Simple Choices
by rebelrsr
Chapter 7
[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: Big alterations ahead for S5 after "The I in Team."
A/N: Thanks to the best beta crew: Zigpal and Zenithar. There would be no writing without you guys.
"OK, Xander, what's the plan?" Buffy asked. They'd headed to his parent's house to grab some supplies before hitting the Initiative.
Frowning in concentration as he loaded a clip into his 'borrowed' handgun, the brunette Scooby replied, "We get you two into costume, use your security code to get us in, and hope we find a chatty scientist to explain the 314 thing to us."
"We need to find Dr. Engelmann. He and Walsh are cozy. If anyone in the Initiative knows what 314 is, I'm betting on him." The Slayer grabbed the clothes Willow handed her. "Hey, since when do I have to dress in unflattering blacks and browns?"
"Well, I guess I could be the big bad Marine," the redhead commented with a quirky grin. "I've been working out you know." She held up a thin arm and flexed.
"Nice, Will. I'm sure you could take on at least a platoon all by yourself." The girls shared a laugh as they moved behind Xander's privacy curtain — sheets dangling from a clothesline strung across the basement — to change. Buffy tried to remember how Riley put his clothing together and tucked, tightened, and fastened every button and flap she found. The clunky boots were another matter. Ten minutes later, she managed to get the pants to blouse correctly and tied the footwear with a flourish. Standing, she held out her arms and posed. "How do I look?"
"Kinda butch. Cute, but butch." The redhead giggled at the shock on the Slayer's face. "What? I'm a college girl now. I know lots more things than I used to." She moved behind the shorter girl and undid the ponytail. "If I remember correctly, this has to be above your collar." She started braiding the blonde hair with the ease of familiarity. "Hey, this is like being back in high school, huh?"
"Hmmm, let's see...big bad monster guy, check; possible large scale death and destruction, check; quality time with my bestest friend, check." She grinned. "Yep. High school all over again."
"Goof." Willow smacked the other girl on the shoulder.
She just happened to hit a bruise left by the demon's axe. "Ow!" Buffy pulled away.
Eyes wide, the witch started apologizing. "Buffy, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, really, I mean...Hey, how did I hurt you, anyway?"
"Remember the sewer demons from earlier? One of them got off a lucky shot." The Slayer poked her friend in the arm. "Course, it could be all that working out you're doing."
"Yep. Better be careful, Slayer, I might be after your job." Deciding she just had to do it, Willow played on Buffy's earlier shock. Moving closer to the camouflaged blonde, she dropped her voice to a husky whisper. "You know, I'd be happy to kiss that nasty bruise all better."
Buffy's head came up so fast, Willow was surprised it didn't pop off. "Will!"
Shrieking with laughter, the hacker ran for safety, chanting, "I got you! I got you!" She dashed through the curtain, nearly ripping it from the clothesline, and hid behind a bemused Xander.
"Gee, Will, I'm glad to see you, too. Wanna tell me why the Buffster is stalking toward us with that death look in her eyes?" He checked the safety on his weapon and slowly stood up. "Girls, normally I'd enjoy a little girl-on-girl smackdown, but we have a mission to complete. Remember, Professor Walsh and some big demony guy?"
Buffy straightened to her full height and meticulously adjusted her belt buckle. "Fine. We do the mission. Then," she glared at a still laughing Willow, "we're talking about this new person who's taken over my shy redhead."
Sensing it might be time to get his friends moving, Xander handed Buffy her own gun. "Xander, I don't do guns."
"You do now, Marine," he commented. Picking through a cardboard box, he finally located a weapons belt for his small friend. "Here. See if you can get this tight enough. If not, I'll have to punch a new hole in the belt."
Mumbling under her breath about evil twins and soldier memories, the Slayer donned the belt, pulling the leather through the buckle until it fit. Thanks to military engineering, there were just enough holes so she could fasten it without worry it would fall off. With a last grimace of distaste, she rammed the gun into the holster, snapped the flap closed over the butt, and tied the holster to her thigh. "Let's do this," she said.
***
The three disguised Scoobies crept through Lowell House. The normally bustling faux-frat house was deserted.
"Seems pretty quiet," Xander commented, peering around a corner.
Buffy scanned the area with her Slayer senses. Someone was heading their way. She gestured for Willow to get behind her and nodded down the hallway. Xander nodded in return and his hand dropped to his gun. Seconds later, a uniformed man rushed by, brushing past the Slayer without a word. "It usually is," Buffy finally answered Xander's comment.
The trio continued down the hallway. Buffy stopped in front of a full length mirror. Punching a button on the wall, she gazed at her reflection. "Hey, Buff, maybe you could check the look later." Xander moved behind her.
