Buffy/Torchwood crossover: Undead 2/3
Feb. 1st, 2007 07:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jadesfireThanks for all the comments! Much appreciated by this comment-junkie. More crossposting may take place soon, once the whole thing's up.
[Jadesfire would like to thank you for your patience as she spams your friends lists]
Title: Undead II: A-Hunting We Will Go
Word Count: ~4800
Rating:Gen
Warnings/Spoilers: Only for Buffy-style violence. Setting is pre-S1 of Torchwood and mid-S5 of Buffy, so spoilers as appropriate, though none that I could see.
Summary: Sunnydale has a new kind of monster. Fortunately, help is at hand.
With huge thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rivers_bend for beta-ing and especially for getting the Scoobies on the right side of the Atlantic.
Part 1: Undead I: Blood-Eaters
Undead II: A-Hunting We Will Go
Jack left his coat behind, retrieving a slim metal box from it before following Buffy out of the door. Xander had also joined them, offering to act as chauffeur. Buffy wondered if it was just because he didn't trust Jack alone with her, although it wasn't that she didn't appreciate the sentiment and the company. One to one, Jack had been a little overpowering and she was just unsteady enough to be glad of the chaperone.
"Where's the most likely place to find a gathering of haemovores?" she asked, tilting her head to one side at the words. "Is 'gathering' right?"
"What about 'huddle?'" Xander suggested. "Or 'menace?'"
"Whatever you call it," Jack said, cutting the conversation short, "the beach is the most likely place, or near there. They can live at sea for as long as they need to, so it's probable that the main pack is hiding off the coast somewhere. The beach has got to be the best place to start."
"A pack of haemovores." Xander shook his head as he started the car. "Doesn't have the right ring to it somehow."
"Xander? Shut up and drive? Please?" Buffy turned to Jack. "Tell me there's more to this plan than 'find a haemovore and get its blood.'"
He held up the metal case that he'd taken from his coat. "Well, this is what we're going to use to get the blood. Apart from that, I'm not sure there's much more we can plan."
"Perfect." Buffy opened the box, looking at the neat syringes inside.
"Do either of you know how to use them?" Jack asked.
Glancing over, Xander shrugged. "It's your basic point and press, isn't it?"
"Point and pull, but you've got the right idea." Jack returned the box to his pocket, leaning back in his seat and apparently enjoying the drive. He looked relaxed and confident, as though, with nothing to do right at that moment, he'd just switched off. For a moment, Buffy envied him.
It took them about half an hour to drive out of the city limits to the beach. There was a stronger wind down here, blowing in off the sea, and Buffy shivered a little as they got out of the car. The three of them walked slowly along the beach road, peering into bushes and listening for any unusual sounds.
"This could take a while," Jack observed. "There may be a quicker way." Before Buffy could ask, he produced a penknife from his pocket and flicked it open. He met her questioning look with a quirk of his lips. "I've done this before."
"Done what?" Xander asked, puzzled.
Ignoring him, Buffy kept her eyes on Jack. "You do remember this is the Hellmouth, right? Vampires, demons, not just haemovores. And there'll be other nights."
"They'll just keep hiding. I told you, they're psychic. They know you hurt them and they'll stay away from you. This should bring them out."
Before she could protest further, Jack had drawn the knife down across his palm, a thin red line springing up behind it. Xander swore and Buffy noticed that Jack didn't even wince. Clenching his fist then opening it, he allowed the cut to bleed for a moment, then lifted his head to look around.
"I think we should have their attention now."
The three of them were still, listening again to the rustle of leaves and the waves lapping at the sand.
"Well, that was an anticlimax," Xander said after a minute had passed. "Nothing leaping out of any bushes that I can see."
"Give them time." Jack said, opening his hand again. "They'll come. They're just not very fast runners."
"No, but they are."
Buffy looked in the direction of Xander's pointing finger, seeing a small group of vampires coming across the scrubby grass. Real vampires, the kind she was used to.
"I'll take care of them," she said, pulling the stake from the back pocket of her jeans. "You watch for haemovores."
"Be careful," Xander called after her, and she acknowledged the concern with a nod, focussing her attention on the vamps coming towards her. Four men, all with their game faces on, snarling as she went to meet them. One was still wearing long shorts and not much else, probably a night surfer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As soon as it came, she pushed the thought aside. The dude was dead. Time to kill the demon.
"If one of you even thinks the word 'radical', you get to go first," she said, coming to a stop a couple of metres away from the group. They seemed momentarily confused, probably because she wasn't running away screaming, and possibly because they'd spotted the stake. Either way, they got over it quickly and one of them started to lunge at her.
He wasn't much taller than she was, but he was fast. Holding the stake horizontally, she slammed it up into his chin, punching him in the chest at the same time. She was aware of the others closing in, trying to use their numbers against her. They lost the advantage as the vamp she'd hit barrelled backwards with the momentum of her blow, taking two of them down with him. That left one, the guy wearing only his surfing shorts.
"I've got to admit," she said, dodging his first swipe at her, "all that swimming does wonders for the six-pack."
She was suddenly given a close-up view as he managed to catch her arm and pull her towards him. She stumbled against him, bringing up her other hand, the one holding the stake, and ramming it into the centre of his chest. He exploded in a shower of dust.
"Pretty, but not too bright." She had just about regained her balance when something slammed into her from behind, bearing her to the ground and gripping her tightly. Trying to breathe, she rammed first one elbow then the other into the cold body on top of hers, gaining a few inches of space and just about enough leverage to roll them both over, so that her vision filled with sky instead of grass.
Struggling in the still-firm grip and hanging onto the stake for dear life, she only noticed the next vamp when he was nearly on top of her. Instinctively, she brought her foot up to kick him off, almost as surprised as he was when she made contact with something soft. Eyes crossing, the vampire slowly sank to the ground, whimpering a little.
