ResistanceTeaser

Story by Chris CookWritten by Chris Cook and CN Winters

Produced and Directed by Chris Cook and CN WintersEdited by DragonWriter17

Sound by CSRArt Direction by Chris Cook

Artists - Chris Cook and CN Winters

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Thanks!) Fade In:Int.Council Meeting Room – Day

Willow quickly slid inside the door and tried to be quiet as Giles stood addressing the group, which consisted of Faith, Robin, and Rowena.

"Nice of you to join us," Giles remarked dryly as the redhead took a seat next to Faith and across from Rowena.

"Sorry," she muttered apologetically.

"Anyway," he continued. "As I was saying, I think we need to ban Jeff from the coven, effective immediately. All in favor, say aye."

"Hold up," Willow said to the group. "Yeah, sure, it was his bad messing with stuff he wasn’t ready for, but he’s a powerful young man, Giles."

"We’ve already discussed this, Willow. If you wanted to issue an opinion, then you should have been here on time."

"Gee, I’m sorry. I was trying to catch up on my sleep after the wacko weekend I had," she said sarcastically.

"In any event," Giles said, brushing her off, "Let’s vote."

"Damn it, Giles!" Willow said as she slammed her hands down on the table. "You can’t expect him to learn his lesson and then just toss him out. That kid is strong – very strong. And he’s better off as an ally than an enemy."

When no one around the table said anything or even looked at her, she asked, "Can’t any of you see that? Rowena?"

Rowena looked away, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Willow turned to Giles. "You of all people should know what can happen if powerful magic is left unchecked. You’re lucky to be alive, no thanks to me."

Giles refused to discuss the remark and turned to the group. "All in favor, say aye."

Collectively everyone voiced their agreement with Giles, except for Willow. She began shaking her head in disgust, and she looked down at her hands to find them beginning to tremble. The purplish-green veins began to turn pitch black, and she closed her eyes tightly then opened them, only to see her skin still changing.

From across the table Rowena’s mouth began to widen as if she was going to say something but couldn’t. To Willow’s left, Faith rolled her chair away.

"What the hell’s happening?" the slayer asked Giles, looking back toward him from over her shoulder.

Giles was speechless as Willow slowly stood up. Raven locks replaced her red hair, and the dark veins now spread across her forehead and face. Her eyes were as black and cold as onyx.

"I say we take a recount," she said in a slow, merciless voice.

"Willow," Giles began diplomatically for the first time. "Listen to me."

"I’ve listened to you for too many years," she answered and waved a careless hand in his direction, instantly setting him ablaze.

Once the initial shock wore off, Faith charged toward Willow as Robin leapt over the table. Rowena reached out to stop Robin, but it was no use. The man was quicker and stronger than she was.

Willow made a pushing motion with her hand which threw Faith into the back wall before she too combusted into flames. Although it was hopeless, Robin raced over as if to help Faith, but with another wave of Willow’s hand he met the same fate.

During the commotion Rowena had worked behind Willow and tried to slip out the door. She was only a few feet away when Willow turned to face her, stopping her in her tracks.

"Where do you think you’re going...lover?" Willow asked.

Rowena covered her mouth as if she were trying to hold back the urge to get sick.

"You said you knew what you were getting into, remember?" Willow taunted her. With the wave of the dark witch’s hand, the door slammed shut.

Cut To:Int.Willow’s Living Room – Same Time

The sound of Willow’s front door shutting made the witch bolt up from her sofa and look around in confusion. She glanced over to the entryway to see Rowena hanging up her coat. Rowena turned and saw Willow peering over the sofa, looking confused and frightened.

"I’m sorry," the blonde apologized. "I didn’t mean to wake you up." She walked over to the sofa as Willow righted herself.

"Don’t be sorry. I’m glad you did," Willow replied.

Carefully, the blonde took a seat next to her. "Having another bad dream, weren’t you?" she asked rhetorically. When Willow simply nodded, Rowena asked, "Who was it this time?"

"Giles, Faith, and Robin," Willow answered softly.

Rowena put her hand around Willow’s shoulder, and the redhead rested against the crook of her neck. "It was just a dream," Rowena reminded her. "Dr. Hegedus said this was to be expected after what happened."

"I can’t help but think it’s something more," Willow told her. "If I go back to that—"

"You won’t," Rowena assured her.

"How can you be so sure? Shadow loaded me up with goddess knows what."

"Because you’re stronger than anything she could dish out. That’s why," Rowena told her with great certainty. Willow however still appeared unconvinced. "Come on," she said, rising from the sofa and offering Willow her hand. "Giles needs to speak with you and Jeff."

Willow released a heavy sigh and took Rowena’s hand.

Cut To:Int.Infirmary – Moments Later

Willow and Rowena walked to the entrance, then Rowena nodded Willow inside. "I’ll be out here after you’re done," she told her, letting Willow go ahead.

Upon hearing Willow approach, Giles glanced at her briefly before turning back to Jeff.

"I’ll allow you and your mentor a few moments," he told the young man before acknowledging Willow with a grin and walking toward the exit.

"So," Willow began, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he told her with a short nod.

Willow released a sigh and pulled the chair next to the bed a bit closer before taking a seat.

"Is this the part where you tell me I went over the line, stepped out of bounds?" he asked.

Willow shook her head. "No, I’m sure everyone else has already told you that. And I know that you know that I agree with them." Willow sighed again and then continued. "I’m honored that you felt the need to save me, but the means you used—"

"Could have been better. I know."

Willow paused a moment. "If something like this comes up again and I’m not here, will you promise to ask Rowena first before going through the restricted area?"

"She would have said no," Jeff countered.

"Giles would have said no…probably. But Rowena would have kept watch to make sure nothing was taken except for what was needed. She probably would have even helped you research, and I can tell you first hand she’s pretty good at it. So...promise me?"

Jeff gave Willow a committed nod. "I promise. It’s just—"

"You’ve got a lot a power, and you want to push yourself to do bigger and better things."

"Yeah!" he said enthusiastically.

"So did I, Jeff, but I didn’t have anyone to catch my fall. Not when it came to magic. I want to see you do bigger and better things, too. I do. But you have to go in steps, not leaps and bounds ’cause that’s the mistake that I made. So starting next week, I want us to do some tutoring, privately. Just you and me, okay?"

