Chapter 5: Mercurial
Previously: Buffy, Willow, Giles and Selig went to Angel to get information on Scarlet, but left with nothing but frustration. Angel refuses to tell Buffy about Scarlet because he knows it would lead her to Tierre. In Scarlet base, Tierre finds out what Mercury had done to the Vashkans. Franco hears of a lone Vashkan sniffing around for Scarlet and orders Logan to take care of it, but Tierre grabs the mission instead. Faith calls to check in with Willow and discovers that the Scoobies were up against Scarlet; she decides to go home before secrets are revealed much harsher than they should be. Angel meets with Tierre and begs him not to get involved with the Scarlet/Vashkan war, but Tierre laughs in his face. He does, however, tell Angel that Mercury was responsible for the war. Mercury goes for the new Council, anyway, despite Tierre’s orders. In the Council, the Scoobies and Vashkans find out just what they’re really up against.
***
Meanwhile, Scarlet Mercury was busy with stealthily invading the Council.
“You’d think that for a Slayer, she’d have a better set of locks,” Edwin grumbled. He was still pissed that the lock-picking he’d done back at the Slayer’s house hadn’t been very challenging, “Why didn’t she just leave her door open?”
“She’s a Slayer, idiot,” Dysis, a temperatmental redhead, snapped at him, “She doesn’t need locks.”
“Please be quiet. They’ll hear us if you’re too noisy.” Blonde and perky Solana, Dysis’ fraternal twin, chided them. She glanced up and smiled at the huge black man beside her, “Be more like Lenny here.”
A very short man, barely five feet tall, glared at the quarreling trio, “Why is it that they couldn’t just be normal thieves and keep their yaps shut?” he muttered, “Hey, Luis, we goin’ in or what?”
Luis, the one Logan had sent as a spy, rolled his eyes, “No, Gino, we’re goin’ ta stand here and take pictures of the pretty Council campus.”
“We are?” Solana asked eagerly.
“No, you ditz! We’re goin’ in!” Luis snarled. And promptly regretted it when twin throwing daggers nearly embedded themselves in his eye sockets. He jerked his head away just in time and the daggers slammed against the walls.
Dysis was glaring at him, “Don’t you call Sol a ditz, Luis, or I’ll cut you,” she promised. Then she stormed by him and pulled out the deeply rooted daggers from the wall like she was just plucking roses from a bush.
“Now, Dysis, remember what mother always said? Death threats are not very ladylike.”
“Sorry, Sol.”
Lenny, apparently having gotten fed up with the noise, decided to just go ahead and do something. He tapped Solana on the shoulder and held out a huge palm to her when she turned to him.
She smiled, “You’re such a gentleman, Lenny.” Then she put her dainty self on top of his palm and Lenny lifted her up. She was on top of the wall in a second.
Scarlet Mercury moved.
Gino scaled the walls using only his hands and feet. Dysis and Luis tried to outdo each other by jumping from the ground and landing on top of the walls, 15 feet off the ground.
“And they couldn’t wait till I disabled the locks why?” Edwin sulked, before climbing up the rope he tossed at Dysis. She stood still as he climbed, neither once showing any indication that she was struggling with his weight. Which she wasn’t.
They dropped nimbly to the ground, leaving Lenny behind.
“Okay, so what do we know about this place again?” Dysis asked, walking alongside her companions confidently. They acted as though they belonged there.
“You mean, aside from the fact that it’s Slayer h.q.?” Luis said sarcastically. She gave him a glare worthy of a lightning bolt, “It doesn’t have much in the way of guards. Some trained operatives, probably a few alarms and traps here and there, but since this place is the breeding ground for the Chosen Million, the Council pretty much thinks they’re not all that necessary.”
“And what security system they do have is designed to detect demons, not humans,” Edwin added.
“Um … guys?” Solana stopped in her tracks, head craned towards something, “I think we just got detected.”
Five Slayers were chatting while walking across the quadrangle towards one of the buildings. It would only be a matter of time before they see the strangers.
