Mouse and Bastet's children
Mouse woke up and it was still dark. She moved carefully and shifted Nyx's arm off her as she crept out of the huddle on the floor. Somehow, she'd been dragged into a cat pile during the night. Heavens knew how the Hansons felt about them all just crashing on the floor in a heap. She slipped outside, hugging her arms about herself and stared up at the moon. Must be about one in the morning. Nyx's spell should have put her out for longer, but she must be using most of her magick on getting through the shields. Fafnir loped out of the night, mind flarely blazing with triumph.
Found him! My old pack, way up near the big city two leggers call Toronto, know a dog pack, who know some rats that found him! Let's go! Mouse's breath caught in her throat, then she slipped inside, grabbing her bag and jacket, scribbling a note with a farewell on it. Nyx would be mad, but she had to go *now*. Let's go!
Grab a taxi, pay handfuls of money for him breaking the speed limit, run into the airport and thanking the gods that there's a plane to Canda leaving now. Whispering prayers as you bolt for the plane's entrance, Fafnir snarling about having to go caged and Nevyn hid away in your backpack. Passing customs, passport stamped and on! Chewing through your nails, and metally chewing out the airport staff for missing the knife in your bag but thankful all the same. Landing! She slipped into the streets of Toronto and sent a thought ahead of her. I'm coming, pack. Fafnir stalked along at her side and Mouse slipped deeper into his mind so she could do this. Dawn was rising...
~*~*~*~
Nyx woke up, yawned, and reached for Mouse. She wasn't there. Nyx leapt to her feet, spilling Sabre's head onto the floor. "She's gone. Where's Mouse?" She rushed out into the kitchen and picked up the note, knowing what it said but dreading it. "She's gone to find taylor. Stupid, stupid..." Nyx put her hands over her eyes and cried. Sabre wrapped an arm around her as she turned to him blindly seeking comfort. "Fafnir came and said he was found, so she's grabbed a flight and gone."
"But the Spider won't be blocking her location, will he?" Sabre grinned malevolently. Nyx looked up at him, and started to laugh. "And he wouldn't be able to, anyway."
"I can feel her in our bond, but she still be travelling. When she stops, or we feel the slightest hint of pain, we wilt go," Priss said calmly.
"Of course. Let's go ring around then. Logan's staying at Mouse's apartment, and Faith is staying with the Halliwells. I'm sure the Hansons have their number." Nyx was calm again, only the redness of her eyes hinting at the tears that had flowed. "Well, let's get to it."
~*~*~*~
Mouse followed Fafnir up to the warehouse and looked it over. She felt a faint quiver of fear, but she was here for a purpose. She squashed it ruthlessly. Ok then. Fafnir, you go straight for Taylor. The Spider will kill him before he kills Avery. Nevyn, you go in and find Avery. She'll be more heaily gaurded anyway. Let's go. Mouse slipped through the wall near a window and wehn inside, raised ir so Fafnir could leap in quietly. She bent down to the ground and let Nevyn scurry off. Let's go rescue our Pack. She slid the knife into her hand and headed cautiously into the dusty darkness of the warehouse.
Taylor
Taylor, as much as he willed himself to sleep, could hear someone muttering to themselves as they made their way down the corridor.
Frowning, knowing it wasn't either Craig or Christian, he slowly began to crawl towards the door to listen in.
"Damn two-leggers."
"Fafnir?" Taylor's face twisted in confusion.
He heard the wolf freeze.
"Fafnir?!" he called out in wolf, so no human could hear - or at least understand.
He put his hand and ear tot he door, listening.
Fafnir
Found him! Yeah, yeah, it's me. I just hope Mouse isn't off getting herself killed. Fafnir leant up and scrabbled at the door with his nails. Hang on a sec. Fafnir gripped the doorknob between his teeth and pulled. The mechanism broke and Fafnir backed off. Try it now. It should open.
Taylor
Taylor shakily reached for the doorhandle and opened the door, before a wave of dizziness overtook him and he fell backwards onto his back.
"Oh man..." he moaned, covering his face.
He waited until it settled, then sat up to face Fafnir.
"Hey boy," he smiled, reaching out to hug the wolf, "Mouse is here? But..."
He stopped himself, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Spider has his collar off. All his power has been restored."
Fafnir
Aw, *crap*. The wolf said very sincerely. We gotta find her and get her to call in the cavalry. The cats, the goddess, a Slayer and an X-man by the name of Wolverine will be waiting for our call. We shouolda waited, but nooooo! She has her vendetta, and heaven forbid she should ask for help in performing it. You think if ya hang on to me, we can get far enough to find her?
The Spider
The Spider woke, this telepathy going mad. He had set up a telepathic net around this base. As long as he was in range - which he certainly was now - he could sense any mind that entered his base. But now there was someone new.
He didn't like the fact that there was someone new.
Dang sentries. He'd have to punish them for their inefficientcy.
He stood and got dressed. Seems he would have to put his plan into effect sooner than expected.
Taylor
"I don't..." Taylor shook his head, "I don't know. Whenever I move I feel like I'm going to fall over. I think they put something in the food or whatever. Someone said they planning to keep me sick to threaten Avie."
He held his head for a moment.
"But Mouse definately can't face him alone. Go Fafnir. Go and find her and bring her back. Please."
Mouse
Mouse crept along in the dark, breathing shallow. There was Nevyn up ahead, and Fafnir had founf Taylor, his joy at finding the lost Packmember very strong. So. Where was the Spider? She stubbornly refused to call out for help. She'd do this on her own.
The Spider
The Spider walked to Christian's room and opened the door. He walked over to his bed and shook him.
"Christian! Wake up!" He commanded.
Mouse
The Canadian wolf cursed fluently for a moment. Right then. You get back in there, and I'll be back in a flash. He nudged Taylor back inside with his nose and closed the door before taking off running. MOUSE!
Mouse's head turned as she heard Fafnir's paws thudding on the ground. We are trying to be quiet here. She scolded him.
Taylor's sick. Come! The wolf spun on his back legs and head ed back down the corridor, silent now as Mouse followed him.