"So...instead of barring me from magic, you’re going to train me?" he asked skeptically.

"Absolutely. I know you’re going to continue this, so I have two choices. One, I can look the other way and hope your desire for power goes away. Or two, I can stay at your side and help guide you from making some potentially hazardous or fatal mistakes. I’m going with number two," she ended in a chipper voice.

"Thanks Willow. I—" Jeff’s words died in his throat when the sound of gunshots from above them rang out. "What was that?" he asked, concerned.

"Upstairs," Willow muttered before she raced from the room.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Lobby – Same Time

Giles and Rowena were already heading toward the staircase to go to the second floor when Willow ran to catch up. When they got to the top, they heard another shot ring out from Bonnie’s apartment. As all three of them ran to the door, Giles took Willow and Rowena by the arm and pulled them behind him.

"Stay here," he ordered as he approached the door. He gave it a firm knock and called out. "Bonnie! Bonnie, open the door!"

When Bonnie pulled the door open, he looked inside and saw her holding a smoking gun that she quickly turned toward him. In the middle of her floor, Faith lay unmoving, bleeding from her chest and forehead.

"Bloody hell," Giles said in a trembling voice.

Fade out.

End of Teaser

Act OneGuest Stars:  Avril Lavigne as Janet and Chazz Palminteri as Jimmy Volano

 Guest Starring: Elijah Wood as Jeff, Norika Fujiwara as Mia, Lindsay Felton as

Skye, Stephanie March as Bonnie, and Felicity Day as Vi Fade In:Int.Bonnie’s Doorway – Same Time

Rowena and Willow tried to peek inside to see what had Giles so startled. Coming out of his shock, Giles extended his hand. "Give me the gun, Bonnie."

"She tried to attack me. I-I had to defend myself," she explained.

"No one here will hurt you. Just give me the gun," Giles repeated in a firmer voice.

Without another argument, Bonnie handed it over, and Willow and Rowena rushed into the room, where they immediately saw Faith.

"Oh Jesus," Rowena whimpered as she knelt beside Faith and put her fingers to the slayer’s throat. After a few moments she turned back to Giles and simply shook her head.

At that point Xander and Robin raced inside the doorway.

"What happened?" Xander asked automatically.

Robin noticed Faith immediately and made his way over. Willow shot to her feet to meet him before he got too close, but he simply overpowered her and pushed her aside.

"Faith?" he called out as he moved next to Rowena.

"She’s gone, Robin," the blonde watcher told her.

Not satisfied with that answer, Robin picked Faith up in his arms and brushed past the group swiftly, carrying her downstairs.

Willow and Rowena were both on the verge of tears, but before either could say anything, they heard the hammer of the gun go back. Giles pointed the gun between Bonnie’s eyes. Willow moved over slowly to the pair with Rowena behind her.

"Start explaining," he ordered.

Bonnie began to speak, but once Willow was within arm’s reach, she placed her hand on Giles’s. "Let’s

lower the sights a little here, Giles. We won’t get answers if she’s dead, okay?" Giles paused a moment and then lowered the gun uncocking it. Willow then turned to Xander. "Xan, go to Robin and make sure he’s okay."

Xander nodded and left the room.

Giles took an intimidating step closer to Bonnie. "You’ve got five minutes to explain, starting now."

Cut to:Int.Infirmary – Same Time

"Do something!" Robin demanded of Dr. Miller.

The doctor leaned away as if fearing the man’s wrath. "Robin, there’s nothing I can do."

At that moment Xander walked in to see Robin arguing while Dr. Miller tried to remain neutral.

"I don’t buy that. She’s a slayer. She might be able to heal somehow."

"The bullet went straight into her head. I’m sorry, but…she would have died instantly. If I could do something, I assure you I would."

Robin closed his eyes as Xander moved further into the room.

"Stay here, Robin. I’ll see how Mr. Giles wants to handle this situation," Dr. Miller said as he moved past Xander and left the room.

Robin opened his eyes and turned around to see Xander standing there. "He says there’s nothing he can do," Robin recapped.

"I heard," Xander answered. "And I’m sorry."

Robin sniffed dramatically and cleared his throat. "It’s not your fault. You didn’t pull the trigger did you?"

"No," Xander replied. "But Faith was just in my shop not more than ten minutes ago. Maybe if I…I don’t know…talked to her a bit longer, she wouldn’t have been upstairs."

"So how’d this happen?" Robin asked.

"I’m not sure," Xander answered. "But Giles was ready to shoot Bonnie, so I’m thinkin’ it was her."

Robin gave a firm nod.

"Go figure," he said as he began to walk past Xander.

"Hold up," Xander said, grabbing Robin’s arm.

"You got two seconds to remove that hand or lose it."

"Just calm down, Robin," Xander pleaded.

Robin reared back and punched Xander in the jaw, sending him to the ground. Then he left the room.

Cut to:Int.Council Meeting Room – Later

Giles, Bonnie, Rowena, Willow, and two slayer guards stood on either side of Bonnie as they entered the Council meeting room.

"Have a seat," Giles ordered in a not-so-friendly tone, pointing to the far end of the table.

Bonnie made it to the other side of the table with two slayers still at her side when Robin burst into the room.

"You’re a dead woman!" he shouted as he darted toward her, looking as if he were ready to kill her with his bare hands.

"Encase!" Willow said, waving a hand in front of Robin, which immediately froze the man in his tracks.

Everyone in the room looked just as surprised as Willow as she shook her hands, as if not believing it had worked.

Giles regained his bearings and walked over to Robin. "We need her alive to find out what happened," he told the angry man. "Now, you’re welcome to

stay and listen to the events, but if you are unable to contain yourself, you’ll have to leave, Robin. Do you understand?"

At first, Robin said nothing. "I can’t leave when I can’t move," he answered.

Giles looked to Willow and gave her a nod.

She looked unsure and said, "Release," waving her hand again.

Robin took a step forward, but Rowena stood in front of him. "Let it go for now. We’ll deal with her, Robin. You have our word."

Robin shot daggers at Bonnie and swiftly left the room. Everyone gave a collective sigh after he was gone.