Gino scuttled out of sight, climbing up a tree, swifter than a monkey. Edwin looked at his three companions, before moving with the speed that was natural to all of them, disappearing into the shadows. Dysis and Luis walked away as well, taking separate paths, leaving only Solana to deal with the Slayers on her own.
The girls were giggling over some movie they had watched earlier that day. The giggling came to an abrupt halt when they saw the tall, slender blonde standing in front of them with a nervous smile.
“Excuse me … do we know you?” said one Slayer, who, from the looks of her, was the oldest of the five.
“How did you get in here?”asked another, eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Solana’s smile twisted into a pained grimace and she shifted awkwardly, “Um … I – I’m sorry … you … um …” she stuttered, “I – I c-came to talk to B-B …”
“You guys, chill. Can’t you see she’s scared?” the third Slayer smiled reassuringly at Solana, “It’s okay, we know you’re human. The alarms would have gone off if you weren’t. What is it? Do you need help?”
Solana nodded helplessly, “Actually … yeah.”
~*~*~*~
“Tierre … Wolfson?” Buffy’s brow furrowed, “That sounds familiar … wait a minute!” she looked at her friends, seeing the identical expressions of surprise on their faces, “Isn’t he that freak, troublemaker extraordinaire with a bounty on his head the size of Everest?”
“The Wildfire Legend,” Giles murmured.
“That would be him, yes,” Elsa smiled, obviously loving the topic of conversation, “The one and only.”
“Who is this Tierre Wolfson?” Rumus demanded, “And how do we kill him?”
“You don’t. He’s human.” Xander said automatically.
Rumus snorted, “And we are supposed to weep? We don’t care what he is!”
“You should,” Willow said quietly, “Because he’s not that easy to kill. In fact, he’s practically impossible to kill. He appeared out of nowhere about four years ago. His rise to notoriety and infamy was phenomenal. It’s been said that he’s an extraordinary fighter, very clever and brave to the point of fearlessness.”
“He’s also unpredictable,” Andrew offered, “Back when we first heard of him, we were worried. He could be a threat, so Mr. Giles asked me to try and research him. It was very hard, and in the end, fruitless because he was always on the move, jumping from one place to another, getting into and out of trouble … like that amazing stunt he pulled in Yorkshire―”
“Making enemies. Lots of enemies,” this from Xander, “And most of them wanted him dead in a really bad way, hence the bounty.”
“But we never found out why they wanted him dead, or even who really put that bounty on his head,” Buffy chimed.
“The truth is no one really knows anything about him; about where he came from, why he only showed up now, his powers, weaknesses … he’s a complete mystery. The Council isn’t the only organization who has dug up ancient books and prophecies trying to find an answer to the question that is Tierre Wolfson … so far, no one has found anything.”
Selig’s eyes and voice were cold, “So you have no knowledge of him at all, except that he’s the leader of an army of murderers.”
“Murderer? We didn’t know that at all. He’s supposed to have gone underground a few years ago. Every now and then we’d hear stories of him, so we know he’s still alive. But we never knew that he … became evil.”
“Don’t they all?” Yesha asked dryly.
“Enough of this,” Seyhan cut in, “Let us find the fiend and―”
“But we don’t even know what he looks like,” Andrew protested weakly.
“Faith does,” Buffy said suddenly, “Hey, yeah! She would because she was practically obsessed with him. She even told me before I left the Council that she might just go and join the hunt for Tierre; see what all the hoopla was about.”
“Great! She’ll be home soon. The case she’s been working on is almost solved, she told me so,” Willow said.
Suddenly, Selig stood up, head cocked, eyes narrowed, “Who else is in this building, Slayer?” he asked.
Buffy shrugged, “The other Slayers, some operatives, Watchers―”
The monitors that lined one wall of the room showcased every area in the building except for the private ones. The right side monitors were on duty over the foyer.
And right at that moment, the monitors showed five Slayers enter the foyer with a slender blonde no one among the Council has seen before.
“Who’s that?” asked Andrew.
Buffy narrowed her eyes at the image of the girl, bile burning the back of her throat, “Oh my God,” she murmured, “She’s one of them.”
“Scarlet is here,” Yesha stood; face pale with anger and not a little fear.
