Learning Curve
by rebelrsr
Chapter Twenty-Three
[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.
Faith groaned. Her body ached and her head...The Slayer gazed around in confusion for a moment before memories of the battle with Adam returned. Climbing to her feet, she surveyed the cluttered control room. The hybrid slumped against a wall and computer parts and glass littered the floor. Taking an internal wellness check, Faith decided she was at least functional. Pushing muscles past the pain, she jogged back down the corridor.
As she ran, the Slayer tried reaching out to Tara. The link was gone. *Damn. If I feel this wiped out, wonder how the girls are doing?* The narrow tunnel opened into the lab. Scanning the area, Faith saw Riley standing rigidly at attention. Swallowing a curse, she readied for battle. However, the Marine never moved. His eyes followed the brunette as she slid into the lab, but the young man remained in place.
"Riley?" Faith questioned. "Man, what the fuck did Adam do to you?" Seeing tears welling in the man's eyes, the Slayer looked away. There was no doubt in her mind that Riley wouldn't want anyone to witness his weakness. "Tell you what, Soldier Boy, B and the girls are up in 314. Give us a few to mop up, and someone'll be down for you. I'm sure Red or T can figure out how to fix you." A quick glance showed the tears had spilled unchecked down the Marine's face, but the eyes had lost the hopeless look.
"Cool. Stay put and I'll be back." Flashing a smile, the Slayer headed for the ladder to the upper level.
***
Gasping from the sudden return to her body, Tara dragged tired eyes around the Circle. Her ex-girlfriend slumped over, breathing ragged. Mrs. Summers looked asleep, eyes closed and breathing deep and even. Not bothering to get up, she turned her head toward the other three Scoobies standing sentry near the door. "Buffy?"
The blonde Slayer turned quickly. "Is everything OK?"
"Yeah. Adam's dead. Can you go find Faith, though?" Tara worried about the now vulnerable brunette. "When the link broke, all the energy grounded. Faith's going to be extremely weak for a while."
"On it," Buffy responded. She sprinted for the hidden door at the back of the room, but never reached it. The door to 314 exploded inward and a hairy demon stumbled in.
Giles and Xander opened fire, but the creature continued forward. They hadn't released the Circle. If it reached the magical boundary, the energy disruption would rebound on the caster. "Buffy, wait!" Tara called out. "The demon can't break the Circle."
Spinning around, the Slayer rushed to intercept the tall creature before it could blunder into the magical protection encircling the three women. "Hey, this isn't really a good time," the blonde informed the wounded demon. "Could you come back later?" It stared at her, blood matting its fur. "No? Well, I did warn you." Buffy caught the demon in the chest with her foot. It flew across the room, landing with a clatter on one of the exam tables. "Xand! Finish it, will you?"
Receiving a nod from the boy, the Slayer turned back to Tara. "Can you banish the Circle? I'll go after Faith as soon as you're safer."
"OK." The blonde witch struggled to get her mind working. Closing her eyes and concentrating, she located her center. Carefully tapping into the power of the shield enclosing the Circle, Tara release the magic and directed the energy back into the ground. As she funneled the power, she used some to refill her reserves and sent a wave to Willow as well. They both might need to be ready for action if the remnants of the Initiative-demon war were still around. As the last of the energy dissipated, Tara opened her eyes and looked at the hovering Slayer. "Go."
Not bothering to respond, Buffy hurried after Faith. Shoving equipment to the side, the Slayer tore open the panels hiding the ladder to the lab below. Clambering down, she nearly ran into the other Slayer. "Faith! Hey, you're OK."
The brunette gave her a strange look. "Yeah, B. Were you hoping for something else?"
"Of course not. Tara was worried though. The Magic Corps up there came out of the spell a little drained." Buffy grinned. "She thought you might be in a weakened and vulnerable state."
Arching an eyebrow, Faith smirked. "Huh. Might be good for getting some TLC later." She sobered. "Buffy, Riley's here."
Buffy checked her move to climb back up the ladder. "Riley?" The Rogue Slayer looked uneasy. "What's wrong, Faith?" she demanded.
"I don't know, B. Adam had some kind of control over him, and now he can't move or nothing.'" She gestured toward the back of the lab. "He's waiting over there. I told him we'd bring the witches down. I kinda thought Red could fix him."
The blonde knew they were still in danger. The fight with Adam was over, but Initiative soldiers and demons still filled the halls outside Room 314. "Right. Come on. Let's get the cleanup finished and then we can come back for Riley." She scampered up the ladder and waited at the top for the other girl to join her.
"Moving pretty good there, B. Slayer healing rules," Faith commented.
"I don't think that's it, though," the blonde answered. "I got a touch of the enjoining spell before Tara redirected it. Think the First Slayer got me ready for the showdown," she explained.
"Guess you didn't really need me, then." Faith's voice was expressionless.
Waiting until the other Slayer was off the ladder, Buffy smacked her on the arm and glared. "Get over it, Faith. So I got better and could help out. I only got just a hint of the power you did. Who knows what would have happened if I'd been the focus."
