long to get back to us?" Steve asks.
"When we got to San Francisco with the kids, we met with our clan." Scarlet begins. "And we all agreed to come down here to help, but we got side tracked by a group of vampires attacking a group of tourists in San Francisco. Since Snake Eyes and I knew how to take them out, we attacked."
"We managed to destroy nine vampires that night. We also found out that there were numerous vampire type murders being committed in the Bay area and decided to stop them there. So, our clan, my brothers and later on, the San Francisco PD's Special Investigations Unit, joined forces and have spent the last five months cleaning out the Bay area. Now, the clan decided to move our operations to LA because of the rash of murders here."
"My brothers and the SIU will keep an eye on the Bay area while we're gone. We hoped to find you still alive and fighting. Glad to see you're all in one piece and not fighting alone." Scarlet finishes, looking over the group.
"Is everybody in this place crazy?" Frohike explodes. "Vampires are myths. Nothing more. They can't be real."
Scarlet turns to the tied up Frohike and tells him. "Mr. Frohike, my clan has been fighting these myths for the last five months. We have seen the slaughter these things have done and witnessed their insane hatred of humans. I have seen the bodies of children as young as my own, drained of blood and cast aside, as though they were nothing. I will not stand idly by and watch innocents, especially children, being slaughtered. My clan stands by me in this cause Mr. Frohike, can you and your Lone Gunmen say the same?"
"How the hell do you know me?" Frohike asks.
"Simple, we've been observing this house for most of today. And as to your identity, does the name Jinx mean anything to you?" Scarlet asks.
"Damn, you know Jinx?" Frohike asks.
"Yes, she and the rest of my clan are waiting outside." Scarlet tells Frohike.
Steve shakes his head and grins, "Frank take Snake Eyes outside and invite them in We might as well have a party while we're at it."
A couple of minutes later, Snake Eyes and Frank escort a small group into the living room. Scarlet introduces Tommy, Billy, Jinx, Nunchuk and Shuriken of the Storm Shadow Ninja Clan. Jinx immediately goes over to Frohike.
Meanwhile, Steve and Buffy introduce their friends to the Storm Shadows. As the introductions are made, Xander grabs a case of soda out of the refrigerator and passes it out.
"Frohike," Jinx smirks. "I've always said that you would look good tied up. Glad to see I was right."
"Jinx, been a while. Do you believe this crap about vampires?" Frohike asks.
"Yep, been fighting them for close to five months." Jinx tells him.
A shaken Frohike shudders. < It's like a nightmare coming true. > He thinks to himself. < Three of the five people I trust the most in the world are telling me something unbelievable. What the hell do I do? >
Frohike turns to Mulder. "Mulder, I still can't believe all this. . . . stuff. But, if you want my help, you'll get it."
Mulder goes over to Frohike and unties him. As he finishes. "Frohike, I don't want you to feel that we're lying to you or if you have any doubts. Come on tonight's hunt and see for yourself."
Frohike thinks it over. "All right, I'll go. But first, I have to contact Langley and Byers. Does this place have a decent computer?" Frohike asks.
Everyone in the room laughs, except for Frohike and the ninjas.
After a couple of minutes, Steve stops long enough to tell Willow. "Willow would you please show Mr. Frohike our computer."
A smiling Willow leads Frohike and a curious Jinx to the office. A few minutes later Frohike shouts. "What the HELL!!? This thing shouldn't exist."
Everybody starts to laugh again. Mulder and Scully the hardest.
Jinx comes out a couple of minutes later, and asks. "Where did you get that computer and can I get one and who do I have to kill to get it?"
Tommy turns to Jinx and asks. "Jinx, we just got you a top of the line computer."
"Tommy," Jinx begins. "What they have in that office, blows my P 2 500 MHZ out of the water. Frohike is in that office literally drooling over it."
Tommy asks. "What do they have Jinx? A Cray II?"
Jinx shakes here head and replies. "No, but according to Willow, they have a 2,000 MHZ Pentium 8.5, with 360 Meg of Ram. The hard drive is a stacked 150 Gigs. The Internet connection is accessed through a satellite dish on the roof, so the speed is roughly 400,000 bps."
"The monitor is awesome. It's a Heads Up Display (HUD) like they use on fighters, but it's merged with a holographic display. Everything is controlled by touching the screen and typing on the key board, no mouse." Jinx explains. "That system could blow anything away short of NORAD."
Tommy just shakes his head and smiles. His tech junkie ninja has found a new toy.
*****
Christine turns to Ice as they pull up in front of 317 Brandt Terrace. "Your sure this is the place?"
"Yep, Christine. I am." Ice replies as they get out of their car with Charlie and Alphonse.
"Nice place this guy has here. Where would Mulder and Scully know him from?" Charlie asks.
"Don't know, but they must be good friends if he lets them stay here. Very few people like having cops stay in their homes, even family." Christine replies.
Before Charlie can reply all four are grabbed by strong hands and they look on in horror as they're dragged towards the back of the house and the darkened alley.
*****
Tommy's conversation with Jinx is suddenly interrupted by the sounds of a fight coming from the front of the house. Willow calls out from the office. "Steve, ten vampires have grabbed a woman and three guys from the front of the house."
Immediately every person goes into combat mode. Steve orders Frank to take part of the group out the side door as he leads the rest through the front. Steve grabs Frohike from the office and takes him as well. "Well Frohike, looks like you might not have to go hunting tonight. Ten vamps just grabbed four people from the front of my house."
"I know, I saw the whole thing on the video camera. Let's go." Frohike replies.
The vampires have moved their prey to the side of Steve's house, out of view of the street. The group from the side door traps them before they can go any farther. Steve's group blocks any retreat that they could take. The vampires immediately show their demon faces and attempt to scare Frank's group off. Frank just smiles as he levels his H & K Spec Ops 45 and tells the vampires. "You have one choice, release those people or die."
The leader, a woman, just laughs. "Mortal, I've killed your kind for close to five hundred years. I'm not afraid of you, your friends or your foolish weapon."
"How about me?" Buffy asks.
"Who are you little girl?" The female vampire asks, turning around.
"Oh, just the Slayer, that's all." Buffy replies with a smile as she steps forward and pulls out her Katana and a wooden stake.
The female vampire immediately attacks. Buffy steps to the side and kicks her in the stomach. The vampire grabs her leg and throws her down. Before she can pounce and kill Buffy, Steve shots her in the heart with a wooden bullet. The vampire promptly disappears. With that, Frank shots another vampire and dusts it. Scarlet, using the flat of her sword hits one of the vampires, holding the woman. He goes down, stunned, releasing the woman. Xander grabs the other one by the throat and stakes him in the heart.
The other six, release their victims and try to make a break for it. Three try to pass Mulder and Scully who quickly cut them down and stake them. One of the vampires tries to force his way past Cassandra, who simply stabs him. And as the vampire goes down, she cuts off it's head. The last two make the mistake of going after Scarlet and Snake Eyes. The fight is quick. Scarlet stabs one with a stake and Snake Eyes throws a wooden dart into his heart. Both are dust.
The final vampire regains conscience and he immediately attacks Buffy. She ball kicks him and as he doubles over, stabs his heart through the back with a stake.
Mulder, Katana and stake in hand, walks up to the woman, and asks. "Agent Kowalski, correct?" The woman nods, staring at the Katana and stake in Mulder's hands. "What are you and your three operatives doing here?"
Kowalski clears her throat before she begins. "Agent Mulder, Agent Tanaka was re-assigned. I was put in charge of the case by A-C Daniels. We were coming here to confer with you and Agent Scully when these 'things' attacked us." She takes a deep breath and asks. "What were those things anyway?"
Charlie O'Bannon answers in a soft voice, not believing that he's actually saying it, "Christine, those were real vampires."
Kowalski and the other two jerk at Charlie's statement. She turns to Charlie. "You have got to be kidding, Charlie. Vampires are myths. They don't exist."
Frohike starts to laugh. Between gasps, he tells Mulder. "Looks like you got some more people to convince, Mulder. But, if it makes you feel better, I believe you now."
Mulder gives Frohike a rueful grin.
Before any discussion could started Steve orders everybody back to the house. Agent Kowalski and her three friends are escorted inside. As everyone makes themselves comfortable, Steve asks. "I don't know about you people, but I'm hungry. How's about I order some pizza? Pepperoni, extra cheese and mushrooms disagree with anyone here?"
Nobody complains so Steve reaches for the phone and calls Ted at the pizzeria, "Ted, Steve here. Can I get a dozen large pies with pepperoni, extra cheese and mushrooms?"
"No problem Mr. St. Wolf. I'll put a rush on them and be over in about twenty minutes. See you then." Ted tells Steve.
Steve then turns to Agent Kowalski and her three friends. "Now Agent Kowalski, I believe you like an explanation of what happened outside to you and your friends?"
"We would like that very much." Christine asks.
"Simple, you and your three friends were attacked by ten vampires. We destroyed those ten same vampires before they could kill you and your friends." Steve calmly explains.
A disbelieving and angry Christine disagrees. "No way. Vampires don't exist. It's some kind of hoax." Her three associates sit quietly and wait.
Steve turns to them and asks. "What do you three, think?"
Kowalski's three friends shift uncomfortably. They can't agree with her, nor can they disagree. Charlie is the first to speak. "I know those were vampires out there. But who are you people? We know about Mulder and Scully, but what's your, pardon the expression, stake in this?"
A few people break into groans at the terrible pun, but most smile.
Steve looks to Mulder, who clears his throat. "Agent Kowalski, as you know, my partner and I have for the last six years investigated the paranormal and strange. During that time we have made the acquaintance of various individuals and groups who, shall we say, also investigate those same phenomena. Sometimes they only observe and record these phenomena, but at an increasing rate these people have had to step forward and strike down paranormal phenomena that becomes a threat to humanity." Mulder stops for a moment to let what he just said sink in.
Agent Kowalski is quick on the uptake. "You mean to tell me that these people are monster hunters?" She asks in a disbelieving voice.
"Well actually, you walked into a meeting of two different groups of vampire hunters." Buffy replies with a straight face.
Kowalski is startled by this revelation. "You mean to say that there are actually two groups of grown people hunting vampires?" She asks. "Mulder, where did you get these people? The local Dairy Queen? Or was it the tabloid aisle of the Super Market?"
"Actually my group is made up of former members of the First Covert Special Operations Group, code named G.I. Joe." Tommy replies with a grin.
"My group includes ex-Special Forces, Navy Seals, Occult Experts, as well as computer hackers and programmers." Steve calmly replies.
"Don't forget about us Techno Pagans." Jenny chimes in.
Kowalski just looks at the assemble group in front of her. She feels that the situation has gone far beyond her control.
Frohike, coming back from the office, clears his throat and asks. "Mulder, you mind if I show her the video tape from the Burger to Go?"
Mulder smiles at this. "That's not a bad idea. I think Agent Kowalski could use the enlightenment."
"Mulder," Giles begins. "I also have the tape from our first 'get together' of five months ago."
"Good idea, show them and Frohike that tape as well." Scully replies
Frohike then hands Mulder the tape and Mulder walks over to the large screen TV and puts in Frohike's tape first into the VCR. Frohike, Agent Kowalski and two of her partners get closer to the screen for a better view.
Charlie looks at the tapes only once. He sees the guy Steve St. Wolf and the girl, Buffy, fighting and destroying a dozen vampires, in a restaurant. Then he watches this entire group fight a huge number of vampires in what appears to be a gym. He watches how these people have stood up to the vampire threat and defeated it. While Christine, Ice and Alphonse look at the tapes a second time, Charlie thinks back to the story his grandmother told him about how a young girl rescued her family from a roving band of vampires. She had told him the girl was known as the Slayer. A girl, given mystical strength and powers to fight the vampires and other monsters of the night. He looks at the girl, Buffy, she couldn't be older than eighteen, but she was probably one of the deadliest people standing there, if the legends were true.
Charlie then looks over the other people in the room. < God, why are these kids here? > He thinks to himself, looking at Xander, Willow, Amy, Cordelia and Oz. Before he can study the rest of the people in the room Christine shouts. "I can't believe it. Vampires are *REAL*."
Charlie turns to watch as a shocked Christine turns to Mulder and asks. "What can we do to help?"
Mulder looks over Christine and her three associates, and tells them. "Help Scully and me keep the police off our friends' backs. They'll hunt down and take out the vampires as fast as possible."
"You do realize the LAPD is going to scream murder if we do that?" Ice replies.
"Can't be helped. If any of the police get in. . . . . ." Mulder's reply is cut short by an alarm coming from the computer room. Willow immediately goes to see what could be causing it.
A minute later she rushes out, looking terrified.
Part 14 - A Blast From the Past
(Old Wizards Never Die, They Just Float, But Don't Look Up Their Robes)
"Willow, what's wrong?" Mulder asks.
She takes a deep breathe. "Steve, there's some guy hanging up in the air in the computer room. He told me to get you immediately." She stammers out.
Steve, followed by Buffy, Mulder, Scully and Frank immediately enter the computer room with weapons drawn. They see an old man sitting in the lotus position, floating in the air, patiently smoking a pipe. Steve and Frank, recognizing an old friend, put up their weapons and grin.
"Merlin, you old faker. How are you?" Steve asks. Buffy, Mulder and Scully drop their weapons in shock.
"Where's my ten bucks?" Frank adds in with a grin.
Merlin gives Frank a glare and a grin as he replies. "Better than you two punks and no I don't carry any cash while I'm projecting myself." Merlin sarcastically replies, then he gets serious. "There's a major shit storm coming your way. And you two had better be ready for it."
"It's that bad?" Steve asks. Merlin nods, serious. "Listen Merlin, can you move yourself into the living room. All of my people are there, plus a few new friends. And I would like for everyone to hear what you have to say."
"Then move the crystal to the other room and I'll pop back in. Just warn them in advance. Knowing the type of people you and Frank associate with, they'll shoot first and ask questions later. You don't want to repair any bullet holes in your ceiling, do you?" Merlin replies with a grin.
Steve carefully picks up the crystal and carries it into the living room. Everyone is watching him closely as he puts it down on the coffee table. Steve then turns to everyone present and tells them. "An old friend of mine will appear above this crystal. So please, no one try to shoot him."
A minute later, an old man appears above the crystal. Steve introduces him. "Everyone, this is Merlin. Merlin, this is everyone."
The silence is deafening. Rupert Giles is the first to get over it and ask. "Not the Merlin of Camelot?"
"I'm afraid so," Steve replies with a grin.
"My God," Giles quietly whispers.
"Not God, son. Just an old wizard." Merlin replies with a smile. Then, looking over the assembled faces, looks directly at Cassandra. "Cassandra, been a while, hasn't it?"
"Been too long, Merlin." Cassandra replies with a warm smile. "What's up? Steve looks like something bad's going to happen."
"You're good kid. You don't miss much." Merlin complements her, as he starts to explain. "As I was telling Steve, there's a shit storm coming and you people have to stop it. Some vampire queen is trying to raise Throlog, the Merciless."
In the stunned silence, Steve raises the all important questions. "Where, when and how, Merlin? And what do we have to do to stop them?"
Merlin takes a deep sigh. "You know Wanderer, that's the problem with you. You always get right to the point. No idle chit chat, no hysterics, no screaming, just tell where it is and how to kill it and you go ahead and do it." Then he cracks a smile. "I've always liked that about you. Arthur always wanted glory. You just want to get the job done.
"All right, here's the situation in a nut shell. One of my tame demons told me that Throlog had been contacted by a vampire queen named Katherine Planteganent. Investigating further, I found out that she's going to try to bring him back in Los Angeles, Sunday morning at approximately 2:57 am. The location, someplace where there is at least two thousand people to be used as sacrifices. That gives you roughly 32 hours to find them and put a stop to them.
"Now the ritual is quite exact. It can only be done when the planets come into the proper alignment, and that's about once every five hundred years. The people have to have their hearts cut out with an obsidian blade and then the heart is thrown into a fire, kindled with the bones of human beings. For those of you wondering about it. Yes, this is an Aztec ritual. Throlog was know to the Aztecs as Huitzilopochtli, their God of War. The best way to stop the summoning is simple. Kill Katherine Planteganent and all of her vampires, before they can raise Throlog.
"Steve, you should also know that your friends in the Order of the Grail, the C'est Dei and all of the other organized groups are also fighting similar situations in different parts of the world. So don't look to them for help. I know this is going to be hard, but you and your friends will have to do it. I don't have anyone else in this part of the world.
"Now, should any of you have any questions, please don't call. I'm rather busy now trying to save the world. And adding Throlog to the mess would be bad for everyone concerned. Best of luck my friends and good hunting." Merlin tells them and disappears.
Stunned silence fills the room. Everyone is shocked at what Merlin has just told them. Steve turns to everyone in the room and says. "We've got a major situation folks. Any ideas?"
*****
Cancer Man's operative spits out his coffee as he hears Merlin's news. < God, this can't be happening. First Mulder and Scully meet with a group of vampire hunters, then they're joined by a group of G.I. Joe Ninjas, shortly followed by those four FBI. Now Merlin tells them some vampire queen is going to raise the Aztec God of War in downtown LA? What the fuck is going on here? A Clive Barker Film? >
*****
Christine Kowalski is shocked, < I have just seen Merlin?! What the hell did Spooky and the Ice Queen get me into. > She thinks to herself. She turns back to where Steve, Buffy, Tommy and Mulder have laid out a preliminary attack plan. Ice and Charlie are lending a hand.
"All right, so we're decided. Buffy, myself, Cassandra, Frank and Tommy and his people will attack in force the largest possible concentrations of vampires in the LA Basin, tonight and tomorrow. I'll contact Brother Aaron and Abbott Michael and see if they, plus anyone else that's at the abbey, can make it up here tomorrow." Steve states then turns to Frank. "Frank, take Xander and Oz, get the heavy weapons out and plenty of ammo for everybody."
Mulder then adds. "Steve, Mack introduced me to three of his operatives. They're in LA right now and are willing to help. Do you want me to call them in?"
"Yes, have them come here and they can work as support, with Xander, Cordelia, Oz, Amy and Giles. Willow, Jenny and Frohike will handle communications. Oh, and don't forget to ask what caliber weapons they're using. I'll give them ammo from my stock pile." Steve tells Mulder, then mutters. "Damn, I wish that I could get Aaron and Michael here, now."
As Steve reaches for the phone, a voice calls out. "Maybe my friend and I can be of service to you."
Part 15 - Never Judge a Q By His Peers
(Mulder Finally Meets a Real Live Alien And The Alien is Not Impressed)
Christine watches as everybody in the room levels weapons of various designs and lethality at the originator of that comment. < Man, the guys at the ATF would have coronaries, if they saw all these weapons. > She looks over to see two men standing off to one side of the room. She hadn't see them there before.
Steve calmly looks over the two men, one dark haired, the other blond, and informs them. "Gentlemen, you are presently in my home. Without my permission. You have exactly one minute to explain yourselves, before you are removed from this plane of existence, permanently."
The blond haired man raises his hand and asks politely. "Uhm sir, what do you mean by that last remark 'removed from this plane of existence'?"
Tommy chuckles as he explains. "It means you'll find out what your next reincarnation is."
The two men look confused. Giles lowers his gun and explains. "What my two associates are trying to tell you, is that, if you don't explain yourselves, then we will kill you on the spot."
Both men turn to each other and say. "Oh." Then the dark haired one says. "That's what they meant? For a second there, I thought they meant us some serious harm."
The sounds of safeties coming off and slides racking back are heard after he finishes his comment. The blond haired man nervously gulps, and waits to see what his partner does.
The dark haired man turns to the massed firepower in front of him and just smiles. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Quinn. My friend here is Robert Hascombe. We have been following Steve and Buffy most of last night and all of today, observing you. I must say, you are quite the pair and your friends aren't far behind."
Steve and Buffy share a glance and a single thought. < How? > Buffy then asks, "How could you follow us without our knowing it?"
Quinn just smiles and replies. "I just phased us a fraction of a second out of time. This allowed us the opportunity of following you everywhere, without being seen or heard."
Buffy levels her Glock 19 and paints Quinn's forehead with her laser sight, as she asks. "Everywhere? Your next answer had better be the right one."
The blond haired man answers. "Not everywhere. We only followed you in the public areas. We didn't follow you into the bathroom or the bedroom. We respected your privacy."
Buffy puts her gun down, but not away. "Good answer." She replies.
Steve chuckles. "All right Quinn, now we know who you are, but not what you are or what business you have here."
Quinn smiles as he replies. "Robert is a friend of mine from Los Angeles. You," Quinn points to Buffy. "Killed the vampire, that tried to kill Robert. Remember the old man in the stairwell from last night?" Buffy nods. "That was a non-sentient replicant of Robert. I switched it for Robert, before the vampire could kill him. Then, I rejuvenated Robert as a gift for his friendship."
"That explains your friend, Quinn. But what are you? Wizard, Warlock, What?" Giles asks.
"As to what I am, I am a member of the Q continuum. We're a group of omnipotent beings not native to Earth, who can bend reality as we see fit." Quinn replies.
*****
Cancer Man's operative spits his coffee out, again. < What the fucking hell is going on here? Now they have an alien teaming up with them? This is too fucking weird. The boss will be climbing the walls when he hears this tape. >
*****
As Quinn finishes explaining what he is, Mulder starts to laugh. Everyone looks at him and Scully as Mulder tells her. "Pay up Scully, you owe me twenty bucks."
Scully makes a face and replies. "No I don't, Mulder. The bet was that Steve would be attacked by an alien at his front door or while taking out the garbage. From what I see that guy is just standing there talking. So you didn't win the bet. I did."
Mulder just rolls his eyes up and begins. "But Scully, that's a real live alien. We have found the truth at last."
"No we haven't, and you still owe me twenty bucks. So pay up." Scully replies with a grin.
Steve interrupts Mulder and Scully's exchange and asks. "If you two don't mind? We have two individuals of unknown powers standing over there, for purposes unknown." Steve waves in the direction of Quinn and Robert. "Now, will you two shut up, please?" Then he turns back to them as says. "Sorry about that. Now, what was your purpose here?"
"Not a problem," Quinn replies with a grin. < Damn, I like these humans. Nothing phases them. Anybody else would be either screaming threats, trying to shoot us down or begging for their lives. > All I wanted to say was that I would like to help you fight these vampire things. They almost killed my friend Robert, last night, and I take exception to that."
"I can understand that. You two want to teach those things a lesson. So, since you're a omni-potent being, why don't you just wave your hand and make them all disappear?" Steve asks.
"Because that is the surest way to destroy humanity. Humanity has to stand on it's own feet. In order for your race to achieve the greatness that is it's due, you have to struggle. You have to overcome your enemies yourself. Humanity can't have some super being coming to it's rescue every time it gets a bloody nose."
"I'll help in little ways, like getting your friends Aaron and Michael here instantly. But you people have to fight your own battles and win your own victories. To quote one of your great thinkers, 'It's not the man who makes the struggle, but the struggle, the man. And only through struggle can man achieve greatness'." Quinn explains.
Robert is surprised to hear clapping coming from the group assembled before him. He also notices that all of the weapons have been put away as well.
"Well said sir, well said." Giles compliments Quinn.
Most of the group is smiling as well. They understand where Quinn is coming from and where he's going. Quinn would be a great addition to their team and cause.
Just then the door bell rings. Steve goes to answer it, hoping it's Ted with the pizzas. As he opens the door, Ted greets him with the dozen pies he ordered.
"Hiya, Ted. What do I owe you?" Steve asks.
"That'll be a $120.00 even, Mr. St. Wolf. Are you having a party?" Ted asks.
"Just the usual vampire hunters, magicians, ninjas and aliens from beyond. Here's a $140.00. Keep the change." Steve replies with a straight face.
Ted laughs. "God, you have to invite me one of these days."
"Sure Ted, but then where would I get the pizzas from?" Steve replies with a grin.
Ted just chuckles and leaves. Steve takes the pizzas into the living room and everybody grabs a slice, including Robert and Quinn. As they eat, they plan and re-plan. Using street information provided by Ice, Charlie and Alphonse, the attack radius is narrowed down to certain areas of Los Angeles.
Part 16 - A Convergence of Forces II
(What Do You Get When You Combine Immortals, Ninjas, Cons, Commandos & a Q? A Major Dust Control Problem)
Steve calls Abbott Michael.
"St. Francis of Assisi Monastery, may I help you?" Brother Philip answers.
"Brother Philip, put me through to Abbott Michael. This is important." Steve tells him.
"Brother Steve, give me a moment to transfer the call." Philip replies.
"Brother Steve, how may I help you?" Abbott Michael asks.
"Abbott Michael, listen to me." Steve explains what Merlin had just told them. "I need every Immortal that's at the monastery. And I need to get them up here now. How many do you have there, and can they be convinced to help?"
"Steve, including myself and Aaron, there are twenty seven Immortals here, right now. You can count on myself, Aaron and Robert McCallister at the very least. Give me twenty minutes to talk to them." Abbott Michael replies.
Steve asks Quinn. "Quinn can you take Buffy and me down to the monastery in about twenty minutes and bring everybody backup?" Quinn nods yes. Steve then tells Abbott Michael. "Listen Abbott Michael, Buffy and I can be there in twenty minutes, can you get everybody together?"
"Yes I can." Abbott Michael replies, then hangs up.
*****
Abbott Michael turns to Brother Aaron. "Aaron, Steve has brought another difficult problem to our attention. Now, he's requesting our help. Gather all of our 'special' guests in the cafeteria. I wish to talk to them."
"It shall be done, Abbott Michael." Brother Aaron replies. Then goes to find all of the 'special' guests. Outside, he finds Frankie sitting and admiring the stars. He stops and asks him. "Franklin, would you mind helping me gather all of our 'special' guests in the cafeteria?"
"Sure Brother Aaron. What's going on?" Frankie asks.
"Abbott Michael will explain everything." Brother Aaron tells him.
*****
Fifteen minutes later all of the Immortals are gathered in the cafeteria. Abbott Michael stands in front of them, gathering his resolve. Finally he begins to speak. "My friends, I apologize for disturbing your meditations, but I've just received some rather distressing news. And I'm here to request your help in resolving the matter."
Robert McCallister is the first to speak. "Michael, what is it? Can you tell us the nature of the emergency?"
Abbott Michael nods his head, as he begins to speak, three people appear in front of him.
"Sorry about the entrance, Abbott Michael, but we had to get here fast." Steve St. Wolf apologizes.
"Good evening Brother Steve. May I ask how you just appeared here?" A calm Abbott Michael asks.
"In answer to you question, our friend Quinn brought us down here." Steve introduces Quinn to Abbott Michael, who shakes his hand in greeting. "Have you had a chance to explain the situation yet?" Steve asks.
"No, but you and Miss Summers can probably explain the situation better than I can. So, please go ahead." Abbott Michael replies.
Steve and Buffy then turn to the assembled Immortals and explain the situation to them. They describe the vampires' plan and what the outcome would be. Most of the Immortals shake their head in disbelief. Finally, Steve finishes and asks them. "We've given you all the information on the situation as we know it. We need to know your answers in the next few minutes. Otherwise, thank you for listening to us."
The group of Immortals looks dubious. They can't believe what they have just heard, but none of them want to walk out either.
A man known only as Hans sits off to one side. < God, they're young aren't they? Do they really realize what they are about get involved in? >
Robert McCallister is the first to rise and speak. "Steve, Buffy, I stood with you two, five months ago. It would be an honor to do so again."
Abbott Michael and Brother Aaron step forward as well, Abbott Michael speaks for the both of them. "Brother Steve, you have always stood on the side of God in all things. Brother Aaron and I shall also go with you."
One of the Immortals, a shorty, stocky man named Argus, stands up and asks, "Abbott Michael, Brother Aaron, who are these two? They come in here and tell some fantastic story about vampires and demons and they expect us to run and help them? Tell us why?"
Brother Aaron takes a deep breath, as he begins. "Brother Argus, I have fought beside Steven St. Wolf on three occasions. Each time, it wasn't for personal glory and fame. It was to protect innocent men, women and children from evil incarnate. Five months ago, I watched this man and woman face incredible odds to defeat a horde of vampires two hundred strong. On that day twenty Immortals banded together to fight evil and they won. Not for themselves, but for all of us. On that fateful day, we learned that the 'Game' was a sham, created by evil to rid the world of it's greatest heros. You have the right not to choose to fight, but I ask you, please do so. Not for your own soul, but for the lives of the innocent people these things will murder."
Hans looks up in surprise. < These two led twenty Immortals to destroy over two hundred vampires? I don't believe it. >
A tall, lanky Immortal named Hanson, steps forward. "All well said Brother Aaron, but I've never seen a vampire, and I've lived for close to a thousand years. I'm sorry Brother, but without proof, I won't help." Many of the other Immortals murmured agreement.
"Then maybe I can show you the proof you desire." Quinn tells him. Then suddenly everybody's standing above the gym in Sunnydale, watching the battle against the vampires unfold below. "You are all standing phased out of time. You can watch and hear everything happen, but you can't change it." The Immortals stand aghast at who is fighting below, legends among the Immortals, Duncan Macleod, Mack Bolan, Kyra Adams, Regan Cole and Katherine Raven. They watch as the vampires disappear in puffs of dust.
*****
Hans looks at the two young Immortals in a new light. How could these two young ones gather a force of elder Immortals that strong and no one tried to take someone's head? A tear runs down his cheek as he realizes that the manuscript copy that he recently got was genuine and what Brother Aaron has said is true. The Game is a fraud. Another tear escapes as he watches his cousin Gunther disappears in a puff of dust. < Rest in peace now cousin. Your soul can finally rest because the demon who destroyed you is now dead as well. > Hans' mind is set, he has found himself again and would join in this battle and help.
*****
Quinn then takes them to a secluded resort, and they watch as a horde of vampires attack the vacationers and staff, murdering every man, woman and child with a brutal savagery never before seen by the Immortals present. Quinn then brings them back to the monastery, and asks. "Now you know what you face. Anyone who wishes to stay can go. Those going, get your weapons and be back here in five minutes.
The grim faced Immortals break apart and rush to their respective rooms to get their personal weapons and overnight bags. Five minutes later, all of them are back, ready for a fight. Quinn immediately transports everyone to the Steve's Sunnydale home. The rest of the group is surprised to see so many new additions to the fight.
Steve turns to Amy. "Amy, I need you to cast that locator spell on Buffy. She can use it to locate the largest gatherings and then we strike. We'll need to hit the vampires hard tonight and tomorrow night." Steve then turns to the new arrivals. "Weapons and ammunition will be issued to you. Please remember, only heart shots count. And if you have to use your swords, they have to be beheaded. I'm fairly sure most of us are familiar with that type of stroke." Everyone, but Frohike, the ninjas and Christine and her friends, laugh.
Steve then calls George at the motel and arranges thirty rooms. George is more than happy for the business. The rooms would be available for the next three days.
Christine turns to Mulder and Scully and asks about it. "Mulder what does he mean that they all know how to behead an opponent?"
"Inside joke," Mulder replies smoothly.
Steve turns to Quinn. "Quinn, I hate to impose, but can you take Buffy on a quick scouting trip to LA?" Quinn nods his head and they leave, but are back in less than a minute. Buffy has a sheet of paper with various addresses on it in her hands. She quickly lays out the location of four large vampire nests, containing at least fifty vampires each.
Willow takes the addresses and accesses the blue prints for each building via computer and prints out several sets of copies.
Weapons are issued and battle plans are prepared. The new Immortals check and re-check their weapons. One of them comments. "What are the water guns for and what are these bullets made of?"
Giles replies. "The bullets are made of condensed wood, wax from holy candles and holy water. The only things that could kill a vampire, besides fire and beheading. They have to be shot directly in the heart. The bullet then shatters with the vampire. Human beings standing on the other side will suffer no collateral damage. The water guns are just that. They're filled with holy water, which acts like an acid when it comes into contact with the vampire's skin. If a vampire has a hostage, spray him with it and the water will burn it, forcing it to let go. The water won't harm the hostage or your fellow warriors."
The Immortals and ninjas smile at this. Steve's armory is rapidly depleted with these new arrivals. Christine and her friends look at the arsenal spread across the living room and kitchen and shudder. < My God, how many weapons does this guy have? Some of that stuff looks like it's been banned by the Geneva convention. And these people, everyone of them, including the kids, look like they were born with guns in their hands. And what is it with all of the swords? > Christine thinks to herself.
Hans looks down at his Dae Woo K2 assault rifle with a new respect. < These young ones and mortals have certainly changed the way vampires are hunted. If these weapons work, then maybe the world will be rid of the vampire plague. >
Ice meanwhile is thinking thoughts along the same line. < These people ain't no joke, They're deadly serious about stopping these vampires. I hope they can. >
Charlie's thoughts and a prayer turn back to his grandmother, < Grandma, thanks for all of the old stories you told me. I hope you're watching out for us. > Charlie then feels a warm glow in his heart and thinks he smells lilacs, his grandmother's perfume. But he shakes his head and pushes the thought aside.
Alphonse's thoughts turn to his son, now a teenager. < I know I've been much of a father to you, Scott. But, I'm fighting these things so you can have a safe future. >
Frohike watches the preparations around him. He's busy checking out the communications gear the individual units would be taking with them. < Man, I never saw so much hardware in my life. How the hell did Mulder get involved with these people. First vampires, then Merlin and now an alien. What else is going to happen here? Byers and Langley will never believe it. >
Tommy looks around the room and watches how the preparations are progressing. < God, it reminds me of our days in G.I. Joe. I could just imagine Duke coming through the door with orders. >
Snake Eyes watches the youngest members of the group, clean and take down their weapons. He remembers back to his days in Vietnam, when young men as young as Xander and Oz stood beside him in the battle fields. He hopes to see them all survive the coming battles.
Scarlet looks up from her freshly reassembled assault rifle and let's off a silent prayer. < God, please let everyone come back from this. There are too many good and selfless people here for any of them to die. The world needs them. >
Just then, the front doorbell rings. Steve and Mulder go to answer the door. Standing outside are the three men Mulder asked to join them. Mulder introduces them to Steve.
The three men are escorted into the living room where they see the people working on the arsenal spread across the room, being readied for a fight.
Carl Lyons turns to Mulder. "Mulder, what the hell is going on here? You have a small army standing here and you asked us to join you? What the hell for?"
Mulder then explains the situation to them and they shake their heads in disbelief.
"Mulder you can't be serious? A vampire queen trying to raise the Aztec war god? Where did you get this idea from? Some sixties 'B' movie?" Lyons asks.
Before Mulder can reply, Quinn steps forward. "Save your breathe Mulder, I'll show them what they face." Suddenly Quinn and Able Team disappear. Three seconds later, they reappear. The faces of the three commandos are set in grim lines.
Carl Lyons looks at Mulder and asks. "Where's the special ammo?" Mulder points to Xander who's laying out boxes of the stuff and the three men walk over to him and start to unload already filled magazines, replacing their regular bullets with the wooden ones.
Steve asks Quinn. "Quinn, what did you show them? They look like they're ready to rip off every vampire's head in Los Angeles, with their bare hands."
"I showed them the same thing I showed the Immortals. Your fight five months ago and the ski lodge massacre. Turns out, two of the people murdered in the ski lodge were friends of their's. They've been hunting the killers for close to three months, on their off duty days. Now they want vengeance for those people." Quinn tells Steve.
*****
Ironman, Gadgets and Politician approach Xander. Xander looks up at them as he is stacking boxes of ammo on the table. Xander asks. "Hi, you must be the guys Mulder called for. Welcome to the team, I'm Xander." Xander extends his hand. Ironman, Gadgets and Politician each take it in turn, introducing themselves.
Gadgets looks at the kid named Xander handing out the ammo, and that's exactly what he is, a kid. He asks. "Xander, exactly how old are you?"
Xander looks Gadgets straight in the eye as he replies. "Seventeen."
Gadgets looks into Xander's eyes and recognizes the look. He'd seen it on countless young men in Vietnam. His body may not be visibly scarred, but his eyes tell him this kid has been through hell. Gadgets gulps and then asks. "How long you've been fighting vampires?"
"Two years." Xander replies.
< Two years? > Gadgets thinks to himself, < This kid has been fighting vampires for two years? > He turns to his comrades and sees the grimmer set to their features. He turns back to Xander and asks. "Xander, why do you do it?"
Xander looks at the three men standing before him loading their magazines. He sighs as he begins his story. "Because no one else wants to. I would like to have a normal life, but I can't. I've watched too many of my friends die because of these things. Besides, one of my best friends is the Slayer, and I don't leave my friends hanging." The men give him blank looks. "Sorry, the Slayer is the chosen vampire hunter for each generation. She hunts them and I won't let her do it alone."
"She? The Slayers a woman?" Ironman asks.
"Yep, she's the cute blonde standing between Mulder and Steve." Xander points to a young woman with her arm wrapped around Steve's waist.
"Kinda close, aren't they?" Carl comments.
"They get along. Since those two started to work together, life around here has been nice and quiet, almost normal. Together, they've managed to take out every vampire in Sunnydale and the surrounding suburbs. Lately, they've been hunting in Los Angeles, taking down the vampires there."
"Who's the tall redhead?" Gadgets asks, seeing something he likes.
Xander looks over to where Scarlet and Snake Eyes are checking their magazines. "That's Scarlet. The guy standing next to her is her husband Snake Eyes. They and the Storm Shadow Ninja clan have spent the last five months clearing out San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area, now they're here to lend a hand."
"Storm Shadow Ninjas? Where the hell did Mulder get Ninjas from?" Gadgets asks.
"When we hit the vampires five months ago, Scarlet's kids were kidnaped by vampires. Buffy, Steve and Mack helped rescue them. Coming back was their idea of paying back a debt." Xander explains.
"Everyone here like that?" Ironman asks, impressed by these people's sense of duty.
"Yep, everyone here is the hero type. The only thing we need is a load of spandex and we're in business." Xander cracks. Able Team smiles at the joke.
*****
Outside, Cancer Man's operative is in trouble. While Steve and Buffy have cleared out the resident vampires in Sunnydale, the town still had a major problem with vampires that were 'just passing through'. Two such vampires have watched him sitting in his car, and have decided he would make a satisfactory dinner.
Their attack is simple. Walk up to the car, smash the window, get in, grab the guy and drain him dry.
The operative sees what's going on and he knows what he has to do. These vampires had him and were going to kill him. He had one option left. The vehicle self destruct, he would take these two with him. He rasps out as reaches for the switch "I'm dead, but I'm taking you vampires to hell with me." The operative presses the switch down and the effect is nearly instantaneous. The inside of the car melts, leaving the outside intact. Everything inside the car is destroyed, including the vampires.
*****
Any further conversation is halted by Steve's announcement of the battle order. "All right, here's the breakdown of forces. The main attack force will be made of two groups, lead by myself and Mulder. The forces will be made of the following individuals. " Steve lists off all of the Immortals present, split evenly down the middle. "The Storm Shadow Clan and Able Team with Frank will be our sweepers and flying reserve. Able Team and Frank will be issued the heavy weapons." Steve points to a pair of Stoner's and two M-60 E3s loaded with wooden bullets. "Observation, transportation and information services will be done by Giles, Amy, Agent Kowalski, Ice, Charlie, Alphonse, Oz and Xander. Communications and Computer services will be done by Willow, Frohike, Robert Hascombe, Cordelia and Jenny. Quinn will be our 'Ace-in-the-Hole'. In case it really goes down the crapper." Quinn just grins. "Now, any questions?"
"Yes, I have a question, how come the Ninjas and us are going to be the second string on this mission? All of us have combat experience and we're not afraid of these things." Carl Lyons asks.
Steve looks at the assembled Immortals, all of them nod their heads. These people would find out soon enough anyway.
Steve stands in front of the members of Able Team, Storm Shadows and Christine's group along with Frohike. He looks at Tommy and asks. "Can I borrow your knife for a second?"
Tommy silently gives Steve his Randall Combat Bowie. Steve holds up his wrist as he speaks. "The reason none of you were chosen for the main attack was because none of you is an Immortal." With that, Steve cuts his wrist to the bone. Buffy hands him a towel to catch the blood. Everyone watches in amazement as the wound closes before their eyes. After the wound closes, Steve explains. "We can't be killed, except if we're completely cremated or vaporized in an explosion (Steve lies). That's why none of you were chosen for the main force. We don't want our friends to die unnecessarily."
A shocked Scarlet asks. "Steve, you're an Immortal? How old are you, really?"
"I just turned 40, Scarlet. I'm one of the youngest Immortals here. The oldest is Cassandra. She's 2,700 years old." Steve calmly replies. "The average age of Immortals in this room is about 300 years I would estimate."
"My God, that's incredible." Christine mutters.
Any further conversation is stopped by the sound of the front doorbell. Steve goes to answer it. Standing at the door is a man and a woman. The man flashes his badge introducing himself. "I'm Captain John Randall, this is Det. Tracy Vetter. We're with the LAPD.
"Little bit out of your jurisdiction, aren't you?" Steve asks.
"Yes, we are," Captain Randall replies. "Are Agents Mulder and Scully still here?"
"Yes, they are. Can you wait a second. I'll get them." Steve replies.
*****
Randall turns to Vetter and cracks. "Man, doesn't trust cops in his own home."
"Would you let in a couple of cops, who you don't know?" Tracy replies with a grin.
"Nope, they'd mess up my living room to no end." Randall wisecracks.
"He's got a nice place though," Tracy comments looking over the house and the neighborhood. "No wonder Mulder and Scully chose to stay here rather that in a hotel."
"I would too, if I had a friend who owned a house like this." Randall replies with a smile.
*****
Steve goes inside and gets Mulder and Scully. "Mulder, there's a Captain Randall from the LAPD outside looking for you."
"Damn, what the hell is he doing here?" Scully asks.
"Knowing John, probably coming to get you two, so you wouldn't get lost." Ironman tells them with a grin.
"You know him Ironman?" Mulder asks.
"Yep, used to ride patrol with him." Ironman tells them with a grin. "Now Steve, let them in. John can be trusted, but I need to get even for a joke he pulled on me a couple of years ago. Do you guys mind helping?" He looks at everyone in the room as they begin to laugh softly as Ironman lays out a quick plan.
After the plans are set, Steve goes back to the front door and lets Randall and Vetter in. "C'mon in. Mulder and Scully are waiting for you in the living room." Steve tells them.
"Thanks." Randall replies as he and Vetter walk in.
They enter the living room to find Buffy, Mulder and Scully watching the Burger to Go video tape. Scully and Mulder are commenting about Steve's form.
"Mulder, why can't you do things like that?" Dana sweetly asks.
"Because I don't have a Slayer for a girlfriend." Mulder replies with a grin, taking a sip from his iced tea.
Captain Randall and Det. Vetter look at the video tape playing on Steve's big screen. They recognize the place and they recognize the two people in the video. They turn to each other and both immediately reach for their guns. Randall points his gun at Steve's head and Vetter does the same to Buffy's.
"You're both under arrest." Randall tells Steve and Buffy.
"May I ask for what?" Steve replies calmly.
"For murder, leaving the scene of crime, concealed weapons, and that's just for starters. I'll figure out more later on." Randall replies, a little worried. < This guy is way too calm. Something's up. >
"I think my friends might take exception to that, Captain Randall." Steve drily comments. Quinn flashes everyone back from out of phase when Steve says the word 'friends'.
"What friends? There's only you, the girl and two federal ag . . . ?" Randall's remark is cut short by the sound of slides racking back and safeties being released. He slowly turns around and the empty living room is empty no longer. Randall takes a gulp as he looks into the barrels of at least twenty assault rifles. Tracy also takes a look and she promptly drops her gun and raises her hands.
"Damn," Randall quietly whispers. "I hope these are friends of your's Mulder."
"Actually, they're Steve's friends." Mulder replies with a grin.
"Nothing personal guy. Just doing my job." Randall quickly explains to Steve, but the gun doesn't waiver.
"John, there are at least forty guns pointed at us." Vetter nervously comments.
"I know Tracy." Randall replies calmly and then asks Steve. "Would it be too much trouble to ask your friends to put down their guns?"
"Just put your gun down and we'll talk about it." Steve replies calmly.