"Anyway, we all know why we’re here," Giles began, staring down the long Council table at the others assembled. His voice was carefully neutral. "I appreciate that all our feelings are running high. Nevertheless—" He stopped suddenly, paused a moment, then took a deep breath and continued. "Nevertheless, we owe it to the Council, and to ourselves, to deal with this in a professional manner."

He looked to the far end of the table, where Bonnie sat stony-faced, with a slayer standing on either side of her.

"This is a preliminary hearing," he explained. "I won’t ask you to accept that we would constitute an impartial jury. I’ve been in contact with our London and Tokyo branches, and they are sending experienced watchers, who will review the evidence and pass judgment. Right now," he fixed Bonnie with an intent stare, "you will explain your actions. I strongly advise you not to leave anything out, at all."

Before he could continue, the intercom on the table beeped. Giles cast an irritated glare at it and thumbed the receive button.

"Council is in session," he snapped. "I thought I made it very clear that we were not to be interrupted!"

"My apologies, Mr. Giles," Dr. Miller’s voice said, "but this is extremely important."

Cut To:Int.Council Infirmary – Waiting Room – Moments Later

"Doctor," Giles greeted the man guardedly, "you have something for us?"

"This way, please," he said with a grim nod, waving for Giles, Willow, Kennedy, Rowena, and Robin to follow him. When they reached the autopsy room, Robin stopped outside the door. Kennedy gulped nervously and hesitated before crossing the threshold. Rowena reached out to hold Willow’s hand, comforting the distressed witch.

"Well?" Giles asked, as Dr. Miller turned to face them again, standing in front of the examination table, the form lying on it covered.

"This is not Faith," the doctor said levelly.

"Excuse me?" Giles asked.

"What?!" Robin exclaimed. Kennedy put a hand on his shoulder, keeping him from rushing forward.

"This is not Faith," Dr. Miller repeated calmly. "It’s some kind of duplicate, almost certainly demonic."

"How do you know?" Willow asked pointedly.

"See for yourself," Dr. Miller replied, turning to the table. He hesitated and then continued. "This may be distressing. When my preliminary examination showed irregularities, I performed a…more complete examination."

"Show us," Giles said, stepping forward, around Willow.

Dr. Miller nodded, and drew back the sheet. Beneath was Faith, staring lifelessly up with motionless eyes. Traces of dried blood remained on her forehead, though most had been cleaned away, leaving only the neat circular hole. Lower down, though, where the surgeon’s tools had opened her, beneath a layer of skin and muscle and tissue, there was chitin

and inhuman flesh and something that gleamed like metal, slick with blue and black fluids.

"Don’t," Kennedy whispered to Robin, as he again moved to enter the room.

"It’s…not her," Giles said, turning to Robin. He placed a steadying hand on the edge of the table, and Rowena placed a hand on his back as he looked down and let out the breath he had been holding in a long, shuddering sigh.

"It’s not?" Robin asked. "Then where is she?"

"I don’t know," Dr. Miller said, "but I can assure you, this creature is not Faith."

Cut To:Int.Council Library – Later

"I’ve got something," Dawn said, holding up a book. The other people working at the library’s main table – Willow, Ro, Giles, Skye, and Jeff– looked at her.

"Chrysalid Changeling," she read, "insectoid basically, but uses a kind of primal golem-animation to create a replica of a person, using whatever materials are available. This is the only thing I’ve found that would explain the metal in that thing. And according to this, the replica is, quote, ‘perfect, indistinguishable from the original save for a full internal examination’."

"It was," Willow said quietly, distantly. "It even bled. And human blood, not whatever was inside it."

"This says the Changeling part of the demon is centered in the replica’s chest and stomach area," Dawn went on. "Everything else is camouflage, designed to mimic the original as closely as possible."

"The changeling part?" Rowena asked. Dawn nodded.

"Changeling and Chrysalid," Skye read from one of the books in front of her. "Same information here. It says the demon divides into two halves, one of which is the replica, the other..." Her eyes moved quickly as she took in the

details, and when she continued, it was in a more excited tone. "The other contains the subject being replaced and keeps them alive indefinitely!"

"Jeff," Willow said, "round up the coven, we’ll be doing a locator spell as soon as we’re ready."

"I’ll tell Kennedy," Rowena said, rising from the table as Jeff hurried away. "She can start preparing search teams."

"Good," Giles nodded. While Willow grabbed another book and started hastily turning its pages, Giles turned back to Dawn and Skye. "Does it elaborate on the condition the subject is kept in? Or what happens when the changeling dies?"

"The, uh…" Dawn read quickly, "the Chrysalid absorbs its victim – ew! – but they are unharmed, because their physical and mental state forms a template for the Changeling for so long as it remains in its assumed form. No wonder we couldn’t tell, it used her mind to pattern its behavior. It doesn’t say what happens when the Changeling dies."

"This one does," Willow reported eagerly. "The two halves are psychically linked, and when one half dies, the other does too. This says – this was three hundred years ago, I think – it says a victim was recovered alive from the remains of the Chrysalid after the Changeling was discovered and killed."

Cut to:Int.Underground Cavern – Same Time

A thin demon in long, flowing robes entered the rocky chamber, with two bulky guards flanking him. At the center of the cave, lit by flickering torches, was a heap of sagging flesh several yards wide, an obese bulk of a demon interred in a shallow pit in the ground, swelling up out of it. Miniature stone viaducts dripped a thick, viscous liquid over the creature’s bloated stomach, keeping its rubbery skin moist, but it was clear that it was dead – its tiny eyes stared blankly at the cave ceiling, and its thick, stubby tongue lolled out of its wide mouth.

The two guards stood back, their noses wrinkled in disgust, while the thin demon approached the huge, dead creature and peered at it intently. Its skin seemed to degrade as he looked at it, tiny sores swelling and tearing, releasing rivulets of vile

fluid that trickled down the stretched skin. Where the skin wasn’t being refreshed with moisture it was parched, cracking and peeling. The thin demon frowned in thought as something moved slowly within the dead thing’s vast stomach. The thin demon laid a hand against the dead thing’s skin, closed his eyes for a moment, then frowned again and turned to look at the guards standing well back behind him.

