FIC: Darkest Before the Dawn (1/?)

[~~Kimber <kacoe@xxxxxxx>]

TITLE: Darkest Before the Dawn (1/?)
AUTHOR: Kimber (kacoe@xxxxxxx)
DISCLAIMER: All BTVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.

PAIRING: Multi-Slash pairings
RATING: R or NC17. . .mostly for language but there might be a few
naughty situations thrown in there for my amusement.
SUMMARY: This is set in an alternate universe. Two Wiccans have been
captured by the Initiative (theyre evil) and its up to the chosen two
to save them. Throw in a not-so-wacky vamp on a deserted island and,
well. . .read on to find out exactly what happens!
SPOILERS: Everything is fair game, including season 5 speculations.
DISTRIBUTION: Pat Kelly, Rodrigo, Gary Thompson, Syrenslure,
Serendipity and J&J Xena Site. Anyone else, e-mail me please.
AUTHORS NOTES: This is in response to a challenge Shadowlander offered
me. Be afraid, be very afraid. See what happens when you put the two
of us together for way too long? Ive been officially corrupted, but in
a good way. Any complaints about my decent into darkness can be
directed to her. *rofl*
<&> denotes thoughts. - ((&)) denotes dreams. - *&* denotes emphasis.

-----------
Sunnydale, CA - Night

A thick murky fog descended upon the unsuspecting town of Sunnydale. It
moved swiftly and with purpose. The moonlight danced across the
cemetery adding an even creepier effect found only in old black and
white Hitchcock movies.

But this was no movie, this was real. If she had any doubt about that,
all shed have to do is look at her scrapped knees and feel the blood
trickling down her forehead. Her eyes darted back and forth. . .they
were close, so close. Her thoughts consisted of only three things:
<Run. . .Hide. . .Find Buffy>. She repeated these words over and over
like a mantra in her head, even as she felt the dart pierce her skin and
the darkness descended behind her eyes. <Run. . .Hide. . .Find Buffy>.

--------

He paced back and forth across the white tiled room. Again he checked
his watch. If all had gone according to plan, the team would have
retrieved her by now and they were on their way back. He stopped short
in front of a two way mirror and smiled. Huddled on the floor was a
girl. She looked meek and alone and afraid but. . .looks can be
deceiving. She was powerful and he lost three of his men as a testament
to it. Her blonde hair covered her face and she shivered.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by footsteps coming down the
corridor. His second in command approached him and saluted.

HST caught and bagged, sir.

Very good Agent. Casualties?

None, sir. Where would you like the HST housed?

He hesitated for a moment. In the same containment unit as the first.

You want them together, sir?

You heard me. I want to see just what were up against and this is the
best way to find out. Its a controlled environment.

Yes, sir, Agent Finn, sir. The Agent saluted again and marched off.

<This will be interesting. Very interesting indeed.> He mused to
himself. Captured, finally captured after all this time. It was a
difficult operation and took almost a year to work, but was well worth
it. In his possession, he now had two certified witches. Operating
under the guise of a normal college student, he befriended the Slayer,
and along with her came the cream of the crop. Yes, it was like a wet
dream! He smiled thinking about everything hed learned in the past
year. Not only were the witches going to be a commodity to the
Initiative, but after the Slayer found out about their capture, well. .
.shed have no choice but to work for them too. That is if she ever
wanted to see them alive again. The Slayer was always thought of as a
mythical creature, something made up to balance out and fight against
the forces of evil in this world. When the military found out that she
was real, there was no way they could pass up getting close. What an
amazing experience it will be to study her and learn from her genetic
make-up and anatomy. If they could isolate what made her preternatural
then it could be duplicated. Soon there would be a literal army of
Slayers, unstoppable and able to recover in one tenth of the time it
took a normal soldier.

Footsteps could be heard approaching again. He turned and saw two
agents dragging a lifeless body down the hall. He unlocked the door as
they approached. They gruffly tossed her into the room and saluted to
him, waiting for further instructions.

Turn on the surveillance cameras. Dismissed.

He looked through the two way mirror again. The blonde had just lifted
her head and noticed that she had company. Looking around cautiously,
she inched over to the lifeless body on the floor just a few feet away.
<Let the games begin.> He smiled then walked away.

-------------

Teufeln Insel (Devils Island)  Midnight

((In a long hallway, it looks almost like a hospital ward. She can feel
the tension pulsing through the air and almost has to physically push
through it. Voices carry from around the corner and she jumps into a
closet just in time.

. . .HSTs room 3?

Yeah, just in. You should see the look on his face. It took a year,
but. . can you imagine the service awards well get? Capturing two
witches alive? Laughter.

Yeah, you know I was wondering about that redhead. . .

She strained to hear the rest of the conversation, but the two men were
long gone. Carefully she opened the door a crack and peeked out. <Room
3.>

After wandering about for what seemed like forever, she came across
another hallway, much like the other six she just walked through. This
one had ten or more doors lining the walls with windows next to each.
On a hunch, she walked over to the third door and peered through the
window.

On the floor she saw them and gasped. <No, it cant be.> A blonde girl
was stroking a redheads face. A redhead that looked like Willow, well,
if you got rid of the cuts and bruises on her arms and the dried blood
caked across her face. She began banging on the window but realized
quickly that it was two way and sound-proof.

