Learning Curve
by rebelrsr
Chapter Twenty-One
[reviews]
Disclaimer: All things Buffy belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and lots of people in expensive suits. I'm not making any money here, just trying to create a happier Buffyverse for my favorite characters.
Spoilers, etc.: I altered the timeline of "The Yoko Factor," "Primeval," and Angel the Series "Sanctuary" with reckless abandon. It's mostly AU from here. Thanks to the best beta crew: Desirata41, Zenithar, and Zigpal I couldn't do it without you.
A/N: Thoughts enclosed by **. Flashbacks enclosed by //.
Archiving: By permission only.
The Scoobies marched through the base labyrinth of corridors under heavy guard. No one said anything, but Tara could sense the rising fear from the others. She glanced at the brunette Slayer at her side. The teen looked bored to death at the situation, walking with hands stuffed in pockets. Under the surface, however, Faith was a seething mass of anger and fear. It was a scary combination given the girl's history. Moving closer to the Dark Slayer, the blonde witch surreptitiously took the other girl's hand.
Faith tensed, but didn't pull away. Finally, they were led into a large room filled with computers, wall-mounted display screens, and a handful of military personnel. Their "escort" stopped in front of a conference table strewn with papers and maps. One of the guards tossed the duffel of equipment onto the table, and the older man waiting there opened it.
As he pawed through the weapons and climbing gear, Buffy said, "Colonel-"
"Shut up," the man snapped. "Do you and your friends think you can just keep sneaking in here?"
"Colonel, you have to listen to me," the blonde tried again.
"The Corps isn't in the habit of letting civilians waltz into its installations brandishing weapons," he pulled a handful of stakes from the bag, "and..." He hesitated. The next item to emerge from the duffel was the gourd for the spell. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.
"It's a gourd," Willow offered.
Giles mumbled, sounding embarrassed, "A magical gourd."
"What kind of freaks are you people?" the Colonel asked. He put the gourd down and stared at the group.
The situation proved too much for the younger Slayer. Tara had been too focused on the byplay to anticipate her companion's actions. Faith took two steps before the guards stopped her with raised guns. Still, the brunette was beyond caring. Glaring at the man in charge, she sneered, "We're the freaks that are gonna save your pathetic asses."
Examining her closely, Colonel McNamara said, "Oh, you're the other one — the other Slayer." He smiled unpleasantly. "Aren't the Sunnydale police looking for you? Murder, isn't it?"
A low growl burst from Faith' throat.
"Colonel," Buffy interrupted, trying to salvage the situation. "Adam is here, in the Initiative."
"Nice try," he responded, still locking eyes with the furious brunette Slayer.
The senior Slayer rushed on. "Those overcrowded containment cells — courtesy of Adam. He's pulling a Trojan horse on you, just waiting-"
"Every inch of this installation is under constant 24-hour surveillance," the Colonel retorted. He moved to tower over the diminutive blonde.
"Can't say much for your boys, then, Big Man," Faith taunted. "I mean, we got all the way down to the base before you snagged us. You don't even know Adam's got a secret lab in the house. Great job."
For the first time, the older man appeared less than confident. Leaning toward Buffy and lowering his voice, he asked, "What secret lab?"
"The one Adam's been using," the Slayer said disgustedly. "The one built for the final stages of the 314 Project." The blonde teen shook her head and grimaced at the blank look she received. "And you have no idea what I'm talking about."
"Hey, B," Faith had to add, "maybe we should leave Adam to these guys. I mean, wicked cool weapons they got. Way better than stakes and shit."
Nodding, the Colonel agreed. "Now, that's a fantastic suggestion. We'll just make sure you're turned over to the proper authorities, and then my men will take care of this Adam."
"Oh jolly good," Giles said. Pulling off his glasses and rubbing his forehead, the ex-Watcher glared at everyone. "How exactly do you plan to get close enough to Adam to remove his power source?"
Hands on hips, McNamara faced the Englishman. "Hit him simultaneously with multiple tazer blasts — incapacitate him with as much voltage as we can muster."
"Great plan." Xander joined in the conversation. "That's right up there with duck and cover."
"Adam feeds off the energy of a tazer, Colonel," Buffy explained.
Still surrounded by soldiers and weapons, Faith interjected," Let's just send the monster to an all you can eat buffet, Big Man."
It was all too much for the military officer. He ran his gaze over the assembled Scoobies. "Are you trying to tell me my business?" he barked at Buffy.
The Slayer responded urgently, "This is not your business. It's ours." She gestured at the gang. "You, the Initiative, the boys at the Pentagon...you're all in way over your heads. You're messing with primeval forces you don't even understand."
"And you do?" the Colonel sneered.
"Faith and I are the Slayers. You're playing on our turf."
At Buffy's words, Faith spun abruptly away from the armed men in front of her. The younger girl stared in disbelief at the other Slayer. *Wow! I just got promoted to the First Team*, the brunette thought. A little of the anger ebbed as she watched the continued confrontation.
"Up there, maybe," the Colonel allowed, gesturing at the ceiling. "But down here, I'm the one in control."