"Tell the Lover—" he began in a reedy voice, but before he could say any more, the huge demon’s stomach erupted in a shower of gore and thick fluids. A female shape catapulted out of the corpse, collided with the thin demon, and bore him to the ground. The two guards recoiled in surprise and disgust as the being, naked and slick with slimy ichor, seized the demon’s head between her hands and twisted viciously, severing it from his neck with a sickening crunch.

Even before the thin demon’s body had even finished twitching in death, his killer launched herself at the guards, tackling one while the other staggered back, drawing a sword. The first guard had time for a surprised yelp, then his attacker drove her thumbs through his eyes, deep into his skull, silencing him. In a blur she turned, the dead guard’s weapon flying from her blood-soaked hands, burying itself in the second guard’s chest, its bloody point emerging from his back.

Faith stared at the guard as he fell to his knees, then slowly toppled sideways. Her breath came in ragged gasps, coughing now and then on the ichor that covered her. Her eyes dropped to her hands, and she stared at them as if she had never seen them before. A gobbet of slime slid from her slick hair into her eyes, and she pawed at it until she could see again, wiping the worst of the demon blood from her face.

There was a noise from the dim tunnel connecting to the cavern, an indistinct voice, and Faith instantly scuttled to the other guard’s body, snatching up his fallen sword and hauling the other weapon out of his chest. She stared at the blades in her hands, frowning furiously, then gripped them tightly and looked up with a savage, almost joyful smile.

Fade Out

 

End of Act One

Act Two 

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council Hallway – Later

Giles, Willow, and Rowena swiftly walked down the hall side-by-side.

"It’s a sure bet that the Presidium was behind switching Faith for an infiltrator," Rowena commented.

"No argument here," Willow agreed.

"So if she’s still alive, where would she be?" Rowena posed the question for debate.

"We have two search options," Giles began, "either Faith is being held captive by the Presidium itself in Vor, or she's still on Earth. Bonnie's work was pointing towards a link between the Presidium and Jimmy Volano - if this creature was intended to kill her, that would seem to confirm it."

"Brell’s there in Vor," Willow answered. "I’ll see if the coven can get a message to him magically. Perhaps he can look for Faith or at least be able to give a description of her to someone who can help him look."

Giles nodded as Rowena added, "Good, I’ll concentrate on setting up the ops team to turn Volano’s operation inside-out. Besides, I could use a little payback," she said wiggling her pinky.

"What about you?" Willow asked Giles.

"I’m going to have a talk with our resident shooter," he answered.

As all three of them broke at the end of the hallway, they quickly moved in separate directions.

Cut To:Int.Watchers Council Cell Block – Later

Bonnie looked up at the sound of footsteps. Giles appeared, staring at her through the bars of her cell, while Marie waited against the far wall. Bonnie stood and looked at him, expectant but wary.

"We have reason to believe you were telling the truth," Giles said slowly.

"Must be a good reason," Bonnie said. "All things considered."

Giles glared at her, then looked away and continued. "What you killed proved to be a demon," he said. "A shapeshifter. Faith was abducted and replaced by this…creature that took her form."

"Three guesses who was responsible," Bonnie said, sitting back down on the cell’s bed.

"If you have any information to share—" Giles began, but Bonnie cut him off.

"Other than the fact that it tried to kill me, no. Yes, there are plenty of demons who’d love to do that, but not many that can replace the senior slayer of the Watchers Council and get away with it. I assume you’ve been having meetings like they’re going out of style over this. Has anyone owned up to noticing Faith acting out of character? Anything that ‘didn’t seem important at the time’?"

"No," Giles said grimly. "The replacement was perfect."

"I’ll tell you," Bonnie went on, "two years ago when I was freelancing, if someone had come to me and offered me more money than God to find him a demon infiltrator that could be that good, every minute of every day, I’d have told him no deal. I could’ve suggested a khamelloid or a talented clay-skin, but they’d have given themselves away in some way, even if it was only realized after the fact. Something as good as this…what did you say it was called?"

"I didn’t, but it was a Chrysalid Changeling," Giles answered.

"Not in this city," Bonnie declared flatly. "And as far as I know, not on this planet—not the last time I looked. I’d bet this Chrysalid is out of the reach of any of the local demons who’re still holding a grudge. That leaves Jimmy Volano and his Presidium friends."

"Your expertise will be used in pursuing him, immediately," Giles said. "However, don’t expect to be treated as a ‘restricted guest’, as you have been recently. You smuggled a weapon into the Council, in violation of the trust that was extended to you—"

"Which I used in self-defense! And by the way, I didn’t smuggle it. It was with my belongings," Bonnie pointed out.

"How you used it or how you got it is not the issue," Giles glared her down. "The fact that it was self-defense is the only thing keeping you from being the subject of the Cleveland Council’s first full tribunal procedure. As the situation stands, there will be consequences for what you have done."

"All right," Bonnie said wearily. "Let’s hear it."

"An appropriate punishment will be decided upon when we have the luxury of time to debate the matter," Giles said. "For now, you will be confined to guest quarters. Your usual suite and your possessions will be searched thoroughly, taken apart piece-by-piece if necessary, to ensure there aren’t any more hidden surprises. Whether they will be returned to you will be decided later."

"And Volano?"

"You will be allowed out, under guard, to assist our operation," Giles said. "Your activities will be monitored and limited, severely."

Bonnie stared at him for a moment, then dropped her gaze and looked blankly at the wall of her cell. She heaved a tired sigh.

"Not much choice," she muttered. She looked up at Giles again. "I’m not apologizing for the gun," she added. "If I hadn’t had it, that thing would have killed me. Probably made it look like I attacked it, and it killed me in self-defense. You’d still have a Presidium infiltrator running the slayer branch of the Council."

Giles stared at her thoughtfully, but there was no kindness in his gaze.

"Did you realize when you killed it that it wasn’t Faith?" he asked. "Did you even suspect?" Bonnie crossed her arms unhappily.

"No," she replied.

"At least you’re getting into the habit of telling the truth," Giles commented. "Marie will escort you to your new room. There will be a change of clothes there. Meet us in the library in fifteen minutes."