"Can't do it son. LAPD never. . ." Randall's reply is cut off by Ironman.
". . . Put their guns down. Unless the suspect is dead or we're dead." Ironman finishes.
Randall turns around and stares at his old partner. "Lyons, you low down, dirty, mother fucking, son of a bitch. If this is your idea of a joke, I am not pleased."
"Why John? Because I got you this time?" Ironman replies with a grin.
"No, because you've been holding out on me. Why didn't you tell me the vampire hunters were with you, when I asked?" Randall angrily comments.
"Because they're not. They're with Mulder and Scully." Ironman replies.
"They're WHAT?!!" An angry Randall turns to the two Feds. "What is the meaning of this? You Federal bastards have been involved in my case from the beginning? Working behind our backs and cleaning up after yourselves, while making us look like morons. I want a full explanation, *NOW*." Randall bellows at Mulder and Scully.
"All right Captain Randall, Det. Vetter, grab a seat." Mulder tells them. He then tells them the truth.
Twenty minutes later, after Mulder finishes his story and shows them the other video tape, Captain Randall looks at the two FBI agents and the massed group of vampire hunters and all of the weapons present, the look of determination in all of the faces. He still can't believe it. "Mulder, this can't be real, vampires don't exist. They're only myths and legends."
Before Mulder can reply, Lyons turns to Quinn. "Quinn show these two what you showed us." Quinn nods his head and the three of them disappear.
Three seconds later a shaken and angry Captain Randall and a furious Det. Vetter reappear. Randall turns to Mulder, Steve and Ironman.
"This guy, whatever he is, and believe me, I don't want to know what he is." Randall points to Quinn. "Just showed us what the fuck we're facing, up close and personal. What I want to know is what do we have to do to get this war rolling." He turns to Steve. "Quinn told me you have a special ammunition which will kill these things. I want a supply of ammo for my SWAT team. I'm giving you the Rangers as backup and support."
"I'm sure Cody will be happy to hear he's working with us again." Ironman smirks.
"I'm taking my city back. And no fucking vampire queen is going to stop me." Randall angrily states. "Get your people moving. I want this situation under control tonight. Every vampire you people ice is one less murder for me to solve.
*****
Cancer Man picks up his cell phone and answers. "What is it?"
"Sir," the voice at the other end begins. "We've lost our agent in Sunnydale. He activated the self destruct in his vehicle and most of his recordings were destroyed. From what we've been able to salvage sir, it's way out there. It's just too weird, even for Mulder. If you want, we can transfer a digital recording to you."
"Did Mulder or any of his friends have anything to do with our man's death?" Cancer Man asks.
"No Sir, his final words were, 'I'm dead, but I'm taking you vampires to hell with me'."
Cancer Man shudders and then orders "Do it. I'll be at my office in thirty minutes."
"Yes Sir." Then the connection closes.
Cancer Man stares outside his window for a minute and shudders. < What the hell is going on in Los Angeles and how will the Others react to it? >
*****
The Centre jet lands a LAX and proceeds to a secluded runway. At the end of the runway is a private hanger. Outside the hanger, waiting, are four Centre sedans. Black, sleek and powerful, they sit with their engines idling, waiting for the hunt to begin.
Miss Parker strolls down the jet's steps and walks over to the lead sedan. The driver, a Centre employee stationed in Los Angeles quietly waits for her to enter the car.
*****
Unknown to the Centre sweeper team, five vampires have penetrated the Centre hanger and they are hungry. The two Centre mechanics on duty are their first victims. As they are drained, one of the vampires notices the people deplaning and the five move to feed some more.
*****
Miss Parker is standing by the lead sedan as the rest of her crew deplanes and stows their baggage in the trunks. As the last bag is being put in, the four sweepers by the last car start to scream. Gar and Willy immediately go to investigate. She rushes toward the last car as gunshots are heard. Before she can reach it Gar grabs her and forces her into the lead car and orders the driver to get out of there. He turns to face Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots.
"What the hell happened back there Gar?" Miss Parker orders.
"Four of the sweepers were grabbed by something. We tried to shoot them, but they only laughed at us and grabbed four more sweepers. I ordered everyone into the cars and out of there. What the hell are those things, my bullets didn't even faze them.
Miss Parker shares a glance and a thought with Sidney and Broots. < What the hell has Jarod gotten us into now? >
"Where are we going?" Miss Parker asks.
"To Sunnydale." The driver replies. "There are no hotel rooms available in LA. The only place that I could find that was reasonably close was a Motor Lodge in Sunnydale."
"Oh joy." Miss Parker snarls as she lights up a cigarette. "First we're attacked by something that can't be shot. Now we're stuck in the boonies."
Part 17 - Tora Tora Tora
(How To Put The Most Force In The Smallest Area Possible)
The decision was made, Randall and Vetter would run interference for the assault with the LAPD and the Feds. As Steve, Mulder, Ironman and Tommy lay out the plans, Quinn opens a portal to the Ninja's LA warehouse. The entire assault group starts to move through it.
As everybody goes through, Steve asks Quinn. "Can you give everyone black uniforms like Frank and I are wearing?" Quinn nods and suddenly everyone is dressed like Steve and Frank. Steve then turns to Randall. "Can you get us some vans to use for tonight?"
"Not a problem, I'll have the Rangers bring six vans from the motor pool with them." Randall replies as he takes his phone out. "Cody, this is John, Ironman is in town with a few friends, so bring along six of the large vans with you to the warehouse at Vine and Charcey. We're using it as our base of operations for tonight. And don't forget to pack your party favors, you'll need them."
"Not a problem John, see you there." Lt. Cody Rodgers replies.
*****
Lt. Cody Rodgers hangs up the phone after his conversation with Captain John Randall and turns to his second in command, Sgt. Robert Devlin. "Bob, it's going to be a bad one. Ironman is running the show. John wants us to bring six of the big vans with us to a warehouse at Vine and Charcey. We'll be using it as a base of operations for tonight. And don't forget to bring our equipment. Sounds like the Captain has got a bead on these 'vampires' and he's going to hit them with everything we've got."
"Ironman's in town? Oh Shit, I'll get the team together. Do you want me to bring the new guy, Jarod, along?" Devlin asks.
"Yeah, It'll be a good learning experience for him." Rodgers muses as Devlin leaves.
Outside, Sgt. Devlin calls together the SWAT unit called Rodgers' Rangers. The group is made up of twelve officers, including Rodgers and Devlin. As the officers gather together, Devlin gives them the low down. "All right, I've got good news and bad news. First, the Captain has just called and ordered us to muster at a warehouse on Vine and Charcey. We're going to hit the vampire serial killers, tonight." Cheers break out, as the men and women finally get a chance for some action. Sgt. Devlin continues. "The bad news is former LAPD Sgt. Carl 'Ironman' Lyons is running the show." Groans escape from nine of the ten officers. Jarod, the only officer not groaning, looks around confused.
"What is so bad about this Lyons guy?" The man known as Jarod Russell asks.
"You're new Jarod, so you don't know about the Ironman and his two playmates. But take my word for it, when those three are around, the shit's about to hit the fan. And why they want six vans is beyond me." Devlin replies.
Sgt. Devlin then orders. "Now get your gear together, Ramos, Henry, Thompson, Franklin, Michaels and Russell, you six will be the drivers for these vans. Go to the motor pool and get them. You'll meet the rest of us at the warehouse. Do not, I repeat, do not enter by yourselves. We go in as a unit."
*****
Twenty minutes later the Rangers are parked in front of the warehouse in question. They approach the building in a single group, with weapons at the ready. As they approach, Captain Randall comes out and greets them.
"Cody, glad you guys could make it." Randall comments.
"What's going on John? Is Ironman really running this show?" Lt. Rodgers asks.
"Yes and no. The guy running it is an FBI agent named Mulder. His seconds in command are his partner, a woman named Scully, Ironman, a guy named Steve St. Wolf and a woman named Buffy Summers. Before you get any ideas about going in there like you own the place, don't. There are fifty Black Ops soldiers in there, armed to the fucking teeth and ready to kill anything that moves. So no questions, no games, no jokes, just listen and do as you are told. Am I making myself clear?"
Cody stiffly nods his head and replies. "Crystal clear. Can you tell us what the fuck are Black Ops doing in LA, hunting done a group of serial killers?"
"I can't." Randall replies. "Just know this, those people in there are our best chance to stop some serious shit from going down. And I mean serious."
Randall then escorts the Rangers into the warehouse where he introduces the Rangers to the assembled Vampire hunters.
Rodgers looks over the assembled Black Ops soldiers in front of him and shudders. < My God, these guys are serious and they have the fire power to back themselves up. What the hell are we here for? > Rodgers wonders to himself.
Just then, Steve steps forward, introduces himself and explains the situation to the SWAT team. "Gentlemen, Ladies, My name is Steven St. Wolf. This matter is classified top secret. It is not to be discussed outside of this room by any of you. Am I understood?" The SWAT team nods their heads in agreement. "Very well, I'll give it to you straight, I won't lie to you. The situation is as follows. A month ago, a group of animal rights activists broke into a laboratory that was testing a Russian biological agent. The lab's purpose was to find a cure, but the activists' destroyed all of the research, and got themselves contaminated with the original plague virus." The SWAT team's faces pale. Steve continues. "Now the plague virus dies after thirty minutes of exposure to the air, and the only way to transmit it, is by transfer of a large amount of contaminated blood between the plague carrier and another victim. So, there is no chance of you catching it." The SWAT team breaths easier. "Now here's the fun part. The plague causes it's victims to believe that they are vampires and that they need blood to survive. It also makes them very sensitive to sunlight and for some reason, religious icons such as crosses and Stars of David. But it also gives them superhuman strength and enhanced healing ability. The only way to stop them is to shoot them in the heart with the modified bullets we are giving you, or behead them. Anything else, short of a flame thrower or anti-tank rocket will not work on them. Any questions?"
"Yeah St. Wolf, who the hell are you people? What agency do you represent? NSA? CIA? Military?" Lt. Rodgers asks.
Steve gives an evil grin. "That's classified and on an need to know basis. Let's just say we're here to clean up the mess, without the public finding out about the mess. And thereby causing a panic." Steve replies.
"Another Government coverup, by an agency that doesn't exist. Why don't you people just go back to chasing UFO's?" Sgt. Devlin mutters.
Mulder and Scully just smile at that comment.
Meanwhile, Jarod looks over the assembled group in front of him. Each of their faces share a common trait, a look of determination. Jarod realizes that these people are here to fight, not to stand around and wait out a situation. He starts to look over individual faces and he's shocked to see teenagers among the black Ops soldiers. Two of them walk up to Jarod and his fellow officers. They introduce themselves.
"Hi, I'm Xander," The dark haired young tells them. "And this is Oz." The red haired young man nods his head. "We're here to issue you people the specialized ammunition for your weapons. Please remove the ammo from at least five magazines, both rifle and pistol, and replace it with the ammo we give you."
Jarod looks at the two kids as he switches the ammunition for his M-16 and Berreta M92. Xander is armed with an AWP-308 sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, Oz has a H&K G3 battle rifle in an assault sling. Both rifles were equipped with night vision scopes more advanced than anything Jarod had ever seen. Each young man was also carrying a Glock Model 21 side arm, grenades, combat knives. Both men had body armor and night vision goggles that Jarod has never seen before. The armor was painted a flat black and looked more like a breast plate than a flack jacket. And the goggles are small and compact, not the large bulky pieces Jarod has seen. But Jarod wonders the most about is the other item both men were carrying over their left shoulders, < Why are both men carrying swords? > Jarod then looks more closely at the rest of the group < For that matter, why was everyone in this group carrying swords? >
Jarod's thoughts are put on the back burner as the order of battle is given and four sites have been marked for assault, two abandoned warehouses on the waterfront, an abandoned supermarket in the barrio and an old mansion in the Hollywood Hills. The blueprints and schematics of the sites are arranged before the team leaders and their seconds in command. The two warehouses would be hit first, then the supermarket and finally the mansion.
St. Wolf and Summers would lead the first group made up of sixteen Immortals, including Brother Aaron and the Storm Shadow ninjas. Christine, Ice, Frank, Oz, Xander and six SWAT officers under Lt. Rodgers would act as the reserve and as perimeter guards.
The second group would be lead by Mulder, Scully and Cassandra, it would have the rest of the Immortals, including Robert and Abbott Michael and Able Team. The reserve would be Charlie, Alphonse, Giles, Amy, and six SWAT officers under the command of Sgt. Devlin.
Quinn would remain behind, the ultimate ace-in-the-hole. Captain Randall and Det. Vetter would go back to headquarters to run interference for the assault and pick up the pieces afterwards.
*****
St. Wolf Residence
Willow, Cordelia, Jenny, Robert and Frohike are manning the monitors and computers back in Steve's office. Frohike is downloading one of his hacking programs via satellite and as he prepares to run it, Willow, seeing what the program is, asks. "Mr. Frohike, what are you doing?"
"I'm accessing a National Reconnaissance Organization Satellite. A K-H series to be exact." Frohike responds.
"Why are you doing that?" Cordelia asks as she reaches for her gun. < I know Mulder trusts this guy, but those are my friends out there. And if he tries something, I'll blow his brains out. > Cordelia's sentiments are echoed by Willow and Jenny, as they both calmly reach for their guns.
Robert looks on and thinks to himself. < These women will kill him in an instant to protect their men. > Then smiles to himself. < I hope their significant others know and appreciate this. >
Frohike sighs and turns around. "Because the NRO satellite's thermal imaging system can tell us if anyone alive is still in the building, and where they're located."
"Oh." All three women say at the same time. Cordelia turns to Jenny and Willow and asks. "That's a good thing, right?"
"A very good thing." Willow murmurs as she starts to help him. "It give our people the knowledge to know where the victims are and then they can save them."
National Reconnaissance Organization HQ - Some Where in Virginia
Lt. Janice Ellison is sitting back and having her first cup of coffee for the grave yard shift. As she is taking her first sip, the entire situation room goes into red alert. Major Hoffmann rushes into the room bellowing at the top of his lungs. "Who the hell just pushed the red alert. If this is a joke, I'll have their balls."
"Sir, I pressed the red alert, Sir." A Sergeant named Paxton stands up, at attention.
"All right Sergeant, what's the emergency?" Major Hoffmann asks.
"Sir, we lost contact with Red Eagle One. Some one has hijacked her." Sgt. Paxton reports.
Major Hoffmann's stomach drops. < How the hell could someone steal one of our birds? It shouldn't be possible. Could it? > "Did you check your system Sergeant?"
"Yes Sir, I checked, double and triple checked and crossed checked with all six of the backup systems. Red Eagle One is gone, Sir." Paxton replies.
Hoffmann takes a deep breath and then he shudders. A moment later, he has regained control of himself. He begins to issue orders. "I want all of the intelligence representatives in the situation room, ASAP. Get me the Joint Chiefs on line now. And some one find me some Maalox. It's going to be one of those nights."
As he turns around to leave, Lt. Ellison notices that she has some e-mail. Out of curiosity she opens it and after reading the short message she calls out to the Major. "Major Hoffmann, sir, please come look at this."
"It had better be important Lt. or you'll find yourself vacuuming dust in the Mojave." Hoffmann gruffly replies as he walks over and reads the message on her computer screen. His face turns a livid purple as he screams. "I want this message traced. I don't care how. I don't care if you violate every amendment in the Constitution, but I want the person that wrote this found. And print me up a copy of that message, immediately."
After the e-mail is printed, Major Hoffmann takes it with him to the situation meeting room. Members of every intelligence agency in the United States, plus a few allies were present. As he approaches his chair, Hoffmann pulls it out and while still standing, slams his fists into the table, then bellows out. "Which one of you fuck ups is responsible for something called Section Seven? So help me God, if I find out which one it is, I'll shoot him down on the spot."
"Major, get a hold of yourself." General Douglaston, the Joint Chiefs' representative orders.
"Sorry sir, but I've just had one of my birds hijacked."
The room goes quiet. The CIA representative is the first to ask. "Are you sure it's not a computer error?"
"Yes, Sir," Hoffmann sarcastically replies through clenched teeth. "We always call for a red alert before we check for computer errors." The CIA man, embarrassed, shuts up.
"Now, what's this thing about Section Seven?" General Douglaston asks.
"Simple sir, when the satellite disappeared, we got this e-mail on our *SECURED* system." Hoffmann replies.
"Please read us the message, Major."
"Yes Sir, it reads as follows,"
'To the NRO;
Sorry to borrow your satellite without asking first, but we didn't have time to process the paperwork. Saving the world can get to be like that sometimes.
We'll return it to you in about 48 hours. Oh, and by the way, nice gun you got on this baby. We'll make sure it doesn't accidently go off.
Best Regards,
Section Seven
"My God. This is real." General Douglaston murmurs. Meanwhile the CIA, NSA and various other 'intelligence' organizations silently ponder and look at each other, all asking the same question. < Which one of these guys has control of Section Seven? And how the hell do I get a piece of them? >
The NSA representative asks. "What do they mean by 'nice gun', Major?"
The Major sighs as he begins. "The Red Eagle series of K-H satellites are all equipped with a 200 Mega-watt laser guns. The gun's targeting computer uses the Global Positioning System to hit it's targets. What that means is it can hit a quarter from 250 miles in orbit, burn off George's face and leave the rest alone."
"Can they fire the laser?" The NSA representative asks.
"The codes to fire the laser are just as tough as the ones controlling the satellite." Major Hoffmann replies.
"So in theory they can also crack the firing codes as well?" The NSA representative verbalizes everyone's worst fears.
"Yes, in theory, they can crack those codes as well."
The room turns quite as each man tries to think of a solution to this problem.
St. Wolf Residence
Willow, Jenny, Cordelia and Robert have just finished laughing about the e-mail Frohike sent to the NRO. As Willow catches her breathe, she asks. "Wasn't that e-mail a bit much Frohike?"
"Nope, it'll keep them guessing and give us time to get our work done. Plus the orbital laser is a nice touch, don't you think."
"What can it do?" Jenny asks.
"Well it fires a 200 Mega-watt laser that can burn a hole in six inches of steel, in about a tenth of a second, and it can be aimed with pin point accuracy. I think that'll give any vampire or demon a major case of sun burn." Frohike replies with a smile.
Part 18 - Rocking the Town
(Los Angeles Really Screams After Midnight)
The six vans make their way to the waterfront. Their targets, two warehouses filled with vampires. The vans bypass the first target and Buffy confirms the presence of at least fifty vampires. They move on to the second warehouse and Buffy again confirms the presence of forty five vampires. The vans move off and several blocks away they split up. Three going to the first warehouse, the other three going to the second warehouse.
Buffy and Steve lead the assault on the first warehouse. They drop off the perimeter guards first. Securing the exterior of the warehouse. Then they ram their van through the front doors and immediately start attacking the vampires found inside the warehouse. The vampires are literally caught dozing. Steve leads half the Immortals up the left side of the warehouse, Buffy, the other half, the right. They take out any vampires they see. The ninjas roll up the middle, causing mayhem and confusion. Frank aided by Christine, Ice and two SWAT officers guards the front door. The rear of the warehouse is guarded by Xander and Jarod. The sides by Oz and the other three SWAT officers, two on each side.
The attack is furious, the vampires have recovered from their shock and they attack in earnest. They are expecting LAPD, armed with shotguns and pistols, no problem for vampires. Instead, they get the Slayer backed up by twenty vampire hunters armed to take them down. The first wave of vampires, about twenty of them, their demonic faces showing, charge the three groups of fighters, only to be cut down by the massed fire power of the hunters. The vampire leading this group orders the rest of the vampires back. He orders five of the vampires to run and tell Katherine what is happening. The rest would act as a diversion allowing them to get away. The vampires then attack again in a wave attack, attempt to over whelm their foes, but they are again cut down by the massed fire power of the warriors facing them. Mercy is neither asked for, nor given.
*****
Hans shifts his rifle to a more comfortable position. He has just shot his third vampire that night and watched it turn to dust. < Damn, this ammunition works. I hope they let me get some of it for myself. >
*****
The five vampires sent to warn Katherine have split up, three going out the back and two on the left side. The three escape through a back door and as they are running, two of the vampires are shot down by an M-16. Both turn to dust. The final vampire runs away as fast as she can, but her heart is found by a sniper's wooden tipped bullet. Xander and Jarod stand together and look at each other.
Jarod asks. "Why did they turn to dust?"
Xander sighs and tells him. "Because they're real vampires. There is no plague. Just real vampires."
"I take it you're the group who rescued those people at the Burger to Go, last night." Jarod asks.
"Yeah, that was Steve and Buffy." Xander admits.
"Good, nice to know that we're on the same side." Jarod comments. < Maybe these people can help me fight the Centre, when this is all over. >
*****
On the left side of the building, Oz is standing with Officer Rita Morales. The last two vampires exit out through a window. Oz shoots the one on the left, Rita the one on the right, both are dust.
Rita turns to Oz and asks. "What just happened?"
Oz keeps an eye on the warehouse as he tells her. " Real vampires tend to turn to dust when you get them in the heart with wood, or behead them."
"Real vampires? You mean we're fighting real vampires. What was this crap about a plague?" Rita asks angrily.
"People are more likely to believe a plague, than real vampires. It gave us a plausible explanation for hunting them down." Oz explains.
Rita crosses herself, then asks. "The restaurant, the vampire hunters, that was you people?"
"Yeah." Oz replies.
"Madre Dios!" Morales mutters and crosses herself.
*****
Inside the warehouse the vampires have all been killed off. Steve orders a quick search. "I want a quick search done. Work in teams of three. Do not, I repeat, do not open any locked doors without backup. Spray all bodies with holy water. If it burns, stake it. Check all the boxes and any containers. Let's move people. I want to be out of here in five minutes." Steve then turns to Lt. Rodgers. "Rodgers, call Randall and give him this location. He can pick up the pieces." Rodgers nods and makes the radio call.
As Cody leaves to make his call, one of the search teams finds a locked and barred door. They pull it open and quickly spray the inside with holy water. The people inside are startled, but none of them start to burn. Steve leads in five Immortals to check the room. Each person is touched with a cross, before they are handed out. None are vampires. Buffy tells Scarlet to report the situation to Lt. Rodgers and to get some ambulances down here ASAP.
A few minutes later another room is found, stacked to the rafters with bodies. Dead bodies. The assembled Immortals look into a scene carved from their worst nightmares. Steve and Buffy look in and can only hold themselves close and ask themselves, < Why couldn't we get here sooner? >
Meanwhile Cody is reporting in. "John, this is Cody. We just hit the warehouse located on pier 17. Can you send backup?"
"Not a problem Cody. We'll be there in about seven minutes, clear everybody out ASAP." Captain Randall replies.
Just then Scarlet leaves the warehouse and she reports to Cody. "Lt., we found thirty people inside. All are suffering from blood loss. Several are seriously low. They'll need to be transported to a hospital. We've also found about a hundred dead. You'll need to move them later on."
Cody picks up his radio again and reports in. "John, Cody here again. We found thirty people still alive. They'll need transport to the hospital. Can you get the ambulances rolling?"
"You got 'em Cody. Just haul your butts out of there. I don't want the press to get a look at our 'friends'." Captain Randall orders.
"John, we also have about a hundred victims here. You'll need to move them as well." Lt. Rodgers tells Captain Randall.
*****
"Damn, damn, damn," Captain Randall mutters as he slams the radio down. He turns to Tracy and tells her. "They got there too late to save a hundred people. Damn it Tracey, we're supposed to win. We're the good guys."
"I know John, but sometimes we don't get to win as cleanly as we want to. Sometimes the victory is almost as dark as though we lost. Can you imagine what it would be like if they won?" Tracey tells him.
Randall thinks for a minute and shudders. "You're right, Tracy, thanks." He picks up the mike again and orders Cody. "Cody, get your people of there. We'll be at the warehouse in five minutes. I don't what any reporters seeing our friends."
"Understood John, we'll be out of here in a couple of minutes." Cody replies.
*****
Cody radios Jarod. "Jarod, get the perimeter guards in, we're moving out."
Jarod confirms and turns to Xander. "You take the right side, I'll go left, we'll meet in front." Xander nods and goes to get the guards on the right side.
Cody then goes into the warehouse and finds Steve and Buffy. He delivers Randall's message. "Sir, Ma'am, Captain Randall will be here in about six minutes. We have to move out."
Steve nods his head heavily and turns to the survivors. "The LAPD will be here in a few minutes. They'll take you to the hospital and make sure you get proper medical treatment. Please understand this, you never saw us. You were rescued by the Police officers that are coming here now. They are the heroes."
"Why?" One of the victims ask. "You people rescued us and probably saved our lives. You deserve the recognition, not the cops coming in now."
Steve takes a deep breath and tells them. "The organization that we work for does not officially exist, sir. We can not legally operate inside this country."
One of the other victims mutters. "Damn, finally a thing that my tax dollars paid for, that I'm proud of, and I can't talk about it." Everyone laughs as they mount up and leave.
One minute later, everyone is back on the vans and moving to the second warehouse. As they leave the scene, Buffy and Steve, along with everyone else watches a sea of blue and red lights wash over the warehouse. The LAPD was there, in force.
*****
Mulder and Scully move their vans to their target, the second warehouse. The attack plan is the same as the one carried out by Buffy and Steve. First, the perimeter guards are dropped, then the lead van crashes through the doors of the warehouse. As Mulder and Scully are jumping off the tail of the van, weapons ready. They see the vampires are waiting for them. The vampire leader marches forward and mockingly tells them. "Ahhh, our dinner serves itself. Welcome brave officers, to your deaths."
Mulder and Scully grin, seeing the assembled vampires in front of them. Mulder walks forward and cracks. "So how did you know we were coming? We didn't send any announcements."
"Simple, my young meal, I had a sentry posted on the roof. We will have you all for dinner and then leave as we planned on doing, anyway." The leader replies with a smile as he shifts into his demon face.
Mulder just grins as he orders. "Everyone of them, but the big mouth."
"Oh look, the puny mortals are going to shoot us." A female vampire laughs. She dies with that laugh on her lips as the amassed hunters fire twenty assault rifles, two M60 E3s and a Stoner squad automatic into them. Two seconds and five hundred rounds of ammunition later, the vampire leader is standing alone in a cloud of smoke and dust. He looks around, and sees only piles of dust where his vampires had once stood.
Mulder sees the shocked expression on the vampire's face and orders him to be Captured. Before the leader could move, he's surrounded by cross wielding warriors. He has no place to run to. He watches as Mulder and Scully, calmly approach him. The vampire leader cries out. "Who are you people? What have you done to my children?"
Mulder looks the leader over and quips. "Bit melodramatic, aren't you?"
"I will destroy you and everyone here, mortal." The vampire vows.
"Oh please, you are going to be dust in a couple of minutes. Anything you promise is just wind coming out of your mouth." Mulder replies to the vampire, then orders. "I want this place searched. Robert, lead a team of six to the roof and make sure no one is up there." Robert McCallister nods and picks five people to go with him. Mulder continues. "Check all bodies with crosses and holy water. Make sure that there is no one alive or undead here. Work in three man teams and multiple teams check each room, box or large crate. Perimeter guards are to remain in place, shoot anything that tries to sneak out. Able Team, will do roving patrol duty." Lyons, Gadgets and Politician nod their heads. "Back up any team that needs the help." With that the group breaks up into three man teams and starts to search.
Sgt. Devlin is watching Mulder order the Black Ops troops and he wonders. < What the hell kind of ammunition did they give us. People just do not disappear after being shot. > Then he looks on as Mulder questions the leader. < What the hell are we involved in here? >
"Let's make this simple. Do you have a name or do we just call you 'Meat'?" Mulder asks the leader.
"My name is Eric Von Strasbourg, I am a man of the blood." The vampire proudly proclaims.
"Well Eric," Mulder begins. "You mind if I call you Eric?" The vampire nods his permission. Mulder and Scully exchange glances. Then Mulder brutally slams Eric into the wall, head first.
"Now Eric, tell me where is Katherine Planteganent? And what are her plans for tomorrow night? Tell us now, and we end it quickly. Bull shit us and we'll make the pain last for weeks." Mulder tells Eric. Von Strasbourg spits on Mulder's boots.
Devlin looks on and thinks to himself. < They're going to torture him. I can't let this happen. >
Just then, one of the search groups comes back. The leader, a man called Thorson tells Devlin. "Sir, we've just found something you might want to see." Devlin goes with him to a refrigerated side room of the warehouse. Thorson enters the room followed by Devlin. Their flashlights show a seen out of Hell itself. The room was floor to ceiling and wall to wall corpses. Most them young children, runaways by the way they were dressed. Each of their faces bore the same expression, one of pure, stark, raving, terror. < None of these kids died easy. > Devlin thinks to himself. Devlin gets sick to his stomach, and suddenly the prospect of torturing that smug bastard doesn't sound so bad.
Devlin hears Thorson quietly mumble "I haven't seen something like this since Dachau, in 45. I hoped to God not to see it again."
Then another man, a guy called Argus replies. "I know, I helped to liberate Auschwitz in 45. It was just as bad."
Devlin looks at Thorson and Argus and wonders about that remark. < These guys couldn't have served in World War II. They don't look older than thirty. >
Devlin's radio buzzes. He picks it up and answers. "Devlin here."
"Bob, this is Cody. We've just finished over at the first target, everything clear. How about you?"
"Cody, everything's clear. We have no injuries. Also, we have a prisoner. Mulder is about to question him, hard." Devlin reports.
There is silence on the radio for a minute and Rodgers comes back. "Bob, I know how you feel about things like this. Just walk away. Let them handle it."
"Cody, I just found a trailer load of bodies here, mostly kids. I want this bastard to feel the pain those kids felt as they were killed." Devlin replies as he walks back to where Mulder, Scully and a man called Michael were questioning the suspect.
Devlin watches as several men literally crucify him to a wall. They nail his arms and legs to the wall with spikes and boards. < Damn, these bastards know how to torture someone. > Then his shirt and pants are cut off him with knives as they prepare him for questioning. He watches as Mulder reaches for the bastards face and puts a water gun(?) to his chest and shoots. The bastard just screams as steam literally rises from his chest, the skin bubbles as though acid was just poured on it. Mulder asks his question again
"Again Eric, where is Katherine Planteganent?" Mulder asks. Von Strasbourg just laughs.
"Very well then." Mulder tells him. Then Mulder's partner, Scully, hands him a cross on a chain. Von Strasbourg shudders and calls Mulder all sorts of names, but Mulder just smiles as he puts it on him. He begins to scream an unholy scream. Devlin shudders and again asks himself. < What the hell is going on here? And who the hell are these people? And what are we really fighting? >
Mulder lifts the cross from the Von Strasbourg's skin, he stops screaming and he takes a deep breath, and spits in Mulder's face. Mulder wipes the spittle off, as he drops the cross back down. < Damn, that bastard Mulder has no heart. How the hell can he torture someone like that? > Von Strasbourg starts to scream again, Mulder walks away and starts to take reports from the other groups.
Thorson tells him about the bodies in the refrigerated room and Devlin watches as Mulder rushes over and looks into the room. Devlin watches as Mulder lets loose his own scream at the horror sitting in that room. His partner, Scully, rushes over to him and walks him out, a shaken and angry man. Devlin looks into Mulder's eyes and for the first time in his life, can understand what pure hatred was. Devlin feels a small amount of pity for Von Strasbourg. A very small amount.
Mulder walks back to Von Strasbourg and slams his fist into the cross. The vampire begins to scream anew and with more gusto. Mulder punches him along side his head, and again asks. "For the final time, where is your queen. I will not ask this question again."
Von Strasbourg lifts his head and grins. "I will not betray my queen. Beside I'm more in fear of her than I am of you, mortal."
Just then, Steve and Buffy walk in, followed by the rest of their crew. Von Strasbourg looks them over and smiles. "So Slayer, I see that you and your companion don't fight us alone."
Buffy looks over the vampire and asks. "What do mean by that vampire. And how do you know us?"
Von Strasbourg nods his head to the pile of clothes. "In my pants pocket, there is a drawing of your likenesses." Cody, standing next to the clothes pile, reaches down and searches the pockets. He finds the picture and hands it over to Buffy.
She looks over the drawing of herself and Steve and asks. "Where did you get this?"
Von Strasbourg chuckles. "After your raid last night, three vampires saw you both as you exited the restaurant. They reported back to the queen and she had them describe you two. The drawings were made from their descriptions. Her orders were to kill you, Slayer and take your mate alive. She wants him for herself, to convert him to our cause and make him her general."
An angry Buffy stalks forward and tells Von Strasbourg. "No one touches my honey and lives, vampire. I'm going to rip her heart out with my bare hands when I find her."
Von Strasbourg chuckles. "So, the two are more than companions. Good, my queen will enjoy ripping you two apart."
Buffy makes to stake him, but a slightly embarrassed Steve walks up behind Buffy and lays a restraining hand on her shoulder, calming her down. Steve leans down and tells her. "Don't think about it Buffy. He's only trying to make you angry so you make a mistake. Don't give him the edge."
Von Strasbourg looks at Steve and smiles. "So, we have a seasoned warrior at the Slayer's side. Good, you'll become the perfect general for my queen."
"I think not cousin," A voice replies from behind Mulder.
A tall man, bearing a startling family resemblance to Von Strasbourg walks forward. The walk, the mannerisms, the very way he held himself, Von Strasbourg starts. < Hans? It can't be. > "What foul kind of magic is this? My cousin Hans died three hundred years ago. You can not be him."
Hans smiles as he approaches the vampire. "Oh but I am." He then turns to Steve and Buffy. "You have my oath of service young sir and lady. I am forever your man for delivering this bastard to me."
"Would you mind explaining what's going on Hans? We're kinda lost here." Steve replies.
*****
Rodgers and Devlin look at each other and ask. "How the hell can this guy still be alive after three hundred years. I know the guy crucified to the wall is a real vampire. I figured that out a few minutes ago. But what the hell does it make this guy?"
"Simple, he's an Immortal," Both men jump at the words spoken by Rupert Giles. "He's been given the gift of Immortality for his services in fighting the darkness that threatens to destroy humanity."
"Are you out of your mind? How can someone be Immortal. That's a fairy tale." Cody Rodgers replies unbelievingly.
Giles just smiles as he counters. "Aren't vampires myths and legends, but you see for yourselves they do exist. So why shouldn't warriors who are Immortal, who fight them down through the ages?"
"What are you people?" Rodgers whispers fearing the answer more than bullets.
"We're an army, so to speak, that has existed since the dawn of humanity. We recognize no boarders, no nationalities. Our only goal is to protect humanity. We fight the, shall we say, 'Darkness' that seeks to destroy humanity. Many of our warriors have become the stuff of legend. Our battles, epic sagas." Giles explains.
"Like who?" A curious Devlin asks, dreading the answer.
Giles smiles as lists some of the warriors. "Gilgamish, Beowulf, Arthur Pendragon, St. George, Hercules, need I go on?"
Rodgers and Devlin look at each other and shudder. Devlin asks. "Cody what the hell did Randall get us involved in?"
Rodgers looks over the assembled group standing around him and replies, a trace of pride in his voice. "A job that has to be done. We swore to protect and serve and that's exactly what we're doing."
Giles smiles as his lie is accepted by both men and the secret of the Immortals is kept.
*****
Meanwhile back at the wall . . .
Hans Von Strasbourg clears his throat and begins his story. "Mr. St. Wolf, the story begins back in beginning. Eric and I were both born into the house of Strasbourg, a noble vassal house of the Habsburg Empire. In 1688, the French emperor, Louis the XIV, went to war with my overlord over some disputed land claims. The war lasted nine years and was bravely fought. All of the men of fighting age in my house, save Eric, went to war as officers for our king. Eric was chosen to remain behind to care for and defend our estates and families." The betrayal in his voice is clearly heard.
"After the battle of Neerwinden in 1693, my calvary unit was fighting a rear guard action against the French, who were under the command of Louis' Field Marshal Luxembourg, I was wounded in the retreat. After the remainder of our forces escaped from that defeat, my commanding officer ordered me home to recuperate. As I was drawing near to my home in Strasbourg, I saw that the country had changed, become more dark. There were fewer people there and everyone looked at me with suspicion and dread.
"When I entered my ancestral home, no one greeted me. There were no servants about and house felt like a grave. As I got further into my home I drew my sword and pistol. I found Eric in our grandfather's study, draining a young girl. I ordered him to stop and he just laughed, then dropped her lifeless corpse.
"Eric walked toward me, his face reverting back to normal. When he stood about three paces away he finally spoke. 'So my cousin finally comes back from the war?' And then he laughed again. I asked where the family and servants were. His reply, 'They made excellent meals cousin, especially your lovely Inga. You know I used her for three days before I finally drained her. She loved every minute of it.' Then he laughed again.
"I went insane, I shot him and tried to stab him, but he was too quick. Then, as I was forcing him into a corner, someone knocked me unconscious from behind. I woke up a little later to see Eric again feeding, this time it was small boy of about eight years. I attempted to attack him, but was strapped into a chair. He laughed again and threw the boy's lifeless corpse against the wall and came before me and taunted me. He told me that a vampire had offered him eternal life and he accepted. Then he showed me the eight other members of our family that he had also turned. One of them was my sister Gretchen. The others were my cousins, Catherine, Ilsa, Helga, Gunther, Karl, Franklin, and Joseph. He allowed Gretchen to feed from me. As I was dying he offered me the same choice. I refused, so I died. As I died, I prayed to God to allow me a chance to avenge the deaths of my family and friends."
"I woke up atop of a pile of corpses containing my entire family and all of our retainers, almost one hundred and fifty people, older men, women and small children, dead and thrown away as though they meant nothing. I stumbled from there and onto the road. I got maybe two miles before I was attacked by another vampire. As I prayed to God to accept my soul, the vampire suddenly turned to dust. Standing a short distance away was a young girl, holding a staff with a pointed end. Next to her was an older man with a crossbow. I thanked her and the man for my life and asked for their aid. Before I could take another step, I again lost consciousness."
"I woke up several hours later in a camp the girl and her companion had made near where I fell. They had moved me under a tree and placed a blanket over me. As I rose the girl handed me a water skin. I immediately drank it dry. The girl didn't speak to me while she prepared a simple breakfast. A few minutes later the old man woke up and I properly introduced myself to him and asked him how the girl was able to kill the vampire last night. He introduced himself and the girl. His name was Janus Von Helsing and the girl was Brita Ingadautter, the Slayer."
"They were hesitant to talk to me at first. But after I had told them what had happened at my home, they opened up to me and told me of their duty. I asked to join their quest and became a companion to them. Janus was hesitant at first, but Brita accepted me immediately. Over the next five years Janus taught me everything he knew about hunting vampires and I stayed with him and Brita."
"On a cold December night in 1698, Janus died in his sleep. Before he died, Janus commented that he was the first watcher to die in bed, at rest, in two hundred years, then he laughed softly and said good bye to the both of us. Then his eyes closed and he quietly went in his sleep. Brita cried and felt so alone, I went to comfort her and told her that I wouldn't leave her. One thing led to another and two weeks later, on New Year's Day, 1699, we were married. Together, we hunted vampires for the next twenty three years. Until one night a master vampire named Lothos killed her. I have hunted him and the remainder of my undead family since then. Helping any Slayer that I met along the way and killing every vampire that I could find."
The warehouse is quiet as Hans finishes his story and everyone feels the sorrow and sadness behind his words. Mulder steps forward and asks. "Hans, do you want to end Eric's existence?"
Hans only nods.
"No one here will stop you, you have the right." Steve tells him.
"We're finished with him now. He won't answer any questions. So feel free." Scully tells Hans.
Hans only looks at the shell that was once as close as a brother and silently pulls out a stake and approaches him.
Eric just grins as he utters his final words. "So cousin, we finally end the game? I hope you know it's been fun leading you around for the last 300 years. Oh, if I only knew that you still lived and hunted me, I would have had more fun. I hope you enjoy your life, however short the rest of it is. Because my queen will make sure it . . . Argghh" Hans stabs his vampire cousin in the heart with his stake and Eric Von Strasbourg turns to dust.
Hans takes a deep breath and smiles. "Now that leaves only Gretchen and Lothos."
"Actually Hans," Buffy hesitantly begins as Hans looks at her, but she continues. "I killed Lothos two years ago."
Hans' smile broadens as he replies. "Brita would have found it apt that another Slayer killed him. It just makes my search shorter. Thank you for telling me." Hans then raises his head and calls out. "Now let us prepare, we have two more targets tonight, and I wish to see more dust flying."
The assembled hunters let out a cheer as they mount up and leave the second warehouse.
*****
Cody calls Randall and gives him a situation report. "John, this is Cody. The second warehouse is clear. And we're on the way to the third target."
Captain Randall looks at his partner as he asks, a note of hope in his voice. "Were there any survivors?"
"No" Cody replies simply. "There's another trailer load of bodies there. At least one hundred, dead. The perps are dust."
"10-4 Cody." Captain Randall tells him as he hangs his head and softly sobs. Detective Vetter turns her back, giving her partner some privacy. A minute later, Randall gathers himself together and issues orders to the police officers present, sending half of them and half of the coroners to the second warehouse. Captain Randall and Detective Vetter follow as few minutes later.
Part 19 - The Truth is Out There
(The World News is Actually a Responsible Newspaper)
Cancer Man walks into his office and boots up his computer. He checks his e-mail and sees that the files from California are on his system. He listens to the tape and as the part with Mulder's plan to mess with Frohike's mind comes up, Cancer Man laughs. < Oh, how I wish I could have seen Frohike's face. That would have been priceless. > He feels a little better knowing that Mulder's sense of humor was still working. He listens to the tape where Mulder and Scully are explaining their last mission in Sunnydale to Frohike. < So that's what happened to that Strella. A group of Demon hunters used it to kill a demon. > Cancer Man chuckles < And Mulder and Scully hid the truth. Especially about killing over two hundred vampires and hiding the evidence. Damn, there is hope for them after all. I'll have to reassess my opinion of them. >
The tape continues with the introduction of the Storm Shadow Ninja Clan. < Now this is an interesting development. > He continues to listen as the woman called Scarlet explains how they'd been hunting vampires in the Bay Area and why they came down. < Damn, where the hell did Mulder find all of these heroes? > He listens in interest to Jinx's description of St. Wolf's computer. < That system shouldn't exist. We will definitely have to pay Mr. St. Wolf a visit. > Then he listens as the entire group suddenly heads out to rescue some people from a vampire attack. Cancer Man chuckles, < Those vampires have made a very serious mistake doing that in front of St. Wolf's house. >
Cancer Man listens as the two groups lead in the four FBI operatives and how Mulder and St. Wolf convince them about existence of vampires. < I wonder if Frohike sent a copy of the tape to his partners? I'll have to check that out. > Then he hears the alarm and Merlin's conversation with the assembled hunters < Merlin? What the hell was he doing there? Mr. St. Wolf will definitely bear some serious watching after this situation is concluded. > He rewinds the tape to listen to what Merlin is telling the hunters. < A vampire queen is going to raise the Aztec God of War? Damn, something like this will be noticed by the Others. > Then he hears Mulder calling in Able Team to help. < Damn, this means Bolan's going to be involved. > The tape disintegrates into static after this. The entire conversation is lost until the operative flames two vampires.
Cancer Man then uses his computer to check the various electronic mail boxes the Lone Gunmen use and he finds the tape. He runs it and shudders. He recognizes St. Wolf/Jamieson and a young girl ruthlessly take down a dozen vampires. < Damn, these two are exceptionally good. I wonder if Mulder and Scully are just as good? >
Cancer Man sits back in his chair and contemplates what he has just seen and heard. < Mulder and Scully were working outside the Bureau to solve a major problem. They had assets that the Bureau did not know about. They were hiding information and altering files. They were also killing vampires and hiding the fact that vampires existed from the general public. > He chuckles ruefully. < This is exactly how I started out. > In the midst of his contemplation, the phone rings, he picks it up. "This had better be important."
"Sir, this is Hancock, over at the NSA." The voice shakily replies.
"What is it?"
"Sir, the NRO just had one of it's K-H RE satellites hijacked by someone called Section Seven."