"Tay?" She whispered as she opened the door Fafnir indicated. 'Oh god, Tay!" She stumbled before kneeling at his side.
Taylor
Immediately ignoring the dizzy feeling that he knew would take over, Taylor shot up, grabbed hold of her and kissed her as hard as he could.
"Oh my God," he said when he took a breath, "Mouse, you shouldn't be here, you shouldn't..."
He kissed her again.
Mouse
Mouse ducked her head, not wanting to look them in the eyes. "My parents were killed by the man who's taken Tay. I, I was five. He made me watch," she finished on a broken whisper. "After that, it's the usual. Foster homes, mostly bad. I had no idea I was an alien before I turned up here. I skipped out when I was eleven, and then just wandered, looking..."
Christian
Christian shot up in bed, and immediately turned the lamp on beside his bed.
"What?" he began, before he realized who was there.
"Craig? What? What's happening? Something wrong?"
The Spider
"We have a visitor. Probably part of a rescue party. Come on. We have things to do. How's that echo I put in your head yesterday?"
Mouse
"I couldn't stay, not once Fafnir said some animals had found you," Mouse said tearfully. "I shouldn't have, but I did, and you look awful!"
Taylor
"They've been keeping me sick," Taylor told her, pulling her into a hug as his eyes began to water.
"Spider threatened Avie saying I wouldn't get medical attention until she did what he said. I dunno what they've done to me. Whenever I move it's like I'm gonna fall over. Whenever she uses telepathy on me I have such a headache."
He began to rock her side to side.
"You shouldn't have come. He has the collar off. I don't know what he'd do to you if he knew you were here."
Mouse
"Oh, god, Tay..." Mouse mumured, as she put her hands on his head and sent through soothing feelings. "You are really sick...and I'm not worried about him. We have some back up, remember? And as soon as Nevyn finds Avery, I'll call them in."
~*~*~*~
Meanwhile...
Nevyn scurried through the maze of passages, nose firmly set on Avery's trail. It stopped at a door and Nevy considered it for amoment before delfating his ribs and slipping under it. HE headed down some stair and went round and round and round until he found the other end. He wriggled under the door and scampered into a corner. Where was she? There! He ran over to her and put his hand on her foot, ready to bolt if she got scared. Avery?
Christian
"It's... it's there," Christian rubbed his forehead, "I haven't used it yet, but it's there if I need it."
He looked up at Craig, eyes still squinting from the light, before getting off the bed.
"Why? What do you want me to do?"
The Spider
"I just wanted to check. You may want it in a minute. If out little visitor is out to rescue the Hanson kids you may want to organise switching places," The Spider advised.
He turned and started walking out.
"Get up and get dressed," he advised and left.
Avery
Avery felt something on her foot and looked down. In the darkness she could make out a rat shaped figure at her feet. She blinked a few times making sure it was really there, before reaching out to touch it.
"Nevyn?"
Nevyn
Necyn rubbed his head along her hand. You bet, Avery. He knew she couldn't understand him, but it was the thought that counted. He hoped she knew that this meant rescue wasn't far off.
Avery
Avery felt tears of hope and relief appear in her eyes. It seemed like all she had done as of late was cry. She opened her mouth to speak, still feeling the pain of getting The Spider's collar off. "Nevyn, I wish I could talk to you."
Nevyn
Same here, girl. Same here. Nevyn sighed, and then clambered up into her lap. I hope Mouse finds Taylor and the Spider soon. More, I hope she calls in the rest. She can't do this on her own, however much she wishes she could.
Avery
Avery couldn't understand what Nevyn was saying, but she realised that if Nevyn was here, more than likely Mouse was as well.
She reached out with her mind, careful to track only Mouse down and speak to her. *Mouse? It's Avie. Can you hear me?*
Christian
Christian hesitated for a moment, willing himself to wake up properly.
Finally, he got changed, still hating the idea of swapping places with Taylor. But he'd convinced himself that it might be the only chance to get close to Isaac at this rate.
With a sigh, he grabbed his jacket and left the room.
Mouse
Mouse wrapped her arms around Taylor and just enjoyed the simple fact of his physical existence next to her. She knew she had to call in the others, but for now...she'd do it in a minute. She was just so tired from crying and worrying. Fafnir paced nervously around the chamber.
You should do that thing.
What thing?
The calling in of the big guns. We can't do this on our own, no matter how you wish we could.
I know...when I know Nevyn's found Avery. I will. Or if someone shows up...
"Avery?" Mouse's head went up. "I can...god, this is weird."
Avery
Avery felt happy for a second, then realised she had to make this quick.
*Mouse, The Spider can probably hear this. He doesn't have the collar now. Don't answer me, ok? Just... do what you have to do and get out of here. Nevyn's with me, and I'll keep him safe. If I don't make it out... give my love to everyone at home.*
Mouse
Mouse felt an overwhelming anger sweep her. No person had a right to do that to Avery, make her sound so scared and lonely. At least Nevyn was with her...and now Mouse was so furious she couldn't give a damn about the consequences. "Avery says if she doesn't make it out to give her love to everyone at home. You'll make it, oth of you. What's not so sure is that I will..." She shook her head and then stood up. "I've stayed still too long. C'mon, wolf. Let's make this place scary."
Sounds fun. The corners of Fafnir's mouth turned up. Mouse threw her head back and sent a wave of soul chilling fear through the warehouse, feeling it touch everyone but those select few she held out of it.
"Spider, come out to play..." She stalked to the door, knife in her hand as Fafnir padded after her.
Avery
Avery let her presence leave Mouse's mind, but she did so reluctantly. She petted Nevyn gently and leaned back against the wall.
"Nevyn, you should go find Mouse. She might not find you or I if you remain here. You're my only hope. Hurry."
Avery put Nevyn back on the ground and softly nudged him.
Taylor
Before Taylor had a chance to stop her, she was gone.
He knew she'd done it on purpose, knowing he couldn't move to stop her. She didn't want to be stopped after all.
"Fafnir!" Taylor called out, "No! I told you it's too dangerous!"