Willow rushed towards the intercom speaker embedded on the wall, intent on warning the girls. Behind her, she heard Xander and the others exclaim in shock, “What the …!”
“What did she do?”
“Did you see that?”
“No, it was too fast!”
“The girls,” Xander’s worried voice soared above everybody else’s, “I have to go―”
“No, Xander , stay here!” Buffy ordered, “Willow …”
The redhead turned to her friend, wide-eyed, “Buffy … the speakers have been disconnected.”
They only had a second to appreciate that message before the lights went out.
~*~*~*~
Outside the campus, Lenny stood guard like the stalwart watchdog that he was. With his trunk-like legs standing firm, massive arms crossed over his huge chest, he looked like a statue carved out of ebony. A statue that nothing short of a force of nature can move.
Which, in a manner of speaking, was true. Lenny could run right through the flimsy fence that surrounded the campus outside, the fence that the so-called Council dared to call a wall. Lenny was insulted. Back home, they had real walls.
He was so engrossed in stewing that he didn’t notice the man that stole up to him. Of course, had he been on full alert, he still wouldn’t have known the man was there. Not unless the man himself allowed it.
“Nice night for stargazing, innit, Lenny?”
The huge sentinel actually gasped at the British voice, eyes turning round as saucers as he turned to his right―and looked down. The slight stutter that crept into his voice was purely involuntary, “M-master Tierre …” he squeaked.
“Guess I can’t blame you for leaving home without permission. You just wanted to see what a California night sky looks like. Y’know, while on your way here,” Tierre smiled and his teeth flashed white in the darkness.
“We had permission, sir. Logan …”
“Went over my head,” Tierre was no longer smiling, “This mission is mine.”
It was a mortal sin to disobey Tierre Wolfson. Lenny was marginally glad that Master Tierre at least let you air your side. Of course, whether or not your explanations would make a difference is always left to be seen.
Tierre took a step towards the gates. He can easily sail past the high walls in a move that would make even Luis jealous, but he decided to be polite tonight.
One look at the gates, and he said, “Edwin didn’t disable the locks here,”
“No, sir. They climbed the walls.”
“No wires?”
“Those, Edwin disabled, Master Tierre.”
Tierre shook his head at the incompetence of the Council’s security system. Makes me wonder how they could still stand after 4 years of being open to attack. Then an image of a beautiful brunette flashed in his mind’s eyes, and he grinned to himself. Of course. Who needed alarms and booby traps with her fighting on your side? He was surprised that he was actually looking forward to seeing her again.
“Would you like me to―” Lenny began.
“Never mind, Lenny. The defense mechanism we should be worried about is inside, anyway.” Tierre said. He gazed up at the wall, and then jumped, scaling 15 feet of vertical concrete with the total expended effort of chewing gum.
Lenny sighed. Maybe it was time for him to quit this job.
~*~*~*~
“I miss Spike.”
Andrew blushed furiously as he felt several pairs of eyes swing his way. Good thing the lights were out, “It’s just that … he could see in the dark, and all …”
“Used to,” that was Giles, and his clipped tone carried loads of warning. Andrew nearly bit his tongue off. What was he thinking, Buffy was right there with them!
“And who is this … Spike?” Seyhan asked. Buffy could hear him and the other Vashkans leaving their seats and heading for the door.
“He was a vampire. He worked with us,” she replied shortly, “Stay here. We don’t know where those creeps are. Let’s stick together until Willow fixes―”
Suddenly the lights turned back on, the unexpected brightness piercing.
“―the lights,” Buffy’s eyes were still half-closed, “Well, that was fast.”
“I didn’t do it,” Willow said, “I didn’t even leave the room.”
“Look out!” Willow shrieked when Selig suddenly lunged across the table at her. His shoulder hit her at waist level and they both hit the floor rolling.
The table gleamed under the elegant chandelier.
And then it fell, splitting into two perfect halves.
Then entire group stared at it in hushed shock.
“Missed !”
Buffy was the first to react. She looked up at a woman with long red hair hanging from the ceiling. She was holding on to the handle of something deeply embedded in the ceiling with her left hand. Her right was extended, as though she had thrown something.
