My Destiny is You

Ch. 12 ~ Showtime

                They decided on day time to head to hell. Night time would be all too predictable. Everyone gathered at Buffy's house for last minute fine points. The slayers were ready as were the rest of the gang. Wesley, Gunn, Dawn, Tara, and Fred were going to hold down the base while the others jumped into the rabbit hole/portal Willow was going to create. Connor was returning to Stanford; the campus was operational again and all was fixed to look like new after the pipe explosion. He was none too happy about that but Angel reassured him that Dawn would call him as soon as they returned.

"You mean if you return." Connor grumbled looking down.

"When we return, son." Angel said quietly and enveloped his son in a hug that Connor didn't resist as the others watched discreetly. Angel watched, Connor get into his car and with a last glance at his dad, drive off.

"Ok who has the finger?" Buffy asked as Faith produced Lorne's missing digit that Clem had given to them.

"Good. That should help us locate Lorne in that dimension like a compass of sorts." Buffy nodded.

"Now what?" Spike asked. Buffy turned to Willow and nodded.

"Ready Will?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Willow said and took a deep breath.

        They walked into the tunnels and stopped in the middle where they could all fit. They had said their goodbyes to the others previously and there were some tears and well wishes. It seemed they were saying goodbyes way too often. Sooner or later this had to end. 11 some odd apocalypses were just too many for any group of people even if they happened to have super natural strengths. They decided on the tunnels so Angel and Spike wouldn't fry in the sun as it was around 2pm.

        Willow started chanting something in some unknown language as she was holding the book with the characters that Connor had deciphered with Dawn's help. She sprinkled some kind of dust and her eyes turned black. Everyone had their weapons with them; Buffy had her scythe, some had swords, daggers, crossbows and such. Suddenly, with a blast of wind, a portal opened in front of them and with a look at the others Buffy, stepped through it first followed closely by Angel.

        The path between earth and this dimension was windy and buffeted from all sides as they tried to maintain their footing, but they soldiered on. Finally they were spit out into a dark world full of caverns, smoke, fire, and rocks. They looked around and at each other as Faith said softly:

"This way....the finger is twitching. Lorne must be this way."

            The others followed on silent feet; they kept to small clumps keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. They entered a small opening in a cave and heard voices. They quickly hid behind rocks as shadowy figures in robes passed them. They heard a shriek as Angel whispered:

"Lorne! They're torturing him. We have to get to him now!" He looked with agonized eyes at Buffy who nodded and they slowly left their hiding places and followed where the shrieks were coming from. What they saw horrified and saddened them.

            Lorne was suspended from the ceiling by chains that were cutting the circulation of his green skin. He had been whipped, beaten, burned, and stabbed. He was barely alive. His face was swollen beyond recognition. He didn't even have the volume to scream anymore. Buffy nodded at Illyria who quickly came into view and incinerated Lorne's tormentors before they could even blink. Then Angel, Buffy, and Spike moved quickly to take Lorne off the ceiling. He thought something new was going to happen to him and was just about to shriek hoarsely again, when he heard:

"Lorne, shhh buddy, it's Angel and Spike. Don't yell. We've come to take you home." Lorne was stunned as one of his not too swollen eyes rolled around and landed on Angel's face.

"Is this a trick? This has to be a trick. They create memories and dreams that turn into nightmares." He moaned hoarsely. Angel and Spike looked each other and Spike shrugged so then Angel started humming 'Mandy'. About the 10th second in, Lorne cut him off:

"Ok ok, you're real; I believe you...please stop singing. I've been tortured mentally here too."

            Buffy made a little giggling noise as Angel looked at all of them with annoyance as Lorne realized that Spike and Angel had not come alone but were with a whole battalion of women. He recognized Illyria but that was about it. Buffy who could sing a lot better, started humming a tune and Lorne realized then who she was and who the others were. It was quicker than explaining. The slayers had come to rescue him and even the blue one was there, though she stood off to the side. Suddenly, something shrieked up above.

"Run!" Buffy yelled and the group made a hasty exit toward the path they came from but they were cut off by the cloaked figures. They turned the other way and ran a short distance with Angel carrying Lorne and found themselves in the center of the cavern which was totally surrounded by hooded figures and the slayers quickly took out their weapons and took positions. Suddenly, the robes parted and 3 beings came forward. They were nasty looking unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Angel and the others looked at each other and knew they were looking at the Senior Partners in the flesh and gore.

"Bravo." One of them said clapping with his heavily talloned hands; if you could call them that.

"We must give you credit, you almost got away with your precious flunky here. But we knew sooner or later you'd come after him. Bleeding hearts, you are. Soon you won't have hearts to bleed for anyone." Another said. They all had deep, dark, alien like voices.

"Take them out. Just make it as slow and painful as possible." The third said laughing darkly. As the hooded figures attacked the gang, Buffy looked Faith and nodded:

"Showtime."

            With a swing of her scythe she took out 4 robed figures as the slayers started chopping. It was an even fight as both sides started falling. 3 slayers got decapitated by one masked figure that seemed to have some superb karate skills as Buffy watched in horror. Just as the gang seemed to be gaining the upper hand, Faith noticed Illyria stop fighting and look at her hands and then at them and the Senior Partners. Something was happening to her.

            All of a sudden, a bright flash lit up the cavern and everyone stopped and held their hands up until the light vanished and the SP's were laughing. When everyone looked to where the SP's were looking and laughing evilly, they gasped. Instead of Illyria in Fred's shell, there stood 20 feet tall Illyria with tentacles. The real Illyria was back. She was a beast, a monster; unrecognizable save for that one picture Wesley showed them back at Wolfram & Hart.

"Evil is never fully flushed out. The Old One knows where the power lies and whose side to be on. Thank you for bringing her to us, now she will make a great ally." One of the SP's said gleefully.

        He nodded at Illyria who used her massive tentacles to shove Buffy and most of the others against the walls of the cavern. Spike was the only one who was spared as he looked at her in disbelief.

"You gave us your word to trust you, Illyria." He shrieked at her. She laughed and just before using a claw he didn't see coming to send him flying, she said:

"I lied."

To be continued...