The vamp underneath her wasn't giving up yet and she could feel his teeth on the back of her neck. She threw her head backwards, putting all the force she could into it and feeling something give with a nasty squishing sound. The vamp howled in pain, letting go of her wrists and clawing at his face. Buffy rolled off him, turning to stake him before looking to see what had happened to the others.
"There they were, gone," she muttered, getting to her feet and scanning the clearing for the retreating vampires. One was still half-doubled over, clinging to the other who was limping away as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough. Shifting her grip on the stake, Buffy drew her arm back and threw it. At this distance, she was just about able to hear the satisfying thud of it hitting home before the vamp crumbled away. It left her unarmed, but it didn't look like the fourth vamp, who'd fallen over when his friend exploded, was going to be much of a danger any time soon.
"Buffy!"
Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the last vampire – the one that was going to get away – Buffy turned and started to run back to the others. The volume and tone of Xander's voice had told her she needed to hurry, but as she took in the scene, she found another burst of speed from somewhere.
Jack and Xander were surrounded, almost submerged in a sea of haemovores, stretching out long fingers towards them, hissing and snarling. The creatures didn't move quickly and Buffy didn't remember them as being particularly strong. When there were this many of them, they didn't need to be.
Judging the distance, she threw herself at the back of the nearest haemovore, knocking it to the ground and rolling to her feet. This close, she could see the pustuled skin and strange blue growths that covered much of their faces. The hands that reached towards her had long, thin nails, sharp as knives, and, although she couldn't see any fangs, Buffy was sure that they were there. The creatures were emitting a strange, hissing noise, although whether it was communication or just a general reaction to seeing food, she couldn’t tell.
She kicked at the nearest one, clearing enough space for her to get to Jack and Xander. Seeing her coming, Jack pulled Xander out of the way of a clawed hand and grinned at her. His hair was falling in his eyes and there was a long scratch down one cheek, the twin of the one on his hand, and he looked as though he was having the time of his life.
"Glad you could join us," he said. "Hang on." Almost lifting her off her feet, he pulled her in front of him, gripping her arms tightly. He was stronger than he looked, and for a sudden, terrible minute, Buffy thought that it was all going to go wrong. As she tried to get her balance back, ready to defend herself, strange ringing sound filled the air.
"Well that's weird." Xander's voice carried over the top of the sound, and Buffy could hear Jack muttering something, the same words, over and over.
The sound was having a dramatic effect on the haemovores. They shrank back, hands clutching at their heads and screaming in pain. The ones she'd knocked over were writhing on the ground, apparently in agony. At first, Buffy thought it must be some kind of spell, then she managed to make out what Jack was whispering.
"Never doubted him, never will. Never doubted him, never will. Never doubted him."
If it was a spell, it was the strangest incantation she'd ever heard. As the haemovores retreated, he slowly released his grip on her arms, letting her step away from him. Not wanting to disturb his concentration, Buffy turned to Xander.
"Let's get this done. Where's the box?"
"Here." Xander pulled it out of his pocket. "Jack gave it to me."
"Isn't that a comforting thought? Come on."
She held down one of the struggling creatures while Xander opened the syringe case, giving it, and her, a nervous look.
"Point and pull, right?"
"Into it, not me," Buffy warned him, adjusting her grip on the thing's arm. This close, she could see the human being under the mutation, blue eyes staring up out of a deformed face. With vampires, you could remind yourself that you were talking to the demon, not the person. With these creatures, there was only blankness.
"Done." Xander put the syringe carefully back in the case and nodded to Buffy. "Are we getting the hell out of here now?"
"You bet. Jack?" Buffy looked up. Jack was still standing facing the haemovores, his lips moving in that strange mantra. Sharing a glance with Xander, Buffy straightened up and went over to stand next to the motionless man. "Jack, we need to go."
He nodded fractionally, slowly backing away from the crowd of monsters. After a few steps, he stopped, closing his eyes and bringing his clenched fists up towards his chest. Then the ringing grew in volume, until even Buffy felt the urge to put her hands over her ears. Some of the haemovores began to scream, while others broke off from the back of the pack, retreating into the bushes and trees and the night.
Very slowly, Jack unclenched his fists and opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. The ringing died away, and he and Buffy stood for a moment, watching to see what the haemovores would do. When the creatures made no move to follow them, Jack nodded, satisfied and turned to her.
"Shall we go?"
Jack absolutely refused to let Buffy do anything to his cheek or hand on the way back to the Magic Box, reassuring her that he was fine and it barely hurt. Actually what it mostly did was itch like crazy, but he could hold on until they had something other than his already bloodstained handkerchief to wipe it with. As attractive as the thought of Buffy rending her garments for him was, he didn't think Xander's blood pressure could take it.
Willow didn't even look up as they came into the shop.
"Did you get it?" she asked, setting a candle at the centre of the complicated arrangement on the table.
"One vial of haemovore blood, delivered to your door." Xander passed over the box with a flourish. "They don't offer that service at Dominos, you know."
Looking up to give him a sarcastic look, Willow caught sight of Jack over Xander's shoulder, and her face filled with concern.
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Although if someone's got a flannel, I wouldn't say no." No-one looked reassured by his winning smile. While Buffy and Xander seemed to have come through the fight relatively unscathed, Jack's shirt had grass stains down one side where he'd fallen, pushing Xander out of the way of a swiping claw. He supposed it must also have bloodstains from his dripping cheek by now. Willow frowned, coming over and lifting his hand to look at it.
"You were supposed to get blood from them, not the other way round." She turned his hand to see his palm, looking up at him as he took a firm grip on her wrist before she could peel away the handkerchief.
"Are you going to magic it better?" he asked softly, enjoying the way her eyes widened and cheeks filled with colour. "Then maybe a bowl of water would be a better bet."