Fade To:Int.Ice Caverns – Vor Hell Dimension – Same Time

Brell hurried through the sparse crowd of demons that milled about a network of caverns and tunnels, talking grimly, carrying weapons and armor, or rushing here and there with messages. At his side was another of his kind, blue-skinned, tall and female. They arrived at a huge arachnid creature guarding the entrance to a red-lit cave. "Brell," the demon woman said, "this hopeless. they not help a human." 

"Brell must try," Brell said gently. The woman studied his face, then nodded, and watched him intently as he approached the arachnid and waited as its compound eyes turned on him and examined him. 

"Well?" it said in a guttural voice, with tiny clicking sounds accompanying its speech. 

"Must see Creed and Brighid," Brell said, "very urgent. Brell have message from human Council." The huge spider-demon regarded him balefully, then lifted its bulk on twelve razor-edged limbs and moved to one side. "Thank you," Brell said hastily, giving a quick backward glance at the woman as he hurried inside. 

Beyond the entrance the cave widened out, and one wall fell away into a cliff, overlooking a vast underground lake of churning blood-red water and ice-floes. Brell looked nervously at the hulking guards who stood in the red-tinted shadows around the cavern's perimeter, and approached the group of demons at its center, clustered within a circle of arcane symbols burned into the solid ice floor.

"Brell beg forgiveness for intrusion," he said, "but important message, must be heard."

The huddle of demons spread out, and two stepped forward towards Brell—one the gigantic Creed and the other a shapely female form composed entirely of incandescent heat, coated in a skin of black-scorched magma that cracked and reformed as she moved.

"Give your message," Creed growled. The demon-woman’s white-hot eyes flickered towards her huge comrade, then turned on Brell.

"From Earth, from human Council," he explained. "Faith, most powerful slayer – very brave, has fought for Brell, and other demons, many times – is taken by Presidium."

"Then she is dead," Creed declared. "So?"

"Not dead," Brell insisted, "taken, but alive. Red Witch knows Faith is alive, until this day at least. Presidium has her. Council does not know whether here or Earth. They search Earth for her. Red Witch has asked me to search for Faith here."

"Good fortune to you," Creed rumbled, turning away. The other demon, the fire-woman, glanced at him and approached Brell.

"It is our help this one desires," she said. "It wishes our aid in finding its friend, the human slayer Faith." She turned and stared at Creed, who turned back to her. "Do we turn away so quickly?"

"It is none of our business," he growled.

"Faith is great ally!" Brell protested, turning his attention to the fire-woman. "Noble Brighid, Faith led slayers against Engineer’s army, defeated them! And it is Red Witch who asks this, who broke the Arena when Presidium cast it, who defeated Engineer himself. Eleven we face, not twelve, because of Red Witch. Never before have Presidium bled. She asks this of Brell, asks me to ask you for help, to keep Council strong."

"It speaks the truth," Brighid mused. "The Council harms the Presidium. Do we not attribute the calm before the present storm to the difficulties on Earth? Do we not benefit? Are we not stronger, while they fix their gazes elsewhere?"

"Indirectly," Creed allowed, "but the Council fights to save its own kind, not us. Earth is threatened, so they fight for it. Humans are attacked, so they defend themselves. You know how difficult it is to move where the Presidium is strong. Why should we risk that, and not at a time and place of our choosing, but to rescue a human who has never spilled blood for us?"

"Not true!" Brell said vehemently, circling Brighid at a safe distance from her radiant heat and approaching the giant Creed. "Faith fought for demons, many times! For Brell’s own kin, and for those fleeing the fall of Galas, when

the assassins were sent, the Council fought, Faith fought! And asked nothing in return. Fought only because help was asked!"

"Is this true?" Creed asked Brighid.

"It speaks the truth as it knows it," she replied. "Monarch Reteesk says much the same, indeed. The Council changes. The time of mindless persecution comes to an end, it says."

"He talks too much," Creed grumbled.

"It says little that is not of value," Brighid said thoughtfully. "We too speak of seeking out allies where once there were enemies. Before the Presidium came, did not your kind and the Scarmen kill each other on sight? Fifty Scarmen or more now reside within this sanctuary. Do you rest only when your claws have broken their blood?"

"You would help the humans?" Creed said skeptically.

"Great allies are Council," Brell put in. "Loyal, not cowed by Presidium fear. And strong, capable warriors, wise leaders."

"Yet your brother is dead," Brighid said quietly. Brell’s eyes widened, and he stared at her, then nodded.

"Yes," he agreed, "Tram dead. Many dead. Creed and Brighid’s warriors die, too, when fighting Presidium. Yet others remain loyal. Honor the dead. I honor Tram, continue to honor what brother died for."

Brighid and Creed exchanged a glance, as Brell looked from one to the other of them, expectantly.

Cut To:Int.Giles’s Apartment – Later That Day

"I need to personally oversee this Volano operation," Giles stressed to Becca as he stood at his desk going through some papers.

"I’m just concerned is all," she pointed out. "I know you’ve done field work – years of field work – but this is the first time you’re going out since the heart attack. What if something goes wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing will go wrong," he assured her.

"But what if it does? Then what?" she pushed.

Giles stopped and walked around the desk to face her. "Then the girls will be there to help…Becca, I can’t sit around waiting for the next heart attack."

"You don’t need to go chasing after one either," she countered.

Giles sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk. "If this were any slayer other than Faith, or-or Buffy, I would let Rowena handle this," he began. "But this isn’t just another slayer. This is Faith, the commander of our slayer forces." Giles paused thoughtfully for a moment, then continued. "Besides, it’s not just about rank. I’ve watched her grow from a-a reckless, carefree spirit to a-a disciplined, effective leader, and the girls need her. I need her. And if my being out there helps us find her, then that’s where I have to be."

Reluctantly, Becca nodded and hung her head. Giles rose up and kissed the top of it softly as he placed his hands on either side of her cheeks.

Cut To:Int.Kennedy’s Apartment – Same Time

Kennedy walked into the bedroom to find Mia putting on the last of her gear.

"Hey," Kennedy called over softly.

"Hey," Mia replied in kind. "Sorry you got grounded. I know you wanted to help the search."

"Being a slayer sometimes bites."