"How the hell could someone hijack a NRO satellite."
"I don't know, Sir."
"Who the hell is Section Seven and why is the hijacking being blamed on them?"
"I don't know who they are, Sir. But they left an e-mail message saying they took it."
"Can you read me the message?"
"Yes, Sir. The message goes as follows," and Hancock reads the message to Cancer man.
After Hancock finishes, he hears something that he never dreamed he would. His boss laughing. Hancock shudders.
Cancer Man gets control of himself as he tells Hancock. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the matter."
Cancer Man starts to whistle a tune and ponders the information presented to him. < How the hell did they manage to hijack that satellite? Oh well, I will definitely have a long talk with Mulder and Scully when they get back. >
Sunnydale Motor Lodge
Miss Parker walks into the manager's office at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Frank is behind the counter and wonders what this woman wants. He gets off his chair and approaches her and asks. "Good evening Miss, what can I do for you?"
"Simple, you can give us seven rooms for the next couple of days." Miss Parker replies.
"Sure, no problem. Do you want ground or second floor rooms?"
"Ground will be fine." Miss Parker replies.
"I can give you a group of rooms right next to the office. Is that all right?"
"That'll be fine." Miss Parker replies as she takes the keys.
"Oh, one other thing. After sunset, don't invite anyone into your room that you don't know."
Curious, Miss Parker asks. "Why is that?"
"Because appearances can be deceiving and if you think you're helping someone innocent, you might be letting in the devil."
Miss Parker shudders and walks out and passes out the keys. The remaining six sweepers, Gar and Willie would share four rooms, while Miss Parker, Sidney and Broots would each have their own.
Miss Parker turns to Sidney, Willie and Gar. "Let's get some sleep and tomorrow, we'll check out these two federal agents and start looking for Ratboy."
Part 20 - Blue Light Special
(All Vampires Reduced By A Head)
The vans move out from the second warehouse and travel in column through the darkened and deserted streets of Los Angeles. Their next target is an abandoned supermarket located on Piedmont Avenue in the Barrio section of Los Angeles.
While traveling there, the team leaders meet in the lead van. Steve, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Frank Iverson, Robert McCallister, Tommy, Carl Lyons, Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin meet to plan out the next assault.
Officer Jarod Russell sits in the corner, manning the radio. He listens to the plans being discussed and nods his head in approval. < These people are good. They know what they're doing and I'm glad that we've teamed up with them. >
Suddenly, Steve's cell phone chirps and he answers it. "St. Wolf here."
"Steve, this is Willow, can you get a speaker for your cell phone?" Willow asks.
"No, I can't Willow. But hold on." Steve turns to Jarod and asks. "Officer is the radio equipped with a speaker?"
"Yes Sir, it is." Jarod replies.
"Then please switch to tact 4, one of my people needs to tell us something." Steve orders, then tells Willow. "Willow switch over to the LAPD tact 4 frequency."
Jarod looks over to Cody who nods his head. Jarod then turns the radio to tact 4. Willow's voice comes in clear. "Steve, Mr. Frohike has some news for you." Willow gets off and Frohike begins.
"Steve, Mulder, I've hacked into and borrowed an NRO Key Hole RE satellite and moved it over Los Angeles. I've been using it's thermal imaging system to keep track of any potential hostages in the target buildings. The supermarket has forty three warm bodies in it, at present. They're located in the southwest corner of the building. The area appears to be heavily shielded, so I'm thinking it's the store's refrigerated store room." Frohike tells the assembled leaders.
Jarod mind reels at what he has just heard. < How did they hack into a National Reconnaissance Organization satellite? That should be impossible. >
"Thanks Frohike, we'll take it from here. Now keep an eye on that mansion in the hills." Steve tells him.
Before Frohike can reply Mulder cuts in. "Frohike, what else did you do? I can hear the laughter in your voice."
"Oh, I just left them a little e-mail telling them I would give it back in 48 hours and I signed it Section Seven."
"Section Seven? Whose Section Seven?" Cody asks.
"Just something I made up to cause confusion on a few previous occasions. Think it'll screw up anybody?"
"No, but it'll drive the intelligence guys crazy. Too bad." Steve replies with a grin. "Frohike how long will it take you to move the satellite's sensors?"
"It'll take me about ten minutes to sight the satellite in, but you've got it. Oh, and good hunting guys. Over and out." Frohike cuts off.
The assemble leaders have a laugh, and move back to the blueprint of the supermarket and plan out the strategy.
"All right, Frohike's info helps us considerably." Steve tells the assembled group leaders.
"How so?" Cody asks.
"Because now we know where the civilians are and how many there are. We can work this plan so that none of them are hurt." Steve explains.
"How do we know that those forty three are non-combatants?" Bob Devlin asks.
Steve smiles as he replies. "Because vampires don't have any body heat."
"Oh" Bob replies.
Jarod listening to the conversation, silently agrees. < These people care. They don't like seeing innocents hurt. >
"Our forces will be dispersed as follows. Cody, you and the Rangers will be perimeter guards. You'll be augmented by Christine, Charlie, Ice, Alphonse, Xander, Oz, Giles, Frank and Amy. Take out anyone that tries to leave the building." Cody and Bob nod their heads. "Tommy, your group, aided by Able Team will head directly for the hostages, securing them." Both Tommy and Carl agree to this. "The rest of us will attack the vampires directly, taking out all of them. Mulder and Scully will lead the main force of twenty. And Buffy and I will lead the sweeping and blocking force of twelve. And let's try and get a couple of prisoners this time."
"The assault will be as follows. First we drop the perimeter guards, as before. Then Frank and Cassandra will send a couple of LAAW door knockers into the front of the building. The rest of the assault force will follow closely behind. Remember this is going to be close quarter combat, so fire arms will be strictly limited to hand guns only. The only exception will be Able Team. They keep the 60s and the Stoner. Everybody else will use swords and stakes as you can to prevent collateral damage to your fellow warriors. But if you're out numbered, don't hesitate to use your guns. Any questions?" No one asks. "Good, then lets go."
The orders are radioed to the other vans and everybody makes ready for the coming assault. The vans move purposely through the heart of the Barrio.
*****
Officer Henry Ramos, a fifteen year veteran of the LAPD, looks out his window as he drives the lead van. < My God, this area is practically dead. No one is outside. Not even the dealers and hookers. > He thinks to himself. He then notices the street numbers. They're a few minutes away from their target. He reaches over and knocks on the door leading to the back of the van.
Cody opens the door and asks. "What's up Henry?"
"We're less than five minutes to target, LT. Thought you would want to know." Henry replies.
Cody turns back to the assembled leaders and informs them. He watches as Steve turns to Buffy and asks. "Buffy can you read how many vampires are in that store?"
Cody watches as the woman < God, she can't be over eighteen. > enters a trance for a brief moment of time and comes out with a gasp. She turns to her partner, St. Wolf and tells him. "Steve, I sense at least ninety vampires in that building." Cody looks on and asks himself. < How can she sense vampires? >
Jarod's remarkable memory flashes back to one of the factual books on vampires he read. < The books said that the Slayer would be able to sense the vampires and how many there were. This girl is the Slayer. >
The vans circle the supermarket, dropping off the perimeter guards. Then they converge in the front, and the assault force moves forward. Frank and Cassandra drop to their knees and fire their LAAWs. The rockets immediately fly from their launchers and strike the front of the market, blowing a large gaping hole where the front windows used to be.
Able Team, firing their machine guns, leads the rescue contingent, closely followed by Tommy and his ninja's. They immediately move to the southwest corner of the building where the hostages are. They blaze a field of fire and dust as they cut through the massed vampire hoard.
The vampire leader, a male named Archer, can't believe how fast his forces are being decimated. He recalls them to a central location and plans a counter-attack, thinking that Able Team and the ninjas are the main force. What he doesn't know is that Able Team and the ninjas were just the first wave.
The main attack force moves in, thirty seconds after the rescue team cut's through the vampires. The vampires in the supermarket are surprised and shocked and they're slow to respond to the second assault as it hits them from the side and rear.
The forces lead by Mulder and Scully immediately start to take heads and stake hearts. Steve and Buffy's group moves into the market proper and starts to herd the vampires back into Mulder and Scully's group.
*****
Cody and Bob look on through a set of their night sights and can't believe the carnage being done in the supermarket. Cody turns to Bob and asks. "Who the hell taught those people to use swords?"
Bob shakes his head and shudders. Knives and guns he could understand, but swords scared the hell out of him. He then reminds Cody about what Hans was. "Don't forget some of those guys were actually around when swords were the only weapons available."
Cody grimaces. "Yeah, I forgot about that. Man can you believe someone living through three hundred years?"
"I can," Frank grins. "Cassandra is over 2,700 years old."
"How old are you?" Cody asks, afraid of the answer.
"Forty one. I'm not Immortal, just dating one." Frank replies, sounding like a credit card commercial.
"Man, talk about robbing the cradle." Bob comments with a smile.
*****
Steve and Buffy have just led their teams behind the fruit section, and they were approaching the deli counter when a small group of vampires attack. A group of six rush out of the meat section and try to drag the Slayer down, but Hans is close behind her and he uses his Colt 1911 with devastating skill. Each shot fired is one vampire turned to dust. The final vampire sees that Hans can't shoot without hitting Buffy and he makes to grab her. Buffy cuts off his arm and stakes him as he writhes on the ground. The rest of Buffy's team catches up and they proceed to clean out the deli and meat sections. There are only seven vampires left here and the group deals death quickly. The grim faced warriors offer no mercy to the vampires who reside here. The bodies of their victims, hanging on meat hooks, like animal carcasses, are motivation enough.
*****
Steve's team breaks up into two sections, Steve leading one and Robert McCallister the other. They work in tandem, one group attacking down the aisle while the other blocks and sweeps. They move purposely through the market and the vampires are reeling from the savagery of their attacks.
*****
Mulder and Scully also break their team into two groups. Mulder leads one team into the market and drives a group of thirty vampires into the guns of Able Team. Scully and her group do pick up duty and cut down any vampire attempting to run out the front of the building.
*****
Able Team is holding their own against the vampires trying to grab their former victims as hostages. Several times the vampires had tried to storm Able Team's defense position, but they became dust, thanks to Able Team's determination and machine guns. Carl Lyons and his partners stand like gods giving judgement to the damned at the end of their machine guns. The last of the vampires attempt to turn and run, but they can't because another thirty vampires have been herded into them. They realize their only chance was to get past Able Team.
*****
In the refrigerator room, Tommy and his ninjas have entered the holding area. And find several vampires feeding. Jinx lets out a battle cry and jumps one vampire on it's back as it grabs a little girl. Jinx doesn't hesitate in taking it down with a stake. A vampire attempts to blind side Jinx, but Billy covers her back with a flying snap kick, breaking the vampires neck. As the vampire falls to the floor, Billy stakes it. Another vampire makes the mistake of trying to grab a little girl. Scarlet lets out a primal scream as she cuts it's guts out. As the vampire falls to the ground in massive pain, she beheads it. Shuriken and Nunchuk move to the wounded victims and give medical aid.
*****
The vampire's former victims have pushed themselves against the wall as the battle rages. Among them is a Japanese history student named Nakao Matosumo. She had been kidnaped the previous night while walking to her dorm and had thought that she was going to die. She watches in fascination, as memories of her grandfather's stories come back to her. < Ancestor, these are real ninjas. What the hell are they doing here? > She gives herself a mental slap. < Oh yeah, saving our lives. > She watches as they go through everybody present and check them with a cross(?) and a water gun(?). One of the people, a young white guy, makes a break for it, but a ninja, dressed in a camouflage uniform, punches him out and down and then ties him up with handcuffs. < Man are these guys for real or what? > Nakao thinks to herself. She watches the man she thinks is the leader, press a cross to the guy's face and she watches it burn. < The guys a vampire? Oh man, this is too much. >
Suddenly one of the ninjas is in front of her with a cross. Nakao reaches out and touches it. Her hands don't burn. The ninja points her to the wall with the rest of the cleared people and she goes. She notices the Hexagonal tattoo on his arm. Her memory flashes back to her reading of the I-Ching and she remembers the symbol for chance. < Grandfather will never believe this. >
A sudden noise draws her attention to the doorway, which the ninjas had left unguarded. < Why don't they have someone guarding the door? > Nakao asks herself, then she gulps as the huge blond man with a VERY big machine gun walks through. She watches him approach and talk to the ninja leader. < Ancestor, he's a big one and a major hunk. > Suddenly, Nakao hears the sounds of another machine gun fire and someone shouts "Ironman". The big blond guy rushes back out. < So his name is Ironman? It fits. >
The sounds of gunfire come closer and Nakao watches as the man called Ironman and two more men slowly enter the room, firing all the way. The noise is deafening. The ninja's add to it by pulling out handguns as they begin to fire out of the room, giving the three men covering fire. < Ancestor, these men and women were magnificent. Like ancient Warriors fighting a battle for all of it's glory. Grandfather would weep with joy at the sight of this battle. > She sees the first vampires trying to enter the room and watches as they turn to dust, but more keep coming, ignoring the slaughter being done to them. < Shit, they're going to make it into the room. And then . . . > Nakao shudders at the image her mind has made up.
*****
Suddenly the vampires in the doorway scream as they're hit from behind. Mulder's group sweeps into them, again, taking heads and staking hearts. About twenty of the remaining vampires are caught in the cauldron of steel and wood. Mulder's group presses forward, becoming the hammer, while Able Team and Clan Storm Shadow stand rock firm, the anvil, firing into the vampires holding them in place for Mulder's people to cut them into pieces. The fighting is brutal, but quick. The vampires are quickly killed by bullet, sword or stake.
*****
Archer, the vampire leader, sees that a large group of his vampires are in trouble. He and a dozen other vampires move in behind the group led by Mulder. As they attack Archer suddenly notices another group of warriors coming up behind him. Cutting off his retreat and slaughtering his vampires. The most startling fact is that a small red headed woman is leading the men, most of whom are twice her size. Archer moves to attack her. The woman calmly steps inside his attack and cuts open his stomach with her sword. As she steps away Archer watches as the sword flashes back and all is darkness.
*****
Scully calmly steps away from the unconscious vampire and orders two of her group to tie him up. She moves up to where Mulder's group is standing and gives him a kiss. "Hi sailor, you busy tonight?" She tells him with a smile.
Mulder ruefully shakes his head. "Afraid so, But I could use a long bath with all of this dust."
Any reply Scully had was cut off by Jinx. "Scully, we could use a doctor in there. A few people were hurt before we got here."
Scully gives Mulder a quick kiss and tells him. "Go kick some vampire ass, honey. I gotta go save some lives." Scully then turns to the two carrying her prisoner. "Bring him in here, we'll keep an eye on him, while you go and finish those bastards off." The two men grin and throw the shackled vampire at Scully's feet as Mulder leads the combined groups back into the supermarket and the fighting.
*****
Nakao watches as the small red haired woman enters, carrying a Katana. She looks on in wonder as she watches all of the ninjas and the three large men give her deference as she snaps out commands. < Ancestor, she's the leader? > The ninjas begin to bring the wounded to a central location and the three large men stand guard by the door and over the two prisoners. She then watches as Scully pulls of her back pack and produces a serious medical kit as she begins to treat the wounded. < She's a doctor too? Who are these people? > Nakao watches a true professional at work as Scully repairs and patches the wounded and gives comfort to the traumatized. Nakao makes a decision and goes over to her and offers to help. "Ma'am, I've had some first aid training. Do you need any help?"
The woman looks up a Nakao and smiles. Nakao looks into a pair of caring green eyes that remind her of her grandmother. The woman asks Nakao. "What level of training do you have?"
"I passed the test for paramedic, but no position was open for me."
"Good, can you take the antiseptic spray and clean out the light wounds and scratches, then bandage them up?" Scully asks as she hands her the items.
"Yes ma'am. No problem." Nakao replies as she takes the spray, a bunch of bandages, cotton and a roll of tape. Nakao moves to the nearest victim, a boy about twelve years old and begins to clean the scratches on his arms and face. "Hi, I'm Nakao. Can you tell me your name?"
The boy whispers something and she moves in closer to hear what he has to say. "My name's Brian Jessup. Do you think my parents and older sister are still alive?"
"Aren't they here?"
"No, the monsters took them last night, before they brought you."
A lump forms in Nakao's throat < Ancestor, this is hard. > "I don't know. If they are, these people will save them. I'm sure of it. How did you get here?"
"My family was coming home from a trip to Disney World when these things grabbed us at a gas station on Monday night. It was my birthday gift." Brian tells her as he starts to cry.
Nakao gathers up the boy in her arms and holds him. She pulls him away from her and asks. "Brian, can you help me fix up the other people. They need our help right now."
Brian nods and picks up the bandages and tape and goes with her to the nearest victims, a woman and her daughter.
Scully looks on from where she is working on a man in a tattered business suit. < Good, she's keeping him busy. That'll help him in the long run. >
Brian and Nakao move on to the woman and her daughter. The woman looks up tears in her eyes as she whispers. "Who are these people? It's like they appeared from nowhere."
"I don't know who they are Miss. But, a part of their force appears to be ninjas." Nakao replies.
"Ninjas? I thought they only existed in the movies." The woman looks around at the watching ninjas and shudders. "Are we worse off? Could they be worse than those monsters?"
"No, they came here to rescue us. I'm sure of it." Nakao looks at Scully. "They even have a doctor with them."
"Then why haven't they moving us to a hospital?"
"Because those things are still out there and this is the safest place for us." Nakao's reply is punctuated with the sound of gunfire and screams. The woman hugs her daughter closer to herself, as Nakao and Brian bandage their wounds.
*****
Six vampires attempt to escape through the rear loading docks of market. As they feel the night air on their faces the vampires smile at how they managed to escape the hunters in the market. As they move off to escape down the alley, all six feel a sudden burning sensation in their chests, just before they turn to dust. Xander, Jarod, Ice and Oz step out of the shadows, the barrels of their rifles smoking. Jarod turns on his walkie-talkie and reports in. "Lt., this is Russell, scratch six trying to get out the back. Will call back if anything else happens. Over."
"Russell, this is Rodgers, confirmed, six out, six down. Good work. Over and Out."
*****
Mulder's group begins to sweep the vampires towards Steve's and Buffy's groups. The last thirty vampires are fighting a stubborn holding action against the combined forces, fighting from aisle to aisle. Mulder splits his group into two groups, with Abbott Michael leading one, and they proceed to clear the markets main floor, killing anything that was moving. The four groups meet in the center of the market, a dozen vampires boxed in between them. The vampires are lost and confused. Most of them have been vampires for less than twenty years. None of them have ever faced a foe armed with a sword. Guns, knives and clubs, yes, but never swords. The Immortals form a circle around the vampires. Mulder steps forward and commands. "Tell us where to find your queen. The bitch called Katherine."
The vampires are shocked. How can this mortal know of Katherine? One of the vampires faces Mulder and replies. "We will kill you mortal. You are no match for vampires."
Mulder smiles as he moves in and guts the vampire that had just spoken to him. The vampire falls to the ground and cries out in anguish. The other vampires are scared now. They have never faced mortals this ruthless and it's a shock to their minds. Another vampire steps forward and asks. "If I tell you what you want to know. Will you let me go?"
Mulder smiles as he promises. "Neither I, nor my people here will stop you from leaving the market." < But the people outside will. >
The vampire gulps and he starts. "Katherine will attack a meeting of some secret society tomorrow night. She estimates that there will be about three thousand people there."
"Very good. Now tell us where to find Katherine and the rest of her vampires." Mulder orders.
"Katherine is stay. . .Arggghhh." The vampire disappears in a cloud of dust. Another vampire stands behind him, holding a piece of wood in his hands Von Strasbourg moves forward and immediately beheads him.
Mulder now smiles. "All right, anybody else want to talk?" None of the remaining vampires moves to talk. They all eye each other and snarl. A full minute elapses before Steve orders. "Start killing them, one by one, until someone decides to talk."
The Immortals shift and suddenly the man known as Thorson moves out and stabs a vampire in the knee with his sword. While the vampires are distracted with the screaming of their wounded fellow. Argus moves in and beheads one of them. The vampires become enraged and try to drag Argus into their midst, but a field of swords and stakes prevents them.
Mulder again speaks. "Now that you know we are not playing. Tell us where Katherine is."
The vampires, acting in concert, attack Mulder. The Immortals were waiting for something like this and cut the vampires down. Killing all of them. A disgusted Mulder looks at the pile of dust and orders. "I want this place searched. Work in teams of three or more, but I don't want a stone left unturned. I want everything checked, from the basement to the roof."
*****
Mulder motions Steve and Buffy over. "Well at least this narrows it done a bit. Let's go see how Scully and the hostages are doing."
The group walks over to where the hostages are and they greet Able team as they walk up. They make their way into the refrigerator room and see Scully working over a young woman with bite marks on her neck. Scully finishes up and brushes her hands on her pants and walks over to Mulder and gives him a hug.
*****
Nakao watches the woman get up and approach the tall, dark man who is followed by another man and a young woman. All of them were carrying Katanas. < What the hell is going on here? A rival of seven samurai? > Nakao watches the red haired woman hugs the tall, dark man. < Damn, they're a couple. > The other two walk over and check the bindings on the two prisoners. Then come back and confer with the red haired woman and her tall, dark, partner. Nakao gathers her courage and tells Brian to stay put. She then gets up and approaches the four people. They stop speaking and she asks. "I know this might not be the time, but what's going to happen to us?"
The tall, dark man clears his throat and speaks loudly, so everyone can hear. "After we finish searching this place, making sure none of these things survive, we leave here. You will be staying." The victims groan. "About two minutes after we leave, the LAPD will move in and secure this location. They will take you all to the hospital and treat you there." The room erupts in cheers. After they quiet down, Mulder begins again. "The only thing we want is that you treat the police that come after us as the ones who saved you. You are not to tell anyone that you saw us. Am I clear?" The people in the room nod their heads in agreement.
A young man steps forward and introduces himself. "Sir, my name is Thomas Reilly, I'm a corporal in the 82nd airborne. May I ask what unit or organization you are?"
Mulder gives the young man a tight smile as he replies. "We're Section Seven Black Ops, corporal." < That should screw up quite a few people. >
Corporal Reilly immediately salutes and asks. "Sirs, Ma'ams, I request permission to volunteer for your unit. I owe these things big time and I want payback."
Steve steps forward, returning the salute and tells Reilly. "I'm sorry corporal, but our T, O & E is full right now. But, we might call on you, at a later date."
"Thank you, Sir." Corporal Reilly replies and then returns to his spot and quietly sits down.
Nakao walks over to him and asks. "What was all that about?"
Reilly looks up at Nakao and shudders before he replies. "Those people are from a group called Section Seven. They're what's referred to as a Black Operations Group." He looks at the confusion on the girl's face. "Their group doesn't officially exist, and they don't answer to anybody, except maybe, the President and then, maybe not even him. God, I just volunteered for their unit. Man, am I ever crazy."
An older man, laying down next to Reilly, tells him, in a soft Texas drawl. "No son, you're not crazy. You're what I like to call a 'doer' and these people are 'doers'. You want to do something about these things and the only way to do that is to join these people. Never be ashamed, son, that you couldn't help that little girl earlier. At least you tried, it took two of them to throw you off the third one and beat you senseless. That takes guts."
"What happened to you, Sir?" Reilly asks in a hushed voice looking over the damage the man has suffered.
The man chuckles. "I was their punching bag before you came here. I tried to stop them on six occasions. I guess it's just my stubborn streak, but I won't sit idly by and watch those things feed. The little red headed doc told me I have at least eight cracked ribs, and my right collar bone and both legs are broken. I also asked to join up with them. That little red head smiled the sweetest smile and told me 'they'd give me a call if they needed the help'. Then she told me that if I didn't stay in bed and let myself heal, she'd send over some of her men and tie me down. I told that wouldn't be necessary, my daughter could do it without any help." The man chuckles again and then smiles as he introduces himself. "But I'm being rude. My name is Joe Bradley, Texas Ranger, retired."
Reilly and Nakao introduce themselves and Reilly asks. "Mr. Bradley, what do you think of these people?"
"Like I said son, they're 'doers'. They're came here to take these things out and rescue us. I have absolutely no problem with the way they did it. I would have do it the same way if I knew what these things were."
Nakao reaches down and softly touches Reilly's shoulder and tells him. "I agree with Mr. Bradley. You wanted payback and these people are the ones giving it. < In Spades. > So it seems natural that you want to join them." She looks over at the four leaders and watches as another man quickly approaches them. He whispers something to them and all four immediately leave with him. < I wonder what all that was about. >
Nakao wanders over to the entrance and watches the four people approach a small gathering of their fighters. Unnoticed, Brian follows her to the door and they both watch as the leaders discuss something with their fighters and then suddenly a man appears near them. < How the hell did he do that? >
Part 21 - A New Life Begins
(Immortality Can Come in the Strangest Places)
Hans Von Strasbourg is searching the meat and deli section when he feels it. The 'Buzz' of an Immortal. He looks around, Argus and Tyler, the two Immortals working with him are too close to have set it off and no other groups were close enough. Suddenly they hear a scream off to their left and all three rush to it's source.
The sight before them is one of hell's own creations, a young girl, no older than twenty, is hung up on a hook like a side of beef. Hans sees the intense pain in her eyes and does the only thing that he can think of. He stabs her in the heart with his sword, killing her. < I hope she forgives me when she wakes up again. > He turns to Argus and Tyler and orders them, "Help me get her down and this damned hook out of her, before she revives." The two jump to his orders and they swiftly lift the body and hook off it's rack and gently lower the girl and hook down. Then Hans orders Argus to get his friend Hanson, who was a doctor.
Argus runs to where Hanson and his two partners are shifting through some garbage, checking for vampires. Argus explains what happened and Hanson immediately leave. Argus stays behind to help Hanson's partners. Hanson reaches Hans and the girl a couple of minutes later and immediately assesses the situation. He kneels down behind her and cuts open her back and gently, as possible, removes the hook. The skin is then held closed until the healing starts. After the healing starts all three men move the girl gently to a cleaner place.
Brother Aaron rushes over to the three when he sees what they're carrying. He checks her vitals and comments. "She's dead. Why are you carrying her?"
"She's one of us. I killed her so we could remove a meat hook from her back. She'll be back in a few minutes." Hans replies.
Brother Aaron starts. "My God. Let's get her to someplace safe." He turns to one of his teammates, a man called Swenson, and orders. "Go find Steve and Mulder. They should be in the hostage room and bring them here." The man races away.
*****
Steve has just finished talking to the hostages, when Swenson comes in. He tells them that Brother Aaron needs their presence. All four immediately leave.
As they approach Brother Aaron, Steve notices the girl on the floor and asks, "What's up Brother Aaron?"
Brother Aaron gets up and brushes himself. "This girl is Immortal. We have to get her out of here and someplace safe."
"Damn," Steve mutters. "We can't take her with us. And I don't want to loose anybody."
"Simple, call Quinn and ask him to take her back to your house. Jenny, Cordy and Willow will look after her." Buffy comments.
"About time someone thought of giving me something to do." A voice replies from behind Steve. The group turns en masse and presents weapons.
"Don't sneak up on us like that Quinn, we might have accidently shot you." Steve comments.
"Should I be worried?" Quinn replies with a mischievous grin.
"I don't like shooting my friends Quinn, especially accidently. Friends are too hard to come by." Steve replies.
Quinn feels the truth in Steve's words and looks over the assembled group of warriors. He couldn't sense any fear, hate or mistrust from them. < They actually think of me as one of them. I can sense no reservation in any of them. > The being called Quinn suddenly feels a deep sense of loyalty to these warriors. No other race in his long existence has ever accepted him, not after they found out what he was. They always sought to use or control him for their own benefit. And if they couldn't, then they tried to destroy him. Not these people.
Quinn quietly reaches for the girl and both disappear.
*****
Nakao and Brian watch as the stranger walks over to the group and talks to them for a minute before picking up a body and disappearing. Before he disappears, she sees that the body is that of a girl her own age. < What the hell are these people? No one can do that. And why are they taking that body? > Then she hears a gasp next to her and she sees Brian standing there. Tears in his eyes. "That's my sister, Randi. Where are they taking her?" Then he runs out and heads straight to the assault force leaders. Nakao shakes her head and immediately follows, but is stopped by a ninja.
"Listen," Nakao begins. "A kid just ran out there. I have to get him." The ninja nods and escorts her.
Meanwhile, Brian reaches the group and he begins hitting the back of the tall, dark leader.
*****
Mulder suddenly feels someone striking him on his back as he turns looking for the person responsible. He looks around thinking it's a vampire, but instead he finds a twelve year old boy hitting him. Mulder gently catches his hands and grabs his feet as he starts to kick. Mulder stands there holding the kid up by his arms and holding on to his legs. Scully starts to laugh, and the rest follow.
"Need a hand, Mulder?" Steve asks as he laughs.
"Hope he's not too tough for you." Buffy tells him, between giggles.
"Truly a fearsome opponent for the great Mulder. We are in awe sir, with the ease that which you hold him back." Brother Aaron quips between laughs.
"Yeah, well, he's pretty wiry and had the element of surprise." Mulder admits with a smile.
Billy walks up with a young oriental woman who rushes forward and grabs the kid away from Mulder. The kid doesn't want to go. He starts to scream. "What did you do to Randi? Where did you take her?"
"Whose Randi?" Scully asks.
"His sister. The guy who appeared and disappeared, took her with him." Nakao tells them.
"Damn." Steve mutters, then he reaches for his phone.
*****
Quinn appears in the living room and he calls out to Jenny. "Jenny, can you and Willow please come here?"
Jenny, followed by Willow and Robert Hascombe come out of the office. When Jenny sees the bundle that Quinn is carrying, both women's hearts jump to their throats. Both share the same thought. < Buffy!? > Quinn gently puts the bundle down on the couch and walks away letting the two women go to work. Jenny turns to Quinn and asks. "What happened Quinn? Who is this girl?"
"Steve and Buffy asked me to bring this girl here. They had just finished the assault on the supermarket and they were doing a final sweep, checking for any missed vampires, when they found her. The vampires had killed her and she became an Immortal. They couldn't take her with them and Buffy suggested that I bring her here. So I did."
Jenny looks at the being who, until recently, she couldn't have believed existed and feels a warmth in her heart for him. < Goddess, I hope that all of his people are as decent as Quinn here. > Then she orders Willow back to the computer room and tells her to send out Cordelia to help. Willow goes back to the office, nodding thanks to Quinn as she passes.
Quinn, who is reading both women's emotions and surface thoughts, forces back a rush of emotion. < All of them accept me for me. None of them care about my powers or what I am. >
Robert, standing off to the side watches the emotions play across his friend's face and smiles. < Quinn is learning that not all people are the same. He doesn't have to feel alone any more. >
Cordelia comes out and as with Willow and Jenny, Quinn reads her. The only thing that he feels is a strong feeling of concern for the girl on the couch. She doesn't even notice Quinn standing there. She immediately goes to the kitchen and gathers together clean rags and sponges, as well as a tray filled with warm water. Robert goes to help her. Quinn just stands there, watching the by play between the people he has come to consider his friends and feels, a deep warmth in the center of his being, the first emotion in his long life.
The phone rings next to Jenny and she picks it up. "St. Wolf residence, can I help you?"
"Jenny this is Steve. Is Quinn still there?"
"Yes he is. Do you want to speak with him?"
"Yeah, put him on." Jenny turns around and moves to give the phone to Quinn, but he isn't there. She starts to talk to Steve, but he cuts her off. "Sorry Jenny, he just came back."
"Is there a problem Steve?"
"Just the fact that Randi, that's the young lady's name, has a protective twelve year old brother. Quinn's going to bring the brother, his name's Brian, to the house. Have Cordy and Robert keep an eye on the both of them."
"Not a problem." Jenny replies.
*****
Nakao watches as one of the leaders calls someone named Jenny and talks to her for a few minutes, during that time the guy who took Brian's sister reappears. < Ancestor, these people were strange. > The four leaders and the strange guy confer a for a few minutes and they approach her and Brian. The guy with the cell phone puts it away and asks. "Brian, my name is Steve. Do you want to see your sister?"
Brian, now scared, nods his head yes.
"Okay here's how it's going to work. You two are responsible for each other. When Quinn takes you to my house, you will not leave, unless I or a lady named Jenny gives permission. You will not interfere in the work the people are doing there. The only thing you can do is help with your sister. Am I understood?"
Brian nod his head in agreement and asks. "Can my friend Nakao, come with me?"
Nakao looks down and Brian's scared eyes and then tells Steve. "I'll keep an eye on him and Randi. And I'll make sure Brian doesn't get underfoot."
"All right, it's agreed then." Steve then turns to Quinn. "Okay Quinn, can you please take them to my house?"
"Not a problem, Steve. I'll also stay there. If you need me give a call to the house." Quinn tells Steve just before he pops out with Nakao and Brian.
*****
Jenny and Cordelia are cleaning the girl's wounds. As they clean the wounds, they heal more rapidly. Noticing this, Jenny starts to clean the wounds faster. As they clean they strip off the girl's torn and battered clothing. While Jenny and Cordelia are absorbed with the young girl in their care, Quinn pops in with another young woman and a small boy. The boy immediately goes to the girl on the couch, but a restraining hand stops him.
Robert Hascombe leans down and whispers. "Let the ladies work on your sister, boy. They know what they're doing."
The boy looks up at Robert with worried eyes. "Is she going to be all right?"
"Yes she is, just give her a few moments. Now, young man, it looks like you and your lady friend haven't eaten in days."
Brian looks up at the man, who looks like his sister's old boy friend, but talked like his friend Toby's grandfather and nods.
"Good, now let's see what's available in the kitchen, shall we?" And with that, Robert leads a hungry Brian and Nakao into the kitchen.
As Robert is pulling out some cold cuts and sodas out of the refrigerator, Nakao asks, looking around. "So, is this the usual headquarters for a Black Operations group?"
Robert looks up from the sandwiches he's preparing, and replies. "Pardon, Miss? Black Operations group? May I ask what you are referring to?"
"You guys. The tall, dark guy and the red haired woman told us that you were a Black Operations group called Section Seven. And we were not to tell anyone you saved us."
Robert smiles as he hands over the finished sandwiches to Brian and Nakao. Brian immediately begins to eat. Robert admonishes him. "Now lad, eat slowly. You don't want to be sick, do you?" Brian immediately slows down, as Robert turns back to Nakao. "Your questions in a moment. But first let me apologize for not introducing myself to you earlier. My name is Robert Hascombe. And you two are?"
Nakao blushes at Robert's old world manners and charm as she replies. "My name is Nakao Matosumo. This," She points to the boy next to her. "Is Brian Jessup. The girl on the couch is his sister, Randi. Now, can you answer my questions?"
Before Robert can open his mouth, Randi opens her eyes and starts to scream. All three rush to the couch where Randi is fighting Jenny and Cordelia. Robert quickly moves in and restrains the frightened girl. Brian runs up to her and yells at her. "Randi, these are friends. Stop fighting them. They rescued us." The girl, whether seeing Brian or just running out of steam, settles down. As Robert releases her, Randi, reaches out and takes Brian in her arms and mutters. "Oh God, I thought you were dead. Where are we, Brian? Who are these people?"
"Randi, these people rescued us. This big guy named Steve had you brought here because you were hurt and these women fixed you up." Brian tells her.
Randi looks over her surroundings and asks. "Where are we, and who are you people."
"Randi," Nakao begins, handing Randi her orange juice. "Relax, and drink some juice. You're dehydrated from your ordeal. I'm sure that an explanation will be coming soon." Nakao gives Jenny a look.
Jenny nods her head and replies before she goes back to the office. "Later, we've got a lot of work left to do." She leaves Cordelia and Robert to watch their three guests.
Part 22 - Information Gathering
(Torture Isn't Just For Thugs Anymore/Frohike Gets Macho)
At the supermarket, Steve ordered that the two prisoners be crucified at opposite ends of the store. Steve and Buffy proceed to question the vampire called Archer, Mulder and Scully have the other vampire.
Steve begins his questioning with the old stand-by-me. After Archer is crucified, he slams a rifle butt into his shoulder joint, effectively crushing it. After Archer finishes screaming, he then calmly walks up to the vampire and tells him. "Listen here meat, that was just to get your attention. Your friend on the other side told us that your queen Katherine is planning on bringing back Throlog the Merciless. We are planning on letting him go. Can you do better and we let you go instead of him?"
Archer looks at Steve's eyes and smiles when he sees no mercy in them. "Your one ruthless mother fucker, mortal. I can almost respect you for it."
Steve gives an evil grin. "Spike said the same thing to me, before he turned tail and ran away, sacrificing every other vampire that he could."
The vampire's grin widens. "You've met Spike? And you're still alive? Damn, you must be good. But I won't tell you a damn thing mortal, count on it."
Steve turns his head and shakes it ruefully. He takes a step back and slams a stake into the vampire, just below it's heart. The vampire lets out an unearthly scream.
*****
Mulder and Scully begin questioning their prisoner. Their routine is slightly different than Steve's. The vampire is crucified, and Mulder walks up to him and jovially asks. "You got a name, or do we just call you Sack of Shit?"
"My name is Vincent, mortal and I will kill you."
"Oh please, you are crucified against a wall and surrounded by twenty heavily armed vampire hunters. Anything you threaten isn't worth the breathe."
The vampire just glares at Mulder, when suddenly he hears an unearthly scream. He looks around and shudders.
"Oh, you must be wondering about the scream. Well a couple of my friends are asking questions of one of your friends. So far, he's told us your queen's name is Katherine and she plans on raising the demon Throlog tomorrow night. Now, we aren't totally evil, you help us and we'll let you leave this supermarket." Another scream underscores Mulder's question. The vampire licks it's dry lips and shudders.
"All right, I'll tell you this. Katherine is going to assault a meeting of some secret society, meeting in downtown Los Angeles. She plans on killing everyone there to bring back Throlog. The society has a weird name. They call themselves watchers. I don't know where their meeting was to be, just that we were to meet in downtown, in the subway system and go from there."
Mulder and Scully exchange glances and nod. They leave the vampire hanging there with a terse. "Wait here. We'll check out your story." Mulder and Scully make their way to Steve and Buffy's side and tell them what the vampire has just told them.
*****
In the hostage area, Corporal Reilly is watching what's happening outside. Another man walks up and asks. "What's happening out there. It sounds like the gates of hell have opened up and the damned are coming out."
Reilly grimaces as he replies. "Those Section Seven people are putting two of those things to the question."
"What do you mean 'they're putting them to the question'? They're interrogating them?" The man asks.
"No, they're torturing them. And I don't mean psychologically either. I just saw one of the leaders slam a buttstock in one of their prisoner's shoulder joint."
"My God. That's cruel. How is he able to stay standing?"
Reilly smirks. "They crucified him first."
The man turns a pasty shade of green as he rushes to the rear of the room and throws up. Reilly just looks at him without any pity or remorse. < Civilians sometimes don't understand that in war, you have to do what you have to do. > Then he turns back to watch feeling respect for the leaders of this unit. Normally the officers would have the troopers doing the work, but these guys did it themselves.
*****
Steve is shocked, < A lot of those people are my friends. > Then he turns back to Archer. "All right meat. Your friend has just told us that Katherine will be attacking the Society of Watchers. Care to confirm it."
Archer laughs fiendishly. "Yes, we will strip the Slayer of her eyes and ears. The watchers must fall, they've been a thorn in our sides for far too long."
"Guess what, moron?" Buffy asks Archer.
"What, little girl?" Archer asks, slightly confused.
"You're going after the wrong Watchers. The Society of Watchers, doesn't watch the Slayer." Buffy explains.
"They don't? And who are you to know this?" A thoroughly confused Archer asks.
"I'm the Slayer." Buffy tells a shocked Archer. "The Society of Watchers watches and chronicles the history of about ten thousand Immortal Warriors. And those Warriors are going to be extremely pissed that you morons went after their friends."
"Immortals? What are you talking about? There is no such thing." Archer laughs.
"Archer you always were a fool and an idiot, your lack of knowledge just proves it." An Immortal comes forward.
Archer looks on the Immortal coming before him. "You can't be Ranger Swenson. I killed him."
"Oh, but I am." Swenson replies with a grin.
"What is this, old enemies week in Section Seven?" Mulder comments.
"Feels like it though, don't it?" Steve replies with a grin.
Han Von Strasbourg chuckles. < It appears that we truly are the natural enemies of the vampire. How many old enemies do we have among them? >
"So Archer, it looks like the prophecy that old Cherokee medicine woman told you came true. 'That you would die by the hand of a man you had already killed'." Swenson tells him.
"No! How could you know that? I left that Indian bitch dying with her dead family around her." Archer cries out.
"I know, I was an hour behind you. But I stayed to bury them. The old woman told me the prophecy and told me where to find the man who would teach me what I was. It's been a long run Archer, but it ends here. We, Texas Rangers always bring our men to justice, no matter where they go or what they become." Swenson tells Archer.
"Do you want to tell us anything else, before we let Swenson have you?" Mulder asks.
"Yes, I do. I'll meet you all in hell. When Katherine kills the lot of you. Good, you may be, but even with the vampires slain here, she still has five hundred vampires at her command."
"Make that four hundred, we killed a hundred before we came here." Swenson replies with a smile, as he plunges a stake into Archer's heart. Archer lets out a true scream of the damned as he disappears in a cloud of dust. Swenson then turns around and admits. "Man, that felt good."
Mulder and Steve, followed by Buffy and Scully walk over to Vincent. Vincent is shaking and his eyes betray the fear he's feeling. Mulder calmly walks up to him and tells him. "My friend is a little pissed. Archer insulted him and Steve cut a hole in his chest and poured holy water down it. It appears that Steve used too much holy water and this little bit of surgery caused his heart to explode and he went 'Poof'. Would you care to answer some of Steve's questions, so he won't try and do the same thing to you?"
"But I already told you everything that I knew about Katherine and her plans." Vincent wails.
"And we thank you for that. How about locations of other vampire nests? That would be *Very* helpful and Steve might feel really thankful." Mulder smoothly replies, playing Vincent like violin.
"Yeah, there's two warehouses by the docks."
"Very good Vincent, please give us addresses." Vincent gives the addresses of the two warehouse hit earlier.
"Do you know about any other locations?"
"There is an abandoned hotel we've been using."
"Where is it?"
"On Hollywood Avenue near Vine. It's a very central location." Vincent describes the building in question. "Last time I was there, there was about seventy of us living there."
"Are there any people being held there, like they were here?"
"Yes, on the top two levels. They're kept tied up and gagged, so no one can hear them."
"Anything else?"
"Yes, the Order of Vigious has a house in the Hollywood hills."
"The Order of Vigious? What are they Vincent?"
"They're warrior vampires, Katherine has 27 of them. There used to be 30, but Katherine sent three of them against the Slayer and she killed them last night."
"Are any people being held there?"
"No, the Order doesn't allow humans to be kept where they live. They hunt every night."
"You're scared of this Slayer, aren't you Vincent?" Mulder asks, suddenly taking a different tact to unbalance Vincent.
"Yes, we're all scared of her and her mate. Before Katherine came with her army, they had Los Angeles and the surrounding towns stripped of vampires. Never in history has such a pair existed. They are like a force of nature, beyond anything we have ever faced."
"Thank you for the information Vincent, is there anything else you might know?"
"No, I told you everything. Now, please keep your word and let me go."
"Of course Vincent," Mulder replies softly, as he steps away and shoots Vincent point blank in the heart. "I release your body, so your spirit may rest in peace." Then he turns to the Immortals present. "Let's mount up and get out of here. Our job here is done."
*****
Corporal Reilly has been listening in on Mulder's interrogation of Vincent and it's out come, and he shudders. < Man, these people are totally ruthless. But look at what they're fighting. I thought my unit had some stone cold killers, but compared to these people, those guys are pussies. > Reilly looks on as the assembled Section Seven troops leave the supermarket and he settles down, next to Mr. Bradley, to be 'rescued' by the LAPD.
"What made the lawyer go puke, son?" Mr. Bradley asks.