It might have been more effective if the lights hadn't gone out at that very moment. Seconds passed in absolute darkness before a hollow thud and a series of beeps echoed in the room. Emergency lights came on, bathing the area in tones of red and blue.
"Sir," one of the computer techs said. "The power grid's down. Back ups not responding." He looked up in fear. "We're locked in."
The Colonel started to reply when warning klaxons sounded, and the red lights mounted above the doorways began to flash.
"Adam's getting started without us, B," Faith commented. Gunfire and shouts filtered through the sealed doors.
The computer tech verified the younger Slayer's words. "Sir, the containment cells have been breached. The Hostiles are loose."
"How many?" The Colonel sounded worried as he bent over the terminal.
"All of them, sir," the young soldier replied.
"It's Adam," Buffy said urgently. When McNamara turned to look at her, she continued. "Look, Faith and I are the only ones who can defeat him. Get your people out of here."
It seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Looking over his shoulder, the Colonel ordered several of him men to follow him. Voices sounded around the room as the Marines grabbed weapons and got ready for battle. Nodding in satisfaction, the officer turned to the group of soldiers still guarding the Scoobies. "These people are under arrest," he said to one of the group. "Do you understand?"
Coming to attention, the young Marine snapped, "Yes, sir." He and his men moved in tighter around the civilians as the Colonel led his strike force from the room.
Catching Faith's eye, Buffy gestured minutely at the guards around them. Smirking, the younger girl nodded. In a blur of fists and feet, the two Slayers disarmed the small group left behind. "Will?" the blonde Slayer said. "Can you take care of these guys?"
"Sure, Buffy." Willow sounded glad to be included in the roundup. Drawing in a slight amount of power, the redhaired witch mumbled and pointed her hands at the frightened soldiers. As the witch finished her chant, the men stumbled into one another and seemed locked into place. Dropping her hands, Willow grinned. "That binding spell sure is handy." She turned to Faith. "Thanks for helping figure that out."
A bit wide-eyed, the young brunette said, "Uh, yeah, Red. Happy to act as your practice dummy."
"OK, guys, we need to find Adam," the blonde Slayer called.
"According to the map, we need to get across the main part of the base," Xander said.
The Scoobies looked up at the bank of monitors hanging from the ceiling. Each screen displayed fierce fighting and growing numbers of casualties.
Giles looked away first. "The enjoining spell is extremely touchy and volatile. We can't risk it being interrupted," the ex-Watcher explained. "We need a place that's close to Faith, and quiet."
"Well, quiet could be a problem," the young hacker announced, gesturing with one hand at the grisly episodes playing on the monitors. "But we could use 314 itself for the spell since Adam is using the lab right behind it."
"Right, then." Buffy smiled at the group. "Now all we have to do is get there."
Xander and Giles grabbed guns from the magically bound Marines. Faith took the lead as they burst from the room. Mrs. Summers and the two witches huddled in the middle of the group. The large open space outside of the control room blazed with light from dozens of electrical fires. Demons and soldiers flooded the space, and the sound of machine gun fire exploded from all directions.
Their progress was marked with frequent stops as Faith dealt with the horde of demons blocking their path. Finally, though, they hit a free stretch and picked up the pace. Running all out, the gang entered a gated off section of the underground base. Out of the corner of her eye, the brunette Slayer saw a Marine aiming a machine gun their way. Without thinking, she altered her path. "Red! Look out!" She threw herself at the witch, tackling her to the ground. Bullets sprayed over their heads until a demon wrenched the gun away.
"Come on!" Xander shouted. He and the rest of the group had past the prone girls. Faith climbed off Willow, pulling her to her feet. They raced after the others, reaching the lab section of the Initiative. The door to the facility was unlocked, thanks to Adam. Hurrying inside, Giles slammed the door behind them and Tara incanted a spell to seal it closed.
A short walk down the corridor completed their journey to Room 314.
The lab was eerily silent and lit by only a single emergency light. Rows of steel gurneys with arm and leg restraints marched down the center of the large room. Ignoring the setting, Buffy said, "OK, it should be over here." She, Faith, and Willow ran to the far wall. Moving equipment out of the way, the blonde Slayer pried at the wall panels until they swung open.
Faith glanced through the opening before turning back to the other Slayer and her witch.
"Right, B. Barricade the door once I'm in."
"Faith, wait," Buffy said. She looked over her shoulder, calling to Giles. "This place OK to be magic central?"
Peering out the tiny window in the door, he replied, "It should do."
"As long as we don't get blowed up or nothing," Willow said sarcastically.
"Yeah, what are the odds of that happening?" Xander mocked.
Faith smirked at the brunette boy. "Sounds good, then. Hey, Red, how long do I have before the magic kicks in?"
"Um, about five minutes or so," the witch answered.
"B, take care-" the younger Slayer stopped.
Nodding in understanding, Buffy said, "Don't worry. I've got it covered." The blonde touched Faith on the arm. "I'm sorry you have to go alone."
A slow smile brightened the brunette's face. Glancing around the lab at the Scoobies, she replied, "I'm not alone, B."