"Right." She held his gaze for a moment longer, then let go of his hand. "Water."
"You get on with the spell," Tara said, coming up and taking Jack's hand. He decided that he liked the tag-team approach to first-aid. "I'll see to this."
She led him over to a bench by the wall, pushing him down onto it and disappearing into the back room While Xander and Willow carefully injected half of the blood sample into a stone bowl. There were candles and charms all over the table, which was covered in an embroidered cloth. In a strange way, it reminded Jack of Tosh at her workstation in the Hub, surrounded by her keyboards and screens and various pieces of alien tech. Everyone had their own magic.
Tara came back with a bowl of water and cloth, sitting down next to Jack on the bench. He only half noticed her starting to dab at his face as he watched Willow light the candles. She pointed at each one in turn, smiling in satisfaction as the small flames burst into life.
"That must come in handy."
Tara followed his gaze and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile. Not the shy, friendly smile she'd given him. This one was warm and wide, filling her face and eyes with light.
"Well, sometimes she just can't find the matches." She dabbed again at his cheek, making him wince. "Sorry." Very gently, she ran the fingers of her free hand down his face, whispering something under her breath. At first, her fingers just felt cold, a welcome relief from the sting of the cut. Then he realised that, over the places where they had been, the pain had receded to a slight tingling.
"Useful," he said appreciatively, his face still turned towards Willow. Tara ducked her head, dropping the cloth back into the water and rinsing out the blood. With a glance at her, he went on, "Lucky woman."
"I know."
"I meant Willow."
Either the girls out here blushed easily or Jack was on really good form today. All he had to do was get Anya alone and he'd have a clean sweep.
Tara finished wiping the blood from his neck and moved on to his hand as Buffy came over to join them.
"Will he live?"
"I think so." Tara lifted his hand and submerged it in the bowl of water, washing off the dried blood and checking the cut was clean.
"You know," Jack said, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes, "I could get used to this place. What more could a guy want?"
"Don't get too used to it."
He felt Buffy drop onto the bench next to him and he half-opened his eyes to look at her. She looked tired.
"You ok?" he asked, wincing as Tara teased something out of his palm.
"Just been a long day. You know?"
"Yeah. I know."
They sat in comfortable silence, watching Willow drop things into the bowl, muttering over them as she did so and listening to the gentle sounds of the water as Tara lifted his hand out and began to dry and bandage it. After a moment, Willow looked up.
"Tara?"
"Coming." With a smile at Jack, Tara tied off the bandage and went over to the table, taking Willow's hand.
"What are they going to do?" Jack asked, sitting up a little.
"I have no idea," Buffy admitted. "But Giles wouldn't let them do anything smelly or explosive. Not in here, anyway."
"Why is that not as comforting as it sounds?"
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, closing it again when the shop's lights dimmed slightly. Willow had placed the bowl on a tripod above a candle and was holding her hand over it, letting the steam rise between her fingers and slip round her palm. To Jack, it looked like the world's most mystical chemistry experiment. Now, with the lights down, he could see that the steam was turning to smoke, different coloured strands drifting out from the heated liquid. Willow had her eyes closed, and Jack could hear Tara speaking softly, using words from a language he didn't understand. After a moment, the smoke began to thicken, twisting and turning round Willow's hand. She clenched her fist, opening her eyes and leaning over the bowl.
"Reveal."
As she blew over the surface of the water, there was a sudden puff of smoke, which Jack expected to billow out across the shop. He was about to make a sarcastic comment to Buffy about explosions when he realised that the smoke seemed to be imploding, drawing together in a cloud that hung thickly over the bowl. In another moment, it had shifted and changed shape, twisting and curling into something that he recognised.
Very slowly, worried he'd disturb the air too much and break the spell, he got to his feet and moved towards the table. The smoke cloud had become a ghostly image, spheres and rods all interconnected and turning round each other, apparently pushed by the air currents in the room. It was a perfect molecular model, floating above the bowl.
"It's alright," Willow said, her voice edged with concentration, "you can come closer. Just don't breathe too heavily on it."
"Right." Jack was almost afraid to speak. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, flicking it open with his thumb. "I need to get a picture of this."
Willow smiled. "I think we can do better than that." She closed her eyes again, reaching out and holding her hand above the ghostly image. Then she clenched her fist, and Jack stood back as small objects came flying up from the table, disappearing into the smoke cloud, giving it form and substance. After another minute, Willow opened her eyes and took the now-solid model out of the air.
"I think we can have the lights on now," she said, passing the object to Jack, who took it with great care. "Will that do?" she asked.
"This is it, isn't it?"
"It's a model of the toxin that's in the haemovore bloodstream. Maybe it can tell us something."
"You know," Xander said as he turned the lights back on, "if she'd been able to do that in high school, it would have saved us all a lot of time."
"I think they get cranky if you use magic to pass your SATs," Willow said, waving a hand and extinguishing all the candles.
Jack was only half-listening, absorbed in examining the model. It was large, almost twenty centimetres across, and looked like it had been made out of the strangest chemistry set in the world. Stones, amulets and charms were held together and apart by twigs, thin pieces of metal and, he realised as he looked closer, a couple of pencils. Carefully setting it down on the table, he gave Willow an appreciative smile.
"My people are going to love this."
Ten minutes later, he'd set up his phone as a webcam and connected through to Tosh at the Hub. She actually yelped when she saw the model, and he practically had to shout at her to get her to stop asking questions.
"Just patch Suzie and Owen in on this, would you? He's going to want to see it."
Still talking, mostly to herself, Tosh connected Owen to Jack's phone.
"What the…" Jack heard rustling, which he assumed was Owen leaning closer to the screen. Then a burst of prolific swearing came down the line. Jack heard a snort from behind him as he waited for Owen's outburst to fade.
