After breakfast they’d tried and failed to come up with an effective plan of getting into the Initiative and locating Cameron with even the smallest chance of success.
When the facility was opened, to try to get the locals on board rather than against them, the organisation had held an open day, which Maurice had attended. So he could tell Buffy just how well guarded the place was. Coupled with her own experience of the Californian branch, Buffy knew that Fort Knox would probably be easier to break in to.
Buffy’s cell phone rang, making all four start at the intrusion. She pulled it out of her back pocket and flipped it open, smiling as she saw the caller ID.
“Willow, hi. So you made it?”
“Yes, I’ve just landed. So give me directions and I’ll be there quick as a flash.”
“Will,” cautioned Buffy.
“It’s okay – I’m not all dark side. I’m older, Buffy. With age comes control.”
“Um…okay. But be careful.”
Buffy asked a somewhat bemused Maurice the co-ordinates for the cottage, before repeating what he’d said to Willow and disconnecting.
“She’ll be here…”
There was a gust of wind and a flash of light that made them all squint and Willow appeared before them.
“Uh…now,” finished Buffy.
Craig grinned like a fool. “Wow, cool entrance, Aunt Willow!”
Matching Craig’s grin, she said, “I know!” She turned to the astonished Carmichael’s and extended her hand. “Thanks for being so accurate – I have been known to end up in next door’s back yard. I’m Willow Rosenberg.”
Maurice recovered first. “Carmichael. Maurice Carmichael,” he said, shaking the offered hand firmly. “My wife, Dora.” He inclined his head at Dora who was still staring wide eyed at the witch.
“Pleased to meet you,” said Willow politely. “I apologise for the means of my arrival, but I felt that time was of the essence.” Turning to Buffy, she added, “I don’t suppose I could have a cup of tea, with lots of sugar? Plays havoc with my blood sugar levels.”
“Oh! Where are my manners?” Dora said. “Please sit down. I think we could all do with a cup of tea after that.”
“Thank you.” Willow pulled out a chair and sat down.
Buffy glanced nervously at the Carmichaels. She knew that Dora hadn’t been keen to get involved with their problems and she worried that Willow’s extremely unorthodox arrival had upset the woman.
“Dora…” she began.
“I know what you’re going to say,” said Dora, smiling kindly. “I can’t pretend that I’m not shocked and frightened by everything, but I do live in a world where vampires are trained to track down missing people. So I’d be rather short-sighted and silly if I didn’t think that other supernatural things weren’t real too.”
For a moment, Buffy’s mouth gaped comically open, then she got control and said weakly, “Thank you.”
“What for?” asked Dora, frowning slightly.
“For not throwing us out the second we turned up here. For not freaking out when a witch teleports into your kitchen with no warning.”
Dora smiled and just shrugged, unsure what to say.
Once they were all seated and drinking tea, Maurice asked Willow, “So if you can…teleport, why did you use an aeroplane to get here?”
“I know, it’s so frustrating, but I can only teleport within the continent I’m on,” replied Willow. “But at least I can bring things with me now.” She nudged the large black bag near her with her foot. “Makes me feel like Mary Poppins – well apart from the fact that no one can see me when I do it.” She chuckled.
They all laughed and Willow gratefully drank her sugary tea, as they brought her up to date on events so far.
The laughter died away as the story unfolded.
*~*~*~*
Spike’s world had narrowed down to just three things.
Pain.
Hunger.
Rage.
Cameron sat staring at the vampire. His smile was cruel as he watched the intermittent struggles and roars of Spike. That is how the world should perceive vampires – not the trained little puppy dogs that the program turned them into – but the soulless feral beast with the demon fully in control.
The human suspended from the ceiling was alive – just.
Without looking at Mark, Cam said, “Release Seventeen. Let him feed. I want to see those fangs in action.”
Mark knew the chain of command had changed. “Yes, sir.”
A button pressed at the side of the door caused the shackles to open and fall away. Reacting purely on instinct, Spike was on his feet and at the man’s throat in the blink of an eye. The elongated fangs sank in deeply and seconds later, Gibson’s heart stopped beating, but Spike kept worrying at him. The blood he’d taken not enough to take the pain away. Rage took over from hunger and in less than a minute, all that remained was chunks of flesh and bone strewn all over the floor.
Kneeling amongst it, Spike never looked less human. Mark shuddered when the vampire roared, lips drawn away from his teeth. His right eye darting from side to side, as Spike tried to find a way out of the cell. He needed food. He needed…to kill.
“Um…sir?” said Mark.
“What?”
“How are we going to restrain him again?”
“Leave it loose. Throw in a Libreg every hour until he gets turned loose on the slayer. Its blood should be rich enough to keep him from bouncing off the walls.”
“Sure thing.”