"So’s being ops," Mia answered. "I really thought it wouldn’t be terrible to order firing on evil people, but lately it’s hard to tell what’s evil and what’s not…"

Kennedy paused and watched while Mia adjusted her belt.

"You didn’t know what to expect with that Shadow chick," Kennedy told her. "And if you didn’t order the open fire, she might have killed everyone in that room by snapping her fingers. I think you made the right call."

"Did I? Or did I pass judgment too quickly?" Mia countered. "I can’t seem to forget Willow crying about how she could have saved her."

"For all we know, it could have been Stockholm syndrome, or that magic crap that bitch loaded her up on."

"I guess," Mia said with a noncommittal shrug.

"Besides, she took Willow against her will. She was far from an innocent victim. So go easy on yourself here, okay?"

Mia gave a slight grin and chuckle.

"What?" Kennedy asked.

"This is about 180 degrees from our last conversation about my job. Guess it’s getting easier for you to watch me kill humans, huh?"

"No, that will never be easy," Kennedy answered. "Just like doing it won’t be easy but sometimes…sometimes it’s necessary. So, go out there and bring Faith back home safe and sound, just like you did with Willow. That’s the important thing."

"Ma’am, yes ma’am," Mia teased giving Kennedy a salute.

Fade Out

End of Act Two

Act Three 

Fade In:Int.Giles’s Office – Day

"I wish I could go," Kennedy told Giles.

The watcher stood up from his desk and began to make his way around it to where Kennedy stood.

"I realize that," he told her.

"She’s my best friend here. I should be looking, too."

Giles took a seat on the edge of his desk. "As I said, I know you want to be out there, but the work ahead of us is dangerous. With Faith gone a-and the possibility of us not finding her…well…I need someone that can take her place. That person is you Kennedy. If we’ve lost Faith, we can’t afford to lose you as well."

"What about Vi? She’s a good slayer and—"

"And she’s not as good as you," Giles answered. "I realize how far Vi has come, and she is an excellent slayer. But in all honesty, you are the best one next to Faith."

"Trying to use my ego against me, huh?" Kennedy said, giving a slight grin.

"Is it working?" Giles said with a small grin of his own, which made Kennedy snort. "Seriously, I need someone to lead the slayers in this inevitable fight with the Presidium. I need that person to be you if we can’t locate Faith. So putting you out there right now is far too dangerous and could be exactly what the Presidium wants. We can’t take that risk."

Kennedy rolled her shoulders and put her hands in her back pockets. "I just wish I could do something."

"Talk to Robin," he answered. "We need to find out if he’s noticed any changes. Then perhaps we can speculate when the switch occurred. Even if we can’t uncover when the switch happened, it still might lead us to information about how this creature works. Can you handle that?"

"You mean touchy-feely stuff," Kennedy answered.

Giles held back a smile. "You’ll do better than you think, in my opinion."

Kennedy nodded. "Okay, Giles. Just…Find her!...Okay?"

"We will," he said firmly.

Cut To:Ext.Building Door – Day

Mia nodded to Janet, who kicked with all her might. She sent the door crashing open. The men who stood in the room counting money leapt back from a table and began to scramble as the ops slayers began to pile inside, searching about.

One man in particular drew a gun from under his shirt and raised the weapon to fire. Mia raised hers as well, but she hesitated instead. Seeing what was transpiring, Janet raised her gun and sent a round into the man’s shoulder but not before he managed to get off a shot. The bullet hit Mia square in the chest, making her stumble backward.

As the man fell to the floor grasping his arm, the other slayers began descending upon him, disarming him and keeping him subdued. Janet raced over to Mia and looked at her.

"You okay?" she asked.

Mia looked down at the indention on her impact vest.

"Yeah," she answered. "Might have bruised or cracked a rib though," she added as she placed a hand over the space.

Another slayer came over shaking her head.

"No Faith, ma’am," she reported to Mia. "Just a good deal of drugs, boat loads of cash, and more tunnels and artifacts, of course."

"Vats of blood, bones, and other assorted creepy stuff for evil magic I assume?" Mia asked.

"Looks that way," she answered.

"Okay," Mia nodded. "Round up the girls and get ready for the next hit."

The slayer saluted and swiftly walked away. Janet took a step closer.

"Looks like Volano is officially the supernatural equivalent of a stockpiled weapons dealer," she told Mia.

"And looks like we’re wasting our time here," Mia replied.

"Why’s that?" Janet asked.

Mia let out a long sigh. "I don’t think we’re going to find Faith in Cleveland."

"You think they’re hiding her outside the city?" Janet asked.

"I think they’re holding her outside this world," Mia replied flatly before she swiftly walked out the front door.

Cut To:Ext.Building – Same Time

Mia walked over to Giles, who stood waiting by the van. She began to shake her head.

"I heard gunfire," he asked concerned.

"Everyone’s okay. I took a round in the chest, but I’ll live," she answered with a grin. "No sign of Faith, but more signs that Volano is not our everyday gangster."

"I have Willow researching now on what we’ve found so far," he answered.

"Well, let her know we’ve got more of the same in here too…but no Faith."

Mia let out a frustrated sigh, and Giles put a hand on her shoulder. "We’ll find her," he assured her.

"I’m glad one of us has faith…no pun intended," she added after the fact.

Giles watched as she ripped off her greaves in disappointment and headed toward the back of the van.

Cut to:Int.Council Coven Room – Same Time

Jeff and Willow sat in the coven room looking through two books when he looked up to the door.

"What’s taking them so long? They’ve been gone like a half-hour," he commented.

"It’s only been fifteen minutes," Willow said without looking up.

Jeff looked over at the clock and then back at Willow. "Twelve," he corrected her. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Willow said looking up.

"Know everything," he answered.

Willow snorted. "It’s not magic. It’s been about five minutes since you asked the last time…Jeff, you have to remember to have patience. I’m sure that Dawn, Skye and Andrew are looking as fast as they can for the other indexes."

Willow went back to her book and Jeff bit his lip nervously.

"I was thinking," he began, "What about if I did a seer spell? Kinda like I did to locate you?"

"And put you back in the hospital again? The place where you should be now but I agreed to let you help? No thanks," Willow answered.

"But it worked the last time and-."