The woman smiled at Selig, “You got good reflexes, elf- boy,” she said.
Seyhan stared at the red-haired monster, feeling everything inside him turn to ice. She was one of them―she wielded the blades. And those blades …
Rumus saw Seyhan recoil, saw him tense, practically smelled the bloodlust on the younger D’Harken, “Seyhan, no!!” he cried. But it was too late. Seyhan had already lunged for the murderer.
And all hell broke loose.
~*~*~*~
The Slayers Diana and Jen stood back to back, crab-walking their way towards their living room. They saw five Slayers slumped in the foyer, alive, but unconscious. There were more Slayers in this building of course; the girls knew this because they heard the shouts and cries of alarm and pain that echoed through the hallways. They were fighting that blonde thing that Jen swore could go invisible. Diana didn’t believe the invisible part, but she knew there was something loose in the building. Something powerful.
And it didn’t like them.
“Hi, there!”
A backhand threw Diana all the way across the room, where she crashed against the wall so hard, she almost lost consciousness. But she didn’t. Her vision doubled, but she still caught glimpses of the blonde thing that was attacking Jen. The thing that had Jen on the floor in only seconds.
And all Diana could think before she blacked out was Fast. She’s so fast.
~*~*~*~
The alarm went off all over the campus. The Council was under attack.
Slayers of all shapes, ages, races and sizes clambered out of the bunk building, running across the quadrangle. Each of them tried frantically to remember the drill for emergency counter siege procedures that Buffy had taught them long ago. But this was the first time ever that the Council was attacked. Not the Council. Why, this was Slayer central! No one could be that suicidal!
They didn’t notice the tiny, squishy things they stepped on as they ran. They didn’t notice the fragile mist that never got the chance to rise aboveground.
They didn’t notice the effect, either. And they wouldn’t remember it as their strong bodies collapsed against the invisible onslaught of the poisonous gas.
Swinging down from the tree, grinning like a gleeful monkey, Gino watched his handiwork with pride.
~*~*~*~
“Aah!!”
“Seyhan!” Yesha fell to her knees beside Seyhan. The younger D’harken was gripping his shoulder, where blue-green blood flowed abundantly.
The red-head smiled, “Cool. Royalty. Get it? Blue blood and all?”
The moment Seyhan had moved, she had pushed against the ceiling and dove towards the Vashkan, pulling out the curved blade from the wall behind her. It seemed almost as though the two had just passed by each other―Seyhan on his way up; and the woman on her way down to meet him.
But then there had been a flash of silver, and then Seyhan was on the floor, bleeding and in pain.
The woman landed, surefooted as a cat and smiled like a, well, Cheshire cat, “Didn’t your mom ever tell you not to go for a woman with long, sharp knives?”
Buffy and the Vashkans circled her warily, knowing that she moved her blade around as though it was part of her body. The woman’s gaze flicked from one of them to the other, boldly meeting their gazes. There was no fear in her eyes at all.
Trying to buy his friends some time, Xander spoke up, “Who are you people? What do you want?”
The woman rolled her eyes, “Oh, please. You already know who we are,” her gaze landed on the cowering Elsa, “Just you sit tight, hacker. I’ll be with you in a moment,” Elsa whimpered, but the woman ignored her, “And as for what we want … well, isn’t it obvious? We want what belongs to us.”
Someone hissed low and sibilant. Buffy realized it was Rumus.
The woman was unfazed, “Your lives, faeries,” she laughed, “Oh, and as for your Slayer cavalry? I wouldn’t count on it so much. By now, my pal Gino would’ve―”
Xander was already bolting for the door at the mention of the girls. The woman’s arm flashed in a movement too quick for even Buffy to catch. She cried out, diving for her friend. Moving mostly on instinct, she swept her hand to the side, deflecting a throwing dagger. Her other hand reached up and caught the second dagger before it made contact with her face. The two daggers had been thrown too close one after the other―a clever tactic designed to really impale someone. The first was a decoy, the second was the bomb.
The Vashkans took that as their cue to attack. Even the wounded Seyhan joined his fellowmen and woman.