He closed his eyes and began to rock back and forth.
"Please come back!" he cried in wolf.
Nevyn
Nevyn saw the wisdom on this and left reluctantly. He also had to find Mouse before she did something stupid, but he felt a kind of sinking feeling that told him he was already too late.
Mouse
Mouse stalked through the halls, ruthless glint in her eyes. She looked down at Fafnir and grinned. He grinned back, teeth shining in the dim light. She decided to be stupid again. "SPIDER! Come out to play!"
Fafnir threw his head back and howled mournfully. Going to hunt ya down!
Christian
Christian made his way down the corridor. He couldn't help chuckling at Mouse's yells for the Spider, knowing no one on her side could stop her.
Thinking over what Craig had told him to do, he made for the room Taylor was being kept in. He noticed the door broken, and frowned.
Pushing it open slightly, he saw Taylor on the floor, shaking and sweating with his eyes closed. He felt the echo in the back of his mind, which was perfectly healthy, and smirked.
Before Taylor noticed he was there, he quickly knocked him out. Making sure no one was around, he lifted Taylor telekinetically, and took him further down the corridor to another room. This one was more isolated, and if you didn't know it was there, you'd never find it.
Once inside, he closed the door. Quickly and carefully, he began to switch clothes with Taylor, all the while cursing to himself about how he was going to get away with this.
That done, he lifted Taylor into the only chair in the room. To make sure he couldn't call out or anything he began to weave some ropes around his wrists holding them to the arms, then used a ripped piece of cloth from his own shirt to gag him with. Once he was sure he couldn't alert anyone, he once again left the room and locked the door.
With a sigh, he made his way back to the room Taylor was in before, and sat down ready.
Mouse
Mouse growled under her breath. Fine. He thought she was just a little girl playing? Show him how this little girl played. She kicked open a door and was pleasingly gratified to find an office, with paper. Fafnir looked up at her.
What are you going to do?
"Gonna make this place burn. I always liked a good fire." She smirked and leant down next to a filing cabinet, opening it. Fafnir retreated to the door as she flicked open her lighter and thrust it inside, running it along the top of the papers. The flame leapt to them hungrily and she backed away, arm held over her face. "C'mon, pack. Let's go find Taylor and then we'll call in a favour." She headed back to Taylor's room, following her wolf through the increasing smoke as the sprinkler system came on. Ah well. The place wouldn't burn down, which she hadn't wanted anyway, but it would annoy the Spider no end. She just hoped she'd burned something irreplaceable and important. She opened the door of the room where Taylor had been. "Tay?"
The fire... written by Michelle
The fire burned despite the spinkler system. As if there was something else fueling it.
Like oil from the kitchen in the next room. Which the fire had burned down the wall between.
The fire alarms went off
The fire spread.
It burned and danced grew hotter and hotter.
And not everyone escaped.
Christian
Christian looked up slowly, planning not to look as sick as Taylor had, but he'd succeeded at making himself sweat at least.
"Mouse?" he gulped, "Where... What happened? What did you do?"
Then he saw Fafnir.
"I called for you and you didn't come back," he bit his lip.
Avery
Avery screamed, both out loud and telepathocally when she heard the fire alarms.
*SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!!* "HELP!!!!!!!!!!"
Taylor
Taylor shot awake at the sound of the fire alarms.
Trying to move again, he felt the ropes on his arms, holding him in place.
'Oh no...'
He heard Avery's telepathic scream and cringed, a headache coming on again.
Then he saw the smoke coming under the door...
His eyes widened as he began to struggle, but every movement brought on a wave of dizziness again.
Bastet's children, Mouse and Logan
"Sorry, baby. Had some trouble to cause," Mouse said as she looked over hre shoulder. "Speaking of which, trouble's coming qiuck. What's wrong, wolf?" Fafnir had been sniffing around, then he turned and glared at Christian.
Something's wrong. Very very wrong.
"Hey, that's Taylor, remember?"
Alpha male, pack leader, I *know*. But... The wolf shook his head, obviously uneasy. His head snapped up. The fire's spreading.
"Bugger. Time to call in the cavalry then. We still need to get Avery out." Nevyn shot into the room, trailing sparks.
Call them NOW, you stupid, stupid girl!
"Keep your fur on, rat." Mouse rolled up her sleeve and pressed down on the eye. "I need you guys now."
~*~*~*~
Nyx's head shot up. "Let's go." Priss ripped down the last shield viciously, sending waves of flashback through the magick, and 'ported them all in. Nyx strode up to Mouse and shook her by the shoulders. "Don't you *ever* do that again!"
"Hey, chill, kitty. We have a fire on our hands." Mouse grinned, recognising the anger for the fear it was.
"Fine. Let's go kick ass!" Nyx slid two bullets into the Browning and clicked the stock back together.
"Right behind you, sister," Sabre said gleefully. Logan's claws snicked out. Priss hurried to Christian's side.
"Are thou alright, Taylor? Ah, you're fine. Good." She leant back on her heels and beamed.
"Whoa, weren't you really sick just a minute ago?" Mouse rubbed her head, and Fafnir snarled.
Who the hell cares! Let's go and kill this Spider! We've waited too long for this.
Christian
Christian nodded.
"I was. They must have drugged me. But... I think it's worn off."
He held his forehead for a moment, shaking from the cold.
"Can we please get out of here? I just want to go home. I need Avie, I need to see everyone again," he pleaded.
Faith
Faith nodded and pulled out the Jackal. "Sabre, you wanna come with me to get Avery? Where is she?"
Faith headed for the door, turning only to wait for the answer.
Mouse, Nyx, Priss and Logan
"Nevyn can lead you," Mouse said and the rat ran over to Sabre, quashing his natural instincts of fear at being this close to a cat.
"Ok, lovely. Let's go, Faith me girl." The two of them disappeared into the smokefilled hallway.
"Methinks I and thee, Willow, must start to work with our redemption."
"What, I don't get to kill any of them?" Nyx whined, fingering the trigger of her rifle.