"And it was dangerous, and nearly killed you. And you were at full strength then, which you won’t be again for another week at least. Jeff… I agreed to mentor you, that’s got to run both ways. I can’t teach you if I can’t trust you to accept it when I tell you no."

Jeff let out a sigh, and nodded.

"I hate feeling helpless," he said.

"You’re not the only one," Willow admitted. "We’ve got a lot in common, you know?"

"Besides big girly eyes?" Jeff muttered. Willow swatted him on the shoulder, but they shared a grin.

"I was the same as you are now when I started out. I wanted to help, I wanted to… be one of the people who fight the good fight. Be a hero. And," she sighed, "I’d seen people hurt, and killed. Jesse, Miss Calendar, Buffy and… the list goes on, and it’s not a happy list. You know the feeling."

"You wanted to keep it from happening again," Jeff said.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "I wanted to keep what I had, my friends, my family, keep them safe. So when I realized I had real potential as a witch, I was like… you know the beginning of Spider-man, where Tobey Maguire’s leaping across rooftops and beating up the school bully, and all that?"

"I remember what happened next," Jeff said somberly. "Great power, great responsibility…"

"Stan Lee got it right," Willow agreed. "I hurt everyone I loved – Tara, Dawnie, Buffy, Xander… I used the power without realizing why I wanted it so badly. And there are times I’d… I’d give almost anything to be able to go back and say to myself, just stop. Stop and think." She chuckled sadly. "Course, if I’d seen another me, I probably would’ve thought I was vampire-me and staked me, so, not such a great plan anyway."

"So I’m the second chance?" Jeff asked. "To get it right this time?"

"No," Willow said. "No, you’re your chance. I want to help you make the right choices, but for your reasons, not mine. And make sure you know what your reasons are. Do you just want to help Faith, or do you want to be the one who saves the day?"

"Why not both?" Jeff asked. He met Willow’s patient stare, then slumped. "Okay," he admitted, "maybe you and Stan Lee have a point… I do want to help Faith though."

"I know," Willow assured him. "Of course you do, I never doubted that. Just let me help you."

"Alright," Jeff said.

"Good," Willow nodded. "Now we’ll try a limited seer invocation, you set up the circle and I’ll start chalking up the runestones."

"We are going to do a spell?" Jeff asked, confused. "What was all that for then?"

"To make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons," Willow said. "And to make sure that when I say ‘stop’, you stop – no heroics. We’ll be doing a much more limited application of the magic, no harmonic emotional resonance and definitely no semi-lethal augmenting. Just the basics. We’ll see what we get, and work on it from there."

"You trust me to do this?" Jeff asked.

"I wouldn’t be mentoring you if I didn’t," Willow replied.

Cut To:Int.Underground Tunnels – Same Time

A quartet of demons marched through the labyrinth of rocky tunnels, eventually reaching an intersection.

"Search and destroy," ordered their leader, taller than the others by a head, and with metal barbs woven into his thick hide. "The human must not reach the city above. It is Her order."

The guards set off down three of the adjoining corridors. Their leader watched them for a moment, then drew his steel flail and set off down the fourth. Behind him, Faith let go of her grip on the tunnel ceiling’s irregular stalactites and dropped silently to the floor, drawing her swords from the crude straps fashioned from strips of demon skin that bound them to her torso. With a few quick steps, she was behind the demon leader, pulling his head sharply back and slicing his throat open.

The demon managed only quiet gurgling noises as Faith lowered his body to the ground and swung astride him, holding a sword at his sliced throat.

"The surface," she growled, "which way? Point." She waited a second, in which the demon only stared at her and gurgled, then she leaned back and drove her other sword point-first into his leg. With a quick twist, she severed them limb, using her body weight to subdue the frantic jerking of her victim. Then she looked back at his terror-stricken face.

"The surface," she repeated.

The demon scrabbled on the dusty ground with a claw and managed to point to one of the tunnel mouths. Without pausing, Faith lifted the sword at his neck and swung it down, decapitating him. Then she was gone, racing along the tunnel.

Cut to:Int.Council Library – Same Time

Willow walked into the library to find Andrew, Skye, Dawn, Tracey and Rowena looking through one book on a table. She pointed to the one book.

"Boy, at this rate you guys are gonna be here all day," she quipped.

"Or not," Tracey countered she said motioning to Andrew.

"Says here that the stuff the ops found isn’t just your average all-American voodoo," he explained. "This is heavy hitter magic."

"Meaning?" Willow asked.

"Chances are Volano didn’t come up with this on his own," Dawn answered.

"Right," Skye added. "This spell configuration is going back centuries."

"What’s it used for? Cloaking or something?" Willow asked.

"Time travel or trans-dimensional travel depending on what you want," Rowena answered.

"So instead of using a Delorean they’re using ritualistic circles of bones?" Willow asked.

"Essentially," Dawn and Skye both said at the same time.

"Or..." Andrew proposed. "Someone’s been needing a backdoor from one world to the next. And that means..."

"Faith doesn’t live here anymore," Rowena finished. No one at the table said anything for a few moments. "Anyway, where’s Jeff?" Rowena asked.

"Still in the coven room," the redhead answered. "We tried a foresight ritual, just a basic one. He thought he saw Faith for a second, but the margin of error on the spell is pretty big. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up."

"How’s he handling it?" Rowena asked.

"Frustrated," Willow admitted. "But coping with it, so, all in all, just like the rest of us. At least he let me get through the Spider-man analogy without complaining about organic web-spinners for twenty minutes," she finished, shooting a glare in Andrew’s direction.

Rowena picked up the book and handed it to Andrew.

"Why don’t you guys all head downstairs and give him an update while I talk to your high priestess?" she asked. As the group cleared out Rowena closed the door and the distance between her and Willow. "How you holding up?"

"Oh I don’t know. I woke up from a nightmare. Went to visit my prodigy who’s in the infirmary only to hear gunshots and find Faith dead on the floor.

Then only to find out it’s really not Faith but some Terminator-like replica, only to finding out that Faith might be alive but we have no idea where, only to find out she’s probably in another dimension that would be a suicide mission to visit," Willow answered in one breath.

Rowena gave her a sympatric grin. "You’re babbling."

"I think my day is babble worthy at this point," Willow countered.