The woman merely stood there waiting. When she deemed them close enough, she pointed her weapon low and swung it in a complete circle, turning in a graceful, wide pirouette as she did so. As soon as the Vashkans stepped within the circle, the floor shifted.
And then it sank; a circular portion that the woman had carved straight from the floor. With yells of alarm, the Vashkans fell to the floor below, the woman in their midst the only one calm among them all.
~*~*~*~
“Giles, Xander, go outside and check on the girls. Andrew, Elsa, go with them. Willow, come with me,” orders dispensed with, Buffy jumped down into the woman-made crater. Willow, on the other hand, teleported herself.
“Crap,” Buffy muttered.
They were in the Danger Room. It took up nearly the entire third floor, a room designed for the more strenuous Slayer training sessions. All kinds of weapons were there, from the ancient, to the modern.
And the redhead discovered them all.
“Not bad,” she said, going by the wall where their blades were hung, “Not nearly as good as those back home, though, but …”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Buffy snapped. She felt the Vashkans take strategic positions around the redhead. The fall had disoriented them, but they regrouped fast. They made no move, though. Their wariness had increased ten-fold.
Willow came to stand beside Buffy, her quiet presence calming the Slayer somewhat.
“So, we gonna do this?” the redhead asked. She posed, one hip sticking out, arms up in what may have been a helpless posture. But she held two curved blades in each of her hands now. The blades were shaped like crescents facing each other, the pointed tips overlapping.
“Yes. We are,” to Buffy and Willow’s surprise, the Vashkans suddenly held swords up and ready. The swords were shaped like slender capital letter D’s, with hilts the color of ivory. A single rough crystal sat on the hilts.
“Whoah, nice,” the redhead whistled, “How’d you hide those?”
“We didn’t.” Rumus tensed, ready to spring.
Just then, the doors to the Danger room slid open, and in walked a man and a blonde woman who looked like the redhead. With Xander, Giles, Elsa and Andrew.
All unconscious.
The blonde dumped Elsa and Andrew in a corner. The man did the same, Giles and Xander hoisted over each of his shoulders like sacks of rice or something.
Buffy’s heart jumped in her throat at the sight. Willow gasped. Unable to stop herself, she dashed for her unconscious friends, “Xander! Giles!”
“No! Willow!” Buffy cried. But it was too late. The most-powerful witch in the world didn’t even get a chance to use her power. The blonde merely stepped out of her way and brought her left hand down on the back of the witch’s neck. Willow fell without even a grunt.
“You bitch!” Buffy snarled. Fury wiping out whatever plan she may have been forming, the Slayer charged forward armed with her greatest weapon: herself.
The Vashkans abandoned caution and rushed to help out the petite warrior who had chosen their side of the battle.
And the dance began.
The brothers D’Harken ganged up on the redhead. They swung their weapons with deadly expertise, both having been raised with swords in their hands. The Vashkan sword was a holy weapon, one all the noble warriors carried. It concealed itself by shortening into a dagger when its master willed it to. A warrior with a Vashkan sword was exceptional, one who has already proven himself in combat. The brothers D’Harken were such warriors. They were strong, powerful and formidable.
And against the redhead―unsure.
She used both her arms with the same skill, as though she preferred not left nor right, but both. Her weapons’ curved edges allowed her to trap the brothers’ swords long enough so she can deliver a particularly debilitating kick. She was lighter, smaller and faster. At one point, she ducked beneath Seyhan’s swing―avoiding a certain beheading―by bending one knee while the other leg was stretched out beside her. In the same move, she threw three throwing metal disks with razor edges straight towards Selig.
Selig moved out of the way.
And Yesha caught the disks in the back. She fell, almost lightly.
“Yesha!” Rumus cried. His momentary distraction got him kicked full in the face by the tall man. The man used his legs the way most fighters used their fists. He moved so easily, defying the laws of balance. The muscles in his thighs felt like corded steel, his foot like rock, as Rumus soon found out.
Buffy had no other partner but the blonde. The Slayer had no idea what to make of her at first, because she was smiling so sweetly, and sort of … ditzily. Buffy didn’t realize just how grossly she’d underestimated her opponent until the bitch vanished right in front of her eyes. She materialized behind Buffy; delivering the same blow she gave Willow.