"Not in front of company, Owen, please? Try to pretend you have some manners. Suzie?"
There was a yelp from the other end of the line, and Jack could hear the smile in Suzie's voice as she spoke.
"Sorry about that, Jack. It's pretty impressive, though."
"You should see the person who made it." Jack winked at Willow, then turned back to the computer. "Tosh?"
"Hang on." After another moment, a computer image of the chemical appeared on the screen, rotating as Tosh checked it against the image Jack was sending her. "Ok, I'm done. The computer should be able to analyse it now."
Someone put a hand on Jack's shoulder as the others crowded round to see, and he looked up into Buffy's interested face. Xander was resting his hands on her shoulders, peering over her and almost pushing her down into Jack's lap. Jack watched as she became aware of this, scowled and pushed back at Xander, standing a little more upright at the same time. Apparently verbal flirtation was fine, but as far as she was going to go. For now, at least.
Willow was pointing to something on the screen and Jack tuned back into the conversation.
"It's not quite the same," she said, masking off half the molecule with one hand.
"Tosh, can you have the computer remove everything that we already know is the toxin?" Jack asked.
"Hang on." The screen flickered a little, then a new image appeared, considerably smaller than the last. The chemical formula appeared at the bottom, and Owen swore again.
"It's bloody sodium pentothal, Jack."
"What? Why would someone mix that in?"
"And for those of us without a major in chemistry?" Buffy asked.
"It's a psych drug," Owen said. "Sometimes it's called a truth serum, but mostly it's used to make people more compliant and suggestible. What's the point of using it on a haemovore?"
"Three guesses anyone?" Jack muttered. In a more normal tone of voice he added, "Thanks, Owen. Clear up and head home. I think we can take it from here. Tosh?"
"Already on it."
"Does anyone else have any idea what's going on?" Xander asked the group in general, getting some blank looks and shakes of heads for an answer. Giles took his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes with one hand.
"If I'm following along so far," he said thoughtfully, "someone's managed to re-engineer the haemovore toxin, adding something that makes them more compliant."
"Right," Jack said. "And that means someone with access to the drug and a lab to mix it up in, as well as access to the haemovores in the first place."
"So," Tosh's voice came through the speaker, "I'm tracing everyone in the Sunnydale area who might have the skills and opportunity to do this. I'll send the list through when it's done, Jack."
"Thanks. I'll check in with you later." Jack cut the connection, and turned to Willow. "You said something about destroying the toxin with magic?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Willow glanced at Tara, who nodded. "I think we can do that. The problem is we're going to have to be in reasonable proximity to the toxin. The spell should cover a few miles, but if there's one haemovore out of range…"
"..the whole thing will just start over again," Jack finished. "I get it. Well, hopefully we can get to the source. How long do you need to get ready?"
"Not long." Willow collected Tara with a look, and the two of them moved off to start collecting supplies from the shelves. Glancing round, Jack saw Buffy and Giles disappear into the back room, while Xander was hovering awkwardly by the display shelves. It took Jack a moment to realise that Anya hadn't dispersed with everyone else, and was sitting in the chair next to his, watching him with a curiously intent expression.
"Do I have something on my face?"
"A great big cut." She smiled, but her eyes flickered past Jack to Xander, just for a moment.
"Apart from that?" Jack kept most of his attention on the computer in front of him, closing down the picture of the toxin as he waited for Tosh to send the information through.
"No, nothing." Anya sat back in her chair, glancing from him to Xander and back again.
"He seems a nice guy," Jack offered, wondering if he was going to get his fourth blush of the evening.
"He's great," Anya said. It wasn't a defensive or hasty remark, and her voice had the ring of simple honesty about it. "We're entirely compatible; emotionally, intellectually, sexually."
From behind him, Jack heard the sound of breaking glass. Xander must have dropped the trinket he'd been holding. With some effort, Jack managed to match Anya's matter-of-fact tone.
"Really? You're a lucky woman."
"Yes." Anya sighed, looking round the shop. "This place is even starting to make money."
"You want to make some more?"
"How?"
Jack resisted the urge to pull his chair back as Anya almost pounced on him.
"The little black stone in the display case. The one you've got labelled as an obsidian amulet for thirty dollars? I'll give you an email address. Tell them that you've got a Merillian Jax Stone, and that I told you to get in touch. They'll give you a good price."
"How good?"
She really was relentless. If she put this amount of energy into all her activities, Xander was a lucky man.
"Six, maybe seven thousand dollars."
There was a moment of silence, although Jack suspected it was more because Anya's cry of delight had gone beyond the reach of human hearing. She threw her arms around him, kissing him soundly and with considerable enthusiasm. Then she hurried over to the display case, pushing a startled Xander out of the way and carefully lifting the black stone out. Then, almost as an afterthought, she grabbed the back of his head and kissed him as well. Struck with an uncharacteristic sense of modesty, Jack looked away, giving them a moment. Definitely a lucky man. And Jack was four for four in the red-faced stakes. Not a bad night's work.
It didn't take much scrolling through the information Tosh had sent him for Jack to find the address he was looking for.
"Holdings in Argentina, chemical works right down by the beach, reclusive owner. This is our guy," he told the re-assembled group.
"So what's next?" Buffy asked. "Is the spell ready, Will?"
"Just about." Willow held up a small bag which chinked a little. "The final casting will have to be done on site, though."
"The works has got to be the headquarters," Jack said, grabbing his phone and getting his feet. "We'll start there."
"Why is he doing this, though?" Xander asked. "I mean, doesn't Sunnydale have enough monsters for him?"
"Sure it does," Jack said, "but he's created his own controllable, unkillable, replaceable army. What was the question?"
"I'll get back to you."
Buffy grabbed her jacket and began herding people towards the door. "Let's go."
