Unknown Factors (Book One)

Ch.92: Please turn on your magic beam

  There was a clattering behind us as Caleb broke through the trapdoor. Turning so that our backs weren't to him, Buffy and I watched as he came closer.

  "So, you found it. Not impressed. 'Cause the question now, girlie-girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there and-" He cut himself off as Buffy picked up the ax with such ease. Caleb was even more worried now, nervously laughing as he looked at Buffy. Whatever this ax was, it scared him. "Darn. Now, before you go hurtin' yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?"

  "Yeah? You want it?" Buffy asked.

  "Heh, you don't even know what you got there." Caleb actually took a step back as the Slayer shifted her hold on the weapon.

  "I know you're backing away." She took a step forward, and Caleb backed up more.

  "You think wielding some two-sided doodad's gonna make a difference?"

  "I think it is. You reek of fear." My nose twitched. "And anxiety with a hint of booze." Caleb clenched his jaw, and his head turned to the side slightly as if he were listening to something.

  "I let them go, she slices me open with that thing." The pseudo-priest said, speaking to neither of us, so more than likely talking to The First. "I'm not lettin' her out of here with that thing." My eyes shot to the corner, seeing The First in the form of Spike. His head jerked toward the broken trapped door, and I narrowed my eyes.

  The First was letting us go. Why?

  "Come on, Buffy." I waved my hand to the Slayer, and she followed me out. Caleb didn't move a muscle to stop us.

~

  Hearing screaming, I busted through the floor, shifting into my true form as my hair turned to flames. Landing in a crouch, I roared while baring my fangs before tackling a Turok Han that had Kennedy by the throat. I heard Buffy drop down through the hole behind me, taking out a bunch of the uber-vamps with the ax as I burned the one I had taken down. Spinning on my heel as I got back up, I called out to Buffy.

  "Go low!" The blonde rolled out of the way of the last Turok Han, swinging the ax at his legs as I leapt and rammed my burning cranium into the back of his head like a mountain goat. My brain felt like it rattled in my skull, but my head was apparently harder as the fire burnt away the vampire's flesh and brain through his cracked skull. Burning dust fell to the dirty ground, and the four uber-vamps were dead.

  "Get the wounded. We're leaving." Buffy told the girls huddled in the corner.

  "Are there more?"

  "There's always more." My tail flicked to the side as I looked over my shoulder at them.

  "Let's move." Buffy nodded, and we dug through the rubble to save whoever was left alive. In our absence, Faith had taken a fraction of the girls to follow a lead they had gotten from a Bringer that turned out to be a trap. There had been a bomb, and from the looks of things, they hadn't made it out before it had gone off.

  Getting home, the house looked like an infirmary. We couldn't take anyone to the hospital simply because no one was even there. Those that were well enough or already at the house were seeing to the injured. Pops and Xander were carrying Faith up the stairs as she was out cold, and I was right on their heels.

  "Just get her in the bed and bring me a bowl of water and a rag, I'll take care of the rest." I told them as they went to Buffy's room. "You- get me a needle from a medkit. Try to get a 16 gauge." I pointed at one of the potentials in the room as the two men laid Faith down as gently as they could. Turning my braid into a bun, I then rolled up my sleeves and carefully got the brunette Slayer out of her jacket.