"Don't." The Slayer shoved her friend out of the way, eliciting a surprised yelp from the boy. "Sorry," the blonde apologized without looking away from the mirror. "I'm the only one who can pass the retinal scan."
"Ooh," Willow cooed. "She means they scan her eye and match it to a print on file," she explained.
"Well, we'll know in a few seconds if my clearance is good." Buffy waited while a green light traveled up and down her body.
A mechanical voice chimed, "Retinal scan recorded. Summers, Buffy," and the mirror slid aside, revealing an elevator car. The Scoobies climbed aboard and began their descent. On the ride down, Buffy and Xander checked their weapons and uniforms while Willow donned a white lab coat. Feeling faintly ridiculous, they waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor.
The doors finally opened, revealing the heart of the Initiative. Military and science personnel scurried around the huge expanse. Willow and Xander wandered forward, dazed at the size, to peer over the railing into the examination lab inset into the floor.
"Holy moley," Xander breathed. "I totally get it now. Can I have sex with Riley, too?"
Willow giggled at the look in his eye and Buffy's irritated response. Grabbing her fellow "Marine," the Slayer dragged him away from his vantage point. They marched down a flight of metal stairs with the redhead following along behind. Despite frequent moments of panic when faced with groups of soldiers, the Scoobies had little problem crossing the base.
Once they left the more public areas, all three teens relaxed slightly. The long white corridors were less heavily populated. Buffy, having been in the facility before, naturally took the lead. "Hey, Buffy? How many people work down here?" Willow wanted to know.
"I'm not sure, Will. Is it important?"
Nervously tugging at the too-large coat, the redhead replied, "It could be. Think about it, guys. If you were a secret military organization run by a psychopathic scientist, you'd want a bunch of people working for you. It makes it much harder to keep track of all the projects going on. You can have groups for research or personnel, and each one has its own mission statement. With everyone focused on their own job, they aren't going to be interested in what happens across the hall in, say, Room 314."
"That's so simple, it actually makes sense," Xander said.
Buffy paused and motioned for them to gather in a recessed doorway. Voices sounded down the hall.
"The men are still out there," a man said urgently. "The longer they go without their meds, the more dangerous it becomes."
"I know," a second voice said. He sounded tired and frustrated. "With the professor's death, the schedules are all off. We've managed to locate all but a few. The last group was in pretty bad shape, but we got them stabilized."
The three hidden teens listened, shocked at the information. Drugs in the food? What was the Initiative doing to the soldiers working in the lab? Buffy was concentrating so hard on the problem, she nearly missed the rest of the conversation.
"Finn is still at large, right?" the first speaker asked.
"Yeah. We have all available personnel looking for him."
"He's a key part of the project. You make sure you find him and bring him in. He's the only one I really care about." The voices faded as the speakers moved away from the trio. The gang remained frozen in place, each trying to reconcile the information they'd overheard.
"Come on, guys. We can deal with this later. Right now, we have a demon to find." The Slayer sprinted down the hall after the scientists. Rounding a corner, she glimpsed a white-coated figure use a key card to access a sealed lab. Waiting until he went inside, she rushed to the door, making sure it didn't close behind him. Willow and Xander joined her and the three slipped inside. The individual they'd followed had his back to the door, staring intently at a computer screen.
Buffy stalked across the room and grabbed the unsuspecting man, spinning him to face her. "You know," she told the frightened scientist, "I don't usually like killing humans, but I've learned it pays to be flexible in life."
"I was wondering when you'd turn up," Dr. Engelmann remarked. He looked down at the tiny blonde who effortlessly held him in place.
Clicking her tongue and looking at the other two teens, she lamented. "Darn, then this wasn't a surprise. Now, you can tell me what you did to Riley and then we can all take a tour of 314."
Arrogantly, the man stared over her head. "Someone's coming, you know." Xander and Willow glanced at the closed lab door. "I'm sure by now security has spotted you on the cameras."
"Will," the Slayer ordered.
"On it." Pushing passed the blonde and her captive, the hacker tapped furiously on the keyboard. "It's got a password. I can break it, but it'll take a while."
Lifting Engelmann off the ground, Buffy asked politely, "Password, please?" The dark haired man shook his head. "Damn. Have it your way." She swung the scientist around, slamming him against the wall. He grunted, but made no comment. The frustrated blonde prepared to rough up the smug scientist when a body hurtled from above, landing on the ground with a sickening sound.
Everyone looked up at the grotesque figure standing on the catwalk. "Tell the witch not to worry about security. I made sure the cameras were inoperable."