Final part: Undead III: Trust
[Jadesfire would like to thank you for your patience as she spams your friends lists]
Title: Undead II: A-Hunting We Will Go
Word Count: ~4800
Rating:Gen
Warnings/Spoilers: Only for Buffy-style violence. Setting is pre-S1 of Torchwood and mid-S5 of Buffy, so spoilers as appropriate, though none that I could see.
Summary: Sunnydale has a new kind of monster. Fortunately, help is at hand.
With huge thanks to
rivers_bend for beta-ing and especially for getting the Scoobies on the right side of the Atlantic.Part 1: Undead I: Blood-Eaters
Undead II: A-Hunting We Will Go
Jack left his coat behind, retrieving a slim metal box from it before following Buffy out of the door. Xander had also joined them, offering to act as chauffeur. Buffy wondered if it was just because he didn't trust Jack alone with her, although it wasn't that she didn't appreciate the sentiment and the company. One to one, Jack had been a little overpowering and she was just unsteady enough to be glad of the chaperone.
"Where's the most likely place to find a gathering of haemovores?" she asked, tilting her head to one side at the words. "Is 'gathering' right?"
"What about 'huddle?'" Xander suggested. "Or 'menace?'"
"Whatever you call it," Jack said, cutting the conversation short, "the beach is the most likely place, or near there. They can live at sea for as long as they need to, so it's probable that the main pack is hiding off the coast somewhere. The beach has got to be the best place to start."
"A pack of haemovores." Xander shook his head as he started the car. "Doesn't have the right ring to it somehow."
"Xander? Shut up and drive? Please?" Buffy turned to Jack. "Tell me there's more to this plan than 'find a haemovore and get its blood.'"
He held up the metal case that he'd taken from his coat. "Well, this is what we're going to use to get the blood. Apart from that, I'm not sure there's much more we can plan."
"Perfect." Buffy opened the box, looking at the neat syringes inside.
"Do either of you know how to use them?" Jack asked.
Glancing over, Xander shrugged. "It's your basic point and press, isn't it?"
"Point and pull, but you've got the right idea." Jack returned the box to his pocket, leaning back in his seat and apparently enjoying the drive. He looked relaxed and confident, as though, with nothing to do right at that moment, he'd just switched off. For a moment, Buffy envied him.
It took them about half an hour to drive out of the city limits to the beach. There was a stronger wind down here, blowing in off the sea, and Buffy shivered a little as they got out of the car. The three of them walked slowly along the beach road, peering into bushes and listening for any unusual sounds.
"This could take a while," Jack observed. "There may be a quicker way." Before Buffy could ask, he produced a penknife from his pocket and flicked it open. He met her questioning look with a quirk of his lips. "I've done this before."
"Done what?" Xander asked, puzzled.
Ignoring him, Buffy kept her eyes on Jack. "You do remember this is the Hellmouth, right? Vampires, demons, not just haemovores. And there'll be other nights."
"They'll just keep hiding. I told you, they're psychic. They know you hurt them and they'll stay away from you. This should bring them out."
Before she could protest further, Jack had drawn the knife down across his palm, a thin red line springing up behind it. Xander swore and Buffy noticed that Jack didn't even wince. Clenching his fist then opening it, he allowed the cut to bleed for a moment, then lifted his head to look around.
"I think we should have their attention now."
The three of them were still, listening again to the rustle of leaves and the waves lapping at the sand.
"Well, that was an anticlimax," Xander said after a minute had passed. "Nothing leaping out of any bushes that I can see."
"Give them time." Jack said, opening his hand again. "They'll come. They're just not very fast runners."
"No, but they are."
Buffy looked in the direction of Xander's pointing finger, seeing a small group of vampires coming across the scrubby grass. Real vampires, the kind she was used to.
"I'll take care of them," she said, pulling the stake from the back pocket of her jeans. "You watch for haemovores."
"Be careful," Xander called after her, and she acknowledged the concern with a nod, focussing her attention on the vamps coming towards her. Four men, all with their game faces on, snarling as she went to meet them. One was still wearing long shorts and not much else, probably a night surfer who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As soon as it came, she pushed the thought aside. The dude was dead. Time to kill the demon.
"If one of you even thinks the word 'radical', you get to go first," she said, coming to a stop a couple of metres away from the group. They seemed momentarily confused, probably because she wasn't running away screaming, and possibly because they'd spotted the stake. Either way, they got over it quickly and one of them started to lunge at her.
He wasn't much taller than she was, but he was fast. Holding the stake horizontally, she slammed it up into his chin, punching him in the chest at the same time. She was aware of the others closing in, trying to use their numbers against her. They lost the advantage as the vamp she'd hit barrelled backwards with the momentum of her blow, taking two of them down with him. That left one, the guy wearing only his surfing shorts.
"I've got to admit," she said, dodging his first swipe at her, "all that swimming does wonders for the six-pack."
She was suddenly given a close-up view as he managed to catch her arm and pull her towards him. She stumbled against him, bringing up her other hand, the one holding the stake, and ramming it into the centre of his chest. He exploded in a shower of dust.
"Pretty, but not too bright." She had just about regained her balance when something slammed into her from behind, bearing her to the ground and gripping her tightly. Trying to breathe, she rammed first one elbow then the other into the cold body on top of hers, gaining a few inches of space and just about enough leverage to roll them both over, so that her vision filled with sky instead of grass.
Struggling in the still-firm grip and hanging onto the stake for dear life, she only noticed the next vamp when he was nearly on top of her. Instinctively, she brought her foot up to kick him off, almost as surprised as he was when she made contact with something soft. Eyes crossing, the vampire slowly sank to the ground, whimpering a little.