“Give Seventeen one now. I want to see how he gets on with it.”
Mark glanced at the teenager and wondered if maybe Maggie had overdone it with the implanted personality. The kid was nothing like he used to be. Even being in the chair no longer bothered him. Pulling a radio out of his pocket, Mark ordered a one of the rodent-like demons to be dropped into Seventeen’s cell. He was glad he didn’t have to do it. The little demons were incredibly strong and vicious. Looking at Spike as he gave out another roar and stood covered in blood, obviously aroused by the kill, Mark smirked and hoped the vampire was faster than the Libreg was, otherwise he might have a nasty surprise.
The hatch in the ceiling opened and the Libreg was thrown in, its high pitched squeal making Spike wince. The Libreg was a dark brown, furry, rabbit sized demon, resembling a rat. They are incredibly fast but Spike was faster. The thing had barely touched the floor before Spike grabbed it with his right hand. Bringing it to his mouth the long fangs ripped its head off and he eagerly lapped at the blood flowing from its neck.
Deciding he’d seen enough, Cam, pushed his chair away, heading to the labs, sure there would be something for him to work on there. Mark trailed after him, already fed up by the way the kid treated him. The sooner the slayer was taken out the better. Then he would be reassigned elsewhere. He preferred working with the hunters than being little more than a babysitter for some weird kid.
*~*~*~*
“I’m going with you.”
“No, Craig. You’re staying here,” said Buffy firmly.
“But—”
She raised her hand. “No buts. You are staying here. If this goes…if we can’t get out. I need to know that at least one of my sons is safe.”
Craig slumped in his seat. “I understand that, Mom, but Cam…he’s my kid brother…I should have looked out for him. It’s my fault they took him.” He closed his eyes willing the tears to dissipate.
Walking over to him, Buffy sat next to him on the couch. “I know you’re worried about him.” She rubbed a hand over his cheek as his eyes opened. “But I need you safe. Please understand that.”
Reluctantly, Craig nodded.
“Thank you,” whispered Buffy as she placed a soft kiss on his forehead.
With a deep breath, she stood up and went to find Willow. The others had wisely given mother and son some space. She found them in the kitchen. Willow turned to face her.
“Ready to go?” she asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Are you sure that this is the way to do it? We could go to the authorities,” said Maurice. Something that had been repeated many times during the course of the day.
“I can’t take the risk that they just wouldn’t kill Cam and dispose of him as soon as the police arrived at the front door,” replied Buffy.
“What about the vampire?” asked Dora. “What will you do with him?”
Closing her eyes at the pain thinking of Spike caused, Buffy took a deep breath. “My priority has to be Cam.”
Dora took her hand and squeezed it. “You have my word should anything happen that we’ll support Craig in anyway we can.”
Seeing Buffy’s distress rising, Willow said, “I need to focus. Buffy, it’s time to go.”
Buffy nodded and smiled at the Carmichaels. “Thank you.” Then made their way up to the bathroom, which Willow had decided was the best place for them to teleport from.
For several minutes, the witch sat crosses legged on the tiled floor as she focused her energy on reaching out to find Cameron’s soul. That was the beacon she was using to guide them inside. Arriving next to Cam wherever he was within the facility gave them more chance of getting him out.
They hadn’t told anyone else, but the plan was for Willow to immediately teleport back with Cam before returning for Buffy. Strong as she was, Willow could only take one person with her at a time.
She opened her eyes and smiled at Buffy. “I’m ready.”
“You can feel him? He’s alive?” Buffy’s heart rate went up a notch.
“Yes. He’s alive.” Holding out her hand, she added. “Shall we?”
The women stood up and Buffy hitched the rucksack so it sat more firmly on her back. Standing facing each other, firmly holding hands, Willow once more closed her eyes, and offered up a short prayer to the Goddess to help them on their journey. As their hair began to be buffeted by a strong breeze, Willow and Buffy disappeared.
Craig flinched at the thunderclap that accompanied the women’s disappearance. Leaning forward, he buried his head in his hands.
“Please God, let them be okay. Please let them be okay.”
He rocked slowly to and fro, not noticing Dora peer into the room before deciding that he needed privacy right then. She walked back into the kitchen, where Maurice was leaning against the counter. If all went well – it would be over in a matter of minutes.
*~*~*~*
Cameron’s head whipped up at the clap of thunder that reverberated around the building. There was something about it that didn’t seen right. Like it meant something, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember what. After a pause, he shrugged and went back to thinking about the arm of a tracker he’d amputated earlier in the day who’d kept interfering with his artificial eye. He’d wanted to take both arms away, but Maggie had wanted to see if losing one limb was sufficient to dissuade the vampire from damaging the eye again. Personally, Cam doubted it. This vampire in particular wasn’t very bright.