"Nay, Nyx. We must work quick to save lives...as it is some have already succumbed." Priss's face showed sorrow even at the deaths of the types of people she knew must have died here. "Join with me, Willow? We can lift them to the outside on the path at least, even if we cannot take them further."
"Fine," Nyx snarled and headed for the door. "But I wanna hunt first. Coming, Mouse, Wolverine?"
"You betcha," Logan nodded and strode after her. Mouse glanced at the doorway, then back at Christian, obviously torn. She kissed him and then rose to her feet.
"Wait up!" Fafnir took one last distrustful sniff of Christian and ran after Mouse.
"Let us begin." Priss reached into the earth beneath the building and started searching for souls to save.
Faith
Faith followed the rat, her eyes stinging from the smoke. It was getting harder to breathe. She coughed loudly, still running which made it harder to breathe. Finally they came to the door and Nevyn squeezed himself under it again.
"I guess this is it." Faith said to Sabre, before trying to open the door. It didn't work, so she pressed her face up against the door.
"Avery, it's Faith, I've come to help you. If you're near the door, step away, ok?"
Faith prayed that she heard it and stepped back and kicked the door in. The hinges fell off and the door splintered into two. Faith rushed in, hoping she wasn't going to step on Nevyn and spotted Avery.
There were no times for pleasantries, as she picked a shocked Avery up and hoisted her onto her back. She looked scared and tired and sick, so Faith thought it was best not to let her run through the hallways.
She turned to Sabre again. "You ready to go kick a little bad guy butt?"
Sabre
"Ready any time you are, lovely." Sabre grinned at her. "But let's get the little one outside first...or we can begin now," he commented gleefully as some guy appeared at the doorway. Sabre sprang on him with a growl and knocked the guy to the floor, generally bashing him about, then paused when he heard the guy's neck snap. "Uh, oops?" He looked up at Faith with a sheepish expression.
Faith and Avery
Faith let out an ironic laugh. "Oh well, I'm working for redemption, not you. As long as I don't kill anyone we should be fine. Sabre, are you sure you don't know any magicks that clear the path of smoke. I'm having a hard time breathing."
A guy jumped down in front of Faith and another in front of Sabre. Faith quickly put Avery on the ground before punching the guy in front of her. He fell to the ground and she looked up, seeing the vent.
Faith bent to let Avery on her back again and looked at Sabre fighting with the other guy.
"Sabre, there's a vent up here. I don't think we should risk it though... not with the fire. Hey, where's the rat?"
Avery looked on the ground. "He's still down there."
Faith bent and let Avie pick him up, putting him in her pocket, just as the guy from the ground stood. Faith kicked him hard in the stomach before grabbing him and throwing him against the wall.
"Time to motivate."
Sabre
"Oh, fun! Don't look, sweetling," he told Avery. "And a little bit of magick to clear the air..." He waved his hands and all the smoke billowed away from him in a great rush. "See, that's why I don't do this, leave it to me sisters. I over use it. Ah well...let's get back to the fun stuff." Sabre used his many years of experience to locate a very sensitive spot on the human body and dug one of his claws in slightly. The man sucked in a breath. "Now. We want to get of here. I should think that you do too. So, how about we all play nicely, hmmm? And then you can get out of this in one piece, rather then the several you deserve." Sabre dug the claw in a little further, feeling it pierce skin and blood flow out. "Hmm?"
Faith and Avery
Faith adjusted Avery slightly onto her back. "You ok, kiddo?"
Avery coughed. "Yeah."
"We'll get going in a sec. Just as soon as Sabre finished up."
Faith waited for Sabre to finish and she led the way down the hallway.
"Do you remember which way we came from?"
Sabre
Sabre licked at his hand absently, then made a disgusted face. "That guy ate too much fastfood. This way." He headed down the hallway, then cocked his head as he heard the blamblam! of a double barreled shotgun. "I think Nyx found herself someone to play with." The shots were answered with the sharp barks of a pistol, which died out then rose into a scream of human pain. "Yep, she did. Let's get the little one out of here, then come back down. Nyx is already working at quelling the fires. We don't want 'em to hurt until we get to do it. This way now." He led them up some stairs, sending the smoke away with a waft of magick induced wind.
Faith
Faith looked at Sabre. "Go ahead, I'll catch up. I'll go outside and get her outside and home. I'll call in for Paige to orb her out. Ok?"
Sabre and Priss
"Thanks, Faith." He grinned at her, then turned tail and ran down the stairs, eyes gleaming with the propect of violence. Except when he was about to start whaling on a guy and he felt Priss's magick pluck him from his grasp. He growled and set off again.
Faith, Paige and Avery
Faith ran outside with Avery bouncing on her back. She got outside and screamed for Paige. Paige orbed in a few seconds later.
"Ok, no need to yell. You know the screams happen in my head, right? Ow."
"What? Oh whatever, emergency. Can you orb Avery out of here? Back to her house preferably."
Paige nodded and motioned for her to put Avery down.
Avery clung onto Faith's neck tightly and Faith gently pulled her away, put her on the ground and knelt down to her level. "Avery, I've gotta go in there and help everyone else. Paige is going to take you, is that ok?"
Avery just stared at her, too shocked to speak. Faith looked her over. "I think she's in shock. And she has a few cuts on her head. Can you heal them?"
Paige stepped over to Avery and bent down to her level. "Hi Ave. I'm Paige. This isn't going to hurt, ok?" Paige put her hands above Avery's face and a light came from them, then Avery's cuts were gone.
"Avery, Paige is going to take you home."
Avery nodded and spoke for the first time. "Ok."
Paige held out her hand and Avery took it, then Paige orbed them away again.
Faith ran back inside the building and quickly found the others.
"What did I miss?" she asked with a grin, pulling the Jackal out of her back pocket.
Nyx, Sabre and Mouse
Nyx looked around herself in disgust. "Not much, because *somebody* keeps lifting the bastards out as soon as we get to hit them a few times!" She shouted at the ceiling. "Priiiissss!" The cat whined, stomping her foot. "Why won't you let us play?"