But the Slayer had sensed the blow coming and turned to block it. Their arms touched for a millisecond, and then the blonde vanished again. Buffy whirled around, not wanting to leave her back exposed.
And a fist buried itself in her stomach so hard, Buffy nearly blacked out.
The Slayer gasped in air and looked up. A boot materialized right above her head and descended fast. Bright, white lights exploded behind Buffy’s eyes. Fast, she’s so fast, she thought druggedly.
“Well, you’re no fun,” the blonde whined, her disembodied voice floating somewhere above Buffy’s head, “I thought this was the Almighty Council. But you’re all just a bunch of dorks who don’t even have a decent security system. I think I’m going to kill you now.”
Adrenaline surged inside Buffy, forcing her to move, to ignore the bells that rang nonstop in her ears. She put her palms beneath her and pushed her body up.
Something crashed down on her back―a foot, most likely, but it felt like a ship’s anchor. “None of that, now,” the sing-song voice said again, “If you behave, this will be quick.”
Buffy gritted her teeth, sucked in a forced breath, and rolled to side with all of her strength.
That was what she planned to do, anyway. Only she never had to.
Something tore the offending bitch off her back. She heard an outraged gasp, then the all-too-brief sound of flesh striking flesh. She had no doubts as to who it was. The strikes were just too lethal to be anyone else’s.
“Faith …” she groaned.
“Yeah, pet. One should have that every now and then,” came a deep, melodious voice.
Goosebumps erupted all over Buffy’s skin at the sound of the voice, the unusual nickname he called her by. She lifted her head, eyes traveling up long, black-clad legs, up to narrow hips that widened to broad shoulders. Legs shaking, she got up, her eyes wide enough to accommodate a dinghy, staring at the back of his head.
Buffy was only vaguely aware that battle had almost stopped, that Scarlet was now staring at the tall, slender man standing in front of Buffy. The blonde was on the floor, and she gingerly picked herself up, eyes never leaving the newcomer.
“M-master Tierre,” she stuttered. Gone was the cocky cheerfulness she displayed only a minute ago, “I-I’m sorry. I thought it was one of them trying to stop me.”
Buffy didn’t hear her. Her heart was pounding in her face. She tried to step around the man, to get a look at his profile.
The blonde’s head instantly swiveled towards her, and she shifted, taking a position that would allow her to stop any kind of attack from Buffy, unaware that attacking was the farthest thing from the Slayer’s mind at the moment.
“Wolfson!” the livid roar came from Seyhan. With a burst of fresh strength, he broke free from the duel he, his brother, and the redhead were locked in at the moment. Moving so fast, it was as though he’d stepped forward in time, Seyhan attacked Tierre Wolfson.
“Out of the way, Solana,” came Tierre’s quiet command. She obeyed.
What happened next, Buffy couldn’t describe―because she didn’t see it. The blonde―Solana―might be fast, but she had nothing on the man she called master. One second, Seyhan was bullet-speeding towards him, the next; he was in Tierre Wolfson’s deadly hold.
Selig and Rumus were attacking before they even knew what they were doing.
Wolfson turned D’Harken the Younger around so the Vashkan’s back faced him, his hands gripping the elf’s wrists, “Nice steel. Mind if I borrow it?” he asked.
Rumus and Selig descended on them and Tierre moved to defend himself―by making Seyhan do it for him. He moved the Vahkan’s arm, made the body shuffle forward and backward in a classic defense/offense dance according to his direction. Seyhan’s mouth worked in outrage as the murderers’ leader used him like a marionette on strings, or like a child he was teaching to walk. But he had no choice but to allow himself to be Wolfson’s weapon, at least for the moment, because it was the only way he could avoid getting killed by either Rumus or his own brother.
In the meantime, Scarlet Mercury watched, grinning, as their boss fought against the pathetic elves.
Dysis was shaking her head, “Man, this is just child’s play to him.”
They didn’t notice Willow starting to stir.
TBC...
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks so much for your reviews! You guys are fantastic, especially you, Chrissie!