"The leaders of Section Seven were torturing their two prisoners. For some reason the guy couldn't take it." Reilly replies with a grin.
"Those are HARD people son. They have a hard job and aren't afraid to spill a little blood to get it done."
"That's for sure. I thought the Rangers were a tough outfit, but these guys scare me, they can be really vicious."
"Only to those things son. That little red head doc did a great job of patching me up. A person like that wouldn't be in a group like this, let alone leading it, if the people didn't care. Don't forget how that big red head screamed, when she saw that little girl being hurt. These people do care, never forget it."
Reilly nods his head and leans back to relax, he could hear the police entering the building, coming to 'rescue' them.
*****
Outside, Cody, Frank and Bob look on as the assault and rescue force leaves the supermarket. A tired and shaken Steve waves Cody over and he tells him. "Cody, there are forty one living people in there. All of them are safe. I don't know how many dead there are, but the basement is full of bodies, as well as the meat and deli sections. The place is a fucking death house. Call Randall in with the calvary and let's get the fuck out of here." Steve then mounts the steps to the first van and sits down. His partner, Buffy, sits down next to him and leans her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, sobbing softly. Cody watches as Steve wraps his arm around her and softly speaks to her. Mulder and Scully follow suit, with Scully gently speaking with a downcast Mulder.
*****
Steve leans in and gently asks a tearful Buffy. "Buffy, are you all right?"
"No I'm not. I'm the Slayer. I should have saved those people."
Steve hugs her closer to himself as he quietly murmurs. "Buffy, we can't be every place at once. The Gods know that we try, but we can't be. Yes, those people died, but at least we made the bastards who did it, pay for it."
"That doesn't give me or their families any comfort, Steve."
"I know, but at least it gives their souls some rest and their families some closure. We both know those people didn't deserve to die, but they did. We can't let this get to us. We have to go on and not sink into depression over this. Buffy, what we saw in there was just a beginning of what they're capable of. If they win, it'll be a thousand times worse. And if we sink into depression, that's exactly what we've done. Let them win."
Buffy looks up at Steve and smiles. Steve smiles back as he thinks, < Gods, just for the sight of her smile I think I could kill a thousand vampires. >
"Thanks, I needed that, Steve. You always know what to say to make me feel better."
Steve smiles back. "Buffy I'm only speaking the truth. I know it's a cold comfort, but we will kill the rest of these bastards. Hopefully before they can kill again, but we will get them."
Buffy snuggles in closer and whispers. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."
Steve gently takes his left hand and softly strokes Buffy's face with it as he quietly replies. "For you, anytime." Their conversation is broken up by Cody's soft cough. Both quietly sigh and break apart, ready for the mission ahead.
*****
Scully watches as Mulder quietly sits by the wall with his eyes closed. She reaches over and squeezes his arm and asks in a low voice. "Fox, honey, are you all right?"
"No Dana, I'm not. God help me, but I enjoyed torturing those two. I never thought that I could, but I did. And when I killed that vampire named Vincent, I actually felt happy that I did. Am I becoming what I fear the most? A cold, callus killer?"
"No, you're not, Fox. You and I both know that. Those things were not human beings. They were cold, cruel, killing machines, that would continue to kill everything that they could. We both saw the bodies, first in the warehouse and now here. Vampires are not human beings to be given a trial, they are demons animating the dead bodies of human victims. There is no middle ground here. It's either us or them Fox, we don't have a choice in the matter. The vampires won't let us have one."
Mulder reaches over and gently squeezes his wife's hand and quietly tells her. "Thanks for keeping me sane, Dana. I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."
Dana returns the squeeze and tells him. "You're stronger than you think Fox. Just never forget it." Before Mulder can reply, Cody clears his throat getting their attention. Mulder smiles at Dana and turns to Cody.
*****
< Damn, it must have been like a slice of hell in there. > Cody thinks to himself as he watches the hard boiled foursome comfort each other. He reaches for his radio and calls John Randall. "John, this is Cody, are you there?"
"Yes Cody, I'm here. What's the situation like?"
"Forty one survivors and a building full of corpses about sums it up, John."
The radio is silent for a moment, Randall comes back on with a tightly controlled voice. "Thanks Cody, give my regards to our 'friends', they're doing a hell of a job."
I know John, these people, are something else." < What they are, you wouldn't want to know. But knowing you, you probably already know. > Cody watches as the last of the troops mount up and the vans start up. He grabs the door of the lead van and climbs up. He walks past Ramos and tells him. "Just get us out of here, Henry. These people are tired."
Henry Ramos nods his head as he thinks. < God, what these people have done tonight. I don't think they can keep it up. >
Cody turns around and approaches the four people leading the Black Ops troops. He has secretly dubbed them the 'Four Horsemen'. He kneels down by them and asks. "Where to now? The house in the Hollywood hills?"
"No," Steve replies. "First we check in with Frohike." With that, Steve takes out his car phone and calls home.
Jenny answers. "St. Wolf residence, can I help you?"
"Hi Jenny, is Frohike there?"
"Yeah, hold on."
"Jenny put him on the radio, go to tact 4 again." Steve nods at Jarod and he immediately turns on the radio speaker.
"Hey guys, how was the all night market?" Frohike asks.
"Don't ask, Frohike. Have you got an image of the Hollywood hills house available?"
"Yeah, no warm bodies there. Are you going to hit it?"
"No, we'll destroy the place with Dragon Anti-Tank rockets in the afternoon, followed up with a physical sweep to make sure nothing survives. It's not worth the pain to go in there if there are no people to save."
"Can I do it? Oh please, can I do it?" Frohike asks like a child at a toy store.
"Frohike, what did you steal now? A stealth bomber?" Scully asks with a smile, her mood lightening up.
"No Scully, the satellite I borrowed is equipped with a 200 Mega-Watt laser gun. Willow and Jenny just finished helping me crack the firing codes. So she's ready to go, anytime you say go."
The van is silent. The occupants are speechless. Suddenly Scully starts to giggle and it's picked up by the rest of the van.
"Well, can I?" Frohike asks again, still sounding like a little boy, and the laughter is redoubled.
"Not now. You can do it ten minutes after dawn, no sooner." Mulder orders.
"All Right!!!" Frohike yells. "I get to off some vamps."
The entire van cracks up. "But first, you have to scan another nest site." Steve tells Frohike, then turns to Cody. "Cody, is there an abandoned hotel near Hollywood and Vine?"
"Yes, the old Regal Tower, why?" Cody replies, then it all clicks together. "Oh Shit, a friend of mine in the downtown division mentioned that there has been a lot less street people around. That's the nest? Damn, we've got to take it down."
"Frohike, you heard Cody?"
"Yep Steve, Willow already dug me up the address. It'll take me about twenty minutes to reposition the satellite. She's faxing over the plans right now." The plans pour out of the fax. Side, top and basement schematics. "When are you going to hit it?"
"About 04:30, Frohike. Ten minutes before dawn. According to the information we got at the last site, the hostages are kept locked up on the top floors."
"Will check and verify, Steve. This baby can give us a floor by floor assessment. What are you going to do until then?"
"Find an open diner and grab some hot food and use the rest rooms. Over and Out." Steve replies as the connection is terminated. Steve then turns to Cody and asks. "You guys know about a nice quiet place to eat and rest for about an hour, where we won't be noticed or bothered?"
Cody, Bob and Ironman smile as all three say. "Buster's" And then they laugh.
"Pardon us, but we missed the joke." Mulder comments.
"Sorry, but Buster's is a cop hang out run by a retired thirty year veteran of SWAT. His place has a large parking lot and we sometimes use it as a staging area. So we won't be anything special or new." Cody explains with a grin. < Man, I hope Kelly and the Zombies are there and not drunk. This is going to be fun. > His thoughts are shared by Bob and Ironman.
"Sounds good to me." Mulder comments, not noticing the smiles on all three faces.
"Great, I'll get the number from Henry and give Buster a call to prepare some hot food." Cody replies as he hurries to the front. When he gets to the front, he closes the door and tells Henry as he dials his cell phone. "Henry, go to Buster's. The troops are hungry and tired."
"LT, are you sure? The Zombies are usually there at this time of night." Then he sees the grin on Cody's face. "Oh shit, LT. You're still pissed at Kelly for that last practical joke, aren't you?"
Cody's grin only spreads wider as Buster himself picks up the phone. "Buster's"
"Buster, this is Cody. Are the Zombies there?"
"Yeah, they just got in. Why?" Buster asks, suddenly suspicious of Cody's motives.
"Are they drunk?"
"No, they're on their first beers."
"Cut them off. We're coming in for some grub and a chance to use the bathrooms. And I have a proposition for Kelly."
Part 23 - Convergence of Forces III
(Zombies Aren't Just the Walking Dead)
Buster looks over his bar/restaurant as he hangs up on Cody. He calls over his head waitress, Shelly, and tells her to cut off Kelly and his boys. Shelly looks dubious at this suggestion and asks. "You sure about this Buster? Kelly and his boys don't like being told to do anything."
"Yeah, I'm sure. If they have a problem, tell them to see me."
"Okay." Shelly replies as she goes and tells Kelly.
Shelly approaches the group of men collectively referred to as the Zombie Unit. She thinks back to what some of the other police officers had told her. < 'The Zombie's Unit is made up of the cops the department was too scared of to either forcibly retire or fire. The top brass wanted them close, to keep an eye on them. Or preferably being given proper police funerals.' >
Shelly walks up to Kelly and tells him. "Kelly, Buster said you guys are cut off." She hears growls from several of the Zombies present. "If you have a problem take it up with him."
Kelly looks at his men and the growling stops. "I'll do just that Shelly, thanks." And he gets up and calmly walks over to the bar and Buster. "What's going on Buster? Why did you cut us off?"
"Cody just called and told me to cut you off. He has a proposition for you and your guys."
Kelly lets off a smile. "Oh Cody is coming here now? This may be fun after all."
****
Cody comes back and he, Ironman and Bob share a smile. Cody then gives his attention to the meeting that has just started. Mulder and the rest of the team leaders are tossing around plans and contingencies in rapid succession. < Man, it would take the brass hours to plan out an assault like this. These four are doing it in minutes, from fax copies of the blue prints. >
"The only problem that I can see is that the hotel plans might have changed from these prints." Steve comments, then sees Cody. "Cody, do you know any officers, who might have first hand knowledge of the hotel layout?"
"Yep, already arranged for them to meet us at Buster's." Cody replies with a grin.
"Thanks."
The van goes quiet as they make their way to Buster's.
*****
Kelly makes his way back to the table he is sharing with him men. When he sits down, one of the men, Jack Martini asks. "LT, why'd Buster cut us off?"
"Cody told him to cut us off. He and the Rangers are coming in to grab some food and make us a proposition."
This silences the assembled Zombies. They all share the same thought. When the Rangers ask for help from the Zombies, be ready for World War III. Something *VERY* serious was going down. The Zombies sober up immediately.
Kelly calls Shelly over and orders coffee for everyone. Shelly watches in shock as the men place half empty beer mugs onto her tray. Buster standing by the bar, gets the coffee urn working as he watches Kelly and his men take out their handguns and begin to take them down. Several of the men leave and come back with long bags filled with assault rifles and shotguns. The other patrons look on in shock and amazement, most of them finish their meals quickly and leave. Four men sitting at a corner table just watch what is happening, but they don't leave. After all this 'was' Buster's. Buster turns back and calls out to his busboy. "Pedro, get the green equipment box out of the storage room."
"Si, Senor Buster." Comes the reply from the kitchen as Pedro rushes to do his job. He quickly enters the storage room and brings out the green box and heads to where Buster is standing. As he leaves the kitchen, he sees the Zombies stripping down and preparing their weapons. He stops and blinks, worry and fear clearly present on his face. Buster, seeing Pedro getting scared, calmly takes the box from him and tells him to go back into the kitchen. Buster then walks over the equipment box to Kelly. Kelly looks up and takes the box and Buster's warning. "Remember, I want all of my cleaning kits back in one piece."
"Sure Buster." Kelly agrees as he grabs a bottle of gun oil. "Got any clean rags for us as well?"
Buster nods and heads to the bar, where he gives Shelly a load of bar cloths, to take back to Kelly with his coffee.
Buster leans into his bar as he watches the six police vans approach. < Six vans? Why the hell were the Rangers using six vans? >
*****
The six vans pull up and everybody gathers by the lead van. Cody calls out to the assembled troops. "All right everybody. We go in as a team. Bring your weapons, Buster will lend us his cleaning kits. So be ready to do a little work and maintenance on your guns. If anybody bothers you or asks questions, tell them to take it up with me."
And with that, the entire group enters Buster's.
*****
Buster watches as the Rangers enter his bar. He smiles as Cody enters the room followed by his Rangers. But his smile disappears as he sees Ironman and his two friends enter the room, < What the hell are Lyons and his two partners doing here? > They are closely followed by another fifty, for the wont of a better term, heavily armed soldiers. < Shit, the war has just come to LA. >
*****
Kelly, back to the door, suddenly stiffens. < No, not now. > He watches as his three oldest friends also stiffen. The rest of the Zombies notice that Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann were reaching for their swords. Each man in the Zombies knew about Immortals. Kelly and his three friends had saved their lives on numerous occasions. They also had a private motto. 'We all stand together, no matter what.'
Kelly feels the impact of the 'Buzz'. It hits him badly. < God, how many Immortals were there? > He looks over to Sanchez, who is facing the door. Sanchez is mouthing the words. "Oh, my God." Kelly and his three friends rise from their chairs, baring their swords. As they get up, the sounds of safeties being released is heard from the table behind them.
*****
Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin are escorting the leaders of the Black Ops group to Kelly's table when Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann suddenly get up with drawn swords. The rest of the Zombies are getting up as well with weapons cocked, backing up their friends. Cody looks at Bob and mutters. "What is this? The fucking middle ages? I've seen more swords tonight than in my entire life."
Kelly looks over to Cody and Bob and tells them. "Stay out of this Rodgers, this is none of your's or Devlin's business."
"Well, it is our business when you fuck with our friends." Cody replies drawing his gun and pointing it at Kelly's head. The rest of the Rangers and assault force follow suite. The Zombies look over the Rangers and their allies and they take a deep gulp. At least fifty assault rifles and four heavy machine guns were pointed in their direction.
*****
Ian Murphy watches as his oldest friend, Kelly, stares down Lt. Cody Rodgers and he thinks to himself < Man, I've been through hell with Kelly, but this is ridiculous. >
*****
Buster and his staff are watching this scene and get ready to duck behind the bar. Buster mutters to himself < What the fuck in hell are Kelly and the Zombies trying to do? Get themselves and everybody else in this place killed? >
*****
The four men sitting at corner table look on as the situation quickly escalates into a possible shootout between two groups of cops. The silver haired leader of the group reaches for his Colt 45 and casually pulls it out of his holster. His men follow suit.
One of the men asks. "Colonel, if they start shooting, what do we do?"
"We get out of here Captain. That's what we do. Hopefully we won't have to shoot anybody to do it."
*****
Steve takes a deep breathe and let's it out in slow sigh. He steps forward and moves Cody's gun from Kelly's head. He then looks Kelly in the eye and asks. "Do we have a problem here? If so, we can take care of it next week. Right now, I am tired, hungry, thirsty and need to use the bathroom." Steve then asks Cody. "Cody, where're the officers who know the Regal Tower's layout?"
"These are the guys, Steve. The Zombies have cleaned out the Regal at least a dozen times in the last year. If anyone knows it, they do."
Kelly's head snaps around and he asks Cody. "What the fuck is going on Cody? Who the hell are these guys. I recognize Ironman and his two playmates. But these guys aren't cops. And why do you guys want to know about the Regal?
"Because we want to raid it in an hour. That's why." Steve calmly replies.
"Why do you guys want to raid the Regal, nothing's going on there."
"The vampire serial killers are using it as a base of operations. My people and the Rangers are raiding those bases of operation. We need someone who knows the layout to go over the blueprints with us." Steve replies.
"That tells me why. Not who the fuck you people are."
"We're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. We handle messy situations like this for the government, quietly. And having a shoot out in a restaurant does not qualify as quiet." Steve replies with a grin.
Kelly puts his sword down and motions his men to do the same. Kelly also notices that the Rangers and the Section Seven troops do the same. Cody also relaxes and puts away his gun. Kelly looks over the combined group and asks. "What can we do to help?"
"First of all, loose the attitude." Buffy comments.
Kelly walks over to Buffy and looms his 6' 3", 250 pound bulk over her 5' 4", 100 pound body and asks. "Or what little girl?"
Buffy smiles sweetly as she suddenly does a sweep kick and brings Kelly crashing to the floor. Before Kelly or any of his men can react, she brings a knife to his throat. "Just this." She replies with a smile, devoid of any humor. "Fuck with us and we'll kill you faster than you can say 'Oh Shit'. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear." Kelly replies with a smile on his face. < Damn, this kid is good. I wonder how old she really is? > Kelly then accepts Buffy's hand getting backup. He feels the strength in her grip. < Shit, how strong is this little girl? >
*****
Buster looks on in shock. < How the hell did that little girl just take down Pat Kelly? > He looks on as she helps him up. < My God, Kelly is actually smiling. Now this has just got weird. > He watches as the leaders of both groups approach him.
Cody walks forward and asks. "Buster, can you clear out the restaurant?"
"Sure, after the Zombies started to clean their weapons most of the customers left. The only customers left are those four guys sitting at the corner table." Cody and his companions turn and look at the table.
"Have they paid their bill yet?" Steve asks.
"No."
Steve then puts down a hundred dollar bill on the bar. "It's now paid." Then he walks casually over to the table in question.
*****
The four men tense as the stranger in black fatigues walks up to their table. He stops in front of them and in a polite, but firm, voice tells them. "Gentlemen, I've paid your bill. Now, please leave."
The four men look at each other and the silver haired leader nods his head, and all four get up and leave.
*****
Outside of Buster's the Colonel and his three men get into their van and leave the parking lot. As they leave, the driver, a large black man with a Mohawk hair cut asks. "What did we just see in that restaurant Hannibal?"
The Colonel takes out a cigar and lights it. "I don't know B.A., but I'm glad we left when we did. Those people are serious about something and I don't want to be on the receiving end of whatever it is."
"Did you see how that little girl took that cop down. Hannibal, I've never seen anyone move that fast."
"I know Face, those people in the black fatigues stank of Special Operations. What the hell are they doing LA?"
"Did you smell that guy who asked us to leave?"
"Yeah, blood, sweat, and cordite. Those people have been in some heavy fighting. The barrels of their rifles were covered in burned powder and grease. But what bothers me the most is why those four cops pulled swords out?"
"I don't know, but it does seem weird that four LA cops were carrying swords." Face comments.
"No, what was really weird was that no one else in there thought it was weird." Murdock comments.
"What do you mean by that Captain?"
"Well Colonel, when we saw the swords, we all jumped. Us, the bartender, the waitress. But none of those people even batted an eyelash."
"You're right Murdock, I didn't notice that. Man, that's weird. B.A. turn on the radio and see if there's any interesting news on."
B.A. turns on the radio to KNEW, an all news LA station and immediately the top story of the night is heard as a reporter gives a live report. "This is Kent Stevens of KNEW. I'm reporting in from a derelict supermarket located on Piedmont in the Barrio section of Los Angeles."
"This is the third site in a series of lightning raids conducted by elite units of the LAPD, led by FBI Special Agents, on the vampire cult plaguing the city. The police have just reported that forty one hostages have been rescued and are on their way to local hospitals. The bad news is that early estimates are that there are almost two hundred victims. So far none of the cultists have been captured alive. According to Captain John Randall of the LAPD, 'All of them fought to the bitter end and were killed by the police officers and Federal Agents, raiding the cult's hideouts'."
"To recap tonight's events. The officers of the LAPD and Agents of the FBI have raided three vampire cult hideouts. The first two were warehouses located on the docks. At one location thirty hostages were rescued and are at local hospitals. The death toll at the two warehouses is confirmed at 253 dead. None of the cultists have been taken alive. And no police or Federal injuries are reported."
B.A. turns off the radio and turns to Hannibal. "No cops were hurt in the assaults? Hannibal that stinks. I think we just saw who was doing the fighting tonight."
"Yeah, I do believe we did. Let's go home guys, this town is going to be hot tonight."
And with that the van roars off into the night.
*****
Katherine listens to the radio reports with a cold fury. Suddenly, she picks up the radio and throws it into the wall with an angry shout. She looks around for something else to destroy and grabs a young male vampire and literally rips him apart with her bare hands.
Her aide, Lisa, cowers in the background, while her queen vents her fury. After she finishes, Katherine calls Lisa over. "How many of my subjects were in those locations?"
"At best estimate, My Lady?" Lisa asks, Katherine nods her head. "About two hundred."
"Two hundred? Who could have done this? Not the police. Those fools couldn't find themselves in dark room. Who? I want to know who did this?"
"Maybe the Slayer and her mate?" A vampire comments from the side.
Katherine stands rock still as she contemplates the matter. < Could the Slayer and her mate have actually done it? Or did they have help? > Katherine thinks back to what another vampire told her. She turns to Lisa and orders. "Lisa, that vampire who just came from San Francisco, have her brought here." Lisa quickly leaves to do her queen's bidding.
A few minutes later, a young woman named Caitlin enters the throne room. She bows before Katherine and waits to be called. Katherine is now pacing back and forth and finally she notices the vampire waiting for her. She looks down on her and orders. "Tell me what happened in San Francisco. Everything."
Caitlin shudders as she begins to tell Katherine about San Francisco. "Yes mistress. About five months ago, we had the run of the town. Kevin, he was the leader, had the police running in circles and they couldn't figure what was going on. Then in early February it all went to hell. A group of nine vampires attacked a bus load of tourists in the Embarcadero. One of our scouts reported all nine were killed by a man and a woman, armed with swords and stakes."
"Were they the Slayer and her mate?" Katherine asks.
"No mistress, I've seen their drawing and those two were not them. For one thing the woman had red hair and she was six feet tall. The Slayer is shorter and blonde."
"Go on with your report."
"Yes mistress. Well after the Embarcadero slaughter, Kevin found out that we were being hunted. He thought that the local police had learned what we were and had sent their Special Investigations Unit against us. So, Kevin set a trap and had Captured them. After several hours of questioning, we found out that they weren't the ones hunting us down. So, Kevin was giving the order to kill all of them, when ten vampires suddenly turned to dust. In their place were the real vampire hunters. A group of seven ninjas."
"They had tracked us down and were there to rescue the police officers. Kevin still had thirty vampires with him and ordered them to attack. After a battle that lasted barely fifteen minutes, none of them were left standing. After the battle, the ninjas untied the police officers and they started to talk. After that, the ninjas started to openly hunt us down with the help of the SIU. It took them, about four months, to kill almost every vampire in the Bay Area."
"Damn, they have allies." Katherine mutters. < This Slayer has formed a small army of hunters. Damn, she's good. Every other Slayer that I've faced has been an idiot and fought us alone with only their watchers for support. This one is truly dangerous. She must die!! >
"May I speak, My Lady?" A male vampire asks.
"Yes, you may Hector."
"Mistress, will this effect our plans for tomorrow night? Throlog has to be released at the proper moment or he will never be controlled. Do we have enough vampires to perform the sacrifice and stop the Slayer's hunters at the same time?"
"Good question Hector, maybe the sorcerer can help us?"
"But Mistress, that man is insane. He actually drinks our blood to remain alive. Who are we going to sacrifice to get the sorcerer's help?"
Katherine smiles a wicked smile as she tells Hector. "Why, you Hector."
Hector lets out a scream of the damned as he is grabbed by several vampires and he is taken to the sewer location that the sorcerer uses as his laboratory.
Part 24 - Battle Plans
(No Plan Survives Contact With The Enemy)
The assault leaders meet in a side room Buster uses for special meetings. (ie. inter-department poker games) The plans are laid out and Kelly and Sanchez go over them with the leaders of the assault force present.
"Are you sure they're holding hostages on the top floors?" Kelly asks.
"Let me check in with one of my people." Steve replies as he takes out his cell phone and calls Frohike.
Robert Hascombe answers. "St. Wolf residence, may I help you?"
"Robert, Steve here. Tell Frohike to go to Tact 4, I need to talk to him."
"Certainly Steve, he'll be just a moment."
Cody turns on Buster's radio and switches it to Tact 4 and hands free operation. A moment later Frohike gets on. "Steve, I've got the information you wanted. Forty two hostages on the twelfth floor, twenty six on the eleventh, and twenty four on the tenth. I also checked the roof with the night scopes, no ones on it."
"Thanks Frohike, call us back with any changes."
"Will do. And Steve, will I still be able to take out the house in the Hollywood Hills?"
"Yes, you may." Mulder replies with a grin.
"Oh Boy. I can't wait to pop this baby's cap."
"Thanks Frohike. Keep us posted." Steve tells him, then cuts off the mike.
A curious Kelly asks. "How can he know all of that?"
"Simple, he has access to a K-H reconnaissance satellite. It has the capability to read thermal images in almost any structure."
"So how do we know that none of those people are cultists?" Sanchez asks. Rodgers and Devlin just grin, waiting for the reply.
"Because the cultists are real vampires. They have no body heat to give off." Mulder explains.
The shocked expressions on Kelly's and Sanchez's faces are etched forever in Rodgers's and Devlin's memories. A grinning Devlin mutters. "God, I wish I had a camera."
Kelly immediately loses his shocked expression and turns to Cody. "Cody are you playing with us? Vampires are only myths. I've never seen one in my entire life, and that's been a long time."
Cody slyly replies. "How long has it been Pat? Two, three hundred years? The moment you, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann pulled out swords, we knew you were Immortals."
Kelly is shocked again. < How the hell do they know? > "Listen here Cody, I hope your not planning on telling any one else about us."
"No Kelly, Bob and I have spent the night watching these guys," Cody points to Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully. "and the rest of their sword carrying friends, take the brunt of the fighting and take all of the punishment. In three raids, we've managed to kill about two hundred vampires and rescue seventy two hostages, with no injuries to our people or the hostages. Their secret is safe with us, as is your's."
Kelly looks at the group assembled before with a new respect. < Damn, these people have Rodgers's and Devlin's respect. That's a hard thing to get. >
"So what's the plan?" Kelly asks.
Steve lays out the battle plan. "I want to do a night helicopter insertion, landing the ninjas, Able Team, Cody with four Rangers and Frank on the roof and have them fight their way down to the tenth floor and hold the top three floors, securing the elevator shaft, and both stair wells, while we Immortals fight our way up from the first floor. Bob would lead the rest of the Rangers and the Zombies to secure and hold the first floor, locking down the basement and the elevators. After we sweep floors one to nine, then we would clean out the basement. Our auxiliaries, lead by Kowalski and Giles, would stand guard around the perimeter, preventing any of them from escaping out the sides or lower floors. The only problem is that we don't have any helicopters."
"How many helicopters do you need?" Kelly asks.
"Enough to carry Able Team, the ninjas, Rangers and Frank. Sixteen people, not including the pilots. Got anyone crazy enough to do a night landing, on a dark roof, in the middle of downtown LA?"
Kelly, Sanchez, Devlin and Ironman grin evilly as Cody tells Steve. "The three divine winds."
"The three divine winds?" Mulder asks.
"Banzai, Typhoon and Monsoon. The three craziest pilots in the world. I'll call them in. While we wait, you guys grab some chow."
*****
Pedro, the busboy, looks out of the kitchen at the assembled fighters and feels a shiver run down his back. He turns to the fry cook, Enrico and asks. "Enrico, who are these people? Even the Zombies watch them with fear. And those crazy policemen are not scared of anything."
Enrico finishes the last meal and he leaves his grill. He walks over to where Pedro is standing and looks out onto the bar. The sight is not a pretty one. Men and women were stripping down weapons and cleaning them. Lots of weapons. The Zombies, were sitting at their tables and drinking coffee, merely watching in silence, but keeping their weapons close to hand. Enrico crosses himself and mutters. "My God." Then he goes back to his grill.
*****
In the bar proper, Shelly the waitress, is serving food to the group that came in with Rodgers' Rangers. < My God. I thought the Zombies were bad, but these guys scare even them. Where the hell did Rodgers find these guys. >
*****
Buster watches the strange group cleaning their weapons and wonders. < What the hell have these people been doing? Their weapons look like they've been through a war. > He then turns on the radio to KNEW and listens to the top story of the night. The three lightning raids on the vampire cult. As he watches various members of the group take out and clean their swords, it hits him. < Oh, my God. These people and the Rangers have been doing the raids. Shit where the hell did Randall get these guys from? >
Buster watches as the side room opens up and the team leaders leave. Each goes to their respective groups while Cody walks up to him.
"Buster, can I borrow the phone?"
"Sure Cody." Buster replies as he hands him the cordless. Buster listens in as he reports to Randall.
"John, this is Cody. We're over at Buster's place grabbing some food and coffee. The Zombies are here as well, providing some tactical information on our next target and joining in on the fun. I need authorization for three helicopters and three pilots."
"What's going on Cody?"
"We located another cult nest. The Regal Tower on Hollywood. Our friends want to do a helicopter insertion."
"Why do they need to do that?"
"The top three floors have ninety two hostages. They want to get to them fast and secure them before they begin to take out the cultists."
"Damn, you got the copters. I'll get authorization from the chief. Who's going to pilot them?"
"I'm calling in the three divine winds." Cody replies as Buster chokes back a laugh.
"They're all suspended Cody."
"They're the best we got."
"You got them. Tell them to pick up the copters, I'll make all of the clearances."
*****
Captain John Randall of the LAPD is sick to his stomach. He and Tracy have just finished inspecting the crime scene in the supermarket. They had pulled over to a secluded spot so she could throw up. He listens as she retches up her already empty stomach behind the car. < Poor Tracy had to throw up after seeing that deli refrigerator. I can't blame her. Even the most hardened cops tossed their cookies after seeing that. > He watches as the morgue people do their job and carry out the bodies. < I used to think these people were ghouls, but no more. They've done a job that shouldn't be given to anyone and done it well. > Two of the morgue inspectors walk up to him as he waits. He recognizes the lead inspector, Reed Simms, former LAPD Homicide and his new partner Jessica Hayes.
"Hey Reed, how's Libby and the kids?" Randall asks.
"They're fine John. I sent them up to Libby's mother's house in Oregon. She's staying up there until the baby comes."
"That's good to hear Reed. You can't be too careful these days."
Reed shakes his head and gets down to business. "John, this is a mess. How the hell did this happen."
"I don't know Reed. I'm just cleaning up the mess."
"No, we're cleaning up the mess. You're just bringing it to our attention. Did you know that we're hiring freezer trucks to store the bodies?"
Randall holds himself and replies softly. "No Reed, I didn't realize it was that bad for you."
Reed Simms sees that the situation is affecting the tough homicide cop and he softly tells him. "John, you didn't create this mess. Those damn vampire cultists did. You and your people are doing a great job. One thing, where are the bodies of the cultists? So far we haven't found any."
"You won't."
"Why John?"
Randall looks directly into his old friend's eyes and tells him. "Because the cultists are real vampires."
"Please tell me your joking." Jessica Hayes asks, openly shocked at Randall's admission.
"I wish I was, but the truth is that the grey dust on the floor is the remains of the vampires. The Black Operations assault force that went through here killed everyone of them. There won't be any prisoners."
Reed and Jessica look at Randall in shock. Reed asks. "Black Operations assault force? Vampires? John, what the hell is going on here?"
"The feds sent in a secret group of vampire hunters to clean out Los Angeles. And from what I see, they're doing their job. They're supposed to hit one more site tonight and then take out the rest tomorrow."
Suddenly, Jessica grabs Randall by the throat and demands. "Where are they going to hit next, mortal? Tell me now and I'll kill you quickly."
Randall's eyes widen as Jessica's face turns demonic. < My God. She's a vampire. >
Reed, not knowing what was happening tries to pry Jessica off Randall. She reaches back and grabs his throat and forces both of them against the car. "Now tell me, or I'll slowly choke this fool to death in front of you."
"Fuck off bitch." Randall gasps out as he tries to force her hand away.
Jessica laughs as she tells Randall. "I'm stronger than either of you fools. Now tell me where is the next target." She slowly increases pressure on Reed's throat. His face is slowly turning red from the lack of oxygen.
"Drop them now or I'll blow you away bitch." Randall hears his partner order the vampire.
The vampire laughs. "Go ahead and shoot. Your bullets won't hurt me. And if you try to stake me, I'll kill both of them before you take two steps."
Tracy takes one shot. Straight into the creature's heart and the vampire's face registers a shocked expression as it realizes that she has just been destroyed. Then she turns to dust in front of Simms and Randall.
"What the hell just happened? And how did you kill that thing." Reed asks.
Tracy smiles a humorless smile as she explains. "While John was talking to the leaders of the Black Ops group, I got a box of ammo from their armorer. He told me this stuff works on vampires, but only if you shoot them in the heart. Then they go puff. Glad to see it works as advertised."
All three start as Randall's cell phone rings. As he forces his heart back into his chest, he pulls it out. "Randall here."
"John, this is Cody."
"What's up Cody." Randall asks. Cody explains the situation to him and John shudders. < The Zombies were now involved. Can this get any worse? >
A few minutes later, John hangs up on Cody and dials the Commissioner. < It just got worse. > Randall this to himself. "Sir, this is Randall."
"What do you need Randall?"
"Sir the situation has escalated, we need to use three helicopters, immediately."
"So use who ever is on duty."
"Sir, we need Takaro, Henderson and Schwartz."
"I suspended those three lunatics for reckless flying. Why do you need them?"
"I don't need them, our 'friends' requested their services."
The Commissioner sighs, but he relents. "Tell them they're off suspension. But one mistake and they get grounded permanently." Then he hangs up.
John immediately calls the chief flight officer for the LAPD. "Tony, this is John, prep three of the big Bell Rangers."
"John, who's authorizing this?"
"The Commissioner. I'll give you his home number if you want to verify it?"
"No thanks. Who're you getting to pilot them?"
"The three divine winds."
"Aren't they suspended?"
"Not anymore. The Commissioner just lifted their suspension."
"Who are they picking up? And where?"
"A combined assault group made up of Zombies and Rangers. They're waiting at Buster's."
"Zombies and Rangers? Working together? John, has hell just frozen over?"
"No, but it's come to LA and they're our best chance at stopping it."
"I'll get the copters prepped and ready. Just get their butts over here."
"You got it Tony and thanks."
*****
Cody calls Charlie 'Typhoon' Henderson at his house. A sleepy Henderson answers. "This had better be important."
"Get your lazy ass out of bed Charlie." Cody tells him.
"Cody? What the hell are you doing waking me up at three in the morning?"
"Charlie, get up and get your two partners. I need you for a job."
"But we're suspended. The Commissioner's orders."
"They've been rescinded. Now get moving. You have three choppers waiting for you at the field and when you get them, bring them over to Buster's. He'll have fresh coffee waiting for you and an assault force to pick up."
*****
After Cody's call Charlie Henderson immediately gets up and calls his two partners, Banzai and Monsoon. Charlie explains the situation to them. Neither asks any questions as they immediately get dressed and leave for the air field.
Part 25 - Dinner Conversations
Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully grab a table and pull out their weapons and begin to clean them. Shelly walks over and asks. "What can I get for you?"
"Two cheese burgers, well done with a side order of fries." Steve replies.
"One cheese burger, well done." Buffy replies.
"Two bacon cheese burgers, with a side of onion rings." Mulder replies.
"Garden salad, dressing on the side." Scully replies.
"Anything to drink?" Shelly asks.
"Coffees, for all of us." Mulder replies.
"Do you want any gun oil or rags?" Shelly asks, seeing them cleaning their guns. < This is the only job where that question has ever come up. >
"Both would be nice." Buffy replies with a smile. "Thanks."
"Your welcome." Shelly counters as she leaves to get their orders. < Well, at least they're polite. >
After Shelly leaves, Buffy asks. "So do you guys think we can take these vampires?"
Steve sighs as he replies. "Buffy, I'm not too worried about tonight, but tomorrow, they'll know we're coming, so expect a harder fight. I think we should call in some more friends for backup. What do you two think?
Mulder and Scully look at each other and nod their heads, Mulder speaks for both. "We agree. Getting in some more fighters would only help us and kill more vampires. So, who are we going to call in?"
"I was thinking about our friends from last time to start with. And I have a few friends that still owe me favors. Maybe Quinn could help get them here as he did Abbott Michael and rest."
"Not a bad idea. I'm sure he would help with that." Buffy replies.
A quiet Scully looks thoughtful and finally she asks. "Steve, I don't know about Quinn. He claims to be an omnipotent alien, but have you ever considered his motives? I understand that you like him, but what's in it for him?"
"One word Scully, 'Friendship'." Steve replies with a smile.
"Oh, please it can't be that simple." Scully scoffs.
"That's the woman I love." Mulder comments with a smile. "The professional skeptic."
"Don't patronize me Mulder. I just can't believe that this being is doing this for friendship. It can't be that simple."
"Oh but it can." Steve replies with a smile. "First of all lets start with us 'Immortals'. How many of our normal friends know that we're Immortal? Mulder, Scully, please speak up."
"No one really, besides Buffy's and your friends. None of ours do."
"Let me ask you this. Before you met up with Buffy and me and our mutual friends, how lonely was it?"
"All right, I admit it. I was lonely, even though I had Mulder. I really had no real friends left. I was scared of watching them age and die. I didn't want that and I distanced myself from them. So what's your point?"
"Now imagine an individual who has almost ultimate power and has lived for far longer than any of us can imagine and has seen so much that would boggle our minds and maybe even drive us insane if we saw it."
"All right your point of view works for Immortals, but what does it have to do with Quinn?
Buffy giggles as she catches onto what Steve is pointing out. "Dana, the guy's lonely. He wants to have friends. People who aren't scared of him or what he is or can do. Look at why he's helping us. A vampire tried to kill his 'friend' Robert. He feels that he owes us for taking them out. He knows that he can't kill all of the vampires in the world, but he can help us in other ways. That's what he told us earlier tonight. And I believe him."
"I also agree with Steve and Buffy, Scully. Quinn just wants to have some people who treat him as a friend and not as potential enemy or horn of plenty."
The conversation goes quiet as Shelly returns with the gun oil and clean bar towels.
*****
Ian Murphy watches as the Black Operations troops clean their weapons and grab some food. When the swords come out for sharpening and cleaning, he asks his friend Dave Ricker "Dave, how many of them are like you?"
A nervous Ricker replies. "At least twenty of them, if not more."
"Damn. What can we do if they try and take your head?"
"Get out of the way, Ian. Your life isn't worth it." Then Ricker quiets down as Kelly and Sanchez approach. When both get close, Ricker asks. "What's the situation Pat?"
Pat Kelly takes a deep breath and tells his men what the situation is. After he completes his explanation and their role in the fighting, the Zombies perk up. Action at last. But Koffmann asks. "Pat, can we trust these guys?"
"Yeah, I think so. They're here to take out real vampires. Not other Immortals. One more thing, we're joining in the main assault."
"We are?" Murphy asks.
"Only Immortals, Ian. We don't want our mortal friends to get hurt."
Before Ian can reply, Xander, Oz and Jarod walk up to the Zombies table carrying ammunition boxes. Without introductions, Xander begins. "Gentlemen, please remove all ammunition from your magazines and replace it with the ammunition that we're providing."
"Like hell I will." Pablo Garcia replies. "I ain't using some strange ammo in my gun. You guys can go fuck yourselves."
"All right then, but when we hit the Regal Tower and some of the vampires decide to have you for dinner, and your bullets don't stop them, then too bad." Xander replies sarcastically. The rest of the Zombies take the ammo and load up. Garcia follows suite a few minutes later.
Martinez asks. "Got anything for my SPAS 15?"
Xander shakes his head. "Sorry dude, only got Dragon's Breath and Devastator shells. And the mission outline doesn't call for those particular party favors."
"Bummer, is it all right if I use Nitro Magnums loaded with BBs?"
"Only if you aim for the head or neck and no ones behind it."
"Not a problem." Martinez replies with a grin. < Damn, I like this guy. >
*****
Brother Aaron looks over the crowded restaurant and smiles. He leans over to Abbot Michael and comments. "God Michael, I never thought that I'd be sitting in a bar with thirty seven Immortals and no ones tried to kill anyone else."
"I know Aaron. The times certainly have changed. I never thought that I'd be out here hunting down vampires with an assault rifle." Michael ruefully chuckles as he loads his freshly cleaned AR-15 with a full magazine.
"But at least it's good for the soul."
"Of that, I have no doubts." Michael replies and they both chuckle.
*****
Hans Von Strasbourg is sitting with two of his old Immortal friends, Hanson and Argus. As they eat, each comments on their feelings about their work this night.
"I can't believe that I've never seen one of these things in the last thousand years." Hanson comments.
"They're hard to spot." Hans replies. "They tend to attack in areas where there are few people. Only in the last hundred and fifty years have they begun to move into the cities. And when in the cities, they prey mostly on the unwanted, the outcasts, single travelers, people who wouldn't be missed."
"I still can't believe the slaughter I saw tonight. Those things are evil incarnate. When this started, I thought that it was a trap formed by those two." Argus looks over to where Summers and St. Wolf are having their meal. "To get some easy Quickenings. But after all of this, I can't argue about their honesty and dedication."
"I thought the same myself," Hans admits. "But after what we were shown and after what we've done tonight, I have no doubts about those two and their companions."
"Was that vampire really your cousin, Hans?" Hanson asks.
"No, that was the body of my cousin. The demon who killed him took over his body and his memories. I blame the demon, not Eric for all of the suffering it caused. My destroying the demon and the body, only put Eric's soul to it's final rest."
"So are we going to continue to help? After all this is over, I mean." Argus comments.
"I, for one, have no problem with doing this type of work through eternity." Hans replies.
"You've been hunting vampires for three hundred years. What's it like?" Hanson asks.
"A lot of pain. But it balances out when you see the eyes of those that you have saved. Back in 1843, I was passing through the Spanish/French border when I came across six vampires fighting a young girl. Naturally, I went to help and between the two of us, we were able to kill them. The girl turned out be the Slayer, her name was Edith Cosgrove. After I explained to her who I was, we joined forces to clean out the district.
"Six days into our hunt, we came across this small village that was being ravaged by a large group of vampires. All of the adults had been slaughtered and only the children were left. The vampires were using them as playthings. They were slowly torturing them until they couldn't take it, then the vampires would suck them dry. Edith and I immediately attacked and killed most of the vampires. The leader, a brute named Carlos took three small children as hostages and ordered us to let him go. When I saw this, I immediately shot him in the head with my rifle. The shot caused him to drop the children and Edith was able to stake him. After we killed the last vampire, we surveyed the village. A hundred and four dead, the only survivors, nineteen children under the age of ten. Naturally, Edith and I got the children out of there and we took them to a convent she knew about. The sisters took the children in and gave us shelter for a few days to rest. I'll never forget those children's eyes as we left to hunt again. They're the reason I'll continue to fight."
Argus and Hanson exchange glances as both make a decision. As one they turn to Hans and tell him. "Hans, if you want to continue hunting these things." Argus starts.
"Then would you mind us for company?" Hanson finishes
Hans' mouth spreads into a wide grin as he claps his two friend's shoulders. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
*****
Tommy sits down with the rest of his clan and he briefs them on their part of the mission after he finishes, Tommy adds. "Damn, it feels like we're back in G.I. Joe, doesn't it."
Jinx chuckles and comments wryly. "Well Tommy, you were the one who said that we didn't have enough challenges in life. I think this one rates up there."
Scarlet chuckles as she replies. "I agree with Tommy the command structure does remind me of G.I. Joe. I wonder if anyone here also served in a similar unit?"
*****
The Immortal known as Thorson, having finished his meal and cleaning and reloading his guns, is discussing the night's events with several other Immortals. "If I hadn't witnessed tonight's events, I wouldn't have believed it."
"I know, this is a situation where reality is thrown out." An Immortal called Raji replies.
"Did you see the look of horror on the faces of those corpses at the supermarket? Especially the children's? I'm going to have nightmares for centuries after this is done." A man called Hutch admits. "The only thing holding me together is the fact that I was able to kill a few of the monsters that did it."