"Because, she's a good girl, and we're really not?" Sabre quipped with a lift of his eyebrow. "Anyway, Mouse, can your wolf track the Spider through the smoke?"
"I think so. The scent in Avery's room and that other place was plentyy strong."
"I wanna go hunt the magick users. Thwart me, will they?" Nyx's lip curled upward in a feral snarl. "Coming with, Logan?" The mutant nodded and they disappeared into the billowing smoke. The fire had started to die down as Nyx put it out in places, but the smoke lingered.
"Let's go have some fun before Priss and Willow get all the bastards out," Sabre suggested.
Faith
"Hell yeah." Faith led Sabre through the smoke and they ran into trouble. A large man stood in front of Faith blocking her way. She looked behind them and theres was another one.
"Hi." Faith punched him, but missed because he teleported away.
"Son of a bitch." Faith blindly began punching and kicking in anger as he kept teleporting into different spots around her. Finally, she realised he was following a pattern and she predicted the next move and slashed his arm with her knife, then plunged it deep into his stomach. She briefly had a flashback to when Buffy stabbed her, but she shook her head. Now was not the time.
"Doesn't count if I accidently kill an alien, right?"
Owen
Owen sat up in his bed. He had been torturing the girls in the dream world, when he sudden;y realized that there was something wrong. Sniffing he smelled smoke. Grabbing a few thing, he ran out into the hall. Craig might be like a father to him, but still, he wouldn't die for him, the Spider got too much pleasure out of things like that.
Willow
Willow had a mission in her mind. She was going to save the girls that had been held captive in their minds. After what happened to Tara, and to Buffy aftr Glory took Dawn, Willow was not merciful into anybody who hurt somebody's mine. With lightening flashing, she teleported into the burning building.
"Here Owen Owen Owen, here kitty kitty kitty!" she called out. The little puppy boy was hiding, cowering in a corner surrounded by flames. "Oh no, little puppy boy, you shall not die like this! I haven't gotten it out of you yet!" Willow screamed, and the flames grew & then receded. She struck him pull of lightening, and then levetated him as she flew him out.
"Well, I will get it all out of him soon," Willow said as she presented his bound up body to Sabre. "Whaddya think?"
Mouse and Sabre
"Don't think so. Do you think it counts, Mouse?"
"Nup. These bastards kidnapped Avery and Taylor. Have more like then not killed a lot of people. How, tell me are they different from vampires, except for vampires, at least there's a good reason?" Mouse said nastily.
"Well, if you see it that way, the vamipres are-"
"Theoritically performing a good and useful process. I dig predators," Mouse said, then Fafnir shot off into the smoke filled darkness and Mouse ran after him, his hunting howl running through the air eerily. Her voice joined a few moments later and their keening rose in fey counterpoint, harmonies chasing each other and rising to new heights as they howled together.
"Pack thing," Sabre shrugged and flipped his claws out. "Wanna go hunting with 'em? Cos that's what they're doing."
Faith
Faith grinned at Sabre and twirled the Jackal between her fingers. "Why not, I've never hunted with Mouse before. Let's go."
Faith waited for Sabre and followed him down the hallway.
Mouse and Sabre
Mouse ran after her wolf, eyes half closed as she dodged by instinct and guided by him past obstacles. They ran into someone and Fafnir sprang on him, ripped his throat out and lapped greedily at the blood before running on. They howled, voices warning their prey that the Pack hunted. She hoped in some aspect of her mind that was still human that the Spider heard them and ran. Running made the hunting better.
Sabre stumbled over the body the two had left behind them, and whistled thoughtfully. "She's losing herself in the wolf's mind I think. That can't be good." He shivered as a backlash of the panic Mouse was putting out to fluch her prey out of hiding washed over him. "She's running on instinct now."
Faith
Faith stopped. "If we get to her in time, we can deal with it. But if we're too late and she's done something... we may have to take her down. You know that, right?"
Sabre
"Can't blame her for it though." Sabre shrugged. "The guy did kill her parents. And kidnapped her boyfriend, fed him some type of crazy drugs..."
Mouse and Sabre
"Can I help?" Sabre asked as he paused in his run after Mouse. "Thousands of years of experience can't be wrong in knowing what makes a human scream and beg to tell all." He chuckled chillingly and called Mouse back through their link. She came back sullenly, Fafnir at her side, blood on her knife and hands and blood painting Fafnir's muzzle.
"Yes?"
"I think you might wanna help on this. This is the dreamwalker." Mouse looked puzzled for a moment, then she shook off the wolf's bloodlust with an effort.
"Ohhhh..." She grinned malevolently. "Can I help make him scream?"
"Oh yes. That's what I called you back for."
"I can amke him crack open and sing like a little bird. Tweet, tweet, tweet!" Mouse whistled birdsong, the sound out of place among the crackling of flames and smoke.
"Good to hear. So, Willow, shall you leave him to us? We can take care of him for you..."
Faith
Faith looked at Willow, slightly worried, but willing to let Willow make the call. In terms of black and white and grey, perhaps it was wise to let Willow decide. Faith's lines had blurred years ago, and now she was getting back on track, she was confused.
More people were coming from all sides in the smoke filled hall. Faith turned and desperately began to fight them, slashing them with her knife, screaming out for help. She could sense that all but one were aliens. But she couldn't tell who was who, so she blindly stabbed them all. The aliens still fought back, but the one human fell to the ground, dead. Faith backed away in fear, beginning to lose it and struggling to keep herself together.
Willow
Willow sighed. "Just don't kill him. I need him alive. And don't injure him past a point where he can be healed, but as long as you don't flay him, you can do whatever you want. I guess I should help Priss find the others. We need to catch the Spider guy, and some Christian guy."
Sabre and Priss
Sabre cursed in fluent Gaelic as he smelt the flow of human blood. Faith would never forgive herself for this one. "Faith, lovely, how about you stay back while I kick their arses? They seem to be playing nasty." He moved to the Slayer's side. "I don't have a redemption to worry about, so I can fight just as nasty."