Again footsteps came echoing through her ears, this time too many to
count. She hid around the corner and peeked out. There were six of
them. One unlocked the door to Room 3 and the others stepped inside.

She pressed herself against the wall and heard the struggle, hear the
screams. Three or four loud thuds reverberated in her ears and she
winced. Shes caused that sound so many times that she recognized it
immediately. A blunt object, probably a billy club or a baton
connecting with some part of the body. She guessed it was the head,
because the screams ceased.

She risked another look just in time to see them being carried away down
the other end of the hall. Panicked and very un-Slayer-like, she took
off in a full sprint after them. She couldnt let those bastards harm
Willow and her friend, she just couldnt. She reached the group and
wildly started to kick and punch only to find it was in vain. Her fists
went right through them, as if she were a ghost. She dropped to her
knees and screamed and screamed and screamed.))

She sat bolt upright in terror. Sweat was lazily running its course
down her face and her shirt clung to her chest. She was breathing
heavily and her did a little dance in their sockets, looking for any
sign of movement or threat.

Dreaming again I see. A disembodied voice called out from the other
room.

Shit.

What did I tell you about your language? Just because you got here on
a boat doesnt mean you have to act like a sailor. She walked, or even
glided, into the room and looked down at the condition of the other
woman. It was one of *those* dreams, wasnt it? She knelt down and
pushed some hair away from the girls face. Tell mommy what you see.

Trouble. Sunnydale. She closed her eyes tightly then opened them
again. I have to go. She got up and began to move about the room
immediately searching for clothes to stuff into a backpack.

Im coming with you.

She turned and shook her head. No. Its more than prophetic. This
one is personal. I need to do it alone. She slipped her arms into the
thick motorcycle jacket and put a stake in the inside pocket  just in
case. She turned back to the woman who was silently observing her.
Dont look at me like that. Fuck. She shook her head in
exasperation. Dont you see this is still my job? You could have
taken me to a goddamned island off the coast of Hong Kong and Id still
have to go. No sense in arguing about it *again*. Am I clear?

She nodded her head almost imperceptibly. Take care young one. Your
not immortal. A small smile played across her lips. Not yet
anyway. She rose in one graceful fluid movement and approached the
girl. Try not to get yourself too mortally injured  I had an awful
time healing you after the last incident with the fungus demon. Am *I*
clear?

She smiled and caressed the womans cheek. Five by five. She grabbed
her bag and ran off towards the docks.

------------

Sunnydale, CA  Pre-dawn

On her knees, as the morning dew clung to her clothes, she rocked
herself back and forth and cried silent tears. In her hands she held
the only clue shed found in the frantic search for her best friend  a
pentagram necklace. She calmed herself after a few moments and rose to
her feet  looking around at nothing in particular, she began walking
towards the exit gate of the Peaceful Rest cemetery.

The overwhelming reality of the nights events suddenly struck her and
she broke out into a full run towards the dormitory. Once considered a
safe-haven, she dreaded going back there now but knew she had to. She
had to retrace her steps for what seemed like the millionth time. Maybe
she missed something, maybe the events didnt transpire the way she
thought they did. After all, shed run the scene through her mind over
and over. Maybe she missed something, just maybe Riley hadnt two-timed
her and it was all a sick practical joke.

She took the stairs three at a time and burst through the door marked
214. She stopped dead in her tracks. The room was  perfect. It was
as if she and Willow didnt even live there. She looked around for any
sign of the struggle she was involved in over night, but there was none.

Buffy Summers closed the door and slid down it, resting her head on her
knees. She began to cry again, but quickly turned off the waterworks
and leapt towards the phone.

Giles. Giles will know what to do. She muttered to herself as she
dialed the numbers she knew by heart. Giles! Willows gone!. . .The
Initiative, Riley they took Tara too. Im coming over. She hung up
the phone and realized that she only gave him the chance to say hello.
No matter, thered be plenty of time to explain when she got there.

Quickly she stuffed some clean clothing into a duffel bag. A shower
sounded really good about now  well, a shower and about a weeks worth
of sleep, but there was no time to waste. Willow was in danger and Tara
too. She bolted out the door in much the same fashion she entered it
and sped down the hall. On thought kept her going all night and it was
that same thought that allowed her to sprint all the way to Giles
apartment without pause. <Willow captured. Willow captured. Willow. .
.>

to be continued. . .

Well? What do you think? Should I keep going or. . .*grin*

--
----------------------------
http://www.kimbers-corner.net
----------------------------
Your humble bard,
~~Kimber
(sig thinks it's a comedian. . .)
"One out of every ten people is born to give the other nine trouble.
Guess what number I am."

"Seduce my mind and you can have my body but find my soul and I'm yours
forever" -- "To be loved is to be fortunate, but to be hated is to
achieve distinction." -- "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and
it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems
like a minute. That's relativity." -- "Love is friendship set on
fire." -- "Everybody is somebody else's weirdo." -- "I refuse to
enter a battle of the wits with you. It's against my morals to attack
an unarmed person." -- "I'm like a mosquito in a nudist camp; I know
what I should to do, but I dont know where to start!" -- Reality is a
just temporary illusion caused by a lack of alcohol in the
bloodstream." -- "I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have
been more specific." -- "I like long walks, especially when taken by
people who annoy me." -- "Madness takes its toll. Please have exact
change." -- "There is a fine line between the sane and the insane. I
walk that line. Walk with me."