*~*~*~*
Buffy staggered as they reappeared, but Willow held her upright. Wherever they were, they were in total darkness.
“You okay?” asked Willow.
“Yeah. Cam? Are you here?” whispered Buffy.
She shrugged off the rucksack and fumbled in the front pocket for the flashlight Maurice had insisted she’d taken. Cupping it with her hand to shield the beam, Buffy turned it on and together she and Willow peered around.
“What the hell?” Buffy took her hand away, letting the light flood the room they were in. She pointed the beam this way and that but each direction revealed the same.
“We’re in a cupboard! Will! I thought you said you were good at this?”
“I am!” Willow snatched the flashlight from Buffy’s hand and pointed it at the shelf closest to them. “Oh, dear Goddess.”
“What?” Buffy moved closer. “What is it?”
Willow stepped back a little and directed the beam at one of the numerous jars on the shelves.
“Oh, please no.” Buffy struggled to stay on her feet. “Is that…is it?” Her breath hitched in her chest.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” said Willow, quickly regaining her composure.
“Not as bad as it looks! My son’s soul is in a glass jar on a shelf inside the Initiative building. How much worse could it have been?”
“Shh,” hissed Willow urgently. “His soul is intact. It is as it was when it was removed. Look at the seals on the jar – they haven’t been broken.” She turned the jar around and read a label stuck on the back. “It says here that it was going to be sold in another dimension.”
Unable to help it, Buffy sank to her knees, crushed by the fear of finding out what Cameron had gone through. My poor beautiful boy.
“Get on you feet, Buffy,” said Willow, grabbing her arm and hauling her upright. “We need to move fast. I can’t restore his soul here – the ritual is complicated – but I can use it to find him.” She picked the jar off the shelf. “Put it in the bag.”
With trembling fingers, Buffy unzipped the rucksack and tipped the contents on the floor. Keeping only the handgun that Maurice had produced from a safe behind a painting in the living room, and a polished wooden stake. Neither woman remarked on how long it had been since Buffy had staked a vampire.
The jar fitted easily and Willow put the bag on her back, so that it would be with her when she teleported Cameron out.
“I daren’t teleport in here. They’ll pick up on the disturbance. They might dismiss it once but not twice. But I can feel where he is,” said Willow.
After a brief hug, the friends cautiously opened the door. Buffy stepped through first.
“Go left,” Willow whispered in her ear.
Tiptoeing along the corridor, hugging the wall like a spy in a movie, the women made their way deeper into the bowels of the Initiative.
Buffy’s nerves were jangling by the time Willow said, “He’s behind this door.”
“You’re sure?” asked Buffy, taking the witch’s raised eyebrows as an affirmative.
Willing her hand not to shake Buffy, slowly turned the handle.
“Wait,” said Willow, almost causing Buffy’s heart to leap out of her chest. “They took his soul…he might be…different.”
An unwelcome image of Angelus popped into Buffy’s mind. She shook her head to rid herself of the image. He was a vampire. Cam’s a boy. An innocent boy.
She opened the door and quickly stepped inside, Willow following closely behind. Cam was sitting with his back to the door. The gasp that Buffy gave out when she realised he was in a wheelchair, alerted Cameron to their presence. He whirled the chair around until he faced them.
“Cameron! Oh my God, Cam!” Buffy raced towards him, but his glare stopped her short.
“What the fuck are you doing here, bitch?” snarled Cameron.
His mother may have recoiled from the hatred in his tone, but Willow didn’t. Swiftly passing Buffy, she reached out and slapped his face hard enough to make his head snap to the right.
“Don’t you dare talk to your mom like that!”
It was hard to decide who was the more shocked by Willow’s actions. Cam brought his hand to his stinging cheek. Blinking back tears, he looked more like the boy he’d been, but his eyes remained cold.
“What happened, Cam? Your legs?” Buffy croaked.
“We haven’t got time for that now, Buff. I need to get him out.”
“No!” Cam pushed the chair backwards. “They said you’d try to make me leave – but I’m not going. This is my home.”
Buffy and Willow exchanged glances as they took in Cam’s living quarters. Under no uncertain circumstances could it be described as like a home – it was a cell – nothing more.
“Take him, now!” urged Buffy.
Cam wheeled towards the left hand wall, as Willow moved closer. Her hands grabbed his just before he could push a button set in the wall. The air became turbulent and as Buffy stared at her son, he glared back. A split second later, Buffy was looking at an empty wheelchair, spinning across the floor.
“Look after him,” muttered Buffy, wiping furiously at her eyes. She’d always known that she wouldn’t make it out. But her sons were safe. Willow would restore Cam’s soul.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Apologies for being a day late in posting - my Internet connection went down.
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you for reading and for your comments. Do you reckon I'll hit the 100 mark with this chapter? :D