~*~*~*~
Priss upstairs was clamly teleporting all the people in the base out, having already removed Christain to the Hanson household and placing the bad guys inside a circle of security, far away but they couldn't leave until she let them.. Then she felt a strange flicekr and frowned. Hadn't she already removed Taylor? The aura definetly felt like him...but she'd moved him already. Hadn't she? She moved the strange person who felt like Taylor, but couldn't be Taylor out of reach of the flames and put him somewhere safe. She'd investigate that later...she started picking up the pace as the flames roared on.
Mouse
"Flaying? Sounds like fun, but another time." Mouse shrugged. "Take too long now. Sooooo..." she purred, getting up in Owen's face while Sabre helped Faith. "Would you like to feel the fear?" Without waiting for an answer, she put her hands on his face and sent wave after wave of soul numbing terror through him, but careful to hold off ebough so he didn't go mad,.
Owen
Owen had no clue what was happening to him. The weird white-haired girl had bound his tongue, and his body so that he couldn't move, couldn't speak. He could scream, but not words, just strange animalistic sounds. Suddenly he realized that thisd was what those girls must be going through, but he didn't care. Grinning evilly, he shut his mouth and decided to take what they gave him, he was better than them, and he would get away.
Willow
"He's not human, and he's evil. Maybe not as evil as a demon, but not white nevertheless. Very, very dark grey. Maybe we can save him, but we have to save the girls from him for. Did you know that he dream rapes people?" Willow struck Owen with her lightening once again before finally teleporting back into the fire.
Faith
Faith looked at the man on the ground, then looked at the guy Willow was attacking. She felt red hot anger well up in her chest and she attacked, fighting with more ferocity than before.
Sabre and Mouse
Sabre laughed as the Slayer erupted beside him. "That's it, lovely! Time to make 'em pay!" He ripped into their oppenents, claws sliding through the air and into flesh and bone. Screams of pain were music to his ears and he started to laugh in a beserker's fit of battlerage. Eerie laughter spilled from his lips, fierce grin twisting his lips up as he decimated the aliens in front of him.
Mouse ran her fingers through Owen's hair, then pulled before going back to her soothing motions. "So...I can feel that superiority you've got bubbling away. I wonder what I can do to put it out?" She thought for a moment, giving up on the fear as it didn't seem to be working but was tiring her. She let him go and slipped her knife into her hand as Fafnir leapt onto his chest, sending him crashing to the floor. Ah, healthy dose of natural fear there. Most people would be afraid with several hundred pounds of Canadian timberwolf sitting snarling on their chest. Nice to see he wasn't really mad. She sat back on her heels beside him and studied him. "I wonder what really scares you? Blindness?" She dangled the knifepoint above his eye. "Muteness?" A caress of the blade on his throat. "Loss of hearing?" She curved the knife around the back of his head, cutting some of his hair off. "Or maybe...castration? That could be fun." She tilted her head and grinned at him wolfishly. "What do you think, *mate*?" She loaded the word with sarcastic venom. "Where should I start?" Fafnir snarled into his face, giving him an excellent view of the wolf's teeth. "Maybe I should let him eat you? Ever fancied being eaten alive by a wolf? That, I hope, will be the Spider's eventual fate as well."
Faith
Faith let out a laugh as something inside her took over. She struggled to fight it, she'd worked so hard to change, and now in this instant, it was coming back.
"Make him a eunuch!" She laughed gleefully administering tiny cuts onto his body.
Sabre and Mouse
Sabre whirled around, wounded bodies lying groaning around him before disappearing as Priss lifted them out. "I'd be scared now, lad," he whispered as he knelt beside the two girls and breathed in deeply the scent of fear. "Faith, lovely...you'll regret this later. I think you should step out on this one."
"Castration is a go though, right?" Mouse pouted as she cradled her knife in her hand.
"He'd bleed to death too easy. Nah, nah, what we need is somthing painful but not life threatening..." Sabre thought about it as Fafnir snapped his mouth shut inches from Owen's face. "Pity I can't get inside his head...that's my sisters thing, not mine. But I can make it agony for him nonetheless..." Sabre scraped his claws down Owen's face, raising welts but not cutting the skin. "Let them go, and this will soon be over. Give us the Spider, and we'll even let you go."
Faith
Faith could hear Sabre talking to her and she struggled to stop what she was doing. She dropped her knife and backed away.
"I... I can't do this again." Retrieving her knife again she looked around, ready to make a run for it.
Owen
Owen felt his tongue be loosed. "I don't know where he is! I swear! Only that he's go the collar loose. Just because he raised me doesn't mean he tells me anything! It's 'kill or be killed' in this family! Please don't kill me!"
Faith
Faith punched him hard with a right cross. "Now it's talk or be killed. You know we're not gonna buy that crap. So tell us, where is he?"
Mouse and Sabre
"Awwwww," Mouse pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. "Should we let him go?"
"I think Willow still wanted to talk with him. What say we just let Priss take him to wherever she's rounded up the others? And this," Sabre punched Owen in the face, "is for being a sick pathetic raping bastard! The rest was just for fun," Sabre explained. Mouse giggled.
"What d'ya think, Faith?"
Faith
Faith hit him again with the hilt of her knife. "You sick son of a bitch. I can't believe how much I'm gonna hurt you."
She kicked him in the face and stpped back, breathing heavily.
Owen
"I don't know! I swear. The last I saw he was putting Avery back in her room. I was sleepiung when the fire started, I swear, I have no clue where Craig is!" He started crying, then suddenly realized that it was all because the empath was spiking him with fear. Suddenly, he snarled. "Do what you want. I haven't done anything that wasn't deserved." Owen glared, as nastily as he could.
Faith
Faith let out a growl and jumped on top of him, beating the hell out of him and slamming his head against the ground.
"And now I'm not doing anything to you, that you don't deserve!"
She felt the goodness inside her fade away, and the monster who had been hiding inside her body for so long, came to the surface.
Sabre and Nyx
Sabre reached out and grabbed Faith off Owen, enfolding her in his arms despite her struggles to get free. "Redemption, lovely. Remember your redemption."