"I concur." A man calling himself Felix agrees. "I hope to continue doing this 'service', because it beats playing the 'Game' hands down. Killing these things is a gift to humanity and truth be told, I don't mind giving something back, for all of the kindness and friendship, that many normal people have shown me over the centuries."
*****
Robert McCallister is sitting down with several Immortals whom he has befriended over the centuries. All of them are commenting on the night's events.
"So Robert, you fought these things five months ago? A man called William asks.
"Yes I did, why?"
"We are shocked old friend, that you did not have the courtesy to invite us on that hunt." A man called Hernandez replies with a smile.
Robert takes a deep breath and sighs. "So, you would have joined in on that little jaunt?"
"Aye, all of us would have wanted to be in on that battle. God, the way you and your friends fought that day. It was a thing for the bards to sing about. Robert you were greedy for not allowing us to share in the glory."
Robert smiles at the good natured ribbing he was getting. It felt good to be among friends and not worry about someone losing their heads. "Are you willing to continue fighting these things? After we finish here?"
A chorus of yeses answers him. As he looks on his friends, he feels that the so-called 'Game' was finally dead. And that the Immortals could take their place in the world as befitted them. It's defenders and champions.
*****
"God Ice, did you think when you woke up this morning that we would be hunting vampires in Los Angeles with a Black Operations group?" Christine Kowalski asks.
"Never crossed my mind Christine. This situation has just been too weird. Vampires, demons, Immortals, ninjas, an alien and a covert operations unit. The Twilight Zone should have shows this good."
"You never should have run into Mulder in that hallway, Christine, that's what started everything." Charlie replies with a grin.
"Don't blame me. Tanaka and Daniels assigned us to this case, remember? If we can blame anyone it's those two weasels"
"Don't forget, we were going to volunteer for it anyway. So, let's just make the best of it." Alphonse replies with a grin.
"Yeah, we're here and doing the job. So let's not bitch about it." Ice replies as he finishes putting together his H&K 93 and drives home the magazine for emphasis.
*****
The Rangers are sitting together in their own section. Jarod watches and listens as the rest of his unit goes over the night's events.
"I can't believe what's been happening." Officer Rita Morales comments. "We're fighting actual vampires. Blood drinking, fangs in the face, vampires."
"Believe it." Henry Ramos replies.
"I still can't get over how these people," Henderson looks over the assembled Immortals, Slayerettes, ninjas and FBI personnel. "Can so calmly do what the hell they are doing. I know Ironman and his two friends can be stone cold killers, but these people are on another level."
"Don't forget what they're facing." Jarod comments. All faces turn to him. "These things have absolutely no mercy. I saw the bodies of their victims. None of them died easily and if we leave any of them alive, they'll just kill again and again and again. It's a never ending cycle with these things and if they get a chance to make more of themselves, they will."
"And how do you know so much about vampires?" Thompson asks.
"When I was first assigned to this case, I did a little research. Plus I asked Xander and Oz some questions. They were quite free with the information." Jarod replies with a smile.
"So what did you dig up?" Cody Rodgers asks as he and Bob Devlin sit down.
"Oh, a few tidbits."
"So spill Russell, before I'm tempted to have you pick up targets at the gun range. While we're practicing." Rodgers replies with a grin.
"Well first of all, the girl, Buffy Summers, is what's called a Slayer. What that means is that she is somehow gifted with incredible strength and speed to fight and kill vampires. She can also sense them. A sort of early warning system and locator rolled into one. Steve St. Wolf, he's Buffy's boyfriend by the way, is an actual demon hunter." The table goes quite as most of the SWAT team takes a deep breath. "He joined up with her about five months ago and they Mulder and Scully and a few friends destroyed about two hundred vampires and since then, Buffy and Steve have been cleaning out most of southern California. The ninjas are the Storm Shadow Clan. They've been doing the same work in the Bay area. Up there, they've worked with the SF PD's Special Investigations Unit. Mulder and Scully are real FBI agents, they run what's called the X-Files Division of the FBI."
"What're the X-Files?" Cody asks.
"They investigate the paranormal, specializing in alien encounters."
"My God, what the hell are we facing here, Cody?" Rita Morales quietly asks.
"Our job Morales, our job."
"Don't give me that Bullshit LT. We didn't sign up to hunt monsters." Thompson replies.
"You're not." Cody points out. "They are the ones doing all of the fighting and the bleeding. You people have only been sitting on your collective asses doing perimeter duty and driving. So don't bitch. I feel damn lucky that we have them, their weapons and their expertise. How bad do you think it would have been if we had attacked those vampire nests with regular ammunition?"
All of the SWAT officers look at each other and shudder. Several rub their necks and wince, imagining the outcome of such an assault.
Jarod then speaks up. "I agree with the LT. We would have been dinner for those things and I want revenge for what they've done to the innocent people of Los Angeles, especially the kids."
"I'm glad you feel that way Jarod, are you willing to volunteer for a helicopter assault?" Cody asks with a grin.
Jarod smiles as he tells Cody. "Anytime, anyplace, LT."
"All right, here's the plan." Cody goes over the assault plan with his people and asks for three more volunteers. Morales, Thompson and Ramos also volunteer after hearing what the plan entailed.
*****
Carl Lyons and his two partners are sitting alone and relaxing. Lyons looks over the assembled fighting force and smiles.
Gadgets seeing this asks. "So, what's on your mind, Ironman?"
"Just thinking about Sue and Mike Reynolds. I'll be able to tell their kids that their parents' killers are gone."
"Yeah, that does warm the heart. What do you think of Mack's friends?" Politician asks.
"Mack is going to owe us big time for this. I plan on asking for a month's leave after this." Lyons replies with a grin.
"I'm sure Barb will let you have it. When hell freezes over." Gadgets replies with a smirk.
"Do you guys think that Mack is also an Immortal?" Politician asks.
"That would explain how he was able to survive so many 'deaths'." Lyons replies with a grin. "Could you imagine Hal's response if he finds out about Mack's Immortality?"
"I think that cigar of his will finally fall out." Gadgets replies with a grin. All three men chuckle at the thought. As they finish laughing, they notice Steve St. Wolf approaching.
He sits down at their table and asks. "Carl can you get in touch with Mack?"
"Why?"
"We're going to need some help tomorrow night and I want to call in as many people as possible."
"I'm sure we could call him after we hit the Regal Tower. Do you want just Mack or can we invite the rest of our organization's field personnel as well?" Carl asks.
"Who?"
"Phoenix Force is the international anti-terrorist branch of our organization. They could lend a hand."
"If you three and Mack vouch for them, I have no problems. But have them bring their own guns. My armory's a little light." Steve replies with a smile.
"Not a problem." Lyons replies with a knowing smile, patting his M-60 E3.
Part 26 - Three Winds
(How to Deflate a Divine Wind's Ego)
Charlie 'Typhoon' Henderson is the first of the Three Divine Winds to arrive at the air field. He finds Lt. Anthony DeGrasi, prepping the LAPD's three big Bell Jet Rangers. As DeGrasi works on the first copter, Henderson grabs a clipboard and starts to prep the second. A few minutes later Takaro and Schwartz enter the hanger and they begin to prep the third bird. Ten minutes later all of the copters are reviving up and the Three Divine Winds take to the skies of Los Angeles once more.
Fifteen minutes later, the three birds land in Buster's parking lot and the three pilots get out of their birds and walk to the bar. As they walk into the bar, Typhoon mutters. "I wonder what's going on? The Commissioner swore to God not to let us fly again. Who's got the juice to make him say 'uncle'?"
"I don't know, but I'm glad they did. I was going nuts sitting around all day. It feels good to be flying." Banzai replies.
Monsoon is more worried about staying awake as they enter Buster's. "I hope Buster's got the coffee going. I could kill. . . Oh Shit!?" The sight of so many people and weapons shocks the three men into silence.
Typhoon looks at the assembled fighters, not believing what's in front of him. He watches as Cody Rodgers and Pat Kelly detach themselves from their respective units and approach the them Cody is the first to speak. "Typhoon, about damn time you three got your lazy asses here. C'mon, we've got to go over the assault plans with you before we go."
"Assault plans?" Banzai nervously asks, wondering who the hell these people were with the Zombies and Rangers.
Steve calls together the separate units and starts to go over the assault sequence with them. Buster leans on his bar, listening with a practiced ear. < Damn, this guy is good. He's been able to cover almost every contingency. >
"All right, the assault will work as follows. The helicopter assault with Able Team, Storm Shadows, Frank and five Rangers under the command of Cody will leave at 04:20 and hit the nest at precisely 04:30. They will force their way down to the tenth floor, removing any hostiles they encounter and secure both stairways and the elevator. Able Team and Frank will secure the stairwells, while the Storm Shadows will search out and destroy any hostiles hiding among the hostages. Cody and his Rangers will be the flying reserve, helping them both. At no time are any of the hostages to be released. They could possibly panic and try and run, causing us no end of problems."
"The main group will leave here at 04:10. We will drive to the site and reach it hopefully at 04:31. Perimeter and blocking forces will be under the command of Kowalski and Giles. You two will have Ice, Charlie, Alphonse, Xander, Oz and Amy. You'll set up a perimeter around the hotel, allowing no escape. The three helicopters are to use their search lights to light up the area, preventing any of the cultists from escaping."
"The main assault will be made up of the remaining forces not already assigned and will attack in two stages. The main force will hit the hotel, securing the stairways and elevator. Then we will clean out the first floor. After the first floor is cleared out, the remaining Rangers and Zombies will move in and secure the first floor, any basement openings and the bottom of the stairwells. The main force will then move up the stairway to the second floor. Three man blocking forces will be left to secure each stairwell, preventing anything from coming down or past us. As each floor is cleared, we will move up one until the entire hotel is cleared out. After we secure the hotel, we'll worry about the basement. Any questions?"
Buster raises his hand. Steve, seeing this, asks politely. "Anything you care to add Buster?"
"Yeah, who's handling crowd control?"
"Crowd control?"
"Yeah, that area is full of people, the moment you start, they'll come out in a rush and try to get past your people, just to see what's happening. Eight people is not enough, you'll need at least forty officers, in uniform, to help."
Steve turns to Cody, Kelly and Ironman and asks. "Know anybody who can help?"
"Not a problem. I'll just call John and get the officers from him." Cody replies as he reaches for the phone and dials. The phone is immediately picked up.
"Randall here."
"John, This is Cody."
"What do you need now Cody?"
"Forty officers to handle crowd control, when we pull off the raid in about thirty minutes."
"You got em. Where are they to meet you?"
"At Buster's, where else?"
*****
Randall turns to his partner, Tracy and tells her. "Get forty officers and go to Buster's. I want you to handle crowd control for our 'friends'. Reed will drive me back to the station."
"Not a problem." Tracy tells him as she gets in their car and drives over to the field Sergeant.
Once Tracy gets there, she approaches Sgt. Anthony Dabrowski, a twenty year veteran of LAPD. "Tony, I need forty officers A.S.A.P."
"What's up Tracy?"
"Our 'friends' need forty officers for crowd control. They're about to hit another target and it's in a populated area."
"Who's going with them? You or Randall?"
"I am."
Sgt. Dabrowski immediately gets on his radio and calls in various units. A few minutes later, forty three officers and three dogs are clustered around Tracy's cruiser.
Tracy steps forward and explains the situation. "All right people, we have a situation. We will be doing one more raid tonight. You people will be handling crowd control while the people who have been doing the last three raids, raid another site. Any questions?"
"Yeah, who the hell has been doing the work tonight?" One of the officers ask.
"That's on a need to know."
"Do you know?" The same officer asks.
"Yes I do and you don't. Any more questions?" No one bothers, knowing that they won't get a satisfactory answer.
"The rendevous is Buster's place. We will meet up with the assault force there and follow them to the next site and WE will cordon off the area, not letting anyone in or out, especially reporters. Am I understood?"
The assembled officers chuckle and nod their heads in agreement. Tracy then gets into her car along with Dabrowski and they head out in column.
*****
Fifteen minutes later, twenty patrol cars pull up to Buster's. As they get out they see the six LAPD vans parked near the entrance and the three Bell Jet Rangers. Tracy gets out and yells to the officers. "We have five minutes to spare, most of you stay by your cars, five of you come with me and get your partners some coffee." Immediately five officers detach themselves and follow Tracy and Dabrowski inside.
Tracy leads the six officers into Buster's as she gets inside she orders. "Buster, make up forty five cups of coffee to go." Then she walks over to where the leaders of the combined assault force are waiting for her.
"Tracy, glad to see you again." Steve replies.
"Glad to see you still alive and kicking. So what's the call?"
Steve shows her the plans laid out on the table by him. He gives her a complete breakdown of the assault and what his plans are. Tracy looks over the plans and asks. "They want to know who you people are. What do I tell them?"
"Tell them that we're Section Seven, Black Operations, that should cool them down." Scully tells her with a smirk.
"You're kidding right?"
"Nope, that's what we've been tell the hostages, so why not the cops as well?" Mulder comments with a wicked grin.
Tracy gives Mulder and Scully a grin and calls over Sgt. Dabrowski and the five police officers.
*****
Sgt. Dabrowski and his five officers stand in the door way, open mouthed. The sight of so many weapons and people obviously very comfortable with them does not sit well with the LAPD officers. One of the officers whispers to Dabrowski. "Sarge, isn't that Ironman and his two friends standing over there?"
"Yeah, and there's Cody Rodgers of the Rangers and Pat Kelly of the Zombies standing together. I thought those two hated each other, but they're standing there like old friends. But, who the hell are these other people?"
"I don't think we should know, Sarge. They look like the type that doesn't play games."
Before Dabrowski can answer, Tracy calls him and the five officers over to the planning table. "Sgt. Dabrowski, met Steve St. Wolf, Section Seven, Black Operations Field Commander."
"Section Seven, Black Operations? What the hell is that? Military?" Dabrowski abruptly asks.
Non-pulsed, Steve replies. "Our organization doesn't officially exist, Sergeant. Our orders are to take down the vampire cultists and that's exactly what we're going to do. Now, I need you and your people to handle crowd control for me while I attack another cult site. At present, they are holding ninety two hostages at this site and I want to get them all out alive and we do not need any distractions while we're doing it. Do you have a problem with this?"
"No sir, I don't. Thank you for giving it to us straight, for once." He looks pointedly at Tracy, who blushes. "Now what's the assault location and your plan?"
Steve goes over the assault plan with the Sergeant and his five officers. By the time he finishes, Dabrowski gives a low whistle and comments. "Pardon me sir, but I think you're all nuts to do this. But I don't see any other way to save those hostages." He then turns to Ironman. "Lyons, you always were one crazy mother fucker, but you got the job done. I'm glad to see that you have company."
"Then everything's settled." Steve comments as he gathers up the plans and tells Dabrowski. "Let's get this operation under way. You, Sergeant and Det. Vetter will be in charge of the outer defenses. My people will work the inside. They will shoot anybody attempting to leave or enter the building. So don't interfere."
"I don't like that order Sir. Civilians could get hurt."
"I'm sorry, but we'll try to save everybody that we can, but these things do not play games. They have to be taken out hard and quick. There is no way around it. The final authority rests with me. And I'll be responsible for everything that happens here. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir, understood." Dabrowski replies with respect. < This guy's the real thing. A leader who people would follow to Hell itself and back. And from what I've seen tonight, they already have. Dad told me about guys like this who fought with him in WW 2, but I never believed him, until now. >
Dabrowski shakes himself out of his reverie as he hears St. Wolf order. "All right people, let's mount up and move out. The helicopter assault force will leave ten minutes after we do. The helicopter assault will be first, then we hit them about two minutes later. Now does anyone have anything to ask?" Steve looks around, and sees only grim determination on everyone's faces. "All right people the night's not getting any younger, let's go." And the combined assault forces leave.
*****
Buster watches them leave and shudders. Shelly walks up to him and asks. "What just happened here Buster?"
"Nothing Shelly, nothing at all." Buster replies as he hands her an envelope.
"What's this?" Shelly asks as she removes two one hundred dollar bills from the envelope.
"Your tip." Buster tells her as he hands two similar envelopes to Pedro and Enrico.
*****
A few minutes later, Buster's three employees leave. As Shelly closes the door behind her, Buster waits a full minute, then he walks over and locks the door. After that he picks up the phone and dials a memorized number. The phone rings at least a dozen times at the other end, before it's picked up and a sleepy voice asks. "Who is this?"
"Francis, this is Buster. Are Davis and Reynolds still awake?"
"No, both are asleep. Why?"
"Wake them up, I need to talk to them." Buster replies as he scratches the tattoo on his left wrist.
"Is it important?"
"Yes, it is."
"All right, give me a minute."
Several minutes later, Greg Reynolds gets on the phone. "Buster, why are you waking Bill and me up at." He pauses a minute to check his watch. "4:35 in morning."
"Can you put me on speaker? I have to report a meeting."
Several seconds later, Greg gets back and his voice sounds distant. "You're on speaker. Bill and Francis are here as well."
"A couple of Immortals getting together is what you woke us about? Couldn't it wait until morning?" Bill Davis chimes in.
"Bill, Greg, it wasn't two Immortals. In my restaurant, just a little while ago, there were, if I'm right," Buster pauses and continues in a hushed tone. "Thirty to forty Immortals. Heavily armed Immortals."
"Thirty to forty Immortals? That's impossible. The largest group of Immortals that we've ever had on record is ten." Bill Davis replies.
"What do you mean by 'heavily armed'?" Greg Reynolds asks.
"They were equipped with enough fire power to start a small war, and keep it going for at least a week."
The silence on the phone is ominous. Finally Greg Reynolds asks. "Did anyone try to take a head?"
"No, they were here to get together with my four. They needed information to take down the vampire cultists and from the news reports coming in over the radio, they've been doing it all night long. Now, they're going to raid another site, the Regal Tower on Hollywood."
"Who was there. Did you recognize any of them?"
"Yes I did and it scares me."
"Go ahead, you've already shocked us awake. More couldn't do any harm."
"My ususal four were here. Kelly, Sanchez, Ricker and Koffmann. But then this large group comes in with an LAPD SWAT officer named Cody Rodgers. I recognized Cassandra, Robert McCallister, the two Immortal monks, Aaron and Michael, Basil St. John, Juan Hernandez, Hans von Strasbourg, plus a bunch more that I recognized from photos."
Greg and Bill look at each other in shock and wonder. Finally Bill asks. "Is there more?"
"Yeah, the people they came in with. They had three guys with them that I know are black operations. In fact, that's how they described their group, as a black operations group called Section Seven."
"Who was the leader? McCallister or Cassandra?"
"No, a guy named Steve St. Wolf. I don't know if he's an Immortal."
"He is." Greg confirms to Buster's dread. "But what the hell is he doing leading that kind of group?"
"Why do you say that?" Buster asks.
"Because, on the Immortal scale of things, Steve St. Wolf is young, very young." Greg replies.
"How old is he?" Buster asks.
"He became an Immortal in 1983. Barely fifteen years." Bill replies.
"What the hell is going on?" Buster asks.
"We don't know, but one thing is certain. The Immortals are not playing the 'Game' anymore. We've had only one report of an Immortal dying in the last five months and that was an old blood feud. And that worries me." Greg replies.
"Why?"
"Because, what are they going to do now?"
"I don't know, but if what they're doing now is an example, I don't have a problem with it." Buster replies.
"What do you mean?" Bill asks.
"According to the news reports, they've rescued seventy one mortal victims of the vampire cult and put paid to an unknown number of mass murderers. If this is going to be their new hobby, I'm going to lift a glass and thank God the 'Game' is finished."
"We need to contact the council about this." Bill comments.
"And tell them what? That the Immortals have banded together and are going around rescuing people from serial killers?" Buster asks.
"Exactly that." Bill comments. "You know Joe Dawson is being put on trial for helping the Immortals. This might save his life."
"I'll be there, then." Buster replies and hangs up the phone.
Bureau 13 Headquarters - Some Where Unknown
Horace Gordon strikes his fist on the desk and yells. "What the hell is going on in Los Angeles?! You people are supposed to be defending the American people from things like this."
The groups arrayed before him jump and mutter among themselves. Finally Eddie Alvarez of Team Tuna Fish steps forward and replies. "Sir, Team Angel is in Northern California fighting a demonic plague, there is no way they could be in two places at once and the rest of us have been handling various other problems across the country. We did not have the manpower to stop this thing from happening. Who would have figured a group of vampires would try to raise Huitzilopochtli in Los Angeles."
"We should have. Now we have to figure out how to stop it." Gordon answers as a centaur clerk rushes in. Gordon notices and asks. "What's happening Dimitri?"
"Sir, the news just reported that three vampire sites have been taken out by the LAPD!"
The room erupts into pandemonium. Gordon looks at the centaur in shock. "Who the hell could have done it? We don't have any forces in the area."
"One of our agents in the area, an FBI agent by the name of Doug Simon, has questioned several of the survivors. They all say that a Black Operations group called Section Seven had rescued them. All of the hostages describe a heavily armed group of people rescuing them, but not taking any prisoners." Dimitri replies.
"Who the hell are they? And how are they taking out the vampires. And who's backing their play?"
"We don't know sir. We tried to send in additional personnel, but there's a mystic barrier blocking us from getting there."
"Is there a way around it? How close can we get to Los Angeles?"
"The spell ends at the California border Sir. Anyone we sent there will have to use conventional transportation to get to Los Angeles."
"Good, then we're sending in Tuna Fish, The Thunder Bunnies and some crack Green Berets in. Any one got any other suggestions?"
"Yes, I do." A voice calls from the side of the room. Everyone turns to the sound and points various mundane, magical and spiritual weapons at the speaker. The entire group is hushed as an old man walks into the light carrying a seven foot gold and crystal wizard's staff. Every wizard and sorcerer in the room takes a deep gulp. Only one being on the planet would have that large a staff: Merlin.
Horace Gordon looks on in wonder as a legend walks up to his desk and promptly takes a seat on it's edge. The assembled Bureau 13 agents wait and listen.
"Merlin, I thought you were dead." Horace Gordon asks.
"I got better." Merlin replies with a grin.
Gordon takes a deep breath as he asks. "What do you want Merlin?"
"I just came to tell you that several demons are going to be raised in Chicago and Dallas. Their worshipers are planning on creating a slaughter in those cities to bring them forth, if you don't stop them, first."
A worried Gordon asks. "What about Los Angeles?"
Merlin grins as he explains. "The matter in Los Angeles is being taken care of. Some friends of mine are taking out the vampires as we speak. Hopefully they'll prevent Throlog from rising and adding his insanity to the mix."
"Who've you got in LA?" Eddie Alvarez boldly asks, worried about friends and family
"The Slayer, the Wanderer and Mulder and Scully of the FBI's X-Files and a few of their friends." Merlin calmly states.
Silence hovers over the room as the Bureau 13 agents digest what Merlin has just told them. Horace Gordon growls low and demands. "What the hell are Mulder and Scully doing in a hot zone? Our orders have always been to keep them away. On whose authority were they sent to Los Angeles? The Wanderer and Slayer are bad enough, but those two are dangerous to our organization."
"On my orders." Merlin calmly replies.
Gordon silently relents and then orders. "All right people we've got situations in Dallas and Chicago. Bunnies to Dallas, Tuna Fish to Chicago. You'll have backup from local police and at least five teams of Green Berets each. Let's move it people." The respective teams gather together and transport to their respective targets. As they transport out, Gordon turns to Merlin. "Father, I hope your friends can handle it."
"I hope so too. Steve St. Wolf has been a good friend for the last fifteen years, I'd hate to have to bury him, so soon after he's found his life companion."
"Steve finally fell in love again? With who?"
"A girl named Buffy Summers. She's the Slayer."
"Won't she die on him? After all, he's an Immortal."
"So's she."
"An Immortal Slayer? That's incredible."
Merlin shrugs. "The powers that be felt they owed him some measure of happiness. For all of the good that he's done over the last fifteen years. Having someone to love was their idea to make him want to live and by making him want to live, it makes him fight harder. And I agree, it's made a difference with him. I've watched him the last five months and he's more happy now than he ever was in the last fifteen years. His combat skills have also improved immensely."
"That's good to hear. I hope they can handle the situation."
"They will Horace, they will." Merlin replies as he disappears, leaving his son standing by his desk and offering up a silent prayer. < Let all of my people return safely and unharmed. They're not enough willing to do this job. >
Part 27 - The Black Sorcerer's Lair
(When You Gotta Curse Someone - Do It With Demons)
Katherine and her court move cautiously through the sewers. Her guards roam ahead of her and light the way. As they come to a juncture in the sewer lines they suddenly stop. Katherine walks up to them and looks down onto the laboratory of the being known only as the Black Sorcerer. She calmly walks down to where he is standing among his vials and tubes.
The sorcerer notices the presence of company and turns around. When he sees who is approaching him, he puts down his tools and walks to meet her. He quietly asks. "What do you want, Katherine?"
Katherine just smiles as she has Hector thrown into a convenient cage. The Sorcerer looks over Hector and asks. "What's with the gift? Oh, let me guess. You need a favor?" He looks over Hector again and licks his lips. "Whatever it is, it better be quick. My dinner's waiting for me." Hector cries out in anguish and tries to break out of the cage.
"I need your help with the Slayer and her mate. They've gathered together a small army of vampire hunters and they're hunting us down."
The Sorcerer cackles and laughs merrily as he replies to Katherine. "Who am I to interfere with the natural order of things? If the Slayer is killing you off, why don't you just trap her and her companions and then kill them?"
Katherine quietly seethes as she breaks down and tells him. "They have managed to turn every trap that we have set for them against us, killing all of the vampires. Last night a dozen vampires attacked them in a restaurant and they killed all twelve of them in less than five minutes. Five minutes, Sorcerer. It took them a whole five minutes to kill twelve vampires. Now they are hunting us down with a large number of allies. These two are too much for us. So far tonight, they have killed two hundred of us. We need help."
"You are screwed, aren't you?" The Black Sorcerer comments. "What does this Slayer and her mate look like?"
Katherine quietly hands over the drawing to the Sorcerer.
The Sorcerer smiles as she hands over the drawing. < The vampire bitch is finally cowed. I must thank the Slayer before I kill her. > The Sorcerer thinks to himself. As he looks down on the picture of Buffy. < Cute girl, it'll be a pity to kill her so young. Maybe I can have some fun first. > Then he turns over the picture to see her mate, as the vampires called him. He sucks in his breathe and throws the drawing down on the ground and grinds it into the floor. His face is mask of pure rage and hatred. The assembled vampires back off. The Sorcerer looks on Katherine and tells her in a tightly controlled voice, "You'll have my help. That bastard dies."
Katherine smiles as she asks. "I take it you know her consort."
The Sorcerer angrily nods his head and growls.
"Would you care to t
ell us his name?" "Yes, it's Steven St. Wolf. That bastard killed my brother, Sebastian, twelve years ago. That piece of shit Merlin ordered him to do it."
"Merlin? He works for Merlin?"
"Yes, he's Merlin's chief errand boy." Alistair King angrily replies. "When Merlin needs someone taken out, he calls in this bastard."
Katherine's vampires let out a low hiss. Katherine steps forward and asks. "Will we be facing Merlin as well?"
"No, this bastard is dangerous enough by himself, that Merlin usually lets him fight his own battles."
"Could this St. Wolf and the Slayer, by themselves, be responsible for the deaths of over two hundred vampires? Is he that powerful?"
"No, he's not that powerful. What he probably did was call in a few of his friends."
"Friends? What sort of friends could this man call in?"
"Knights of the Order of the Grail, Priest Warriors of the C'est Die, Druids, Immortals, just to name a few. Hell woman, he's even been known to associate with Dragons."
Katherine and her court are shocked. They thought they were facing a few lowly mortals and the Slayer, but this information changed every thing. Curious, Katherine asks. "Why do Dragons associate with a mere mortal?"
The Sorcerer laughs. "Who ever said he was a mortal?"
Katherine looks at the Sorcerer closely and asks. "What do you mean he's not a mortal?"
"The bastard's an Immortal." Katherine looks at him, not comprehending what he means. The Sorcerer sighs and tells her. "That means that he can't be killed by any method that I know of. Also, he will never age."
"Damn, what else is there Sorcerer?"
"He carries one of the Nine Swords of Destiny. The blade known as 'Demon Slayer'."
The vampires look at one another in shock. Katherine asks. "Those swords are only legend Sorcerer. They don't exist."
"The first sword created was Excaliber. The others, created in order, are Healer, Magick, Justice, Purity, Vampire Slayer, Demon Slayer, Seeker and Truth. All of these swords were created by Merlin, from metals mined in Avalon and forged with magick by Merlin, Oberon and Titania.
"What are our options, Sorcerer?"
"Simple, I call in a few minor and not so minor demons to stop him. After all, even he can't stop twenty demons by himself."
"What will this service cost me?"
The Sorcerer's mouth splits into an evil grin. "I'll need to borrow two of your female vampires for some fun." Katherine starts to say no, but the Sorcerer continues. "Part of the spell of summoning requires that I have sex with two females. And since mortal females would die too quickly, I'll need to use two vampire females for the spells to work correctly. Don't worry, I won't harm them, permanently."
Katherine smiles and gestures to Lisa and Caitlin. "Will those two do?"
The Sorcerer looks over their lithe bodies and good looks and smiles a lusty smile. "Oh my, yes. These two will certainly do. Thank you Katherine."
"Just get me the demons to fight the Slayer and her allies, Sorcerer, and maybe I'll let you keep them permanently." Katherine replies as she leaves.
"One other thing Katherine."
"What is it Sorcerer?"
"I'll need a supply of humans for them to feed on. The spell will take a lot out of them and I'll need to keep them at full strength."
"Very well then." Katherine replies as she turns to two of her guards. "Bring a half dozen mortals here." Both nod and immediately leave. Katherine turns back to the Sorcerer. "Will that be enough?"
"Oh yes. It will. Thank you, Katherine." The Sorcerer mutters as Katherine leaves. Both Caitlin and Lisa shudder as the Sorcerer approaches the cage with Hector inside. "But, before we start, a little nourishment."
Part 28 - Hotel Rock
(All of the Inns are Full, Even Kings Have to Take What They Can.)
The assault force moves swiftly to it's destination. The twenty squad cars form a column around the six vans carrying the assault force. In the lead squad car, Sgt. Dabrowski issues orders over the secure radio channels of the LAPD. He designates each location to a specific car as he silently prays to himself. < Please God, don't let this thing get fucked up. Ninety two people need our help. > He listens in, as the man called St. Wolf, checks in with the helicopter assault unit.
"Air mobile, this is ground pounder, what's your ETA?"
"About ten minutes, ground pounder."
"Our ETA is twelve. Everything's five by five then. Call in when your ETA hits thirty seconds."
"Check. Over and out."
Dabrowski turns to Tracy and asks. "What the hell was that?"
Tracy grins. "Steve's obviously ex- military. You know how those military types are. They HAVE to talk like that."
Dabrowski in turn grins. "God, how the hell did we get involved in this?"
"We needed the help, and they were available. You don't want to know what those things are planning to do, Tony. It'll give you nightmares for the rest of your life."
"Care to give me the gist of it?"
"The cultists think they can bring back the Aztec god of war. In order to do that, they have to sacrifice two thousand people in a very bloody ritual."
"Sweet Jesus. What the hell are these people, insane?"
"Very insane Tony. The only way to stop them is to kill them and we can't do that. John doesn't want the LAPD becoming a death squad. Now, these people are willing to do the work to save lives, if you can believe it."
"I can believe it. Just one question. This St. Wolf guy and the girl with him, are they the vampire hunters?"
"Yeah, they are. They were trying to stop the cultists earlier, but they couldn't handle it alone. So they did what any good cop would do, they called in backup. Do you have a problem with working with them?"
"No, I'm just glad to see them on the same side. My ex-wife was attacked by the cultists a couple of months ago. They killed the vampires attacking her and took her to a hospital, saving her life. I owe them."
"Tony, you just called the cultists' vampires." Tracey asks in a quiet voice.
"Isn't that what they are? Real vampires? The cult story is good cover, Tracy, but a few of us street cops know that vampires are real."
"How many of them are with us, now Tony?"
"Every uniform out there knows that vampires are real, Tracy. That's why I chose them for this detail."
Tracy leans back and takes a deep breathe. "Why didn't you tell me Tony?"
Dabrowski grins. "Because you had that attitude problem earlier, and you didn't need to know."
"Touche, Tony, Touche." Tracy grins back as she reaches for the radio. "Steve, this is Tracy. Come back."
"What's up Tracy?"
"All of the uniforms know, Steve. I repeat, they know about our cultists." Tracy makes a face as she hears laughter coming in over the radio, Dabrowski just grins.
"Sorry about that Tracy. I just couldn't help it." Steve replies, laughing. "So much for our secret war. Keep them for tomorrow night. I'll issue them the special ammo before we start out tomorrow.
Dabrowski looks at Tracy and asks. "Special Ammo. What's he talking about?"
"They have a specialized ammo which kills vampires. The only thing is that you have to shoot them in the heart with it."
"You're kidding."
"Nope, I had to use it earlier tonight. One of the medical examiner's investigators was a vampire. She tried to get the assault location out of John and I killed her with one bullet to the heart."
"Shit, we'll take all that they can give us."
*****
Quinn is standing out of phase at the Regal Tower. < Why am I here? > He asks himself. < Just making sure my friends don't get into too much trouble. > He tells himself. As he wanders around, he feels something affecting the reality near the Regal Tower. He phases over and watches as two beings appear from a portal. One, a human with a noble bearing, the other, a gargoyle like those in Manhattan. < Curious, what are these two doing here? And on whose side are they on? >
*****
Nine minutes later, Ironman checks in. "Ground pounder, this air mobile. We are thirty seconds to target, over."
"Air mobile this is ground pounder, check. We are two minutes to target. The mission is go. I repeat, the mission is go."
"Check, the mission is green. See you on the tenth floor. Over and out."
"Good luck and good hunting. Over and out."
*****
The helicopters move in a V-shaped formation over the city, hunting for their target. As the Regal Tower comes into view, Banzai calls out to his two partners, Monsoon and Typhoon and the assault leaders. "All right guys, we have visual on target. Get your people ready for insertion. We touch down in twenty and we drop off the troops. The troops have ten seconds to get off and then the next copter comes in. Any questions?"
"Not a one." Comes the reply from Ironman, who's leading the assault. < God, how the hell do I get myself into these situations. > Ironman just shakes his head with a rueful grin. < Just lucky I guess. >
Gadgets and Politician are watching the roof quickly approach and each turn to each other and a silent thought passes between them. < Once more into the breech my friend, once more. >
Frank looks at the three man commando team and gives each of them his devil may care grin as he tells them. "Quiet and silent my friends." Able Team nods their heads in agreement to the old SeAL motto.
Jarod and Cody listen to the men around them prepare for the coming fight. Jarod looks over to Frank and asks. "Are you ready?"
"For this? Is anyone ever ready? We take it as it comes and worry about the fear later."
"No, I guess not." Jarod replies, as the helicopter touches down and he jumps out. Jarod rushes over and covers the east fire escape, Cody the west. Able Team and Frank cover the roof entrance. The second helicopter lands and three more Rangers join Jarod and Cody. Jinx and Billy cover the north and south sides of the roof. The third helicopter lands with Tommy, Shuriken, Nunchuk, Scarlet and Snake Eyes.
The helicopters take off and quickly swing around and move away. They would be back in three minutes to light up the war zone. Tommy, Scarlet and Snake Eyes screw on silencers to their H & K MP 5's. They move to the front of the door and nod their heads. Nunchuk pulls it open, breaking the latch. Tommy immediately shoots a spread of silenced wooden bullets into the entrance way. He's rewarded with a cloud of dust suddenly shooting out.
Cody turns to Jarod and mutters. "Like Job standing at the gates of heaven, forcing back the damned, who've escaped from hell."
"Except this time, the Angels are coming out and are going to kick some Hellish ass." Ironman replies with a grin as the assault force makes it's way down the stairs. At the twelfth floor, the group splits up. Ironman and Frank secure the stairway while the rest enter the floor.
As Tommy enters the floor, he notices two men grabbing a young girl and exposing her neck. The girl was trying to scream, but the gag in her mouth keeps her silent. Tommy points to them and Shuriken, Nunchuk, Jinx and Billy immediately take down both vampires with a minimum of noise. Nunchuk grabs one vampire in a choke hold from behind, while Jinx moves in with a stake and takes it out. The other vampire, shocked to find mortals hunting them, drops the girl. Shuriken quickly takes it's head. The girl is now lying on the ground in the middle of four strangers she has never seen before. Billy can hear her muffled screams through the gag.
Jinx kneels down and tells her. "We're here to rescue you. I'll remove the gag if you promise not to scream."
The girl immediately nods and Jinx removes the gag. The girl takes a deep breathe, but slowly lets it out. She looks around and watches as the other members of the assault force move through the floor, checking everyone. She turns back to Jinx and asks. "Who are you people?"
"We're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. The government called us in to fight these things. We're here to clean this place out, but our first job is to rescue you people." Jinx explains.
"Thank God. What happens now?"
"We'll secure the hostage floors, then the main assault begins. Now, please be quiet."
The girl nods and softly sobs to herself.
The rest of the team quickly moves through the floor checking everyone with a cross and searching every room. Gadgets and Jarod hot wire the elevator with explosives while Politician covers the second stair way. The team breaks up into two groups, leaving Morales and Thompson to guard the hostages. Ironman, Frank, Scarlet, Snake Eyes and the rest of the Rangers go to the first stairwell. Gadgets, Politician and the rest of the Storm Shadow clan grab the other.
They immediately move to the eleventh floor. They quickly search the floor and find no vampires. They leave behind Ramos and Billy.
The rest of the group moves to the tenth floor and finds several vampires lounging by the elevator and at the stairwell entrances. Snake Eyes and Scarlet move in and dispatch the vampire by the first stairway. Frank and Ironman brace themselves in the stairway and await the coming attack. Tommy and Jinx, take out the vampire lounging by the other stairway. Gadgets and Politician set up on the stairway to await the coming chaos. Jarod, Cody and the Storm Shadows move silently and quickly to the six vampires sitting by the elevator.
One of the vampires standing by the elevator turns around and sees the assault group coming for them. But, in his stupidity, he mistakes them for some of their hostages. He screams. "Some of the mortals got loose. Get them!!"
The six vampires move toward the assault group and expect a quick victory. What they get are wooden tipped bullets ripping their hearts out . The hostages watch a surreal scene as eight night garbed warriors put paid to the monsters that have terrorized them. The battle is over in less than a minute and the victors stand over six piles of dust.
The hostages watch as the eight warriors search the floor, checking for any remaining vampires.
*****
Rachel Kolchak watches from she's been placed by the vampires who Captured her earlier this night. < God, I thought that this was going to be my last story. Who are these people and what kind of weapons are they using? >
She watches as several of the night clad people check everyone on the floor, making sure there were no surprises. As one of them walks up to her and touches her with a cross, she pleads with her eyes. The tall, dark man removes her gag and asks. "Are you hurt?"
Rachel shakes her head and tries to speak, but a dry croak comes out. The man smiles and pulls out a water bottle and gives her some water. She immediately feels better and asks. "Who are you people? And what are these things?"
Jarod smiles as he tells her. "I'm an LAPD SWAT officer Miss. We're here to rescue you."
"Who are those other people? They're not LAPD, are they?"
"No, they're a Black Operations group called Section Seven. They're here helping us take out the cultists."
"My God. The government has their own group of vampire hunters?"
Jarod smiles at how quickly the woman has deduced the obvious. "Miss, please understand, they don't officially exist and as far as anyone is concerned, LAPD rescued you. Am I clear?"
"Yes, thank you for saving us."
"Not a problem, just doing our job." Jarod replies with a roguish grin.
Rachel smiles back as Jarod slowly lowers her back down. But she asks. "Aren't you going to untie us?"
"No. Our orders are to leave you people tied up, so you don't get in the way. Don't worry I'll be back to untie you later on."
*****
Carl Lyon's reaches for his radio and tells the waiting assault forces. "Ground pounder, this is air mobile. The floors are secure. I repeat, the floors are secure."
"Air mobile, this is ground pounder, situation is green. I repeat green."
Frank watches Ironman's face, as it splits into a wide grin as he waits for the action to come.
*****
A young vampire, named Slade, listens to the gunfire above him. He walks over to another vampire called Matthew and reports in. "Matthew, I heard some gun fire from the tenth floor. Want me to check it out?"
Matthew cocks his heard and listens, < I didn't hear shit, but the kid's right. I've got to have it checked out. > "All right, get some guys and go to ten and check it out. If it's nothing, come back down. And no eating!! Am I clear?"
"You got it, boss." Slade replies as he tosses a sloppy salute and grins. He goes and gathers up his five cronies and they make their way to the main stairway.
As they walk up, one of Slade's buddies, sees the strangers on the landing above them. He turns to Slade and asks stupidly. "Who are the guys with the big guns?"
As Slade looks to where his friend is pointing, Slade puts it all together. "Oh Shit!! Mortals. Get the fuc. . ." Slade's last words are cut off as a stream of wooden tipped bullets rips into the six vampires, taking them all out.
*****
At the sound of the automatic gun fire, Matthew jumps up from where he's sitting and screams at the twenty vampires that rush out into the hallway. "Jack," Matthew screams at a nearby vampire. "Take ten with you and go up the west stairway, I'll take the rest up the east stairway. Janice, go down stairs and tell Gretchen that we're under attack." The female vampire quickly nods her head and goes down the stairs. Matthew moves with his twelve and goes to the east stairway.
*****
Tony Dabrowski hears the go order. "This is Seven-Zero-Zero. All units proceed to your stations, code 3. I repeat, all units proceed to your stations, code 3." Then the line goes dead as all twenty patrol cars and the six vans light up and increase speed.
Dabrowski turns to Tracey. "So, it's finally happening."
"Yeah, it is. Do you think we can keep a handle on it?"
"We'll try our best, but I make no guarantees." Tony replies as he watches the last three cars block the road behind them.
*****
The vans rush toward the Regal Tower and the lead van rams through the front of the hotel and into the building itself. The passengers grin as they rush out to attack the vampires swarming around the lobby. Bob Devlin, the driver grins as a vampire launches itself at him as he gets out of the driver's seat, he simply raises his pistol and heart shots it. The vampire is dust.
Steve and Buffy, followed by Mulder, Scully, Cassandra, Murphy and Sanchez and two Rangers, step out of the rear of the van to face a hoard of twenty angry vampires. As the vampires approach in a rush, the ten let loose with their assault rifles and pistols,
*****
Janice has just found her leader, the vampire Gretchen. She quickly moves to report. "Gretchen, the food stores have been taken over by a group of mortals. Matthew sent me to report to you."
Gretchen looks at Janice and laughs. "What can some puny mortals do to us? We'll use them for food." As she turns to mount the east staircase, the front of the hotel shakes from the force of the LAPD van coming through the front doors. Gretchen watches as the driver gets out and points his pistol at a vampire rushing him. She grins < The bastard is dead. Bullets won't stop Victor from claiming him as a meal. > Her expression changes from joy to disbelief as Victor becomes a cloud of dust. < How the hell did that just happen? >
*****
Outside, Tracey and Tony are moving their people in a complex ballet of organization. The police officers block off every street leading to the Regal Tower and they proceed to make sure no one gets past them. St. Wolf's orders were clear: Anyone entering the area was dead the moment they got past the road blocks and barricades. No exceptions.
They watch as the lead van, driven by Bob Devlin rams itself into the building proper. The rest of the assault force follows on foot, quickly entering the building through the large hole left by the lead van. Tony quietly murmurs to himself. "God, this is not a movie, this is not a movie."
Tracy hears him murmuring and asks. "Tony, why do you keep saying 'this is not a movie'?"
"Because this would make a great action picture." Tony replies with a grin. "And it should never happen in real life."
"I can agree with that sentiment." Tracy tells him, as she takes out her phone and calls Captain Randall. "John, this is Tracy, the assault has started. Anything you need to know?"