The vamp underneath her wasn't giving up yet and she could feel his teeth on the back of her neck. She threw her head backwards, putting all the force she could into it and feeling something give with a nasty squishing sound. The vamp howled in pain, letting go of her wrists and clawing at his face. Buffy rolled off him, turning to stake him before looking to see what had happened to the others.
"There they were, gone," she muttered, getting to her feet and scanning the clearing for the retreating vampires. One was still half-doubled over, clinging to the other who was limping away as fast as he could. It wasn't fast enough. Shifting her grip on the stake, Buffy drew her arm back and threw it. At this distance, she was just about able to hear the satisfying thud of it hitting home before the vamp crumbled away. It left her unarmed, but it didn't look like the fourth vamp, who'd fallen over when his friend exploded, was going to be much of a danger any time soon.
"Buffy!"
Reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the last vampire – the one that was going to get away – Buffy turned and started to run back to the others. The volume and tone of Xander's voice had told her she needed to hurry, but as she took in the scene, she found another burst of speed from somewhere.
Jack and Xander were surrounded, almost submerged in a sea of haemovores, stretching out long fingers towards them, hissing and snarling. The creatures didn't move quickly and Buffy didn't remember them as being particularly strong. When there were this many of them, they didn't need to be.
Judging the distance, she threw herself at the back of the nearest haemovore, knocking it to the ground and rolling to her feet. This close, she could see the pustuled skin and strange blue growths that covered much of their faces. The hands that reached towards her had long, thin nails, sharp as knives, and, although she couldn't see any fangs, Buffy was sure that they were there. The creatures were emitting a strange, hissing noise, although whether it was communication or just a general reaction to seeing food, she couldn’t tell.
She kicked at the nearest one, clearing enough space for her to get to Jack and Xander. Seeing her coming, Jack pulled Xander out of the way of a clawed hand and grinned at her. His hair was falling in his eyes and there was a long scratch down one cheek, the twin of the one on his hand, and he looked as though he was having the time of his life.
"Glad you could join us," he said. "Hang on." Almost lifting her off her feet, he pulled her in front of him, gripping her arms tightly. He was stronger than he looked, and for a sudden, terrible minute, Buffy thought that it was all going to go wrong. As she tried to get her balance back, ready to defend herself, strange ringing sound filled the air.
"Well that's weird." Xander's voice carried over the top of the sound, and Buffy could hear Jack muttering something, the same words, over and over.
The sound was having a dramatic effect on the haemovores. They shrank back, hands clutching at their heads and screaming in pain. The ones she'd knocked over were writhing on the ground, apparently in agony. At first, Buffy thought it must be some kind of spell, then she managed to make out what Jack was whispering.
"Never doubted him, never will. Never doubted him, never will. Never doubted him."
If it was a spell, it was the strangest incantation she'd ever heard. As the haemovores retreated, he slowly released his grip on her arms, letting her step away from him. Not wanting to disturb his concentration, Buffy turned to Xander.
"Let's get this done. Where's the box?"
"Here." Xander pulled it out of his pocket. "Jack gave it to me."
"Isn't that a comforting thought? Come on."
She held down one of the struggling creatures while Xander opened the syringe case, giving it, and her, a nervous look.
"Point and pull, right?"
"Into it, not me," Buffy warned him, adjusting her grip on the thing's arm. This close, she could see the human being under the mutation, blue eyes staring up out of a deformed face. With vampires, you could remind yourself that you were talking to the demon, not the person. With these creatures, there was only blankness.
"Done." Xander put the syringe carefully back in the case and nodded to Buffy. "Are we getting the hell out of here now?"
"You bet. Jack?" Buffy looked up. Jack was still standing facing the haemovores, his lips moving in that strange mantra. Sharing a glance with Xander, Buffy straightened up and went over to stand next to the motionless man. "Jack, we need to go."
He nodded fractionally, slowly backing away from the crowd of monsters. After a few steps, he stopped, closing his eyes and bringing his clenched fists up towards his chest. Then the ringing grew in volume, until even Buffy felt the urge to put her hands over her ears. Some of the haemovores began to scream, while others broke off from the back of the pack, retreating into the bushes and trees and the night.
Very slowly, Jack unclenched his fists and opened his eyes, taking a deep breath. The ringing died away, and he and Buffy stood for a moment, watching to see what the haemovores would do. When the creatures made no move to follow them, Jack nodded, satisfied and turned to her.
"Shall we go?"
Jack absolutely refused to let Buffy do anything to his cheek or hand on the way back to the Magic Box, reassuring her that he was fine and it barely hurt. Actually what it mostly did was itch like crazy, but he could hold on until they had something other than his already bloodstained handkerchief to wipe it with. As attractive as the thought of Buffy rending her garments for him was, he didn't think Xander's blood pressure could take it.
Willow didn't even look up as they came into the shop.
"Did you get it?" she asked, setting a candle at the centre of the complicated arrangement on the table.
"One vial of haemovore blood, delivered to your door." Xander passed over the box with a flourish. "They don't offer that service at Dominos, you know."
Looking up to give him a sarcastic look, Willow caught sight of Jack over Xander's shoulder, and her face filled with concern.
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "Although if someone's got a flannel, I wouldn't say no." No-one looked reassured by his winning smile. While Buffy and Xander seemed to have come through the fight relatively unscathed, Jack's shirt had grass stains down one side where he'd fallen, pushing Xander out of the way of a swiping claw. He supposed it must also have bloodstains from his dripping cheek by now. Willow frowned, coming over and lifting his hand to look at it.
"You were supposed to get blood from them, not the other way round." She turned his hand to see his palm, looking up at him as he took a firm grip on her wrist before she could peel away the handkerchief.
"Are you going to magic it better?" he asked softly, enjoying the way her eyes widened and cheeks filled with colour. "Then maybe a bowl of water would be a better bet."