Looking into irritated hazel eyes, the brunette nodded. "Yeah, sorry, B. Habit, ya' know?"
A smiled twitched the blonde's lips. "Might want to get rid of the bad habits quick. I don't think Tara's going to put up with them."
"True, B. She's kinda controlling." The two broke into laughter. "You tell her I said that, and I'm gonna do something really evil to you."
"Is that a promise, Faith?" Buffy purred. She laughed harder when the Rogue Slayer's eyes widened. "Damn. Never thought I'd get the better of you in a conversation."
"Bitch." Faith couldn't stop the smile, though. "So, things go OK for you guys? I mean, the girls are just tired, right?"
"Yeah. They're good. We have to find a way out around a lot of soldiers." The blonde Slayer frowned. "I don't think the Colonel is just going to let us leave if he's still alive."
They entered Room 314 side by side. After scanning the room and doing a mental head count, Faith walked to Tara. "Hey, T. Doing OK?"
"Tired. You?" the blonde said.
Tilting Tara's chin so she could examine the witch, Faith replied, "Doing good, Blondie. A little tired, but still jazzed from the fight and everything. Come on." She grabbed the other girl's hand and pulled her up. "Let's get the hell out of here."
The Slayer continued to hold the blonde witch's hand as they returned to the rest of the group. Buffy and Willow stood close together, the taller girl leaning on her Slayer's shoulder. "B, any plans on leaving?" Faith asked.
"Too many demons and Marines left to try the front door," the shorter blonde replied.
"Well," Willow put in, "we could use the door in Adam's lab, couldn't we? I mean, the military probably doesn't even know it exists since the lab was a secret."
Six pairs of eyes stared at the young witch. "Sometimes, I think she's the only one of us using her brain," Buffy announced. The redhead blushed, but grinned. "OK, guys. That's the plan. Faith, can you block the door to the lab? We had an unexpected visitor earlier and I don't want anyone following us out."
"Sure, B." The brunette jogged to the middle of the room and began hauling exam tables and monitors over to the door. With a fair amount of grunts and curses, she piled the furniture against the door. It would move, but only after a lot of effort. "Hope that'll do."
"We'll help a little," Tara said. "Willow, link with me, please." An obviously confused Willow walked over and rested a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Silence spread through the room, and then the older witch began to chant. The instruments Faith placed against the door glowed bright white for a minute. Tara stopped chanting and the glow faded "That's it. I placed a magical lock on the door and made the equipment and tables twice their normal mass." She smiled crookedly. "But I'm too tired to do it right. The spell won't last more than thirty minutes."
"Nice work, guys." Buffy's smiled at both witches. "I'll take point. Xan, Giles, you come next. Faith can make sure we don't have a surprise from the rear." The blonde led the group back through the hidden door.
Faith waited for everyone to clear the lab and then tugged at the wall panels. They'd been damaged when Buffy had come to help her, but she managed to get most of them closed; although, they hung crookedly and there were visible gaps between the large tiles. The brunette Slayer hurried down the ladder and rejoined the small group now clustered around Riley.
"Hey, B. I'm not sure we can take care of this right now." The younger Slayer felt bad for her counterpart and her former boyfriend, but they needed to get out of the facility before the Colonel and his men found them. "Is there anyway we can get him out of here and fix him later?"
Willow tried to help the situation. "I could do a spell like Tara did with the stuff upstairs. Only, make him lighter, not heavier."
"No, Will. I don't want you to use too much energy." Buffy was adamant. "As long as we don't run into anything big, I can carry him." Bending slightly, the diminutive blonde settled her shoulder into the young man's stomach and lifted. He was far too tall for the hold to be comfortable, but Buffy nodded. "Let's go."
Banding together with the two men now in the lead, they located the exit into the caves and hurried out of the Initiative. Full night had descended while they were inside the base. Faith extended her senses. Demons and vampires littered the area. "B? You feeling what I'm feeling?"
"Yeah," Buffy grunted. "This isn't much better than going out the front door."
"Everybody stop for a minute," the Rogue Slayer ordered. "You guys rest here. I'm going to get us some transportation." Keeping her senses on high, she sprinted through the trees, heading for the road. Five minutes later, she exited the wooded area in a quiet Sunnydale subdivision. Two driveways held small cars. Not enough room for eight people. Faith smiled when she came to the third house. A minivan sat in front of the house. Blessing her unusual education, the brunette slid behind the wheel and reached under the dash. Hotwiring the engine took less than a minute, and Faith tore out of the subdivision.
The vehicle wasn't equipped for offroading. The Slayer clung grimly to the wheel as she bounced along the rutted path back through the trees. Careening into the clearing where the Scoobies had settled, she put the car in park and hopped out. "Anybody need a ride?" she said cheerily.
Six tired voices answered in the affirmative. "I'm driving us back, though," Joyce declared. "I think Slayers pay for their superhuman skills by being completely unsafe in a car." She stared at Faith until the girl stepped away from the driver's side door. "Climb in, guys, and let's get home."