"Yeah, did you order any ambulances for the wounded?"
"No, we didn't."
"All right, I'll get them to you. Keep them handy for the hostages."
"Thanks John. Have them come to our post at Hollywood and Vine. We'll keep them here until they're needed."
"Good, they're on the way." Captain Randall replies as he hangs up. Tracy puts the phone in her pocket and turns to Tony.
"John's sending us ambulances for the wounded. We're to keep them here until they're needed."
Tony nods his head in agreement as he turns back to the action in the hotel.
*****
Steve and his group watch as the vampires rushing them become a cloud of dust. The group splits up as they quickly make their way across the lobby and find more vampires coming after them. The Immortals, Rangers and Zombies start to pick off individual vampires as they appear. The vampires soon get the message: Fight in the open and you get immediately dusted. The vampires slowly backup the stairs, hoping that their superior strength and closed in spaces will be enough to take out the invaders.
*****
Officer Ian Murphy rushes out of his van and moves into the hotel proper. He watches as the Immortals take the lead and deal death to the vampires waiting there. He shudders and sends up a quick Hail Mary, as he enters the lobby, closely following his friend Dave Ricker. He quickly takes a position near the door to prevent any escapes as he watches the Immortals fight with pistol, rifle and sword. The vampires are quickly out classed by the superior training, weapons and determination of the Immortals and their mortal allies.
*****
Two figures, standing on a roof top across from the Regal Tower watch the scene unfold below them. The larger of the pair, a leather jacketed Gargoyle winces and mutters. "Damn, what just happened Arthur? A few minutes ago, we watch three helicopters land a force on the roof of that hotel. Now, we see a huge number of police assaulting the place through the front."
The man called Arthur just watches as the police forces move in rapidly secure the area around the hotel. He watches as a woman orders a small number of men and a woman into a loose circle around the hotel, securing it even further. He wonders who these warriors were, and what they had to do with his being in this city, at this time.
"Wondering what's going on down there?" A voice from behind asks. Both Arthur and Grif turn around and prepare for battle.
Before Grif can move, Arthur stays him. "Stop, Sir Grif! The man isn't even armed." Grif settles down and watches as Arthur confronts the man. "Please tell us good sir, what do you know of the situation down there."
The dark haired man just smiles as he tells them. "The forces attacking the hotel are there to destroy the vampires that reside in the hotel." Arthur and Grif stiffen. "They've already managed to Captainure the top three floors that the vampires were using to store their food, innocent men, women and children. What's going on now is the main assault."
Arthur and Grif look at each other and turn back to the battle raging in the building across the street. They turn back to the stranger and Arthur asks. "How can we help?"
The stranger smiles. "Do you wish to join in the battle?"
"Aye." Arthur replies.
"I can't." A dejected Grif replies. "At sunrise, I turn to stone."
The stranger smiles and waves his hand. "Not a problem. You won't turn to stone, when the sun rises."
"Yeah, right mate, and you're Merlin."
"No, I'm not Merlin. My name is Quinn and I am what is called a Q. My people are, shall we say, a lot more powerful than Merlin."
"If you are so powerful, then why don't you just kill all of those vampires yourself?" Arthur asks.
"Because, if humanity is to reach the greatness that is it's due, then humanity has to fight it's own battles and win it's own victories. To do anymore is to cheat you of that potential. The only thing that I will do is to lend a helping hand or some advice, here and there. Nothing more."
Arthur and Grif look at the being called Quinn and nod their heads in agreement. This man spoke their language and he understood them. Suddenly Grif stiffens and he looks around, the sun was up and he wasn't stone!! He let's out a battle cry and he grabs Arthur and they both jump from the building and fly through the hole into the lobby.
*****
Arthur suddenly feels Grif's powerful arms grab him and they're both rapidly gliding for the hotel entrance. As he passes over the woman and man leading the exterior forces, he hears them shout. "Oh my!" "Oh Shit." Suddenly the sky darkens as they pass into the hotel lobby and Grif lets out his battle cry. Everyone in the lobby freezes for a brief time, as Grif takes them to a group vampires. Grif releases Arthur, and the once and future king lands in crouch, his sword out and hungry to put paid to these demons. Standing by his liege's side, Sir Grif let's out another bellow and attacks the six vampires before him with reckless abandon.
*****
Ian Murphy ducks his head down as his sixth sense alerts him to someone coming up on his back. He ducks down as a blur passes over him. In his mind he hears a voice. // Two friends have decided to join in the fight. Please don't shoot them. // Ian hesitates as he watches the blur become two beings, one a giant with wings and a large man, dressed in medieval clothing. They immediately attack several vampires, killing them.
*****
The assembled Immortals hesitate in their attack as the gargoyle's war cry let's loose. Steve, Buffy, Mulder and Scully turn around and see a gargoyle letting a man down and the pair attack several vampires. The man's sword, glows a familiar blue color. Their reverie is shattered by the growl of several vampires trying to sneak up on them. The four immediately turn back to the business at hand, killing the vampires. The two strangers are forgotten, for the moment.
*****
Robert and his three companions look on in wonder. Robert voices is barely above a whisper as he asks. "It can't be HIM. Can it?"
His friend William looks at the strangely dressed man and replies. "If it isn't HIM, then it's his ghost. And if I'm not mistaken, that's Excaliber that he's swinging."
"Damn Robert. Who would have thought HE would come back now?" Hernandez replies as he cuts down another vampire.
Robert muses for a moment then makes a decision. "We have to finish our work first. Then, we can ponder this matter." Then he turns and shoots a three round burst into a vampire coming at him. His three friends turn back to the fight at hand with a renewed energy and determination.
*****
Gretchen watches as the gargoyle smashes through the vampires who attack him. < What in Satan's name is going on here? Who are these people? > Her reverie is interrupted by another, familiar war cry. < It can't be. That battle cry is as dead as my family. > She looks around and watches as one of the attackers fights two of her vampires and kills both in seconds. She does a double take as she recognizes the man. < It can't be!! Hans is dead three hundred years. >
*****
Hans leads his two friends Argus and Hanson into the battle. The three of them attack vampire after vampire, killing all of them. Suddenly a war cry splits the air as a gargoyle lands into the midst of the battle, attacking six vampires. With him is a man dressed in medieval clothing, carrying a glowing sword. Suddenly, Hans let's out his own familial war cry. < God, that feels good. > Hans thinks to himself as Hanson and Argus also give cry to their personal war cries.
*****
Christine looks at Giles and asks. "What the hell was that?"
"I don't know Christine, but I hope it's friendly."
"Oh, they're friends all right." A voice calls out from behind them. Both turn pointing weapons at a calm Quinn.
"Quinn, who are those two?" Giles asks.
"Just a pair of travelers who were nearby and wanted to help out."
"Do they have names?" Christine asks.
"Certainly. The gargoyle is called Grif. His human companion is called Arthur."
"I know I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but what is Arthur's full name?" Giles asks.
"Arthur Pendragon." A grinning Quinn replies.
"My God, King Arthur is back?" A shocked Giles asks.
"And fighting those vampires over there." Quinn adds with a smirk as he disappears.
A shocked and confused Christine turns to Giles and asks. "Does this happen a lot with you people?"
Giles just shakes his head and mutters. "They all said living on the Hellmouth would be interesting, but this?"
*****
Gretchen watches the battle turn against her and her vampires. < These mortals are destroying us. How is this possible? And that gargoyle is tearing us apart, literally. Who the hell are they? > Any other thoughts she has are driven from her mind as she comes face to face with Hans.
*****
Hans, Argus and Hanson have just finished off another vampire and are turning to face another when a woman appears before Hans. Hans immediately points his gun at her and cries out. "Gretchen, you're the last. Care to say anything?"
The vampire smiles as she asks. "So Hans, you're still alive. How is this possible?"
Hans smiles a cruel smile as he tells her. "Simple, when you killed me, I became an Immortal. Now, with your death, our family honor is restored."
Gretchen is taken aback, but she snarls out. "Eric is still alive Hans. He'll kill you when he finds out you're still alive."
Hans smiles an evil smile. "I killed Eric about two hours ago. You're the last of them, Gretchen. I've hunted down and killed all of you for what you did to our family." Hans raises his gun and fires, hitting Gretchen in the heart, causing her to disintegrate. "Now my sister, please rest in peace."
Argus and Hanson guard Hans as he stares at the pile of ashes in front of him. < Now I'm truly alone. > He thinks to himself and let's out a sob.
*****
Franco and his brother Hector hear the gunfire above and below them. They immediately run into the third floor room they had been sharing and break out their guns. Both brothers had been gang bangers before a vampire changed the pair. Now they served Katherine as her personal gun toting assassins. Hector breaks out his Uzi submachine gun and 9 mm Berreta while Franco grabs his M-16 and Glock 17. Both head to the west staircase. As they reach the landing, both open fire on the Rangers firing from below.
Bob Devlin immediately moves his men back. "Move back, move back, they've got guns." He turns to one of his officers and orders. "Mike, get St. Wolf here ASAP." The officer nods and rushes off as Bob let's loose another burst of bullets into a group of vampires trying to get down the stairs.
*****
The battle in the lobby rages for several minutes more as the vampires are forced up the stairs. Several vampires attempt to rush outside, but they are cut down by the Zombies and Rangers manning the exits. Finally all of the vampires on the first floor are cleared out and the stairwells are secured. Steve turns to his assembled troops and issues orders. "Mulder and Scully, you take your group and head up the east staircase. Buffy and I will head up the west staircase. The rest of the Rangers and Zombies will secure this floor, the elevator, the basement entrance and the bottom of both staircases. Any questions?"
"Yeah, who the hell are these two?" Martinez asks pointing his shotgun at Grif and Arthur.
"Good question. Care to answer it, either of you?" Steve asks.
Arthur steps forward. "Ladies, Gentlemen, I am Arthur Pendragon. This," He points to the gargoyle. "Is Sir Grif, my traveling companion and the first knight of the new round table."
< God, just what we need. A nut case. > Steve thinks to himself. As he is about to tell the delusional man to go home, Robert McCallister and three other Immortals approach him.
As they approach, all four kneel on one knee and present their swords, point to the ground. Robert is the first to speak. "My liege, your faithful knights await your commands."
The assembled battle force stands in awe as the man called Arthur looks over the four men and asks in a low voice, twinged with awe. "Sir Robert? Sir William? Sir Juan? Sir Basil? How are all four of you still alive? It's been over fifteen hundred years since I last walked the Earth."
Robert smiles as he explains. "Your Majesty, we four, and a good many here are Immortals. We are here to put paid to these vampires for their slaughter of innocent men, women and children."
*****
Pablo Garcia of the Zombies is in shock, < I'm standing next to King Arthur. The real fucking King Arthur. When I found out Pat and the rest were Immortals I was scared, but I got used to it. But this is too much. >
*****
Mulder looks on in pure awe and wonder. A boyhood hero of his is actually standing in front of him. He gives a mischievous little grin as he leans over to Scully and whispers. "Every time we visit Steve and Buffy, we wind up with more X-Files to solve. Think we should move out here permanently?"
Scully leans into Mulder and whispers quietly. "I wouldn't mind living out here."
*****
Arthur shakes his head and turns to Steve and asks. "We wish to help. Could you use two more knights in your battle."
Steve is dumbfounded, < Oh shit. What has this little war come to? Now King Arthur is offering to help. Shit, what the hell do you say to a legend? > Steve thinks to himself.
His reverie is shattered by the sounds of gunfire.
One of the men guarding the staircase runs forward. "The vampires are attacking! And they have guns!! We need backup ASAP."
*****
Ironman watches as the vampires approach the ninth floor landing. As they rush up in a wave, he orders. "Cut loose. Aim for the hearts and don't spare the ammo." Then he cuts loose with the M-60 as the vampires, led by Matthew, are dusted. On the other side, Gadgets and Politician let the vampires come up the stairs in a rush before they and the Storm Shadows cut loose on full auto. In seconds both sides are clear of vampires. Ironman checks in on the other side as the last vampire turns to dust. "Gadgets, how are you guys holding up?"
"Fine Ironman, we got them all."
"Good, because I see more coming up."
"Same on this side." Gadgets remarks as he watches the shadows from the eighth floor.
*****
The assault forces immediately moves to the staircases and returns a massive cover fire as several Immortals rush up the stairs, led by Steve and Buffy. The two armed vampires watch in awe as the Slayer and her mate lead a pack of undying Immortals into their gunfire. They watch in horror as the two shrug off the bullets being shot at them like they were nothing.
*****
As Buffy runs up the stairs to the second floor landing, she immediately notices three things about the vampires shooting at her. They were young, Hispanic and had the look of gang bangers. < God, Katherine must need a lot of vampires, if she's taking gang bangers. Most vampires stay away from them because of the drugs in their system. They hate the taste. > She moves to the side and fires into the vampire with the Uzi and he's dusted. Steve covers Robert as he blasts a three round burst into the vampire with the M-16.
As the landing is cleared and secured, the entire assault force enters the second floor. They move from room to room checking for any stray vampires. As they leave each room, they break open the windows, letting in the light. Soon the entire second floor is awash with the early morning sunlight.
The search is continued on the third, forth and fifth floors, but comes up empty. On the sixth floor, the vampires try and make a stand, but it's to no avail. The hunters fire a constant stream of wooden tipped bullets into their ranks as they slaughter the vampires wholesale. The vampires attempt individual attacks, but they are cut down as soon as they are seen. Each room is searched and several vampires try to hide in the closets and under beds, but the searchers are remorseless. They find the hiding vampires and immediately dust them. As the last room is searched and the vampire hiding inside is killed the assault group heads to the seventh floor.
They find the seventh floor empty of vampires and it's quickly searched. Then they move up to the eighth floor. As they move up Steve coordinates with Ironman. "Ironman, we're heading up to the eighth floor. Any hostiles coming your way?"
"Yeah, about a dozen. Gadgets what's your sit-rep?"
"Eight coming up. Not a problem. See you guys in a couple of minutes."
*****
After Ironman reports in, he turns to his team mates. "All right folks, let's keep this only aimed fire. Our people are already on seven and headed up to eight. We don't want any ricochets." Ironman just grins as Cody, Jarod, Scarlet and Snake Eyes take his and Frank's place. The vampires approaching them smile in anticipation, as do the four warriors as they let loose with controlled fire, aiming straight for their undead hearts. The vampire's glee turns to shock as they disappear, suffering the final death. Ironman checks in with Steve again. "Steve this is Ironman, east staircase is clear. I repeat, east staircase is clear."
"Rodgers that and confirm that eight is also clear. Will wait for Gadgets to report in."
On the west staircase, Gadgets has just shot the last vampire as he hears Steve's reply to Ironman. He immediately reports in. "Steve, this is Gadgets, the west staircase is clear. I repeat, the west staircase is clear."
"Thanks Gadgets, we're moving to nine now. Watch our backs."
"10-4"
As Steve's and Mulder's groups merge on the ninth floor, they find no more vampires. Steve turns to Buffy and asks. "Can you sense any more vampires in the area?"
Buffy closes her eyes in concentration and the entire force forms a circle around her. Ready for anything. A minute or so later she sighs and tells everyone. "I can't sense any more vamps. I guess this means we won?"
"Not yet. We still have the basement to clean out." Steve replies as he loads a fresh magazine into his cut down M-14 Paratrooper. "But first, we get the civilians out."
*****
Ironman watches the staircase and waits for Steve to report in. His wait isn't long. "Ironman, start freeing the civilians. We're moving them out ASAP. We'll use the east staircase for the evacuation. The west staircase will be used by us for rapid deployment, if we need it." Steve tells him.
"Good." Ironman then turns to his people and orders. "Jarod, Cody and the Storm Shadows, start to get everyone free. If anyone has any trouble, have the more able bodied help them down."
*****
Steve calls Tracey and Dabrowski. "Tracey, Tony, this is Steve, can you hear me?"
"Yes Steve. What's the situation?" Tracey asks.
"We've cleared out the first to twelfth floors. Before we take on the basement, we're sending out the hostages. Do you have any ambulances handy?"
"Yeah, John sent twenty of them here, when the fun started. They're waiting for you."
"Good, have the drivers bring them up to the hotel. We'll have a load of passengers for them."
"Any of them ours?" Dabrowski asks.
"No, no wounds, except for a few scratches."
< Thank God. > "All right, I'm sending in the ambulances. Do your outside people know to expect them?"
"Yeah, Christine knows. Everything is clear."
*****
Rachel Kolchak looks on as the tall, dark SWAT officer comes back and cuts her free. He hands her a knife and tells her. "Start cutting the people free. We're moving you out." Rachel immediately grabs Jarod and gives him a kiss. Then she tells him. "Thanks for being there for us, Jarod."
Jarod gives this big, stupid grin as he replies. "Why, you're welcome, Miss. You know, I never did get your name."
"Oh, sorry," Rachel replies as she holds out her hand and Jarod takes it. "It's Rachel Kolchak. I'm a reporter with the National Inquisitor."
Jarod grins. "You're kidding, I hope." "Nope, I was investigating the vampire cult when they caught me."
"Are you going to report this in your paper?"
"No, no one would believe it. My dad had this same problem, when he was a reporter with the Independent News Service. He'd constantly run into monsters and take them out. But no one believed him."
Jarod looks at the woman and makes a snap decision. "Want to work with us? We still have quite a bit of work to do. And if you've been investigating these vampires, then maybe you have information that we could use. Are you willing to share it?"
Rachel doesn't hesitate in her answer. "Yes, I'll help. I owe the people who died here that much. All of the information that I have is yours."
"Thanks. Now, let's go meet the team leaders." Jarod tells her as he escorts her to the landing. At the landing he reports in to Ironman. "Ironman, this lady is Rachel Kolchak, a reporter. She has information on the cult and she wants to share it."
Rachel looks in awe at the man called 'Ironman'. < Shit, he's huge. And that gun is just as big. >
"Reporter? Lady do you have a death wish? Investigating real vampires can hazardous to your health." Ironman sarcastically replies.
Rachel, not to be put down, calmly replies. "I would think hunting them would be a lot more hazardous to your health."
Ironman laughs. "Okay, you got me there. So what do you want?"
"I want to give you all of my notes and whatever information I've been able to gather about the vampires. No strings and I won't write the story."
"A reporter with a conscience. God man, now I've seen everything." A voice behind her comments.
"Now listen here Mis. . ." Rachel's reply is cut off as she sees the man who made the comment. She takes a deep gulp and throws her arms around his neck. "Oh God, Uncle Frank."
Frank is standing there, with Rachel hanging on to him. "Uhm, do I know you?" He asks, looking at a very angry Cassandra.
Rachel pulls herself away and giggles. "Oh God, you haven't seen me in eight years. I'm sorry. I'm Rachel Kolchak."
"I'm sorry Rachel, I don't remember your name. Or from where we might know each other."
"Yes, please tell us where you know Frank from. We're all very interested." Cassandra acidly comments. Everyone else in earshot is grinning, waiting for the blow up.
"Oh please, you don't remember? The lights, the moon, the sound of your gun shooting those demon dogs down. The sight of Uncle Steve cutting them apart with his magic sword." Rachel grins as Frank tries to pin down the place where he has met this lady. Then she relents. "Try Paris, 1986"
Frank's face goes slack as it hits him. "You're Karl Kolchak's kid? Oh hell kid, no wonder I didn't remember you. You were only fourteen the last time I saw you. God, you grew up." Frank remarks as Cassandra's dark gaze shifts over to her 'Sorry Pookie' look. Frank breaths a sigh of relief, his love life was safe.
"Damn it's a small world isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. So what do you need?"
"I have information which might help you."
"All right, we'll go see Steve right now."
"Uncle Steve is here too? Too bad Tim couldn't be here. He'd like to see you both." Rachel comments as Frank and Jarod lead her down to the ninth floor. She looks around at all of the heavily armed people standing around getting orders from a familiar figure. She listens as the man she knows as Steve St. Wolf snaps out orders.
"All right, I want teams of three on every landing on the east staircase. One man covering the landing going up, one down and one man covering the floor your on. As the hostages are moved down, watch for any attacks and keep an eye out for anything fishy. As the last hostage comes down, the teams will join the rear guard and move down themselves. The west staircase will be used as an express route by the reserve team doing drag. Any questions?"
No one asks as the assemble troops break up into threes and move to their posts. Steve, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Arthur and Grif stand and watch as the teams move out.
Rachel stares at Grif as he stands there. < That's a real gargoyle. I can't believe I'm actually standing next to one. > She thinks to herself. Her reverie is interrupted by Steve's question.
"Rachel, can you tell me what information you have that could be of help to us?"
"Sure, I heard one of the vampires mention that they would have fun with a group of people called 'Watchers'."
"Did they mention where this was going to happen?"
"No, only that they would be able to attack them from the sewers."
"Thanks for the help. Now please go with the rest of the hostages to the hospital."
Rachel feels Jarod's hand on her arm as he tries to escort her from the gathering. "Now listen here, Steve St. Wolf. I won't be treated like a child. I am a grown woman and a reporter. I want to cover this story and you can't stop me."
"Rachel, I wouldn't dream of stopping you, < If you're anything like your father, then I'll rue the day, I crossed you. > but we are rather busy and having a reporter around is not a good thing for us."
"Why, because you're running a Black Operations group on American soil? Please Uncle Steve, let me help. Dad told me how he helped you a couple of times. I want to do the same thing."
"Your dad was the most stubborn, willful, pain in the ass that I ever knew. But he was there when he needed to be, I'll give him that." Steve replies with a grin.
"And I'm just as bad, if not worse." Rachel replies, returning the grin.
Steve relents. "All right Kolchak, get yourself checked out at the hospital and we'll pick you up tomorrow. I promise."
"Dad always said your word was good, Uncle Steve. Before I go, just one question?"
"All right, one question, shoot."
"How come you still look like you did twelve years ago?"
Steve gives her a devilish grin. "Clean living, and a job that keeps me young. Jarod, take her out of here and pick her up tomorrow."
"Thanks Uncle Steve, you won't regret it."
"I regret it already." Steve quietly tells himself. Buffy gives him a grin and squeezes his arm. Steve reaches around gives her a hug. "Come on, let's get to the first floor. We still have the basement to clear out." All five of his companions nod their heads in agreement, as they move to the west staircase.
Part 29 - Basement Horrors
(Any Rat Hole in a Storm)
As Steve watches the last hostage leaves, he gathers his team leaders together for a quick meeting. "The basement has two entrances, one in the alley behind the hotel, the other by the kitchen, located in a store room. We'll be using the interior entrance. Point team will be Buffy, and Robert, along with William, Hans, Argus, Cassandra, and myself, secondary team will be the rest of the Immortals lead by Mulder and Scully. The Storm Shadows and Able Team will be doing drag. The Zombies, Rangers, Arthur and Grif will remain topside, guarding our route of escape, if we need it. Anyone have anything to add?"
"I do." Arthur replies. "Why are myself and Sir Grif not being allowed the glory of the coming battle?"
Steve takes a deep breathe and tells Arthur. "Because neither of you is an Immortal. We can survive wounds that would kill either of you. And I will not allow you to take such an unnecessary risk for glory's sake."
"You sir, are no true Knight." Arthur replies coldly. "You take young girls to do your fighting for you, but you would not take a proven warrior because they might dim the glory of your personal victory."
Steve's face is a cold mask as he tells Arthur. "Arthur, or whoever you are, I do not have the time to argue with you. And I really don't care what you think. My job here is to kill the vampires, before they can raise a major demon. And I will do it any way that guarantees the safety of the people fighting with me and any innocent bystanders who are present. We are not here to fight a glorious battle, we are here to kill every vampire in the city and not get ourselves killed in the process. You have your orders. If you have a problem with them, leave, the rest of us have work to do."
Arthur looks on the younger man with a cold fury. < No one has ever dared to speak with me in such a way. Not ever. > Arthur makes the mistake of reaching for his sword, and suddenly finds himself covered by every gun in the room, including those of his former knights. He looks at the men and women facing him and realizes that this man, Steve St. Wolf, was their chosen war leader, not himself. He releases his sword slowly and with as much dignity as possible, walks away. The gargoyle called Grif, looks on the assembled fighters, nods his head and follows his liege.
Steve watches as the two walk away. < God, I've just told Arthur Pendragon off. > He then turns to his people and tells them. "All right, let's get this done. We have more work to do tonight, and I want us rested."
*****
Ian Murphy watches as the man called Arthur and the gargoyle walk away from the gathering. < St. Wolf is right. That glory shit isn't worth dying for. >
*****
Robert McCallister watches his former liege slowly walk away. < Arthur, you're not ready for this war. The age of Chivalry is dead, and these things do not fight by any rules that you'd recognize. >
*****
Jarod watches as the tableau unfolds in front of him. He listens to both Steve's and Arthur's arguments. As Arthur reaches for his sword, Jarod does what he wouldn't have believed himself capable of twenty four hours ago. He raises his rifle and points it at Arthur's chest. < What has happened to me? > He asks himself. < I've never contemplated the willful taking of a life before, but now, I'm more than ready to kill this man for threatening a man I've never met until less than eight hours ago. But he's right and everyone here knows it, except Arthur. > Jarod watches as Arthur slowly walks away, followed by the gargoyle. No one else follows him. Then Jarod's attention is back to St. Wolf as he issues orders.
"Uncle Steve is right." Rachel comments, standing next to a confused Jarod.
Jarod just nods as he lowers his rifle and then takes Rachel's arm, leading her away from the meeting. < Why did I just do that? > He thinks to himself as he escorts Rachel to a waiting ambulance.
As they walk, Rachel tells Jarod of her first meeting the man called St. Wolf. Jarod just absorbs the information for later.
*****
Arthur stands near the entrance to the hotel and watches as the assembled warriors break up and assume their stations. He watches in wonder as the man called St. Wolf leads them down to the basement and possible death. He turns to Grif and asks. "Sir Grif, what did I do wrong?"
Grif takes a deep breathe and slowly let's it out. "First Arthur, you tried to take command away from St. Wolf. That was wrong."
"You're right about that, my friend. It's obvious that those people trust this man with their lives and bodies. But why?"
"Because he plans his attacks for the minimal amount of casualties. His people know that he won't send them on a suicide mission without a damn good reason. Also, he doesn't care about glory, just winning the battle, by any means possible and bring back as many of his people as possible. In other words Arthur, he doesn't give a rat's ass about what history says about him.
"Think back to the beginning of the battle. What did he do? He sent in an assault force to rescue the hostages, first, then after they had secured, did the main assault began. When we came in, I saw him fighting, at the front of his troops. I would wager to you that he was the first one through the door and facing those vampires, leading his people."
"Aye, I can see your thinking. But why would he want me to wait behind, when I and Excaliber would greatly aid him in his battle?"
"Because he doesn't know who we are. Nor does he trust us fully, yet. Those people have proven themselves to him and he to them. We haven't proven ourselves to either."
"So, what do you suggest?"
"We do as we were told. Stay here and guard the retreat, if necessary."
Arthur makes a face. "That is a bitter drought to swallow, Sir Grif. But you are right, I have to swallow it."
*****
Steve leads his point group down to the basement. As they walk down the stairs, Steve takes point with Buffy following just behind him. Hans and Argus bring up drag. As they stop at the first landing, Steve asks Buffy. "Buffy, do you sense any vampires here?"
"Yeah, three of them, and here they come."
As Buffy finishes, the three vampires move in to attack, but find that their prey was waiting for them. As the vampires enter the pool of light cast by the overhead bulb located on the landing, the point team lets loose with a blast of wooden tipped bullets. All three vampires are dusted.
"Any more in the area?" Steve asks Buffy.
"No, the basement's clear. Let's go to the next level."
"Okay." Steve replies, then he radios back to Mulder. "Three in, three out. Basement is clear. Moving to next level. Over."
"Confirmed, three in, three out. Moving to next level."
The point team moves to the sub basement level. As they approach the door, Buffy waves them back. She moves over to it and touches it. As she moves back, she holds up seven fingers. The team nods and they move into position. Steve, facing the door, Buffy, his backup. Robert raises a pry bar to open the door and the rest cover him, Steve and Buffy.
When all is ready, Steve nods his head and Robert digs in with the pry bar and then leans into it, popping open the door. Steve and Buffy, their guns moving in a figure eight, fire a full burst into the room ahead of them. Cassandra, Argus, William and Hans immediately rush inside, their guns going at full auto, in every possible direction. The vampires inside are not used to this type of attack and all seven are dust before they could raise their arms. The team moves in and checks out the area. Steve turns to Buffy. "Feel any more in here?"
"No, there's no one left."
"Mulder, this is point team, seven in, seven out. We'll check this area out."
"Confirmed, seven in, seven out. Will keep a fast response team on stand by."
"Roger that."
The group quickly reloads, then moves in together, covering each other with multiple fields of fire. As they enter the room, the stench nearly chokes them. As Steve and Robert turn on powerful flashlights, the scene they show could only have come from hell itself. Eviscerated bodies and parts of bodies lay all over the room. Large numbers of rats and insects were crawling all over them in orgy of gluttony. Buffy forces back a choked cry and buries her face in Steve's shoulder. As Steve looks on the scene of carnage, he tightens his grip on his M-14 and silently curses himself for not expecting something like this. He quietly orders his team back. "Let's go, there's nothing here for us."
As they walk backup, Robert asks. "Why did they do that? Vampires usually just leave the dead where they lay."
"They need the bones for the ritual to raise the demon. And since none of them are there, we can assume that they're already in place."
With that, the team quickly leaves the area, sick to their stomachs. As they approach the landing, the fast response team calls out. "Who's there?" And immediately points their weapons down onto Steve's group.
"It's us Mulder." Steve replies in a sad voice.
Hearing the weariness in Steve's voice and Buffy's sobs, Mulder and Scully walk down, and ask. "What happened in there?"
"We found I don't know how many dead people in there. Their bodies were eviscerated and the bones removed. The vampires are letting the rats and bugs clean up their mess."
"God." A pale faced Mulder replies.
"Yeah, let's get out of here. I'll tell Randall what happened."
*****
Jarod, having just put Rachel Kolchak in an ambulance, is standing next to Arthur and Grif, who are speaking with Cody Rodgers and Bob Devlin.
"Listen here Arthur, I don't care if you're the King of England or Jesus come back.. Attempt to attack St. Wolf again and I'll personally shoot you in the head." Cody Rodgers angrily tells him. Grif growls softly in the background, but doesn't move.
"You are right Sir, I shouldn't have attempted to wrest command here. But I felt slighted that he would take a young girl over me."
"That is no ordinary girl. She's the Slayer." Jarod replies to a curious Arthur.
"What, in God's name, is a Slayer?" Arthur asks.
"The Slayers are girls given mystical strength, speed and stamina to kill vampires." Grif replies to a startled Arthur. "I knew one in London during the Blitz, she was one of the strongest humans, I've ever encountered. My clan gave her shelter, when she needed it. But that's strange, when ever we offered to help, Elizabeth refused it. She told us that the Slayers had to hunt the vampires alone or with their watcher. Why is this girl different?"
"Because she won't be tied down by tradition." Rupert Giles replies as he enters the hotel, followed by Christine and the rest of the auxiliaries. Giles then reports to Cody. "The hostages are all on their way to the hospital." Giles then turns to Arthur. "Are you really Arthur?"
"Yes I am, and who are you?"
"Rupert Giles, Majesty."
"Would you be related to Sir Henry Giles?"
"My ancestor, your Majesty."
Arthur smiles. "I'm glad to see that bravery runs in your family Sir Rupert. But how do you know so much about the Slayer?"
"Because I'm her Watcher."
"And what exactly do you watch?"
"The Watchers do many things. We train Slayers, do research for them and help them in their fights."
"Then why are you outside, when your charge is in here, fighting?"
"Because Steve St. Wolf ordered me to command the auxiliaries." Giles replies calmly.
"And you do not fear for your charge?"
"Of course I do, but she has seventy heavily armed warriors at her back, plus the added fact that she's carrying the mystical sword called 'Vampire Slayer' and Steve is carrying it's mate, 'Demon Slayer', leaves little to doubt."
"Their swords are mystical? Who created these swords?" Arthur asks.
"Merlin, Majesty. Your sword, Excaliber, and eight other swords make up what are called the 'Nine Swords of Destiny'. These swords were created by him, Oberon and Titania, to protect humanity from the darkness that seeks to destroy it."
Jarod listens to all of this and wonders, < Magic really exists? I wonder if I could learn it? It might give me the edge I need to take down the Centre. > Jarod's reverie is broken by the sound of the approaching assault force. He watches as a tired and haggard looking, St. Wolf reports to Cody.
"Cody, the sub-basement is filled with the remains of their victims. Believe me when I say it's not a nice sight to behold."
"Worse than the supermarket?"
"Yeah, a lot worse." Steve replies in a hushed voice as Buffy softly cries into his shoulder.
*****
Arthur watches the by play between the man called St. Wolf and the girl called the Slayer and wonders. < Why does he hold her so close and with such gentleness? Are they man and wife or lovers? >
*****
"Can you make an estimate on the number of dead?"
"I think anywhere from at least a hundred to two hundred. The bodies are just too cut up to make a guess."
Cody and his men hang their heads in disbelief. Arthur turns pale and Grif gives a low growl of anger. After a moment, Cody digs out his cell phone and calls Randall. After two rings the phone is picked up.
"Randall here."
"John, it's Cody. The Regal Tower is secure. We're going to leave in a couple of minutes."
"Good, have Tracy and Dabrowski secure the place. How bad was it?"
"I'll let Steve tell you." Cody tells him, then hands the phone to Steve.
"John, this is Steve. We got ninety two hostages out. But the sub basement is a hell hole."
"Worse than the supermarket?"
"Yeah, the vampires were eviscerating the bodies of their victims down there. And they left the remains to the rats and the bugs."
"Oh God," John cries out. His friend Reed Simms looks at him quizzically. "How many do you estimate?"
"It could be a hundred, maybe two hundred. Maybe more."
"Shit. Thanks for telling me Steve. You guys go home and get some rest. We'll have more work to do tonight."
"Thanks John, but first the house in the Hollywood hills is getting taken care of. Then we get some rest. I'm sending most of my people to get some sleep. A few of us are borrowing two of your helicopters to pay those bastards a visit."
"Not a problem Steve. Thanks." Then John Randall hangs up.
*****
John turns to Reed and tells him. "Reed, our 'friends' have raided another site. And, oh God, it's worse than the supermarket."
"How could something be worse?"
"The vampires cut up their victims and removed the bones, leaving the flesh to be eaten by rats and bugs."
"Oh Shit, that's bad. How could anyone human do something like that?"
"Whoever said the vampires were human, Reed? According to our 'friends' when a person becomes a vampire, the body is taken over by a demon and the person really dies. What you have left is an animated corpse that needs human blood to live. Jessica was a prime example of one of those things. And she was willing to murder us without a problem."
"But why did they remove the bones?"
"The bones are to be used in a ritual to raise a demon. According to our 'friends,' it's some kind of Aztec ritual that can only be done once every five hundred years."
"Shit, this situation has just gotten really weird."
"Tell me about it."
"I'll call in the troops. Just get us there." And with that Reed Simms picks up his phone and calls in several units of the LA County Coroner's Office to be dispatched to the Regal Tower.
*****
Steve hands the phone back to Cody and asks. "Have two of the winds land in front and myself, Buffy, Mulder, Scully, Robert, Michael, Aaron and yourself will go pay the Order of Vigious a visit. Bob will take the rest of our friends back to the Motor Lodge so they can rest."
"You got it Steve." Cody replies, then calls in Tracy and Dabrowski. "Tracy come in."
"Yeah Cody. What is it?"
"John wants you two to secure the area, while our 'friends' go get some sleep and rest."
"Not a problem."
As Cody puts away his radio, Jarod moves forward and asks. "Sir, would it be all right if I joined in the last sortie?"
Cody looks at Jarod and nods his head in agreement. "All right Russell, you can come. But watch your ass and listen to myself or one of the others."
Part 30 - Lights in the Sky
(Frohike Gets Really Macho)
Banzai looks back to his four passengers < Shit man, who the hell are these people. > He thinks back to the radio reports from the last assault and wonders. He watches as Monsoon follows him closely behind. A few minutes later, he spots the house in question and calls back to his passengers. "The target is in sight. What do I do?"
"Can you land this bird close by?" The man called St. Wolf asks.
"Not a problem. Is that hill top over there go enough?" Banzai points over to a large flat area that once held tennis courts.
"That's perfect. Put us down there and come out with us. You can see the fireworks for yourself." St. Wolf replies with a grin.
< What the hell does he mean by that? > Banzai wonders to himself as he shuts down the helicopter, and walks out behind the assault troops. Monsoon quickly follows.
The group stands before the helicopters and watches the house down the hill as St. Wolf takes out his cell phone. He dials a number on his speed dial and waits for it to be picked up. Two rings later, Jenny picks up the phone. "St. Wolf residence."
"Jenny, please put Frohike on the phone."
"Sure Steve." And a few seconds later Frohike is on the phone.
"Steve, can I still do it?" He breathlessly asks.
"Yes Frohike, you can do it. But I want one more scan before you punch the button."
"Not a problem, we just did one about ten minutes ago. No warm bodies in there. But, if you want us to we'll do another one."
"Don't bother, that's good enough for me. Do your thing."
"All right. Top of the world, Ma. Top of the world!!." Frohike shouts as an amber beam lights up the sky and tears into the mansion below.
Everyone on the hilltop watches in amazement as the building below them is quickly engulfed in a inferno. Steve looks up into the sky and mutters. "Remind me never to piss Frohike off."
"I hope this doesn't go to his head." Mulder comments with a grin as he watches the house go up in a huge ball of flame.
The rest of the group watches on in awe and shock as the house begins to break into itself and collapses into a heap. The beam continues to destroy the house as they watch.
Suddenly it's over and Frohike reports. "Steve, I've destroyed the house and all of it's basements and sub-basements. Anything else you need?"
"Not at this time Frohike. Please put on Jenny."
"Yes Steve, what is it?"
"Jenny, have Cordelia, Robert and Nakao, grab all of our friends' overnight bags and take them to the Motor Lodge. Most of our people should be getting there in about forty minutes. We'll be there in about twenty minutes."
"Be seeing you, Steve."
*****
Jenny hangs up the phone and turns to Willow and Frohike. "Guys, time to close up. We're finished for the night. Good job Frohike. That laser might make the difference in this fight."
Frohike grins as he leans back and cracks his knuckles. "Couldn't have done it without you two. And the computer of course. So what's to do now?"
"First I have to get our team their overnight bags. Then we start to plan out the search parameters for finding the Watchers."
Frohike leans forward and asks. "Who are these 'Watchers'?"
Jenny sighs as she explains. "The Society of Watchers chronicles the history of the Immortals. They don't involve themselves in the lives of the Immortals, just watch and record."
"So what we have is a large group of peeping toms." Frohike comments. "I'm surprised the Immortals let them do this."
"Most don't know about the Watchers. Those that do, don't mind."
"Why?"
"Because they understand that their story should be chronicled and that mankind should know about them, what they've done, who've they've been. So, that humanity won't be afraid of them if the population as a whole discovers them."
"I can see where that could come in handy. After all they've been a part of history for thousands of years." Frohike thinks for a moment then asks. "If these Watchers are watching Immortals, shouldn't there be one or two for Steve and Buffy? Why don't we catch them and find out where the meeting is being held."
Jenny sighs deeply. "That would be a good idea if they would know where the meeting was going to happen."
"You mean they don't know. They could be lying."
"No they're not."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because Giles and I are Buffy's and Steve's Watchers."
"You're kidding? Your own people won't let you know where the meeting is? Why is that?"
Jenny sighs as she explains. "Before we became Watchers, Giles and I were already involved with Buffy. When Steve came into the picture and we had the first large battle against the vampires, we were introduced to Joe Dawson, the head of the North American branch of the Society of Watchers. He offered us the job of Watching Steve and Buffy. Since Giles was already Buffy's Watcher, we took the job."
"You lost me for a second there. Did you say that Giles was already a Watcher, then this Dawson guy gave him the job of being Buffy's and Steve's Watcher?"
"Yes, Giles also belongs to the 'Council of Watchers'. They watch, find, train and chronicle the lives of the Slayers. The Society of Watchers, chronicles the lives of the Immortals. Since Buffy is both a Slayer and an Immortal, Giles, and now I, report to both organizations."
"Man, talk about job security." Frohike replies with a grin. "But back to the question, why won't the Society let you know where their big meeting is?"
"Probably because we report directly to Joe Dawson and he's not currently in favor with the Society's ruling board."
"How'd he piss them off?"
"By being friends with the Immortals and helping them from time to time. Definite no-no's in the Watcher rule book."
Frohike's mouth splits into a grin as he comments. "You know, Mulder was right when he said that I would like working with you. That's what I like about you and the rest, Jenny. You people don't care about rules when your friends and innocent people are going to be hurt. You go out there and do something. Thanks for showing me that the Lone Gunmen and Mulder and Scully are not alone out there."
Jenny gives Frohike a dazzling smile as she replies. "Anytime Frohike, anytime. Now, I have to get our friends stuff to them. Care to lend a hand, loading the cars?"
"Sure, not a problem." Frohike replies as he gets up and walks with Jenny into the living room.
As they enter the living room, they see that their newest 'guests' were fast asleep on the couches as well as Cordelia. Robert is sitting off to the side, sipping hot, fresh coffee and reading a newspaper. As they approach, he puts down the paper and asks. "How did everything go? Well, I hope."
"On the up side, no injuries to our teams and 163 hostages rescued and about three hundred vampires killed. On the down side, we have an estimate of almost five hundred dead innocents." Jenny replies in a level voice..
"So, what are we to do now?"
"Well, we have to get our friends their overnight bags. So, let's get Cordelia and Nakao up and then the three of you can meet with the vans at the motel."
Robert nods his head in agreement and proceeds to quietly wake up Nakao, while Jenny wakes up Cordelia.
As both girls awake, Cordelia asks. "What's up Jenny?"
"We need you, Robert and Nakao to take the overnight bags to the Motor Lodge and pick up Steve, Buffy and the rest of our team from there."
"Cool. Let us wash up and get some coffee and we'll be on our way."
"Robert and I will load the Blazer, while you two wake up." Frohike tells them.
A few minutes later, after Robert and Frohike are done loading, the girls come out, ready to face the world.
As Robert reaches for his coat Jenny asks. "Robert, can you handle a gun?"
"I served six years in the Army Rangers, Jenny, two of them in Korea, during the so-called 'Police Action'."
Jenny nods her head and goes over to a section of wall and presses a hidden stud and a panel breaks away. She reaches inside and pulls out a nickel plated Smith and Wesson 745 DA/SA Semi-Auto 45 with it's holster. She hands Robert the gun as well as three extra magazines. "For your protection."
Robert takes the gun and quickly examines it and loads it. "Thank you. This is a most excellent weapon."
"Just don't shoot yourself in the foot with it." Jenny replies with a grin.
"Of that, you have no worry."
Part 31 - Off Centre
(Slap Shot)
Several minutes later, Robert, driving the Blazer, follows Cordelia's car and Oz's van to the Motor Lodge. As they pull up to the office several men in black suits are clustered around the coffee shop located next to the office. These men watch the two girls and young man as they enter the office together. A white haired man named Gar comments, with a lecherous grin, to his partner, Willy. "Looks like the kid's going to get real lucky." Willy just nods his head in agreement and silently sips his coffee.
*****
Inside the office, George greets Cordelia warmly. "Why Miss Cordelia, it's always a pleasure to see you. Will you and Mr. Harris be wanting your usual room?"
A slightly embarrassed Cordelia turns a pretty shade of pink as Robert and Nakao softly chuckle. "No George, Steve sent us down to arrange the rooms for a large party of his 'friends'." "Certainly Miss Cordelia, how many rooms will you need at this time?"
"Thirty rooms should be enough. We're meeting them here in about thirty minutes, so if you don't mind, we'll take the keys and give them their rooms as they come in."
"Of course not. Do you need anything else?" George asks as he hands her thirty sets of keys.
"Two things. First can you set up some tables and chairs like the last time?"