Nyx swaggered down the corridor, absently licking her lips. "Whose redemption?"
"Hers."
"I'm glad I don't have one. They get in the way of things like vengeance." Sabre grinned at his dark haired sister, taking savage pride in the smell of blood and fear that wafter from her. "You know some people look so much better as mice?" Nyx grinned evilly as Logan loomed behind her. He looked slightly sick.
"I can't believe you ate them."
"I have a reputation to keep up. The Witch's Familiar. And general all round ass kicker. And they were yummy. So, what do we have here?" Nyx stepped over a body before standing next to Mouse.
"A baaaad boy. He's the dreamwalker."
"Oh, really now? We are gonna have such *fun* with you!" Nyx clapped her ahnds and bounced slightly. "You might not think so though."
Faith
Faith breathed heavily. She calmed down. "I think I have to get out of here."
She felt Sabre let go of her and her breathing returned to normal. "I'm ok. I think. Thanks."
Sabre, Logan and Mouse
"You can go if ye want, lovely," Sabre said, worried for the dark haired Slayer. "There's gonna be darkness here that ye should not get mixed up in again."
"So, who's this idiot then?" Logan asked, nudging Owen with his foot.
"He's the dreamwalker who kept the girls locked up in their dreams," Sabre said and then he snarled angrily. "And he is going to let them go. *Now*!" He put his claws to Owen's shirt and ripped it off, tips drawing blood in ten parallel lines.
"Someone pissed of the kitty!" Mouse sing songed.
"And yer gonna explain that crack about them deserving it, me boyo," Sabre growled. Fafnir licked up the blood that appeared on Owen's chest.
Can we kill him now?
"Not yet. But if he doesn't start talking and stop lying, you can eat his tongue, how about that? We have telepaths." Sabre gripped Owen's face cruelly in his hand, claws retracting so he didn't hurt him by accident. "Tell me."
Owen
Owen snarled at the new arrivals. "What do you all think you're going to accomplish, hurting me? I won't give you anything you want, so go to Hell!"
Faith
Faith took a deep breath, calming down and feeling the rage subside inside her body. She felt normal again. "I think I'm alright. If it happens again, I'll get Priss to lift me out." She turned away from Sabre, not wanting him to see her fear. Vaguely she knew Mouse could probably feel it, but she decided that Mouse had other things to worry about and wouldn't notice Faith's fear of herself.
Faith right hooked Owen, breaking his nose. "Go to hell yourself." She stepped back, letting Mouse and the others take over.
Sabre and Mouse
"See, I think that's where you're wrong," Sabre said thoughtfully as he drew intricate patterns on Owen's chest. "I think ye will tell us what we want to know, and soon. If everything else fails, Mouse can always use her knife."
Mouse bounced eagerly. "I just wanna know where the Spider is. Hunting, aroooooo!" She tilted her head towards the ceiling and howled, throat producing the uncammy harmonics of wolf song perfectly. Fafnir howled with her, and then they both cut off. She looked down at Owen. "Animals like me. You may think you escape, but everywhere you go, I can garuntee you'll have something watching you."
Owen
"They're too powerful for ones so young. They have too much power! Little girls shuldn't be so strong, so pure. So now I've sullied them, and they deserved it." Owen sneered.
Logan, Mouse and Nyx
Logan looked at Own and felt physically revolted. He shook his head. "You're sick, bub."
"That's horrible," Mouse hissed and she growled deep in her throat, Fafnir matching her in eerie counterpoint.
"I think we should kill him now," Nyx said calmly.
"I think ye may be right, but let's make it a nice looooong death, shall we?" Sabre flashed a grin at her.
Faith
Faith backed away further. "I'll leave that for you guys." She stood there awkwardly, unwilling to stay but unwilling to leave. She was cuaght between the light and between the darkness.
Willow
Suddenly they all heard Willow speaking in their minds. {Don't kill him. If you kill him, we'll never get the girls back. Just knock him out, or see if you can get him to sleep, I'll deal with him when we're done. Did you know how many people this 'Spider' has working for him? Priss & I have found several so far.}
Sabre, Mouse, Nyx and Logan
"Oh, sod." Sabre pouted, and Mouse giggled. He looked like someone had just taken his most favourie toy away from him. "Ah well. Ye get to live...for now." Sabre wiped his hand on Owen's shirt and let the guy's head crack onto the concrete.
"Well. Willow said knock him out..." Mouse put her hand on Owen's face and sent such a surge of fear/helplessness/pain/guilt/sorrow through him that he fell unconscious. "I hope that hurt," she spat viciously.
"And I'd just go for lots of people," Nyx said and then burped gently. She raised a hand to her mouth and grinned sheepishly. "Probably not as many as he did before though. Oh, c'mon! They were demons. End of story. Well, one of them was human, but only one."
Logan shook his head. "Whatever you say, Nyx. I'm sure ya can tell better then me anyway."
Tanya
Judging from the fire, Tanya drew the conclusion that someone else had found them before she had. And whoever it was, it wasn't YIRAAS. Defintely not their style. Well, it might be suicide, but she slapped on her YIRAAS armband anyway, just to be sure.
Then she ran over to the warehouse to scout further. People where everywhere. She ignored all calls and headed in. Her telepathy was enough to tell her what was going on.
She jumped down and started exploring the complex. The hostages had been found but not the Spider. And for some reason people seemed to think that his collar had come off. That was impossible! Only one person could take it off, and she hadn't even seen the Spider since it had been put on! It must have been a rumour he started for spreading fear or something. That would be right up his alley.
*Tanya!*
"What the hell?" Tanya asked, startled.
That sounded like the Spider's voice. But it couldn't be, surely.
*Tanya! Help!*
Then Tanya saw it. A figure wreathed in flame. There was no mistaking that physique. It was The Spider.
Tanya ran towards him, nervously, not wanting to be set alight herself.
"No..." she gasped suddenly.,
The Spider's mind went black. He fell. Dead.