"Right." She held his gaze for a moment longer, then let go of his hand. "Water."
"You get on with the spell," Tara said, coming up and taking Jack's hand. He decided that he liked the tag-team approach to first-aid. "I'll see to this."
She led him over to a bench by the wall, pushing him down onto it and disappearing into the back room While Xander and Willow carefully injected half of the blood sample into a stone bowl. There were candles and charms all over the table, which was covered in an embroidered cloth. In a strange way, it reminded Jack of Tosh at her workstation in the Hub, surrounded by her keyboards and screens and various pieces of alien tech. Everyone had their own magic.
Tara came back with a bowl of water and cloth, sitting down next to Jack on the bench. He only half noticed her starting to dab at his face as he watched Willow light the candles. She pointed at each one in turn, smiling in satisfaction as the small flames burst into life.
"That must come in handy."
Tara followed his gaze and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile. Not the shy, friendly smile she'd given him. This one was warm and wide, filling her face and eyes with light.
"Well, sometimes she just can't find the matches." She dabbed again at his cheek, making him wince. "Sorry." Very gently, she ran the fingers of her free hand down his face, whispering something under her breath. At first, her fingers just felt cold, a welcome relief from the sting of the cut. Then he realised that, over the places where they had been, the pain had receded to a slight tingling.
"Useful," he said appreciatively, his face still turned towards Willow. Tara ducked her head, dropping the cloth back into the water and rinsing out the blood. With a glance at her, he went on, "Lucky woman."
"I know."
"I meant Willow."
Either the girls out here blushed easily or Jack was on really good form today. All he had to do was get Anya alone and he'd have a clean sweep.
Tara finished wiping the blood from his neck and moved on to his hand as Buffy came over to join them.
"Will he live?"
"I think so." Tara lifted his hand and submerged it in the bowl of water, washing off the dried blood and checking the cut was clean.
"You know," Jack said, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes, "I could get used to this place. What more could a guy want?"
"Don't get too used to it."
He felt Buffy drop onto the bench next to him and he half-opened his eyes to look at her. She looked tired.
"You ok?" he asked, wincing as Tara teased something out of his palm.
"Just been a long day. You know?"
"Yeah. I know."
They sat in comfortable silence, watching Willow drop things into the bowl, muttering over them as she did so and listening to the gentle sounds of the water as Tara lifted his hand out and began to dry and bandage it. After a moment, Willow looked up.
"Tara?"
"Coming." With a smile at Jack, Tara tied off the bandage and went over to the table, taking Willow's hand.
"What are they going to do?" Jack asked, sitting up a little.
"I have no idea," Buffy admitted. "But Giles wouldn't let them do anything smelly or explosive. Not in here, anyway."
"Why is that not as comforting as it sounds?"
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, closing it again when the shop's lights dimmed slightly. Willow had placed the bowl on a tripod above a candle and was holding her hand over it, letting the steam rise between her fingers and slip round her palm. To Jack, it looked like the world's most mystical chemistry experiment. Now, with the lights down, he could see that the steam was turning to smoke, different coloured strands drifting out from the heated liquid. Willow had her eyes closed, and Jack could hear Tara speaking softly, using words from a language he didn't understand. After a moment, the smoke began to thicken, twisting and turning round Willow's hand. She clenched her fist, opening her eyes and leaning over the bowl.
"Reveal."
As she blew over the surface of the water, there was a sudden puff of smoke, which Jack expected to billow out across the shop. He was about to make a sarcastic comment to Buffy about explosions when he realised that the smoke seemed to be imploding, drawing together in a cloud that hung thickly over the bowl. In another moment, it had shifted and changed shape, twisting and curling into something that he recognised.
Very slowly, worried he'd disturb the air too much and break the spell, he got to his feet and moved towards the table. The smoke cloud had become a ghostly image, spheres and rods all interconnected and turning round each other, apparently pushed by the air currents in the room. It was a perfect molecular model, floating above the bowl.
"It's alright," Willow said, her voice edged with concentration, "you can come closer. Just don't breathe too heavily on it."
"Right." Jack was almost afraid to speak. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone, flicking it open with his thumb. "I need to get a picture of this."
Willow smiled. "I think we can do better than that." She closed her eyes again, reaching out and holding her hand above the ghostly image. Then she clenched her fist, and Jack stood back as small objects came flying up from the table, disappearing into the smoke cloud, giving it form and substance. After another minute, Willow opened her eyes and took the now-solid model out of the air.
"I think we can have the lights on now," she said, passing the object to Jack, who took it with great care. "Will that do?" she asked.
"This is it, isn't it?"
"It's a model of the toxin that's in the haemovore bloodstream. Maybe it can tell us something."
"You know," Xander said as he turned the lights back on, "if she'd been able to do that in high school, it would have saved us all a lot of time."
"I think they get cranky if you use magic to pass your SATs," Willow said, waving a hand and extinguishing all the candles.
Jack was only half-listening, absorbed in examining the model. It was large, almost twenty centimetres across, and looked like it had been made out of the strangest chemistry set in the world. Stones, amulets and charms were held together and apart by twigs, thin pieces of metal and, he realised as he looked closer, a couple of pencils. Carefully setting it down on the table, he gave Willow an appreciative smile.
"My people are going to love this."
Ten minutes later, he'd set up his phone as a webcam and connected through to Tosh at the Hub. She actually yelped when she saw the model, and he practically had to shout at her to get her to stop asking questions.
"Just patch Suzie and Owen in on this, would you? He's going to want to see it."
Still talking, mostly to herself, Tosh connected Owen to Jack's phone.
"What the…" Jack heard rustling, which he assumed was Owen leaning closer to the screen. Then a burst of prolific swearing came down the line. Jack heard a snort from behind him as he waited for Owen's outburst to fade.