"Certainly, Miss Cordelia. Will the entire group be staying for a while?"
"Several days. So they'll need a place to sit and talk. And, can you tell me who are the guys in the black suits?"
"They came in last night with a lady. I think they might be her body guards, why?"
"Just want to make sure we have no surprises. You know how touchy some of Steve's friends can be. Especially if the law is involved."
*****
Outside, Gar watches as the two girls and boy walk over to their cars and drive them over to the other side of the parking lot. They get out and lean against the Blazer, talking among themselves, while keeping an eye on their surroundings. Gar watches them closely and he makes a decision. He turns to his partner Willy and tells him. "Willy, I don't trust those kids. They're too fucking observant. I'm going to try and scare them away." < And have some fun with the brunette in the mini skirt. >
Willy just gives the kids a quick look over as he replies. "Whatever rocks your boat, Gar. Just don't' piss off Parker."
*****
Cordelia, Nakao and Robert are talking together, going over the last nights events, when Robert looks up from their discussion and mutters. "The peroxide blond is coming over."
"Oh joy, I wonder what he wants?" Cordelia asks as Gar walks up to them. The three turn to face him.
*****
Gar gives the three kids a closer look as he walks up to them. The oriental girl was sitting on the hood of the sports car, her back to him, dumb position. Then, he notices how the boy and the brunette are standing, relaxed and easy, not too close together, watching everything and everyone, almost as if they were ready for any problems that could arise. < Naw, these two kids couldn't be pros. Could they? > Gar moves forward, until he's standing near the brunette, using her as a shield if the boy decides to try something. He watches as the girl turns around and looks him directly in the eye. Gar just grins as he asks. "Hey little lady, how much do you charge by the hour?" < This should piss the boy off and then, Bam! >
Gar watches in amusement as the boy moves forward to defend his girl friend's honor. < God, how predictably are these kids? > Gar moves back and looks on in surprise as the girl puts a hand to the boy's chest, stopping him. < What the fuck? >
*****
Cordelia is angry. < No one talks to me like that. NO ONE! > She hears Robert's low growl as he makes ready to defend her honor. < Well, at least Robert is a gentleman. > She raises her hand and stops his forward rush. Cordelia then looks Gar straight in the eye and does a snap kick to his jaw. The force of the blow spins Gar completely around and he meets the asphalt face first. Then, Cordelia picks him up by his tie and sweetly tells him. "Far more than you could ever afford, you low life, piece of shit." Then she drops him, hard. The sound Gar's head makes as it hits the ground makes Robert and Nakao wince.
*****
Willie, watching from across the parking lot, drops his cup of coffee in shock. < Shit, did I just see Gar taken down by that brunette? > He shakes his head in disbelief, but he walks across the parking lot to see for himself. As he makes his way across the lot, he notices two helicopters land in the lot behind the Motor Lodge. < What the hell could those be about? >
As he reaches the halfway mark in the lot, he watches the brunette, pick up Gar by his tie, tell him something and then drop him back to the ground, hard. Willie winces at the sound Gar's head makes as it hits. < Damn, that's one mean bitch. Who is she? Parker's lost sister? > As he reaches the scene, Willie grabs his gun and tells the brunette. "Walk away from him. *NOW*"
Robert looks over to Willie and calmly moves away. As Robert moves away, he makes a small distinctive noise, distracting him for a second. That's all it takes for the brunette to grab his gun hand, twist it back and sideways and painfully takes his gun away. < Shit, that *HURTS* > Willie thinks to himself as he watches the brunette calmly unload his Glock 19. < Shit man, who the fuck is Gar messing with? This bitch is too well trained to be some high school kid. >
*****
Nakao watches from the side lines as Cordelia deals with the two strangers. She watches in disbelief as Cordelia quickly takes both men apart. < Ancestor!! I thought Cordelia was just a normal teenager. Shit, no wonder she's hanging around Section Seven's headquarters. She's guarding it. >
*****
Broots looks on in shock as Gar gets slapped around by the brunette. He quickly moves over to the connecting door to his room and quickly knocks and calls out. "Miss Parker, there's a situation. Can you come out here a minute?"
Miss Parker, quickly enters the room and asks. "Do you have a lead on Jarod?"
"No, but I think you might want to see this." Broots replies from his vantage point by the window.
"What's going on Broots?" An exasperated Miss Parker asks.
"Gar is getting his ass kicked by a brunette in a mini skirt." Broots replies with a grin.
"You're joking." A confused Miss Parker replies as she watches through the blinds as Willie's gun is violently taken away from him. < Damn, she's good. Who the hell is she? >
"Who do you think she is?" Broots asks, verbalizing Miss Parker's thoughts.
"No one, if the other sweepers kill her." Miss Parker replies as six sweepers move to neutralize the brunette and her friends as potential threats. < I'm going to have to put a stop to this, before someone gets killed. > Miss Parker thinks to herself as she moves to the door. As she leaves, she orders Broots. "Broots, wake up Sidney, we may need his input on this."
*****
Nakao looks over to where the two men came from and notices the six similarly dressed men making their way to them, with guns drawn. She moves over to Robert and points them out to him. Robert looks over the six men and silently nods his head. He quietly tells Nakao. "Nakao, get into Steve's Blazer. It's armored and bullet proof, so you'll be safe in there." Nakao nods and gets in as Robert moves over to stand by Cordelia. "So, what do we do now?" He asks her.
"We take them out as fast as possible. That's what."
"Good, I'll take the three on my right, you take the three on the left."
Cordelia flashes him a quick grin as she asks. "Why Robert Hascombe, I would think that an old fashioned gentleman like you would take on all six of them for a lady."
"Not after watching you take down those two, I'm not." Robert replies with a devil may care grin. Cordelia chuckles as she hears a noise behind her. She wheels around and points her gun at another black clad figure.
*****
Buffy watches as the smoldering wreck of the Hollywood Hills mansion quickly recedes into the morning light. She breaths a sigh of contentment as she presses her body against the man sitting next to her. < God, I still can't believe that Frohike took out that house with a laser. Since when did this become Star Wars? > She leans back and rests her head on Steve's shoulder, then she feels his arm come around her waist. < Oh yeah, this feels right. > Buffy thinks to herself as she closes her eyes, tired but happy and secure.
*****
Mulder watches Buffy make herself comfortable next to Steve and grins. < If those two were any closer, they'd be on opposite sides. > He then feels Scully move in on his side and he looks at her and whispers. "I wonder when the wedding's going to be?"
"Give it a little while." Scully replies with a grin.
"Think we're invited?"
"Better be or I'll be very pissed."
*****
In the other helicopter: Cody calls his superior, John Randall with the news. The phone was picked up on the third ring. "Randall here. What's up Cody?" "John, just wanted to tell you, the house in the in the Hollywood Hills was just taken out. All of the cultists are dead, no hostages to rescue."
"How'd they do it? Rockets or just go in there and blast them apart?"
"Neither, they used an orbital laser. Burned down the entire house in seconds. Nothing could have survived in that inferno."
The silence on the line drags on for a full minute before Randall replies with. "They used a what? Please repeat Cody, I didn't quite get that last one."
Cody looks over at Jarod, who's grinning from ear to ear. "I said they used an orbital laser to take out the building, John."
"I thought you said that the first time, but where the hell did they get it?"
"I don't know John, I just know that they have one and that it works."
"Thanks for the news Cody. I'll see you later."
"Over and out."
*****
John Randall looks at his cell phone as he presses the 'END' button. < Steve and his bunch have access to an orbital laser? Shit, just who the hell has Mulder teamed up with? > He then turns to Tracy and Dabrowski and comments. "Our friends took out the Hollywood Hills house. Tracy send up some detectives to look over the sight. Make sure they only stay during the day time."
"You got it John." Tracy replies, then asks. "Anyone hurt?"
"Nope, they took out the house with an orbital laser. Didn't leave shit behind, according to Cody."
"Ahh, Captain, they used a what to take out the Hollywood Hills place? I didn't quite catch it." Dabrowski asks
"According to Cody, our 'friends' used an orbital laser to completely destroy the house."
"Where the hell did they get an orbital laser from?" Tracy asks in awe.
"I don't know and I don't think I want to find out." Randall replies while thinking < Mulder and Scully have to have some kind of juice to get something like that. I wonder who they really work for? >
National Reconnaissance Organization HQ
Some Where in Virginia
Sgt. Paxton reviews the information coming across his board and immediately double checks it. A few minutes later he gets up and heads to the situation room. Upon entering he goes straight to Maj. Hoffman, and gives him the news. "Sir, Red Eagle One has been located."
Maj. Hoffman looks up from his report and asks. "Where is it and how did we find it?"
"Sir, presently it's over Los Angles. Also Sir, you should know, whoever is controlling it, busted a cap."
Maj. Hoffman nervously asks. "Are you sure? Was it confirmed? And how?"
"Yes Sir, we are. One of the other satellites observed and recorded the firing sequence and noted the area targeted."
"Damn, I hope it wasn't populated."
"No Sir, it wasn't. But, since I have satellite's location, I was able to access the satellite's data recorders and see what Section Seven was using it for. And Sir, the strange thing is that they've been using it as a looking glass. Observing and noting several sites in the Los Angeles area. The last place had no living people in it and they destroyed it. While the previous two had numerous thermal images and they only used the satellite for observation."
"Can you get control back?"
"No Sir, I'm still locked out. But, I was able to access the satellite's data recorders using a piggy back signal from a satellite located in a higher orbit. I can see what they're up to, but I can't control the satellite, until they decide to give it back."
"Do you have the locations of the sites being observed in Los Angeles?"
"Yes Sir, they're noted on this." Sgt. Paxton hands the Major a sheet of paper with two locations listed in Longitude and Latitude, as well as street addresses.
Maj. Hoffman looks at the sheet of paper. "Thank you Sgt., I'll take it form here." Sgt Paxton nods, salutes and leaves the situation room. Maj. Hoffman looks at his retreating back and thinks to himself. < Damn good man, that Paxton. I'll make sure he gets promoted for this. > Then he turns to the rest of the room and calls the meeting to order. "General Douglaston, we have a lead on the satellite, could you please call the room to order?"
*****
Buffy, Steve, Mulder and Scully watch as the Sunnydale Motor Lodge comes into view. As Banzai nears it, Steve tells him. "Land the chopper behind in the enclosed field and we'll get off. Then you can take Cody and Russell back to LA."
Banzai nods his head in agreement as he quickly lands the helicopter in the field and his mysterious passengers get out. He gives them a stiff salute and immediately lifts off, headed back to the LA airport.
As Monsoon drops off his passengers, Steve leans in and tells Cody. "Cody, we'll rendevous here at a 1700 hours. Then we'll rendevous with the LAPD contingents at Buster's. I'll see you then and have a good trip back."
"Thanks Steve, we'll be seeing you then. Otherwise have a good sleep."
"Same to you. Bye." Steve replies as the helicopter lifts.
The seven Immortals watch as the helicopter lifts off and heads directly south. Steve turns to his friends. "All right people, we have to get some rest today." As they walk to the Motor Lodge, Steve tells Robert, Aaron and Michael. "Robert, you, Aaron and Michael will be staying here. I just don't have the room in my place."
"Not a problem Steve, I stayed here the last time and found the accommodations most comfortable." Robert replies with a grin, remembering the maid Constance and the evening they spent together.
As they're about to enter the Motor Lodge area, Mulder holds up his hand and everyone immediately moves to the side of the building, presenting a smaller target signature. Steve moves forward to see what was the problem. As he moves forward and looks around the corner, he watches as Cordelia disarms a man in black suit. Steve notices another man lying on the ground in front of Cordelia, wearing the same suit. As she finishes disarming, her opponent, Mulder points to six similarly dressed men moving to attack Cordelia and Robert Hascombe. Steve quietly orders. "Mulder, Scully, take Aaron and Michael and go around the right side of my Blazer. Buffy, Robert and I will go around the left."
As Steve, Buffy and Robert McCallister move quietly to the left of the dark blue Blazer, Steve's foot brushes several pebbles. The noise alerts Cordelia, who immediately turns and points her gun between Steve's eyes. When she sees who's sneaking up on her, she smiles and asks. "So, are you just going to stand there or help?"
"Actually, both." Steve replies with a grin, then orders, "Cordelia, keep an eye on your two playmates. Mulder, would you please be kind and ruin their friends' day?"
With that Mulder and the rest rise up from behind Cordelia's car, catching the six sweepers in the open and in a cross fire. Mulder immediately yells. "Everyone FREEZE! This is the FBI! Put those guns down or we will shot you down where you stand. You have until the count of 3. 1, 2,.." The men nervously look at each other and quickly put down their guns and then Mulder orders. "Step back three paces." The men do so. "Now, kneel down and intertwine your fingers together behind your heads." The six men do so.
As they finish, a women angrily walks out of a room and stalks forward. She looks Mulder up and down and asks. "Who's in charge here?"
*****
Scully looks over the woman standing behind the six dark suited men and thinks to herself. < Who's this? And what is it with the mini skirt? > Then she notices Mulder's gaze turn to the women's legs and she elbows him. Mulder's gaze immediately turns back to the work at hand.
*****
Steve looks Miss Parker over and asks. "Depends, who wants to know?"
"I do. Now either tell which one of you is the person in charge here or take me to your superior." Miss Parker snaps out.
"That would be the four of us." Steve replies, pointing to Mulder, Scully, Buffy and himself. "But, I'm the overall commander. Now, who are you and why are these men trying to kill our three friends here?"
"My name is Parker, those men are my body guards. I want to know right now what the hell is going on." < Damn, it's Jamieson and the girl from the video tape. >
"Very simple, let's ask Cordelia what happened?" Steve replies and then asks. "Cordy, what started everything?"
"The platinum blond insulted me. That's what. He had the unmitigated gall to ask me 'how much I charged by the hour'. I then kicked his ass. Then this guy comes over and pulls a gun on me. So I took it from him. Then those six came over with their guns already drawn."
Miss Parker looks down on Gar with a sour expression on her face. Then she asks Willie. "Is this true Willie? Would Gar say something like that?"
Willie looks up from where he's laying down and replies. "Wouldn't be the first time Miss Parker. He usually puts his foot in his mouth like that. Just never saw him pick on someone who could fight back."
*****
Broots and Sidney are watching from Broots' room and Sidney mutters. "My God, is that Jamieson and the girl from the video?"
"Even worse Sid, that's Mulder and Scully out there as well. Shit Sid, what the hell have we walked into?"
"I don't know Mr. Broots, but at least they're talking and not shooting at each other. One thing, do you notice how Jamieson and his group are all armed with not just guns, but swords as well? And if I'm not mistaken, are they wearing armor?"
"Yeah, this is just too weird, Sid. But like I told you yesterday, when Mulder and Scully are involved, nothing is beyond the weird."
*****
Miss Parker walks over to Gar and reaches down, slapping him awake, as he groggily awakes, he tries to draw his gun, but Parker smacks his hand away and tells him. "Don't be an idiot." Then she drags him up, against the Blazer and asks him. "Did you insult this woman, Gar?"
"Yeah, so what? She's just some cheap high school girl." Gar angrily responds, thinking that he still has the upper hand. "I'll just take her and her friends out and no one will be the wiser."
"Gar, you moron. Look around you. This 'girl' works for the FBI. You tried to harass a Federal agent."
"What the hell are you talking about Miss Parker? These are only kids."
Miss Parker turns to Cordelia and asks. "How hard did you hit him?"
"Very hard, but I didn't do any permanent damage. He's lucky my boyfriend wasn't here. Xander would have killed him."
Miss Parker just shakes her head in bewilderment and asks. "Is it all right if I take him away from here and have one of my people take a look at him?"
"Not a problem, just keep a tighter rein on your people, Parker. And we'll get along just fine." Steve tells her. Just then a loud horn is heard from the front of the motor lodge. Steve looks over and comments. "Looks like the rest of our people are here. Why don't you go back to your rooms and deal with this matter, in private."
Parker nods her agreement and then orders her men. "You six, pick up your guns and help Gar and Willie back to Sidney's room. Sidney can look them over." With that Parker storms off, back to the room she originally came out of. She's quickly followed by her men.
*****
Buffy turns to Steve as they watch Parker leave with her men and asks. "Do you think we'll have a problem with them?"
"No, that Parker woman doesn't want any trouble. So her people won't give us any." Steve then turns to Robert Hascombe. "Robert please open up the Blazer and issue out everyone's bag and give them each a room key."
"Not a problem Steve, Aaron, Michael and Mr. McCallister have already gone to their beds. The rest should be in their rooms in a few minutes."
"Good, then we can go home and make a few phone calls." Steve replies as he turns to Bob Devlin. "Bob, thanks for bringing everyone here. But where's Ironman's group, Tommy's people and Kowalski's bunch?"
"We dropped off the ninja's at their warehouse. Kowalski's bunch went back to their homes. And Carl had a squad car drop him and his two friends at his place to crash. The rest came here, including Arthur and Grif. Now we're on our way home. But before I go, what's the call for tonight?"
"We're having a rendevous here at 1700 hours. Bring yourselves and about a dozen vans. The rally point in LA will be Buster's place. I hope he doesn't mind."
"Buster? He'll be more pissed off if you don't involve him. Have a good sleep and I'll make arrangements with the motor pool and get the vans and a dozen drivers. This time out the Rangers are not sitting on the side lines."
*****
Miss Parker watches the people disembark from the four large vans and offers up a silent prayer. < Dear God, who are these people? It looks like a small private army has taken residence. And are those real SWAT officers? > She then turns to Sidney and asks. "Sidney, what do you make of it? What's Jamieson up to? And who are these people?"
"It looks like Mr. Jamieson is more than he seems, Miss. Parker. Those people out there are obviously well trained and very disciplined. Most are probably soldiers or professional agents. I wonder which organization they belong to?"
Miss Parker nods her head and continues to watch what's happening outside.
*****
Steve and Buffy watch as Xander grabs up Cordelia and gives her a hug. "Missed you, honey." He gasps out as Cordelia kisses him.
"Would you two break it up already?" Steve asks as Xander and Cordelia break up the lip lock and grin. "All right, Cordelia, you take Xander, Giles and Nakao. Oz, you take Robert, Frank, Cassandra and Amy. I'll take Buffy, Mulder and Scully and we'll all meet back at my place.
*****
Miss Parker watches as Jamieson and a small group, including the brunette, get together by their cars. She watches as a young man, dressed in black, carrying a rifle, takes the girl into a hug. < So that's her boyfriend. He's cute enough. > She turns to Willie, points to Xander and asks. "Willie what kind of rifle is he carrying?"
Willie, watching the scene in the parking lot through a pair of binoculars, replies in a respectful tone. "Miss Parker, that's an AWP-308 sniper rifle. That's one mean piece of ordinance which does a half inch group at two hundred yards out of the box. The only people who would use it are snipers. The red headed guy next to him is carrying a Heckler & Koch G3 Battle Rifle. From what I can see of their gear, each one is carrying a Glock pistol, combat knife, plus grenades and, if I'm not mistaken, a sword as well as an unknown type of body armor."
"Would we stand a chance against them, if we had to fight?"
"Not a snow ball's chance in hell Ma'am. Who ever those people are, they're playing for keeps."
Miss Parker watches as the small group gets into the three cars and leave the motel. Miss Parker turns to Sidney, "Sidney, we've got to watch our backs on this one. Remember how he treated with Centre personnel the last time he had a run in with them."
Part 32 - Calling Out the Clan
(Dialing 1-800-COMMANDO, With Express Delivery)
Twenty minutes later the group meets back at Steve's house and Steve gives them orders. "Giles, you, Amy, Xander, Cordy and Oz go home and get some sleep."
"Not a problem Steve." Oz replies as he leaves. "Xander, you wanna crash by my place?"
"Thanks Oz, that'll save me answering some questions to my folks."
"My dad's gone for the weekend, Cordy you want to sleep there?" Amy asks.
"Thanks Amy. That'll save me from explaining things to my mom." Cordelia tells her as they leave.
Giles waits until the foursome leaves, then asks. "Is Jenny going to be working through the day?"
"Yeah, we've got to track down the Watcher's meeting place. So, Jenny, Willow and Frohike will be working through the day. Hopefully we'll find it before the vampires attack."
"Very good. Then I'll wish you all a good sleep." Giles replies as he goes to say good night to Jenny.
Steve then turns to his four other house guests. "Nakao, you Randi and Brian will share Buffy's room with her. Robert, I'm afraid, you'll have to make do with the couch. I'm sorry, but that's all that's available."
"Not a problem Steve. They appear to be most comfortable and I only need a short nap."
"I'll take the couch too." Brian pipes up. "I'm not sharing a room with three girls."
"Brian, when you're older, you're going to regret that decision." Brian makes a face and the rest laugh, but Steve relents. "Okay, you get a couch. But first go take a shower. Buffy, can you please take Nakao and Randi to your room and get them settled in?"
Buffy gives Steve a grin. "Sure Steve. I'll also give them something else to wear while I get their clothes cleaned up."
"Thanks Buffy. Now I've got a few phone calls to make, then I'll get some sleep."
*****
A phone rings in Connor McLeod's antique store. He picks it up and tells the person on the other end. "The store is not open yet. Can you please call back in an hour?"
"Connor, don't hang up. It's me, Dana Scully."
"Dana, what can I do for you?" Connor asks politely.
"We need you out in California. Can you get out here today?"
"Sure, but why?"
Dana then explains the situation to him. After she finishes, Dana asks. "Are you willing to come?"
"Certainly Dana. I'll take the first plane out."
"Thanks, Connor."
*****
The phone is picked up and a British voice replies. "MacDuff residence, can I help you?"
"Please put me through to Lennox." Steve asks.
"May I ask who is calling."
"Tell him it's Steven St. Wolf."
"Certainly, Sir. Just a moment."
Less than a minute later, Lennox MacDuff gets on. "Steve, what can I do for you?"
"Lennox, I need some help." Steve then explains the situation to the Scottish immortal.
His reply is. "My God, I'll be out there with a few of my men. Do you need anything?"
"Yes, weapons. I'm running short on guns. I have this ammunition which kills the vampires, but not enough guns for every body."
"What caliber?"
"Anything in 45, 9mm or 308 calibers, plus extra magazines."
"Done, I'll see you in three hours."
"Thanks Lennox. The rendevous is the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Use the enclosed field in the rear for your craft."
*****
Stony Man Farm. . .
Barbara Price is going over the morning reports when her phone rings. She picks it up, hoping it's Hal. "Hello, Stony Man Farm."
"Barbara, this is Carl. Is Mack there?"
"Yes, he is, Ironman. Why do you want him? I thought you were on vacation."
"Some vacation. When Mack dropped us off, he introduced us to two FBI Agents. We've just spent the night helping them on their case."
"You don't mean the vampire cult raids. Don't tell me, you three have been helping on those?"
"Yeah, we have. Is Mack around?"
"Here he is." Barbara replies as she gives Mack her 'What the Hell are They Doing' stare.
Mack just grins as he takes the phone and turns on the speaker. "What's the situation Ironman?"
"Well Mack, first of all, thanks for getting us involved in this little mess."
"You're welcome Ironman." Mack replies with a grin. "Now, what do you need?"
Ironman then gives Mack a detailed situation report and what the plans were for that evening. Ironman closes it with. "Mack, I still can't believe what I've seen in the last twelve hours. But Gadgets, Politician and I are going to see it through. Can you come out with Phoenix Force and Grimaldi? And bring any extra weapons in calibers 45, 9mm and 308?"
"Where's the rendevous?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge."
"I'll see you in five hours. Now get some sleep." Mack replies as he hangs up the phone.
Mack turns to Barbara Price and tells her. "Get Phoenix Force into the War Room. We've got a situation in Los Angeles."
"Mack, you can't be serious. What Ironman described can't be happening." < Shit, does Mack understand what he's getting involved in? >
Mack slowly nods his head as he tells her. "I fought those things five months ago, Barbara. Vampires really exist and if they're doing what Ironman has just told us, then they're a threat to this country and the world. We have to fight them and defeat them. There is no middle ground."
Barbara's mind reels, < Mack fought them five months ago? How did he get involved with vampires and live? > Barbara keeps a poker face on her as she immediately orders Phoenix Force to the War Room.
*****
Richie Ryan is cleaning the gym, prior to it's early morning opening when the office phone rings. He rushes over and picks it up. "DeSalvo's Gym. Can I help you?"
"Richie, this is Steve. Is Duncan around?"
"He is Steve, but Amanda's here and he's a little preoccupied."
Steve's grin could be heard over the phone as he tells Richie. "Wake him up Richie, I need some help and I'm Calling out the Clan, so to speak."
"What the Hell does that mean?"
"Just tell it to Duncan, he'll understand." Steve tells Richie.
"All right. Hold on and I'll get him on the intercom." Richie tells Steve as he turns to the intercom and mutters to himself. < I hope Duncan doesn't kill me for this. > "Duncan, are you awake?"
"I am now Richie. What's wrong?" An annoyed Duncan asks.
"Steve's on the phone and he told me to tell you that he's 'Calling out the Clan'."
"Shit! Tell him to hold on. I'll be right down."
Richie hears his friend rush down the stairs and less than a minute later, he's in the office and talking to Steve on the speaker. Steve gives a quick run down of the situation and asks Duncan to come down with as many Immortals as he can get. "I'll be down today. Where are we meeting?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge, at 1600."
"Got it. Be seeing you." Duncan replies as Steve hangs up.
Duncan turns to Richie and asks. "Are you in?"
"In a heartbeat, Duncan."
"So am I." Both men turn to see Amanda standing there in Duncan's pajama top.
Duncan turns to her and asks. "I usually have to beg you to do something decent. Why not now?"
"Because I know vampires really exist. And I've seen what they can do. Anytime that I can take a few of them out is time well spent."
"Good, then let's get Methos, Justin and whoever else is in town to help."
*****
Wally the bartender is cleaning up the Coyote Bar and Grill after a late night, when he hears the phone ring. < Who the hell would be calling at this time? > He thinks to himself as he answers it. "Coyote Bar and Grill, can I help you?"
"Get Coyote on the phone. I need to talk to him." A voice orders on the phone.
Wally takes a deep breathe and slowly let's it out. "Mister, no one orders me around. Ask nicely and tell me who you are and then maybe, I'll let you talk to him."
"Old Son," The strange voice begins. "I'm not in a nice mode, so get Coyote on the phone, before I come down there and put you into the hospital."
Wally blanches, only one man has ever call him 'Old Son'. He takes a deep gulp and asks. "Is this the Wanderer?" He asks nervously.
"Yes, it is."
< Oh Shit, not him again. > "I'll get Coyote for you, sir. My apologizes for my earlier behavior."
Wally runs outside and finds Coyote working on his bike. "Boss, the Wanderer is on the phone. He wants to talk to you."
"Tell him I'll be in, in a minute."
"Yes sir." Then Wally runs back to the phone and repeats Coyote's words.
"Thanks, sorry about earlier, I've had a long night."
"Can I ask what happened?"
"Turn on the news, it'll be the top story."
Wally grabs up the remote and turns on the morning news shows and watches the footage from the four raids being played back and he turns pale at the number of dead. He looks down at the phone receiver in his hand, and asks. "Did you kill all those people?"
"No, I killed the things responsible for those murders."
Before Wally can ask, Coyote comes in and tells him, "Put him on speaker." Wally brings up the phone and presses the speaker button. "Wanderer, what do you want?"
"I need help, Coyote." Then Steve explains the situation to Coyote. As he finishes, he asks. "Are you willing?"
"No, this matter is none of my business." Coyote replies as a shocked Wally looks on.
"Why isn't this your business?"
"Because you mortals have to fight your own battles. I can't get involved in this one, nor can any of my family. Believe me, Wanderer, I want to help you, but if I do, something worse is going to happen. I'm sorry my friend, good-bye." And with that Coyote hangs up the receiver.
Wally looks open mouthed at his boss. Finally, his anger at a boiling point, he asks. "What was that shit Coyote? You Fey constantly meddle in human affairs and don't give a shit what Oberon says. So, why is this different?"
"Because Oberon told us that we can't help in this case and he won't take no for an answer."
Wally makes a fateful decision. "You may not be able to help, but I will. I was a Marine for thirty years and damned if I'm going to sit by and watch innocent people die." Wally grabs his coat and goes toward the door. As he reaches it, Coyote calls back to him.
"Wally you're fifty years old and out of shape. Those things will kill you."
"At least I'll die a man."
"Hold up a second." Coyote tells him. Wally walks back to him and watches as he reaches behind the bar and takes out a bottle. He turns to Wally and tells him. "Drink this. All of it."
"What is it?"
Coyote smiles. "You'll see."
Wally shrugs his shoulders and takes the bottle and drinks down it's contents. As he finishes, the room starts to spin. He almost falls, but Coyote catches him and puts him in a chair. A few minutes later the dizziness passes and Wally looks up at a smiling Coyote and asks. "What was that stuff?"
"Oh, just something from Avalon. Why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror?"
Wally gets up and his pants promptly fall down, but he doesn't notice this. He's staring at the image in the mirror. He remembers the face, it was his, when he was twenty two. He turns back to Coyote and asks. "How?"
"The water was from the fountain of youth. Which really exists on Avalon." Coyote replies as he gives Wally six more bottles. "Take these six bottles with you. If you need to, they can be used to heal almost any wounds. Now wait here a second and I'll get you some pants that fit and then you can go."
*****
Casey Romaine rolls out of bed and groans. < Shit! That's the last I let Gus and Glam get me into a drinking game. > Then he notices that the ringing isn't his head, but the phone on his bedside. < I'll kill whoever is calling me right now. Yeah, that'll sooth this migraine. > He reaches for it, planning on giving whoever it is Hell. "This is Casey and it better be important."
"Casey, Steve St. Wolf here. I need some help."
Casey's face blanches. < Aw Shit! God Damnit! I should have let the machine pick up. > Casey thinks to himself as he kicks himself. "What is it now Wanderer? Vampires trying totake over the world. Demons in Hollywood. Or is it aliens coming to invade us?"
"Well Casey, it's the first two actually. But, if it makes you feel better, there's an alien helping us." Steve replies, slightly surprised and amused.
"What!! Shit Wanderer, why do you get me into these situations?"
"Because the situation is black and white. You know that these things are evil and that killing them will save innocent lives. Besides, as Buffy puts it, it gives you the warm fuzzies."
Casey laughs and reaches over for a cup of cold coffee. "All right, what's the situation?"
Steve explains what's happened and what the plan was for that evening. Casey grunts and asks. "Mind if I bring Richard Blade and a few friends along?"
"Richard's always welcome and if your friends are like the like the last bunch. They're welcome as well. We're meeting at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge at 1600. You remember how to find it?"
"Not a problem. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Thanks Casey."
Casey stares at the phone in his hand and his face splits into an evil grin. < Glam, Gus and the rest of my friends were bitching about this get together not being any fun. Now they're going to get it. > Casey thinks to himself as he gets up and starts to prepare the road trip.
*****
Sin Jin Hawke wakes up to the ringing telephone by his bedside. He reaches over and picks up the receiver. "This had better not be a wrong number."
"Sin Jin, Steve St. Wolf here. I need to talk to you and your brother String."
"Is this important Steve?"
"Very."
"All right, give me a minute." Sin Jin replies as he gets up and checks his brother's room. His bed was empty, but the music coming from the back porch told him where his brother, String Fellow, was. He moves through the house and picks up a cordless phone and walks out into the morning light. As he approaches, his brother stops playing and asks. "Who is it?"
"Steve St. Wolf, says it's important."
"All right, let's go to the office." String replies as he puts down his cello and gets up.
As they enter the office, Sin Jin turns on the speaker phone and asks. "All right Steve, what do you need?"
"First turn on your television to the news."
Both brothers look at each other and shrug. Sin Jin picks up the remote and turns the TV to a news channel, where the top story was the four raids on the vampire cult in LA. Both brother's eyes take on a cold gleam when the body count is announced. Sin Jin turns off the TV and asks. "What do you have to do with these massacres?"
"I, and a group of friends, killed the things responsible for them. Now let me explain what's going on." And with that Steve gives the Hawke brothers a complete run down on the previous night's work and what was going to happen that night. Both brothers look at each other and nod their heads.
"We're in. What's the rendevous?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge at 1600 hours PST. There's a large, enclosed yard off to the side that you can use for a landing area."
"Thanks, see you then."
*****
"Folcroft Sanitarium, can I help you?" The lemony voice rasps out.
"Yeah, is Remo there?" Steve asks.
"Yes he is. Who is this?"
"An old friend. I need to talk to him."
"Very well then." The voice replies as it hands over the hand set to Remo. "He says it's an old friend."
"Thanks Smitty. Who is this?"
"Remo, it's Steve St. Wolf. I need your help. Are you willing?"
"When and where, Steve."
Steve explains the situation and then tells Remo. "The rendevous is the Sunnydale Motor Lodge, 4:00 PM, today. The old gangs getting back together. And then some."
Remo grins as he replies. "Party time." Then he hangs up the phone.
Remo turns to his boss and tells him. "I can't take whatever mission you got Smitty. I'm going to LA to help some friends."
Smitty smiles a lemony smile as he asks Remo. "To do what?"
"Take out the vampire cult menacing the city."
Smitty chuckles as he tells Remo. "I was planning on sending you to Los Angeles, to do the same thing. Glad to see I'll be saving the air fare this time."
Remo gives his boss a dirty look, then laughs. "Still the cheapest bastard alive."
Harold W. Smith, head of CURE and it's sole director grins evilly as he tells Remo. "Yes, I am."
Remo just shakes his head and prepares to leave. As he approaches the door, Smith tells him. "Good luck son, and come back in one piece."
Remo looks back at the old man he has worked for, for the last thirty years and notices a look of worry in his eyes. < Naw, can't be. Probably just thinking about the money he's saving. >
Smith looks at the closed door and mutters a soft prayer. "God go with you Remo. Please come back."
*****
Nash Bridges is rudely awakened from his sleep by the sound of his cell phone ringing. He rolls out of bed and looks at the clock. < Who the hell would be calling me at 6:00 am? > He picks up the cell phone and answers it. "Nash here. Speak to me."
"Nash, this is Scarlet. You got anything planned for today?"
"Why no Scarlet. What's up honey?"
"Have you seen the overnight news?"
"No, I went to sleep early, for a change. What happened?"
"Turn on the news Nash, you'll see."
Nash grabs the remote and turns on the local news. The top story of the hour was the four raids done by the LAPD on the vampire cult plaguing the city. Nash watches for a few moments, digesting it. He picks up the cell phone and asks. "How many did you get?"
"About three hundred."
"I take it you weren't alone."
"No Nash, we weren't alone. God Nash, I don't know how to describe what's been going on down here."
"How about from the beginning?"
"All right, but you won't believe half of it." Scarlet replies as she starts from the beginning. The meeting at Steve's house, the gathering of both groups to fight the vampires, Merlin's warning.
"You don't mean the real Merlin?"
"Yes, I'm afraid I do. It turns out that the guy we went down to meet works for Merlin as his personal champion, if you can believe it."
"God sister, what the hell is going on down there?"
"A fight for humanity, Nash." Scarlet then continues with the story. She tells him about Able Team joining the fight, and Captain Randall adding the LAPD's best SWAT team to the force and their raids on the warehouses, the supermarket and the Regal Tower hotel.
As Scarlet finishes, she hears Nash breaths slowly, digesting what was said to him. Then he asks. "Scarlet, how can we help?"
"Come down and bring the rest of the SIU with you."
"Scarlet, we're not as good as you are at taking these things out. We'll just be underfoot and in the way."
"The people we're working with have a special ammunition which kills the vampires, if you heart shoot them. It comes in 45, 9 mm and 308 calibers. It'll work in any gun. I know, we've been using it all night."
Nash quietly asks. "Will they give us a supply?"
"Yes, but right now we only have enough for this fight. They told me they'll have more made up and issue us all the ammo we need when this is all over."
"Damn Scarlet, where do we meet up with you?"
"You and my brothers can meet us at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. The rendevous is set for 4:00 o'clock. Do you need directions?"
"No, I've been there before. I'll get the gang together and see you there by two o'clock."
As Scarlet hangs up, Nash looks out of his window and watches as the sun rises over San Francisco. He thinks to himself. < Who were these people that Scarlet has teamed up with? Why are they fighting the vampires like it was a personal quest? Damn, I'll have to wake every one up now. So much for an easy day. > He shakes his head and starts to call his people in.
*****
Heather Morning Star picks up the phone, expecting her best friend, Amber. But it's not her. It's some guy asking to talk to her father. "Hello, I'd like to speak to Michael Night Wolf. Is he home?"
"Yeah he is. Who's this?"
"I'm an old friend, put him on."
"Fer Sure. You're probably a bill collector. I ain't giving you to my dad till I know who you are."
"Heather, either put your dad on the phone, or I'll have him tan that moon shaped birth mark on your butt until it turns blue."
Heather sucks in a deep breath and angrily asks. "How the Hell do you know about my birth mark? Who the fucking hell are you?"
"I'm the guy your dad stuck changing your diapers, when your mom had to go to work. That's who I am."
Heather looks at the telephone in her hands as though it was a snake getting ready to bite her. As she thinks about what to say, her father walks up behind her and asks. "Who's on the phone, honey?"
A startled Heather jumps up and goes "Eeeep!" She then turns around and tells her father. "The phone, it's for you."
Her father grins. "Don't worry Honey, it's only a bill collector. They're nothing to worry about."
"Yeah right, dad." His daughter mummers as he puts the hand set to his ear.
"This is Mike Night Wolf, can I help you?"
"Yeah Runt, I need some help. You interested?"
Michael Night Wolf lets out a startled breathe as he recognizes a voice from his distant past. He asks in a hushed voice. "Walker told me you died saving some kids from a lunatic with a gun. What happened?"
"I got better."
< Yep, that's Cherokee all right. Never give a straight answer when a crooked one will do. > "What do you need help with?"
Steve explains what's been happening in Los Angeles and what his plans were for that night. Night Wolf hisses and takes a deep gulp. "So, are you interested?"
"Yes, I am. How do Heather and I get out there?"
"Are you sure about bringing Heather here? After all, this might be ground zero, if we fail."
"Yes, I am. She'll be safer with you and your friends, then here alone."
"All right, you'll find two first class tickets at the counter for you at the American Airlines counter for the ten am shuttle to LA."
"First class? You've come up in the world Cherokee."
"Mike, I no longer use that name. As far as the world is concerned, Carson Jamieson died in Dearborn."
Night Wolf smiles as he asks. "All right paleface, what name are you using now?"
"Steven St. Wolf or Wanderer. Take your pick."
Night Wolf takes another deep breath and asks. "You know the Order of Teraka has a run on sight order concerning you?"
"So what else is new?"
"Can I ask why they're so scared of you?"
"I killed twenty three of their assassins and made sure they knew that I would kill any of them that I saw. Anything else?"
"Nope, just glad to see someone scaring the shit out of those animals for a change."
"It'll be good to see you again old friend."
"Same here." Michael Night Wolf replies as he hangs up the phone. He leans against the wall for a moment, deep in thought. < Damn, Cherokee still alive and fighting. I wonder if Mother Mary Kate knows? Yeah, knowing her, she probably does. > His reverie is interrupted by his daughter.
"Dad, who was that guy?"
"A ghost from the past, honey. He's called in an old debt and I'm going to repay it."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Yes, it is. But the pay off is huge." < The survival of the human race. >
"Dad, where are you going?"
"We're going to LA, so pack up for a couple of days."
"Oh wow, LA. I can't believe it. How are we going? By bus?"
"No, we have first class tickets waiting for us at DFW."
"We're flying? That's so cool. I can't wait and tell Amber."
"You will do no such thing. You can tell her everything when we get back. < If we get back. >
"Understood Dad. I'll go pack."
*****
"Hammer Investigations, can I help you?" The sexy voice answers.
"I need to talk to Hammer. Is he in?" Steve asks.
"Mike's in, but he's in a meeting. Can I help you with anything?"
"Tell Mike it's Steve St. Wolf and that the poker party in Sunnydale is on again. He'll understand."
"All right, wait a minute." Velda replies as she puts Steve on hold. She walks into Mike's office and asks. "Mike, there's some St. Wolf guy on the phone telling me to tell you that 'the poker party in Sunnydale is on again'. What does it mean?"
Velda is surprised by the speed Mike shows reaching for the phone. "Steve, what's going on?"
"We got a bad one, Mike. We need you and any other Immortals you know to come to Sunnydale." Then Steve explains the situation and Mike's face gets a determined look.
"I'll be there and I'll bring my student Velda with me." Mike replies as he hangs up the phone. He then turns to Velda and tells her. "Pack your bags for a three day trip and bring your sword and gun. We're going to California to put paid to some vampires."
Velda reaches for her neck and shudders. Those things had 'killed' her, her first time. She owed them. < If I ever find that bastard Angel again. I'm taking his head. > She thinks to herself as she nods her head and goes to make the preparations.
*****
Byers looks at his caller ID box and shakes his head in wonder. < No one can block out the T-17 caller ID box, not even the Consortium. > He looks at Langley hesitantly as he picks up the phone and asks. "Who is this?"
"Byers, Langley, this is Frohike. You guys busy?"
"Frohike, how the hell are you calling us? The T-17 can't read your phone number or trace you back." Byers complains and is more than a little curious.
Frohike chuckles. "I'm working on the greatest system this side of NORAD, guys. It's got every bell and whistle you can imagine and quite a few that Langley could dream only about."
"So what's going in California? We saw the news this morning and can't believe the carnage."
"That's what I'm calling about. We need some help out here and you two are needed for your expertise. So pack up what you need and we'll get you a ride out here."
"Frohike, what the hell is going on?"
"Remember that tape I sent you yesterday?"
"Yeah, it looks like it's not faked. What has that to do with you?"
"I'm working with the two people in the tape. Mulder and Scully are here as well, helping."
"What are you talking about Frohike?" A suddenly very scared and wary Byers asks.
"The so-called vampire cultists are real vampires. Mulder and Scully and a small private army are hunting them down and they need our help to locate their next targets. So get to together your gear and be ready to be picked up in ten minutes." And with that the phone hangs up.
Byers looks at Langley and shrugs his shoulders. They start to gather the equipment to take with them in the center of the computer room. Precisely ten minutes later both men hear a voice ask. "Are you two ready?" Both men turn around and see a tall, dark haired man standing off to the side of their lab.
Byers looks at Langley and they both look at their security system and note that none of the sensors or alarms had been tripped. Byers looks back at the stranger and asks. "May I ask how you got past our security system?"
"You'll see." The man replies with a grin. "Now is that all of the equipment you need?"
"Yeah, pretty much so." Langley replies as suddenly both of them are standing in a large living room.
Sitting across from them, Mulder asks. "You guys want some breakfast? The coffee's fresh."
Both Gunmen are looking at Mulder like he's grown another head. They can't believe what just happened to them, but the sight of Mulder in black fatigues with an arsenal of weapons on or near him frightens them to the extreme. Langley quietly whispers to Byers. "Mulder looks like he's joined the Dark Side." Byers solemnly nods his head in agreement. Both men are roused out of their thoughts by the loud entrance of their partner Frohike.
"Guys, glad to see you could make it. Quinn had any problems finding them?"
"Not at all Frohike. I just looked for the place with more security than the White House and lo, there they were." Quinn replies with a grin.
Mulder chuckles and starts to take down his M-16 before his two friend's disbelieving eyes. Byers gets up the nerve and asks. "Uh, Mulder. Why are you dressed like an assault MIB?"
"He's not." Byers and Langley hear a voice from behind them comment. They turn to face the man from the Burger-To-Go video. "That's the battle uniform for a Knight of the Order of the Grail. I should know, I'm a Knight Lieutenant in the Order myself."
"Uhm, who are you?" Langley asks nervously, recognizing the man from the video.
"My apologies. My name is Steve St. Wolf and at present you're in my home. Welcome to Sunnydale, California and thank you for coming to help."
"Can I ask a question?" Byers asks.
"Sure, feel free." Steve replies with a grin.
"How did we get here?"
"Quinn did that little trick he calls teleportation." Steve replies with a grin.