Willow
Willow felt a strong telepath enter the site. *Who are you?* she projected int Tanya's mind. *If you're the Spider, don't even bother trying to get away, we'll find you and tear you apart for taking these children. And if you're on our side, speak who you are in my head. I'm Willow, the new Earth Godess.* She had been busy rounding up the humans and aliens that workd for the Spider, and killing the demons he had under his reign.
Sabre, Mouse, Nyx and Logan
Mouse's head snapped up and she howled angrily as a little thread was cut off inside her mind. The inefistimatable link she had with the Spider's mind. "Nooooooooooooooooo!"
"What is it lovely?" Sabre asked her, concerned for her sanity now as she turned her eyes on him.
"I think the Spider just bought it." She leapt to her feet and disapeared down the smoke filled corridors, Fafnir at her heels. Angry, vicious snarling coming from both their mouts. Sabre looked at Nyx.
"Already on it, bro. C'mon, Logan we havta stop her before she kills herself. A revenge desire like that you don't get over easy." They ran after her and Sabre lifted Owen's limp body into his arms.
"Well, Slayer? Shall we go, my lovely one?"
Tanya
Tanya raised an eyebrow as she upzipped her leather jacket. It was way, way too hot in her to be wearing leather.
*I get called a lot of things, but never before have I been called The Spider. My name is Tanya. I'm a Ga'Revali Master, so it is not so much that I am in your head, as it is that you are in mine. As for The Spider, he has just... died... a few meters from where I'm standing. The flames have consumed him.*
Tanya wiped the sweat off her brow.
*Odd. In all the years that we've been seeking each other out, I never once dreamt that he would die like this. But I suppose one never knows what life - or death - has in stall for us.*
Willow
Willow winced, Mouse was not going to be happy. *Are you sure that he is dead? Please, see if you can wrap up the body so that a Jane Hall can see it and get the peace she needs. You are YIRAAS, correct? Please, we have been rounding up all of the Spider's minions, though we are not entirely certain what to do with them. I am part of the IDTF, and those that are not aliens, we would like to pass scentence on, but I suppose you would like to help us question them first?* Willow asked.
Tanya
*Am I sure that he's dead? Can I wrap up the body?* Tanya repeated. *Willow, sweetie, what's left of his body is burning into dust as we speak. It's a regular inferno over there, and no one in their right mind would even be as close as I am at the moment! Which says a lot about me because I'm wearing leather. However, if it's closure this Jane Hall wants, then I'd be happy to implant this memory. I know it was him because he called out for me telepathically, and every mind is different. Actually, the fact that he was capable of telepathic communication is confusing. I know he was given a collar. Collars can't simply be removed by anyone. They can only be removed by the one who created them. And not only are you talking to her, but I haven't seen Craig in weeks. Spoken, yes. Been in the same district? No. And as for the Spider's people, I'd be happy to deal with the aliens. It's my job after all.*
Faith
Faith nodded. "No point staying here. Let's go find Will and Priss." She waited patiently for Logan, Mouse and Sabre to get organised, flipping the Jackal back into her back pocket.
Willow
Willow finished rounding up the 'bad guys,' bound them with a binding spell, and gave them to Priss. "ALl right, let's blow this popsicle stand. I got some to work to do on that Owen char after I have a rest."
Tanya
Tanya decided it would be wise to get out before she melted. Nimbly, she clammbered out of the warehouse. And not a moment too soon as the top level was beginning to collaspse.
Faith
As soon as they were back at the Hanson's house, Faith tried to calm herself down. Nothing was working. She eventually made the decision to run again. She left quickly and quietly and ran back to the Halliwell's, where on the way she was intercepted by Amanda and Giles.
Willow and Giles
"Tanya, I'm just gonna send the aliens there. Let me deal with Owen. he's a sick, sick man, more like Warren than anybody I've ever met before. I'm going to enjoy this." Willow grinned evilly. "And I'm REALLY going to enjoy stripping away his powers." Taking a deep breath she magicked away the aliens to the place Tanya showed her. I've talked to the head of the Council, and he wants me to give Chales Xavier reign over the mutants the Spider found. Charles thinks he can 'save' them. So I say, good riddance." And with the flick of her hand, away flew the mutants, to the mansion. Willow looked up, and looked Bastet right in her eyes.
"I get it. I finally get it." she grinned. "I have all the power of the earth. I can feel it flowing through me. I'm tied to the earth. Mother, thank thee for coming, you have shown me more than I can imagine!" In the blink of an eye, Willow disappeared, and nobody knew where she was, though Bastet had a thoughtful expression on her face.
----
"Faith, it's okay. Redemption will not happen all at once," Giles reminded her. Finally, the person he was waiting for showed up. Giles knew who Faith needed reassurance from. They had all been walking together, but Faith was so distraught, she didn't see where Giles was leading her. "Xander, good. She's your Slayer. Amanda and I have some things to talk about, why don't the two of you talk for a while?" Xander came and looked Faith straight in the eye with his good one.
"So Faith, why don't you tell me what happened tonight?"
Faith
Faith felt relief from just looking at Xander. He had this soothing effect on people.
"I don't know what happened... something... I was... it was... I can't breathe."
Faith fell to the ground shaking, almost in tears. She didn't want to be seen this way.
Xander
Xander pulled up a seat on the grass, and pulled a sobbing Faith into his arms, slowly rocking her back and forth.
"Shhhh, shhhhh Faithy, it'll all be okay. We all touch the dark sometimes, but what makes us human is that we are able to come back again."
Faith
Faith mumbled to herself, and upon seeing Xander's confused look she repeated it louder.
"Xan, I almost didn't come back. There was just something inside me wanting me to continue on."
"What if... what if I was never meant to get that second chance, what if B was supposed to kill me, or what if while I was in a coma someone pulled the plug. Or what if the assassin Wolfram and Hart sent after me had killed me. Or when Angelus bit me. Wouldn't that have been better... if I hadn't survived?"
"I don't even know why you agreed to be my Watcher. Aren't you worried that I might lose it again and hurt you... again?"
She collapsed into Xander's strong arms, trying hard to forget all that she had seen and done.