"Not in front of company, Owen, please? Try to pretend you have some manners. Suzie?"
There was a yelp from the other end of the line, and Jack could hear the smile in Suzie's voice as she spoke.
"Sorry about that, Jack. It's pretty impressive, though."
"You should see the person who made it." Jack winked at Willow, then turned back to the computer. "Tosh?"
"Hang on." After another moment, a computer image of the chemical appeared on the screen, rotating as Tosh checked it against the image Jack was sending her. "Ok, I'm done. The computer should be able to analyse it now."
Someone put a hand on Jack's shoulder as the others crowded round to see, and he looked up into Buffy's interested face. Xander was resting his hands on her shoulders, peering over her and almost pushing her down into Jack's lap. Jack watched as she became aware of this, scowled and pushed back at Xander, standing a little more upright at the same time. Apparently verbal flirtation was fine, but as far as she was going to go. For now, at least.
Willow was pointing to something on the screen and Jack tuned back into the conversation.
"It's not quite the same," she said, masking off half the molecule with one hand.
"Tosh, can you have the computer remove everything that we already know is the toxin?" Jack asked.
"Hang on." The screen flickered a little, then a new image appeared, considerably smaller than the last. The chemical formula appeared at the bottom, and Owen swore again.
"It's bloody sodium pentothal, Jack."
"What? Why would someone mix that in?"
"And for those of us without a major in chemistry?" Buffy asked.
"It's a psych drug," Owen said. "Sometimes it's called a truth serum, but mostly it's used to make people more compliant and suggestible. What's the point of using it on a haemovore?"
"Three guesses anyone?" Jack muttered. In a more normal tone of voice he added, "Thanks, Owen. Clear up and head home. I think we can take it from here. Tosh?"
"Already on it."
"Does anyone else have any idea what's going on?" Xander asked the group in general, getting some blank looks and shakes of heads for an answer. Giles took his glasses off, rubbing at his eyes with one hand.
"If I'm following along so far," he said thoughtfully, "someone's managed to re-engineer the haemovore toxin, adding something that makes them more compliant."
"Right," Jack said. "And that means someone with access to the drug and a lab to mix it up in, as well as access to the haemovores in the first place."
"So," Tosh's voice came through the speaker, "I'm tracing everyone in the Sunnydale area who might have the skills and opportunity to do this. I'll send the list through when it's done, Jack."
"Thanks. I'll check in with you later." Jack cut the connection, and turned to Willow. "You said something about destroying the toxin with magic?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Willow glanced at Tara, who nodded. "I think we can do that. The problem is we're going to have to be in reasonable proximity to the toxin. The spell should cover a few miles, but if there's one haemovore out of range…"
"..the whole thing will just start over again," Jack finished. "I get it. Well, hopefully we can get to the source. How long do you need to get ready?"
"Not long." Willow collected Tara with a look, and the two of them moved off to start collecting supplies from the shelves. Glancing round, Jack saw Buffy and Giles disappear into the back room, while Xander was hovering awkwardly by the display shelves. It took Jack a moment to realise that Anya hadn't dispersed with everyone else, and was sitting in the chair next to his, watching him with a curiously intent expression.
"Do I have something on my face?"
"A great big cut." She smiled, but her eyes flickered past Jack to Xander, just for a moment.
"Apart from that?" Jack kept most of his attention on the computer in front of him, closing down the picture of the toxin as he waited for Tosh to send the information through.
"No, nothing." Anya sat back in her chair, glancing from him to Xander and back again.
"He seems a nice guy," Jack offered, wondering if he was going to get his fourth blush of the evening.
"He's great," Anya said. It wasn't a defensive or hasty remark, and her voice had the ring of simple honesty about it. "We're entirely compatible; emotionally, intellectually, sexually."
From behind him, Jack heard the sound of breaking glass. Xander must have dropped the trinket he'd been holding. With some effort, Jack managed to match Anya's matter-of-fact tone.
"Really? You're a lucky woman."
"Yes." Anya sighed, looking round the shop. "This place is even starting to make money."
"You want to make some more?"
"How?"
Jack resisted the urge to pull his chair back as Anya almost pounced on him.
"The little black stone in the display case. The one you've got labelled as an obsidian amulet for thirty dollars? I'll give you an email address. Tell them that you've got a Merillian Jax Stone, and that I told you to get in touch. They'll give you a good price."
"How good?"
She really was relentless. If she put this amount of energy into all her activities, Xander was a lucky man.
"Six, maybe seven thousand dollars."
There was a moment of silence, although Jack suspected it was more because Anya's cry of delight had gone beyond the reach of human hearing. She threw her arms around him, kissing him soundly and with considerable enthusiasm. Then she hurried over to the display case, pushing a startled Xander out of the way and carefully lifting the black stone out. Then, almost as an afterthought, she grabbed the back of his head and kissed him as well. Struck with an uncharacteristic sense of modesty, Jack looked away, giving them a moment. Definitely a lucky man. And Jack was four for four in the red-faced stakes. Not a bad night's work.
It didn't take much scrolling through the information Tosh had sent him for Jack to find the address he was looking for.
"Holdings in Argentina, chemical works right down by the beach, reclusive owner. This is our guy," he told the re-assembled group.
"So what's next?" Buffy asked. "Is the spell ready, Will?"
"Just about." Willow held up a small bag which chinked a little. "The final casting will have to be done on site, though."
"The works has got to be the headquarters," Jack said, grabbing his phone and getting his feet. "We'll start there."
"Why is he doing this, though?" Xander asked. "I mean, doesn't Sunnydale have enough monsters for him?"
"Sure it does," Jack said, "but he's created his own controllable, unkillable, replaceable army. What was the question?"
"I'll get back to you."
Buffy grabbed her jacket and began herding people towards the door. "Let's go."
Final part: Undead III: Trust