"If I'm not being improper, who or what is Quinn?" Byers asks.
Steve looks over their shoulder and sees a wicked grin playing across Mulder's features. Steve sighs, as he thinks to himself < Still the little boy Mulder? What the hell, I'm the same way sometimes. > "Go ahead Mulder, I can see you want to tell them. Feel free."
Byers and Langley turn and look at their friend and Langley asks. "So give, Mulder. What's the deal with this Quinn guy?"
"Oh, it's quite simple really. Quinn is a member of what's called the Q Continuum. They're a race of nearly omni-potent aliens, not native to the planet Earth." As Mulder finishes explaining, he watches his two friend's jaws drop.
"You can't be serious?" Langley asks as he searches Mulder's features for the joke. He doesn't see one. "My God, you're not kidding are you?"
"No, he's not." Scully replies as she and Buffy walk in from the kitchen with two cups of coffee. Handing them to Byers and Langley, she introduces Buffy. Both recognize the girl from the Burger-To-Go tape. "This is Buffy, she's Steve's student."
Byers immediately notices the wedding ring on Scully's hand and a similar one on Mulder's. "Since when are you two married?"
"About a year now." Mulder replies with a grin, as Scully sits down in his lap.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Langley asks.
"Well, before we got married, we discovered a secret that we both shared. And that secret made it hard for us to be around any of our friends." Scully explains.
"What? You're both dying of cancer now?" Byers asks.
"No, the opposite. We're both Immortals." Mulder replies with a straight face.
"Oh come on now. The Quinn guy was enough. But you two being Immortals is a bit much, don't you think?" Byers replies.
Mulder just shakes his head and looks at Steve, who calmly states. "Don't look a me Mulder, they're your friends. You show them."
"All right, but you do me. I don't want Scully to have nightmares about this."
"Not a problem." Steve replies with a grin. "I still owe you for waking me up at 5:30 in the morning yesterday."
"I thought you forgot about that." Mulder replies with a grin as he removes his breast plate.
"Nope, just wanted for figure out a suitable revenge. How about a heart cut?"
"That'll kill me."
"Yep. What better way to prove to your friends that you're the real thing?"
"Oh go ahead." Mulder replies as he raises his arms getting ready to die.
Steve hands over his combat Bowie to Langley and Byers. "Take a look at this and confirm that it's real."
They look over the huge knife and examine it's 12 inch blade and confirm it's real Byers hands the knife back to Steve, who immediately stabs Mulder in the heart. Both men watch in horror as Mulder collapses. He's caught by Scully and Buffy, who gently lower him down, onto his back, the knife still in his heart.
"Go ahead and take the knife out." Steve tells Byers and Langley.
"But he's dead. You killed him, you bastard!" Byers yells out.
Steve grins. "If I had killed him, then Scully would have killed me." Steve then reaches down and pulls out the knife. The knife comes out with a sucking sound as Scully calmly puts Mulder's head in her lap. "Now, watch the wound."
Both Byers and Langley watch as the wound starts to close by itself. They look on as blue lightning sparks through the wound and in several minutes, the wound disappears. A few minutes later, Mulder's body convulses and he's back, alive and well. Byers opens his mouth and nothing comes out of it. Langley sways, but he remains standing and awake.
Mulder gets up and looks at his two friends and grins. Then he reaches over and gently holds up Langley and with Steve's help, puts him on the couch. Mulder turns to Byers and asks. "Now do you believe?"
Byers looks nervously around the house and he finally admits. "I have no choice but to believe. How did it happen?" Langley just continues to stare at Mulder's chest.
"Well, first we had to die." Mulder tells Byers as he tells him about the Russell Nash case and what happened.
Byers, Langley and Frohike listen in rapt silence. Finally Mulder ends it and Byers asks. "So you'll look like this forever?"
"Yep," Mulder simply replies.
"And Steve and Buffy are also Immortals?" Mulder nods his head. "How many Immortals are there?"
"About ten thousand of us." Steve replies.
"Why don't you try and take over the world?" Byers asks.
Steve smiles. "A few have tried, but the other Immortals usually stop them."
"How?"
"By killing them. You see, we have two rules that none of us breaks. We don't fight on holy ground and once challenged, we have to fight the challenger. No on can interfere, not our friends, family or allies. The only exception is that if an Immortal challenges another Immortal's student, then the teacher can step in and defend the student. Most of the time the fights are to the death, but lately things have changed, and most Immortals have stopped fighting among themselves and they are now fighting something else."
"What?" Byers asks.
"Vampires and Demons."
"You're not joking are you?"
"No, what's happened in Los Angeles has turned the stomach of many of us and we are banding together to fight them."
"Dear God in Heaven." Byers mutters to himself. "What can we do to help?"
"Frohike knows what has to be done. He'll show you the equipment and introduce you to Jenny and Willow, our resident hackers."
Just then Langley asks. "You guys said you were Immortal. So how can you kill each other?"
Steve turns to Mulder. "They're your friends. It's your's and Scully's call to make."
Mulder looks at Scully and she quietly nods her head. "All right, we can kill each other by cutting off our heads in single combat. The weapons of choice are swords, though some people have used axes in the past."
All three men touch their necks and wince. Then Frohike turns to his two partners and tells them. "Okay guys, the office and computer are this way." Buffy, Steve, Mulder and Scully watch them as they enter the office.
*****
Byers watches Frohike as he leads them into the spacious home office. < God, the guy probably only has a P2 300. Well at least we brought some of our stuff. > As he enters, his eyes rest on the two beautiful women working there. < Well, at least the company's decent. > Then, his and Langley's eyes both rest on the system taking up one entire wall. They watch as the two women play it like a concert piano. Moving in and out of various systems and networks. Byers and Langley turn to Frohike and ask. "Frohike, what is that thing?"
"Just your usual Pentium 8.5, 2,000 MHZ system."
"P 8.5, 2,000 MHZ? What else?" A breathless Langley asks.
"Watch the drool, Langley. The ladies might take exception." Frohike mutters, then continues. "It's got 360 meg of RAM, a stacked 150 Gig hard drive, satellite access for the modem, and the display is holographic."
"Sweet Jesus, where did he get it?" Byers asks in awe.
"Steve ain't telling and I ain't asking." Frohike replies with a smile.
"What is it capable of?" Langley asks.
"Well, we hacked into and took over control of a Key Hole satellite with it."
"You're joking." Byers replies, staring dumbly at the computer before him.
"Nope, just take a look at one of the sub programs we have on stand by." Frohike tells them as he walks into the office and approaches the red head sitting at the consol and asks. "Willow, could you pop up a real time image of Los Angeles for my twofriends?"
"Sure Frohike."
Byers and Langley watch as the monitor turns into an overhead shot of the down town Los Angeles area. As they watch the real time scene, Langley turns to Byers and mutters. "At least Frohike was right, this system is the sweetest thing this side of Cheyenne Mountain."
*****
Mulder reaches into his pocket and hands Scully a twenty as she smiles sweetly.
Steve noticing the exchange of cash asks. "What was the bet?"
"That either Langley or Byers would yell when they found out what kind of computer they would be working on." Scully replies with a grin. "I said they'd be too shocked. I won."
Quinn, standing to the side, grins to himself. < What an interesting group of people I've found. They treat me as one of them and respect my abilities and don't try to abuse them. >
Steve looks at the time and announces. "All right people, everybody to bed. We've got a lot of work tonight and I want everyone at 100%."
Part 33 - Relationships
(No, I Don't Have Anything Smart to Say About This Chapter)
Steve is getting ready for bed when someone knocks on the door. "Come in." He calls out.
Buffy enters the bedroom and closes the door behind her. Steve looks at her with a smile on his face. "What's wrong?" He asks.
"Oh, I need a place to shower, everything else is taken. Mind if I use yours?"
"Sure, help yourself. I left extra towels in the cupboard."
"Well, I kinda need something else too."
"What?"
"Got any spare T-shirts? Randi and Nakao, borrowed all of my clothes. I don't want to go home, because my mom will ask too many questions."
"Sure." Steve replies as he goes to his T-shirt drawer and pulls out a black T-shirt. He tosses it to Buffy. She opens it and reads what's written there.
"Oh, this is you all right. 'Yeah, I Walk Through The Valley of Death, Fearing No Evil, Because I'm Baddest Mother Fucker There.'"
Steve grins sheepishly. "Frank gave it to me for my last birthday."
"I bet he did." Buffy giggles as she goes to take a shower.
Steve slips under his covers and prepares to go to sleep. A few minutes later, Buffy leaves the shower, wearing only the T-shirt. It reaches to her mid-thigh. She slowly walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge. She looks over to Steve and asks. "Steve, I know this isn't a good time to ask, but where are we going?"
Steve raises himself from the bed and sits up. "Buffy, you're right. I don't think this is the right time to talk about that. We've still got a lot to do tonight and to be blunt I don't want to cloud my thoughts." Buffy looks as though she's ready to cry. Steve continues to explain. "But since your asking. I do want a relationship with you and I would like to talk about it. But the day before we go into a serious fight isn't the right time. We can always talk tomorrow."
"I just want to know, how do you feel about me?" < In case I don't make it. > Buffy thinks to herself.
"Buffy, you are the first woman, since I lost Kathy, that I have come to care for and love. I want with you what Mulder has with Dana. A deep and loving relationship that nothing can come between."
Buffy looks into Steve's eyes and feels the deep love there. She leans forward and kisses him. The kiss deepens and quickly, both of them are lying on the bed removing what little clothing they have.
"You know, we're supposed to get some sleep?" Steve reminds Buffy as he is removing her T-shirt.
"We can do that later." Buffy replies with a grin as she moves back, naked into Steve's arms. Steve reaches down and pulls off his sweats and Buffy presses her body against his. The reaction is immediate, Buffy's kisses become more and more passionate. Steve starts to lower his kisses and soon is kissing her neck, then her breasts. He slowly moves down to her clitoris as his lips softly kiss it and then he starts to nibble it. Buffy's hands leave Steve's growing penis, to push his head in deeper into her vagina. As Steve slowly nibbles and kisses and sucks Buffy's wet pussy, she starts to moan loudly. "Oh God yes, oh please don't stop. I'm almost there. Oh, Yessssss, that's the right spot."
Buffy urges Steve on as he gives her the best orgasm she's ever had. As Buffy finishes, Steve gently pulls her legs apart and slowly crawls up her body, kissing it as he goes. Soon Buffy is staring into Steve's eyes as they kiss again. They break up the kiss as Steve moves away from her, trying to position himself, between her thighs. Buffy reaches down and takes Steve's member and moves it's head to her vagina and gently places it there. Steve slowly lowers himself into her and both gasp at Buffy's tightness. Steve slowly pumps into her and rocks back and forth. Buffy moves with him, accepting him inside her.
As Steve fully enters her, he takes hold of her buttocks and easily moves them into a sitting position. Once there, Steve easily kisses her full on the mouth as Buffy moves slowly up and down on his cock. His mouth wanders down to her breasts as he gently sucks on each nipple, causing it to harden and become extremely sensitive. After a few minutes of this, Buffy pushes Steve down onto the bed and she lays down on top of him, moving in synch with his thrusts. Steve reaches up and gently squeezes and massages her butt. After a short while, Buffy and Steve roll over and they continue to kiss. As they kiss, Steve begins to move into her with a long and slow rhythm, pushing in and out slowly. Buffy encircles his waist with her legs and pulls herself onto him, speeding up the rhythm. Steve then moves both of Buffy's legs onto his shoulder allowing himself maximum penetration. Buffy shudders with an orgasm and she starts to tremble with the release. As Buffy's orgasm reaches it's climax, Steve begins to come inside her. As they finish, Buffy looks deep in his eyes and tells him. "I love you." Steve kisses her deeply and tells her. "Buffy, I want you with me always. Never doubt that I love you."
Buffy deeply kisses Steve and she reaches down between them and starts to caress his manhood. Steve gently reaches down and takes her hands away. Buffy asks. "Steve, don't you want to make love again?"
Steve takes a deep breath and let's it out in a sigh. "Buffy, I love you a lot, but we need our sleep. We still have a mission tonight and I want us both to be rested. After this is over, I'm taking you away with me for a week and I'm not going to let you of bed for that entire week."
Buffy giggles and asks. "Where are we going?"
"I have a condo in the Bahamas. We can use that for our vacation."
"Oh pooh, I was hoping to get a honeymoon suite in some fancy hotel."
"We can do that as well. Name the place and we'll go. It's going to be our vacation and I want you happy."
"Good," Buffy replies, then goes to sleep in Steve's arms.
*****
Outside, Cassandra is leaning against the door listening in. Frank walks up to her and quietly asks. "What's going on?"
Cassandra smiles as she replies. "Something that should have happened a couple of months ago."
"You don't mean?"
"Yes, they've finally done it. And it's about time." Cassandra replies as she takes Frank's arm into her own and leads him to their bedroom. Both grinning from ear to ear.
Part 34 - Reality Bites (Cancer Man Cometh - With a Helping Hand?)
Cancer Man's telephone rings, as he picks it up, he dreads what his agents are going to tell him. "What is it now?"
"Sir, we've been monitoring the situation in Sunnydale as you asked."
"What's the update?"
"They're calling in backup Sir. A lot of backup. The phone taps have them calling at least another forty people in."
"Do we have any assets in the area?"
"Yes Sir, a full company of Blue Berets, under the command of Maj. Jack Gerber."
"Do we know where the rally point is?"
"Yes Sir, the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. At 1600 hours, today."
"I'll take care of it. Order your operatives to leave the area."
"Yes Sir. Good bye."
Cancer Man hangs up the phone and dials another number in California. The phone is picked up by Maj. Gerber himself. "Gerber here."
"The call sign is Gibraltar. The code phrase is: Odin, Tyr, Thor, Balder."
Gerber's voice snaps to attention. "Yes Sir."
"Here are your orders: FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully are working outside the Bureau and they are using non-Bureau assets. They are meeting additional assets at a rally point located at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge. The time of the meeting is 1600 hours, PST."
"Sir, are we to eliminate these assets?" Major Gerber prompts.
"No, you are to offer your services to him. No questions asked."
"But Sir, we tried to kill Mulder and Scully in Puerto Rico."
"I know that. And so do they, probably. But they need the help and you are to provide it to them and their associates. Am I clear?"
"Crystal clear sir. May I ask what is the mission that you are sending us on?"
"Do you believe in vampires and demons, Major?"
"I hope you're joking, Sir."
"No, I'm not. Mulder and Scully's people will show you how to fight them. You are to give them your complete support. They're facing a large number of vampires and possibly a demon or two."
"Understood Sir. I'll prepare the men."
"Good. And Major..."
"Yes Sir?"
"Good luck and watch your backs."
"Thank you Sir. But one question, if you don't mind."
"What is it?"
"Would it be possible to get in touch with Mulder and Scully before the rendevous? Just to make sure it doesn't suddenly turn into a shooting match."
"Good idea Major. Mulder and Scully can be found at 317 Brandt Terrace, Sunnydale. Please be polite when you get there. Their host is a rather dangerous individual."
Major Gerber grins. < Yeah, right. > "Sir, we are the best. This guy has to be something else to scare us."
"Major, I understand you served in the 5th Special Forces group in the early eighties. Am I correct?"
"Yes Sir. That is correct." Gerber replies with a trace of pride in his voice.
"I'm sure you ran across an individual by the name of Carson Jamieson?"
"Cherokee? Of course I did Sir. He was the best. But he's dead."
"No he's not." And with that the phone clicks dead.
Major Gerber hangs up the phone and stares at it for a minute, thinking. < Cherokee still alive? And helping Mulder and Scully? This is going to be one fucked up mission. I can feel it. Damn, I wonder if Ritter knows? >
Part 35 - Road Trips
(Bob and Bing are Busy, Jerry and Dean Still Aren't Speaking, So We Have to Make Do With Stale Peanuts and Bad Puns)
San Francisco - SIU Headquarters:
Nash Bridges gets out of his vintage Barracuda and approaches his three partners, Joe Domingeuz, Evan Cortez and Harvey Leek. All three men are standing, waiting for Nash to come in before they begin the trip south to Sunnydale. As Nash approaches, he asks Harvey. "Did you get everything we need?"
"Yeah, six 308 caliber assault rifles with an additional ten magazines per. The armory guy was curious why we needed such heavy firepower, but I told him we wanted to get in some practice."
"Good. Joe are we clear for today?"
"Yeah, except for one little problem."
"What's the problem Joe?" As soon as the question is asked it is answered.
"Yo, Nash, over here." Rick Bettina calls out, closely followed by two men.
"Listen Rick, I'm really busy here. So, this had better be important."
"Nash, let me introduce you to Detectives Peter Caine and Kenneth Griffin of the Toronto Police Dept. They'll be working with you for the next couple of days. Studying your methods and stuff like that."
Nash pulls Rick over to the side and quietly tells him. "Listen Rick, you remember those things that we had to take out a few months ago?"
Rick's eyes widen as he asks. "Are they back?"
"No, but they're in LA and Scarlet called me early this morning asking for backup. The four of us and Scarlet's brothers are going down there to help fight those things."
"Correction, the five of us."
"Rick, you don't have to come."
"Wrong, those things almost killed me and my family. I'm going to help. Besides, it's the only way you're going to be able to get out showing Caine and Griffin around."
"That's blackmail, Rick."
"Blackmail is such an ugly phrase, Nash. I prefer opportunity enhancer." Rick replies with a grin.
Nash cracks a smile as he replies. "Rick, you keep on having this type of attitude and I might just start liking you."
"Thanks Nash, nice to know I'm appreciated. But.." Before Rick can continue two Explorers pull up next to Nash and Rick. Both Nash and Rick go for their guns, but, as the front passenger gets out, both men relax.
Sean O'Hara grins as he greets two good friends. "Hello Nash, Rick are you both ready to leave? Or is there a problem?"
"No problems Sean. We're ready to go in a couple of minutes."
"Not a problem Nash. But I have a little puzzle for you, before we get on the road."
"What's the puzzle Sean?"
"Last night, me and the boys were out hunting in Oakland and found a strange sight. Four people taking on a dozen of the toothy bastards and winning hands down. After they took their leave, we got the drop on them. We brought them back to our place and started to ask questions. None of them wanted to talk. But, after Scarlet called and asked us to go down to Sunnydale for the meet today, all four started to talk. Turns out they were part of the group that help out Scarlet and Snake Eyes last time they were down there. Interesting, isn't it?"
"Very interesting. Care to introduce me to the person in charge? I'm very curious about Scarlet's friends from Sunnydale."
"Be my pleasure Nash." Sean replies as he opens the rear passenger door. "Allow me to introduce you to Miss Kyra Adams. Miss Adams, Inspector Nash Bridges, Captain of the SFPD Special Investigations Unit."
Nash looks over the lady in question and thinks to himself. < Man, this is one fine lady. What the hell is she doing hunting vampires? >
Kyra looks over Nash in turn and thinks to herself. < Cute, not as cute as Duncan, but he'll do in a pinch. >
*****
Peter Caine looks over the meeting between Rick Bettina and Nash Bridges and quietly tells his friend and partner, Kermit. "Looks like we're going to get dumped Kermit. How much do you want to bet that's want's going to happen?"
"I never take sucker bets Pete. But I'd lay on odds that something strange is going on." Kermit replies as he watches the two detectives talk to the large red haired man. < God, he's a big one. > Then he notices the face of the woman getting out o f the back of the sport utility vehicle. < Shit, she's dead. It can't be Kyra. > "Pete, that woman, she's supposed to be dead. I saw her die ten years ago."
"You sure it's her? It could someone that looks like her, Kermit."
"No, the mannerisms, the way she's speaking, it's Kyra." Kermit then turns to Pete. "I've got to talk to her. Peter, I never got a chance to tell her that I loved her."
*****
New York City - LaGuardia Airport
Connor reaches the American Airlines terminal and feels the 'Buzz' of an approaching Immortal. As he turns around, he spots two people, a man and a woman, slowly approaching him. As they draw near, Connor tells them. "I'm not interested in playing any 'Games' today. So, if you don't mind, we can discuss this after I get back."
"Buddy, I really don't care shit about the 'Game'. We've got some important business to get to in California and I don't need some idiot getting the way." Mike testily replies.
"May this business be in Sunnydale?" Connor asks, realizing that these two could be friends.
"Yeah, it is. How do you know?"
"A lovely lady named Dana called and asked for help. You two?"
"I know the lady in question. Nice to meet you. The name's Hammer, Mike Hammer. This," Hammer points to the lady next to him. "Is my student Velda Thomas. And you are?"
"Connor McLeod, of the Clan McLeod."
"Any relation to Duncan of the same clan?"
"Same clan, different vintage. I'm the better looking one." Connor replies with a roguish grin.
Velda smiles and Mike chuckles. "All you Highlanders are the same."
As they approach the American Airlines counter, Connor asks. "Can you tell me what the situation is like, in more detail?"
"Sure, not a problem. But let's get on the plane first."
At the counter all three present their tickets and the woman behind the counter smiles at Connor's first class ticket and immediately processes it. As she looks at Mike's and Velda's coach tickets, she frowns and tells them. "I'm sorry, sir, miss. But it appears as though the flight's been over booked and we're going to have to give you a later flight. The next flight leaves in three hours."
"We can't wait. We have to be in Los Angeles by four o'clock for an important meeting." Mike angrily states.
Before the woman can protest. Connor raises his hand and asks. "Is there room for them in first class?"
"Yes, sir, but they'll have to buy the first class tickets. My manager won't all me to move them up to first class, without paying for it."
"Please tell the manager that Mr. Connor McLeod is here. He'll recognize the name."
"May I ask why?" The woman's ire starts to show. < Who the hell was this guy to butt his nose in? >
"My cousin and I own a large block of voting stock in American Airlines. The manager knows me from the last stock holder's meeting."
< Right, I'm sure. > The woman thinks snidely as she reaches for the phone. < Let's see how this guy likes to have his lies thrown back into his face. > "Mr. Raines, there's a Connor McLeod out here and he wishes to see you."
"I'll be right out." Mr. Raines replies crisply.
The woman smiles smugly < He's going to get his ass chewed out in front of his friends. And I thought it was going to be a bad day. >
Mr. Raines approaches the counter and he immediately recognizes Connor. "Mr. McLeod, always a pleasure to see you. May I ask what is the difficulty?"
"Certainly," A smiling Connor replies. "Flight 544 has been over booked and my two friends have tickets for it, but the lady won't move them up to first class, without charging them for the additional fare. I don't think this is fair, do you?"
"It isn't. Miss Henderson, please issue Mr. McLeod's two associates first class tickets for Flight 544. Do you want them together?"
"Yes that would be most accommodating, we have quite a bit to discuss on the flight over."
"Thank you Mr. McLeod, and you sir, miss for flying American." Mr. Raines replies as he leaves.
Connor turns back to the woman and asks. "Are those tickets ready?"
"Yes sir, here they are." < Shit, Raines just folded up. Who the hell is this guy? >
As they leave to board the plane, Mike turns to Connor. "Thanks for the help, Connor. Let me know if I can ever return the favor."
"Knowing what we're getting into will be favor enough Mike. Duncan told me what happened five months ago, but I find it hard to believe."
"Believe me Connor, if I hadn't been there, done what I'd done, I won't either."
*****
Somewhere in Virginia - Stony Man Farm - The War Room:
The men of Phoenix Force have gathered in the War Room of the Stony Man Complex. Seated around the table were the five commandos compromising the elite anti terrorist unit, Jack Grimaldi, their pilot, Yakov 'Katz' Katzenbergen, the team strategist and Cowboy Kissinger, the unit armorer. As the men assemble, they look at each other and wonder what the emergency was.
"Gary did Mack mention anything?" David McCarter asks the unit leader.
"No David, he didn't. I'm as much in the dark as you are." Gary then turns to Yakov Katzenbergen, the unit's field strategist and former Phoenix Force team leader. "Katz, did Mack mention what all the uproar is about?"
"Not yet, but here comes Mack and Barbara."
Mack Bolan and Barbara Price enter the War Room and sit down in their respective seats. Mack begins the meeting with. "I take it all of you have heard about the raids on the vampire cult being conducted by the LAPD?"
Everyone looks at each other, wondering where this was leading to. Gary Manning asks. "What do those raids have to do with us?"
"Able Team has been participating in the raids and Carl called in a few minutes ago and gave a rather grim status report. As well as a request for backup."
"So what's the situation? The news reports have been sketchy at best."
"The news is grim and we're going to have to react quickly." Mack replies, then gives the Stony Man warriors a run down of the previous night's events.
"Mack, that is the craziest story that I have ever heard. And I've listened to McCarter's stories for the last eight years." Calvin James comments with a grin.
Mack picks up a VHS tape and puts it into the VCR. "This tape was made five months ago, in a small town in California. Watch it and tell me what you think." The group watches the tape unfold in the Sunnydale High School gym. As the tape zooms in on Mack and the two people standing on one side of the gym. David McCarter spits out his Coke. T.J. Hawkins drops his coffee mug. Mack stops the tape and asks. "David, TJ, what is it? You two look like you've seen a ghost."
"That bloke standing next to you and the girl. Who is he?" David asks in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah, that guy." T.J. mutters.
"A friend by the name of Steve St. Wolf, why?"
"That's not his name, Mack. That guy was supposed to have died fifteen years ago. Shit, he hasn't changed one bit." David McCarter replies.
"Who is he David?" Calvin James asks.
"Carson 'Cherokee' Jamieson. One of the toughest bastards that I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"How'd you meet him?" Mack asks.
"In 1980, he was part of the SAS/Green Beret exchange program. During his stint in the SAS, he was assigned to my unit. Naturally, we treated him like the delicate flower, that we knew all Green Berets were." McCarter replies with a grin, then continues, more seriously, "One night, on a patrol, our unit was ambushed by the IRA and two of us were wounded. The rest of the team was forced back and the IRA was pressing it's advantage when Jamieson grabbed up an extra rifle and went back for the wounded. That madman waded through the fire fight and carried out both men on his shoulders, firing all the way. Naturally my unit commander ordered that he be given cover fire while he carried our team mates out. After that, we retreated back and got some backup.
"By the time the Marines made it in, the IRAs were gone, leaving thirty dead behind. Our commanding officer, Brigadier McPherson, came down personally for a status report. After Captain Sinclair informed him of Jamieson's bravery, McPherson, read Jamieson the riot act about only being an observer and not participating in any action. Jamieson told the old man off and told him if the situation repeated itself, he wouldn't hesitate to do it again. McPherson ordered our unit to stand down and return to base. Three days later we were ordered to muster out in our dress uniforms. Brigadier McPherson then showed up and walked up to Jamieson and presented him a Victoria Cross. He was transferred back to the States shortly after that. In 1983, Jamieson, supposedly died, saving a group of kids from a nutcase armed with an AK-47. When we heard what happened, my unit lifted a glass to him, in memory, at the Lion's Pride Pub. That's the last we heard of him, until now."
Mack turns to T.J. and asks. "T.J., where do you know Steve from?"
"When I first joined the Rangers, he was the base martial arts champion. Being a smart ass, I tried to take him on in hand to hand. After he beat the crap out of me, he set me straight and took me under his wing. About two months later, he left, his enlistment was up. But, in that time he taught me a lot." .
Mack turns to Aaron 'Bear' Kurtzman, Stony Man's computer expert. "Bear, can you pull up Jamieson's file?"
"Already done it. Do you want the gist of it or everything?"
"Give us a run down. Start with his commendations."
"Two silver stars, three bronze, two purple hearts, the Victoria Cross and he was nominated for the Medal of Honor."
"Why was he nominated for the Medal?" Calvin James asks.
"According to his file, he carried one of his wounded team mates through eight miles of jungle to their landing zone, after completing their mission. After he reached the LZ, he left his team mates and went back to recover the body of their commanding officer, a first lieutenant Joshua Henderson, who was fresh out of training and on his first classified mission. He brought the lieutenant's body back and Captured one of the leaders of the Columbian drug gang they were taking out. In his report, Jamieson gave the lieutenant all of the credit for the successful mission. Jamieson's team mates reported his valor and courage. Their commanding officer, a Captain Ritter, nominated him for the Medal. The lieutenant's father, a Colonel Henderson, co-sponsored the nomination. It was shot down by some CIA big shot, due to the classified nature of the mission." Bear continues to scan the text, then he lets out a low whistle. "Mack, this guy completed one hundred and thirty one missions, no failures. And he always brought his men back, wounded or dead."
The War Room is silent as Bear finishes. Mack clears his throat and continues the video tape. The group watches as almost two hundred vampires enter the gym and face the trio. They watch in awe as the battle starts and how quickly it's fought. Near the end of the battle, Calvin James asks. "What's happening to them? How come there are no bodies?"
Mack pauses the tape and explains. "When a vampire is made, the human being is killed. A demon then takes over the body and basically animates the corpse. When the demon is destroyed, the body immediately breaks down."
"How do you destroy the demon?" Raphael Encizno asks.
"Various ways. But as the video tape shows, we initially used fire to kill about a third of them, then, we moved in with swords and wooden stakes. We killed them by beheading them with the swords or stabbing them in the heart with wooden stakes."
"Damn, talk about up close and personal." David McCarter cracks. "Are we going to have to go toe to toe as well?"
"No, Steve and his people have come up with a wooden bullet. It has to be fired into the heart of the vampire for it to be effective, but I don't think that you'll have a problem with that. Effective range is approximately 100 yards and it breaks up after it hits the vampires, so no collateral damage will be done."
"Mack, who are those other people there? Especially the girl who was standing next to you and St. Wolf.? She couldn't be over eighteen years old. < Damn, it couldn't happen again. I hope to God that girl is not a Slayer. > What is that child doing there?" Barbara Price asks, angry that someone so young should be exposed to such violence..
Mack looks over the room and lets out a low sigh. "They're friends of Steve St. Wolf. I was at Casey Romaine's place with three other friends, when he got the call from St. Wolf. After St. Wolf convinced Casey to come and help, Casey convinced us to lend a hand. The rest were called in by St. Wolf. The girl is Buffy Summers and she's what's called a Slayer. And before you ask, she was fighting vampires for two years, before Steve came into the picture."
Barbara shudders as she looks at Mack's cavalier attitude about the Slayer. < Two years? How could that child fight vampires for two years and live. My aunt barely lasted four months. What is so special about this girl? >
"Slayers are myths." Yakov Katzenbergen replies, unconvinced at his own statement.
"What are they, Katz?" Gary Manning asks.
"They're supposedly girls given the strength, speed and skill to hunt and kill vampires. Hebrew legends talk about them. But I never believed the myths, until now."
"Believe them Katz. She's the real thing." Mack replies to a silent room. "Now, we've got to get to the Sunnydale Motor Lodge by 1600 PST to rendevous with the rest of the people and Able Team. Cowboy, break out extra weapons in 9mm, 45 cal. and 308, plus extra magazines."
"Are we going to be fighting with the people on the tape?" Cowboy asks.
"Probably, but Steve has more access to assets this time and so far we have the following people involved. Two LAPD SWAT teams, respectively the Rangers and Zombies, about fifty uniformed LAPD officers. A ninja clan called the Storm Shadows, a half dozen FBI agents and thirty members of a Black Ops Group called Section Seven called in by St. Wolf, as well as Steve's group, of about a dozen."
"Mack, that's a small army. Are we really needed?" Katz asks.
"Yes, at best estimates they'll be facing about three hundred vampires. And this time the vampires will be expecting them. So we are going. Any questions?"
"Yeah, is it all right if we call in John Trent? After all, they have their ninjas, so why can't we have our own?" Gary Manning replies with a grin.
"All right, but tell him only to meet us at the Motor Lodge. We'll tell him everything there. Am I clear?"
"You got it, Mack." Gary replies as the meeting breaks up.
*****
Barbara and Mack hang back and talk. "I'm going with you, Mack."
"Barbara, this is going to be one of the most dangerous mission that we've ever undertaken. Please stay behind."
"Mack, I just saw a seventeen year old girl fight a large number of vampires. If she can do it, then I can as well."
"Barbara, Buffy has been hunting and killing vampires and demons since she was fifteen. I have no control over that, but I do have some control over this mission, and I want you to stay behind."
Barbara's eye flash as she angrily tells him. "Mack, I'm no child and I was a top operative for the CIA, before I met you. And this is something that I want to do. I owe it to my aunt."
"What does your aunt have to do with this?" Mack asks, curious.
"She was a Slayer, Mack. Some vampires butchered her four months after she became the Slayer. Her Watcher, that conceited French bastard, told us that she died well. I don't want the same thing happening to this girl."
"Of that you have nothing to worry about." Mack replies with a mischievous grin. < God, if she only knew Buffy was an Immortal, she'd kill me. >
*****
San Francisco - Apartment of John Trent
John walks over to his telephone and quietly asks. "Hello, who is this?"
"John, Calvin James here. We need you for another mission. You available?"
John takes a deep breath and looks over his apartment/Dojo, still empty of students and replies. "Yes Calvin, I'm available. Where do I meet you?"
"The Sunnydale Motor Lodge. Can you make it by 1400 hours?"
"I can make it two hours. Do you want me to leave now?"
"Sure, and get us five double rooms."
'Why five double rooms?"
"Because Mack, Barbara, Cowboy and Grimaldi are joining us on this mission."
"That's a lot of people and fire power James, can I ask what the mission is?"
"We'll tell you when we get there. Then you can make up your mind."
"All right James, I'll be there. Bye."
*****
Casey Romaine's Montana Ranch
The six men spread across the living room in various stages of a drunken stupor are suddenly awakened by the loudest noise that any of them has ever heard. Casey's extra large air horn. Gus Beiderman reaches for an empty holster to shoot the individual responsible for the unwelcome noise. After finding his holster empty, Gus opens his eyes and asks in a German accented voice. "Casey, my friend, please stop with the noise. I'm too old to be woken up this early, yes?"
Casey grins as the rest of his house guests slowly wake up. He watches as Glam, his oldest friend, looks dazedly around himself. < Probably looking for another beer. >
Hurvolf and Richard Blade look up from a drunken stupor and Richard asks. "What's the problem Casey? Why are you waking us up this early for?"
Casey grins as he tells them. "I just had a phone call." Richard Blade blanches.
"Not from Steve St. Wolf, I hope." Richard asks, remembering the last time that Casey started out like that.
Casey's grin spreads as tells Richard. "God Richard, you must be psychic. That's exactly who called and asked for some help. You interested?"
Richard looks at Casey and evenly replies. "You should know, by now, Casey that I'm always interested in protecting the innocent. So what's the mission this time? More vampires?"
Casey nods and grins as he turns on the television to CNN. The top story is the raids on the vampire cult in Los Angeles. The men watch in horror as the number of dead innocents is read off by the news caster.
Ex-Green Beret, Jim Gilbride watches in horror and asks. "What the fuck happened in LA?"
Casey then gives them the situation report given to him by Steve St. Wolf. After he finishes, Hurvolf asks. "Are we going to help, then?"
"Only if you want to. Understand that there will be above fifty Immortals there and they've all agreed not to play in the 'Game'. So you won't have to worry about your heads. And you'll be expected to honor their wishes in that regard as well."
"Casey, I think that I speak for all of us here, when I say that none of us ever wanted to play the 'Game'. And after I received that manuscript and it's translation, I've had even less of an appetite for it." Teacher replies as suddenly every Immortal in the room stiffens and moves to their swords.
"Hello, my love. I'm back." A voice replies from behind Casey.
Casey turns to one of the most beautiful sights in his long life. His wife, Lida was back from Europe. "When did you get back?" His friends relax and stop reaching for their swords.
"Just a couple of minutes ago. And I brought a pair of old friends." Lida replies with a smile as two women enter the room.
The look they give the men, in various stages of sobriety, causes them much discomfort. Finally the red head comments. "I see that your parties haven't changed much in the last fifteen hundred years. And you taste in friends hasn't improved, either." She replies, noticing Glam and Hurvolf.
"Hello Sonja, Gabrielle, where have the two of you been for the last twenty years?" Casey asks with a grin. < God, these two haven't changed one bit. They could still strip a man's hide off with just a glare. >
"Trapped by a rock slide in the Himalayas. We were searching for a manuscript which told of the secret to the 'Game'. We were just freed by another rockslide about a year ago and went to Paris to recover and catch up on what's happened while we were out." Sonja replies.
"Would this happen to be the manuscript that you were searching for?" Teacher asks, handing them a photo copy of the Krevar manuscript.
Both women look over the photo copy and then Gabrielle asks. "Where did you get this copy from? And where is the original? Who provided this to you?"
"I don't know. It was overnighted to me about five months ago. Who ever sent it, sent a translation as well." Teacher hands over the translation. "Along with a note saying that I have to make up my own mind about it's veracity. For some reason, I believe that it's the real thing."
Sonja and Gabrielle shake their heads and mutter. "Who could have translated this? It's in Hyborean. No one but you or me even knows that language existed. And who found it? The temple was supposed to be a death trap for anyone who entered it. Mortal or Immortal."
While the Sonja and Gabrielle are discussing the manuscript, Casey is looking at the wall and grins. < Should I tell them or better yet, let them stew for a while? The right thing to do would be to tell them, but then where would the fun be? >
Lida, standing off to the side notices her husband's grin. < Damn, Casca knows something. And he's going let Sonja and Gabrielle suffer. Not this time my husband. These two are my oldest and dearest friends. > "Sonja, I think maybe Casca knows something."
Casey's head snaps back to his wife, with a pleading look in his eyes. "Lida, how would I know anything about that manuscript. You know that I've never interfered in the affairs of the Immortals." The three women walk deliberately toward Casey and he backs up against a wall. He calls over to his friends. "Are you going let them do this to me? What sort of friends are you?"
"The kind who know when not to interfere in a situation." Teacher replies with a lop sided grin attached to his face, enjoying Casey's discomfort, immensely.
"And the kind who know that if we do, we won't have our balls, shortly there after." Hurvolf replies with a grin.
Richard, Glam, Jim and Gus, meanwhile are falling over in spasms of laughter. Gus gets enough wind back to tell Casey. "Oh my dear friend, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. But never worry, I will sing of your bravery to the world." Gus then turns to the other Immortals. "Now, any of you care to bet how long Casey can take it?"
Casey's back hits the wall and he finds himself surrounded by his wife and her two friends. Lida leans in and sweetly asks. "Now Casca, please tell our friends who found the manuscript and where they can find this person or," Lida reaches down and caresses Casey in a very sensitive spot. "You will never share my bed again."
"But Lida, my love. We've been married for fifteen centuries. Can't I have a little fun at Sonja's and Gabrielle's expense? After all, they've constantly pulled shit like this on me."
"No, my husband, you may not, this time. They've been through a lot and they need to finish this quest. So tell them or else." Lida's hand stops caressing and suddenly squeezes.
Casey gasps out an. "Ompf," then Lida stops squeezing. Casey looks into her eyes and sees no mercy there, then he looks at Sonja and Gabrielle and finds no relief there either. He, then looks over to his so-called 'friends' and watches as they bet on how long it'll take Lida to crack his resolve. < Screw it. Lida's right, they should meet Steve St. Wolf. After all, what are friends for? And Wanderer should be cursed with this precious pair. > Casey's mouth splits into an evil grin as he tells his wife and her two friends. "The man's name is Steve St. Wolf."
Hurvolf screams out, "Pay me suckers, I knew Lida would get it out of him in no time." The rest of Casey's friends grumble, but fork over the money.
Gus looks over to Casey as he pays Hurvolf and yells out, in disgusted tone of voice. "Some man you are Casey. You couldn't even hold out for ten minutes, so I could win the bet."
Lida and her two friends don't pay any attention to Hurvolf and the rest of Casey's friends, as a shocked and disbelieving Lida asks. "Not the same Steve St. Wolf that you curse so much about? The same man who dragged you to Libya? And who you swore to kill the next time you saw him?"
Casey nods his head in agreement. "Yes, that Steve St. Wolf. But I never said I'd kill him. Just beat the hell out of him."
Sonja and Gabrielle share a grin and a thought. < Anyone who pisses Casca off this much, we've got to meet. If only to compare notes and methods. >
"Where do we find him?" Sonja asks.
"You don't. We're going to join him."
"May I ask what are you going to be doing with Mr. St. Wolf." Lida asks, suddenly suspicious.
"Since you flew in from Europe, I take it you haven't had a chance to see the news yet?"
"No, we haven't. Why?"
Casey turns on the TV to CNN again. "Take a look at what's happening in Los Angeles. While my so-called friends gather together the weapons that we'll need for the mission."
The three women watch the news reports for several minutes and Lida is in shock at the carnage caused by these so-called cultists. Sonja and Gabrielle are more reserved and ask. "What or who could have caused these mass murders?"
"Vampires trying to raise the Aztec God of War." Casey replies, then explains the situation to the three women, including the plans for that night and the rendevous. Then Casey calls the airport and makes arrangements to fly out to Sunnydale on his private Lear Jet.
*****
Kyra and Nash are discussing the trip to Sunnydale, when Nash feels a hand on his shoulder and someone mutters. "Excuse me, but I have to talk to the lady."
Nash turns and sees that it's one of the Toronto detectives. The one with the sun glasses, asking him to move away from Kyra. Nash looks over to Kyra and she quietly nods her head and Nash, Rick and Sean move away, leaving them alone. Kyra looks over Kermit and asks. "So, Kermit, what brings you to San Francisco?"
"An exchange program, between the SF PD and the Toronto PD. But enough about me. How in the hell did you survive? When I last saw you, you were shot at least a dozen times."
"Would you believe good living and a little bit of luck?"
"No."
"Then, you don't need to know." Kyra replies in a cold tone as she turns around and tells Nash. "Inspector Bridges, we're leaving now. We'll meet you at the rendevous."
"You got it sister." Nash replies, then he turns to Rick Bettina. "Listen Rick, these two are your responsibility, so keep a rein on them. We'll see you tomorrow and give you a run down on what happened."
Rick relents. "All right Nash, I'll keep an eye on our two guests. But I don't like being left out of the fight like this."
"Sorry Rick, but we need some one here to handle any emergencies that come up and you're it."
"Understood Nash. I'll see you tomorrow. Have a good trip." Rick replies as Nash gets into his car and the convoy leaves, headed south. As they leave, Rick mutters under his breath, "I'll see you as soon as I lose these two."
"You won't loose us that easily." Kermit replies, standing just behind Rick.
Rick jumps, turns and sputters. "How the hell did you sneak up behind me?"
"I was a mercenary soldier for ten years, and before that, I was Special Operations." Kermit replies. "Now, do you know where are those people going?"
"Yeah, I know where they're going, but I can't tell you."
"All right then, you can take us." Peter Caine replies.
Rick thinks about it for a minute. < Well, Nash never told me not to go to Sunnydale. Why not? > "All right, but I drive."
Kermit looks at Peter and smiles. "All right, you can drive."
"Good, then let's go. We have to be at the Sunnydale Motor Lodge by four o'clock." Rick replies as he heads to his car, followed by the two Toronto detectives.
*****
Frank Parker wakes up from his latest trip and takes off his helmet. He quickly gets up and leaves the sphere and strips off his flight suit. He looks around and finds himself in Kansas City, Kansas. He spots a pay phone and calls in. "This is Conundrum. I'm presently in Kansas City, Kansas. Have a recovery team get the sphere."
The operator puts him through to Talmadge and the rest of the mission teams as she replies. "Understood Conundrum."
In the mission office the team gathers around a speaker phone and a gray haired project director named Talmadge asks. "All right Frank. Can you tell us the nature of the emergency?"
"We have a code red. Have Donovan get together as many SeALs as he can and meet me in Los Angeles. I can't explain it now. The clock is ticking and we have to be in Los Angeles before six o'clock today to stop a major disaster."
"Understood Frank. Do you need anything else?"
"Yeah, keep everybody else away. If this goes bad, we might have to nuke Los Angeles."
"Frank, you can't be serious."
"Yes Sir, I am. If this situation goes south then have the President drop a bomb on Los Angeles. I'll call back with the coordinates later." Frank replies, then hangs up and flags down a cab.
To Be Continued...