"Got me there," Rowena agreed. "But I meant after everything with Shadow."

"Oh that," Willow answered. "You mean aside from pulling a magic spell out of my ass to stop Robin that kinda had everyone freaked that it actually worked while wondering if I was gonna get black-eyed psycho…Other than that, I’d have to say good. At least the ritual with Jeff didn’t wind up burning down the building, so you know, bright side there…"

Rowena smiled and pulled Willow into a hug. "Let’s just try to take things one hour at a time. What do you say? Might cut down on the babble."

"I thought you liked my babble," Willow pouted.

"When it’s good babble – like trying to describe how nice a looked in that silk blue slip the other night. Not bad babble because you’re worried."

Willow pulled away slightly but stayed in Rowena’s arms. "I am worried…We have to find her Rowena."

"We will," she answered with conviction before giving Willow a light kiss on the lips.

Cut To:Int.Robin and Faith’s Apartment – Later That Day

Kennedy and Robin sat in the living room across from each other.

"So nothing out of the ordinary lately?" she asked.

"Not at all," he replied. "Just last night we…you know. I mean, it was Faith. I could have sworn it was Faith."

"Maybe the switch happened today at some point then?"

"I was with her all morning. She talked about maybe trying to contact her sister and about the new cycle she bought. Then I dropped her off at Xander’s workshop. There wasn’t any time," he argued. "It had to have happened before then, but honestly…I couldn’t tell you when because this…thing…it knew everything—about us, about her, about the Council, about...everything."

Kennedy sat for a moment computing what Robin had just said.

"But I’ve got a question for you," he began.

"Shoot," Kennedy answered.

"I’m her lover. You’re her best friend. Why the hell are we sitting here chatting?" he asked her point-blank.

"Well…I have my orders from Giles," she countered.

"I don’t remember it being put to a vote," Robin replied. "I say we get out there and look, too. If Faith is alive like you say she is, then we need to find her."

Kennedy rubbed the back of her neck. "Damn it, Robin," she finally said. She let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Get your coat."

Fade Out

End of Act Three

Act Four 

Cut To:Int.Jimmy Volano’s Suite

"What are your intentions?" Angella asked calmly, as Jimmy Volano stormed in with a bulky bag over his shoulder.

"My intentions?" he shouted. "That damned Council’s taking me apart! They cleaned out five places in broad daylight. They don’t care who sees them; the cops are in their pay anyway! I just got news that they hit the casino—"

"Then they will have destroyed the portal circles in the subterranean site there," Angella commented. "Unfortunate."

"Unfortunate?" Volano exclaimed. "Do you have any idea, any idea, how much that place raked in for me? Per week? They left it in flames, they got Frankie in their cells, god only knows what’s happened to Johnnie, seeing as he ain’t called in since midday. What the hell have you gotten me involved in? These people ain’t a goddamn ‘organization’; they’re special ops on steroids! And they’ll be here next. They’re searching the tunnels your people dug, so it won’t take ’em long to figure there’s stuff underground here too. Damn it, they’re going to ruin me!"

"I remind you," Angella said sternly, "that it was your insistence on damaging the Council that precipitated their current vehemence. You were aware there would be consequences for making an attempt on the life of one of their operatives, regardless of whether it succeeded or failed."

"This is not my fault!" Volano snapped.

"My Mistress," Angella continued, "is quite displeased at the loss of her Changeling. She does not hold you directly accountable, but you had a part to play. You cannot absolve yourself of responsibility with denials." A thin smile crossed her features. "Even your god demands penance for the sins you commit. Why should we forgive for less?"

"Fine," Volano growled. "You want this mess solved? They’re looking for their girl, right? Give her to them. Dump her on some street corner—"

"We will not," Angella said flatly.

Volano stared at her, then turned back to his desk, unzipped his bag and drew out a bulky assault rifle. "I don’t like it when people say no to me," he said quietly. "You and I get along well, but that rule applies to you same as anyone else." He looked over his shoulder at Angella, then slotted a clip into the rifle and turned to bring it to bear on her.

"One girl is not worth my entire organization," he said. "Not some slayer… not even you, babe. This is where you say ‘yes’."

"No," Angella said calmly.

"Fine," Volano replied. With no further hesitation, he brought the rifle to his shoulder and fired a burst at point-blank range into her head, sending her toppling backwards. Volano looked at her ruefully, then shrugged.

"Didn’t my pappy say so?" he mused, turning to his desk and laying the rifle down. "Don’t mix business with pleasure. It just makes it sting when you gotta terminate the contract."

"I do not suffer from that failing."

Volano whirled around in shock to see Angella on her feet again, advancing on him.

"Jesus Christ!" he swore, staring into the gory cavity torn out of the right side of her head.

"No, merely a servant of my Mistress," Angella said, the torn side of her mouth adding an odd distortion to her voice. She reached out with one hand, grabbed the side of Volano’s head, and twisted. There was a crack, and he collapsed lifeless to the floor.

Angella stepped over him and picked up the rifle he had left on the table. She looked up, her one eye swiveling towards the door, as shouts and gunfire echoed distantly from outside.

Cut To:Int.Underground Tunnel – Same Time

Coated in a camouflage of dark green and black demon blood, Faith made her way from shadow to shadow in the rough tunnel, following the upward slant. She rounded a corner and let out a breath at the sight of daylight ahead.

Cut To:Int.Volano’s Warehouse – Same Time

Several men armed with handguns listened nervously as the chatter of gunfire from outside waned and fell silent. They exchanged glances, then one shrugged and moved toward the door leading outside. Before he had gone more than a few steps, though, the door exploded inwards. Then there was a muffled thud-thud-thud sound, and three canisters spewing thick white smoke flew into the large room.

"Gas!" one of the guards yelled.

"Hands in the air!" Mia’s voice sounded through the quickly spreading clouds. "Anyone shoots, we drop him!"

Most of the guards were already consumed by fits of coughing, but one managed to raise his weapon and let off a shot in the general direction of the door. An answering burst of fire knocked him from his feet. He was dead before he finished collapsing.

Several Black Ops slayers, armored and wearing gas masks, emerged from the smoke. Quickly, the coughing men were thrown to the ground and handcuffed.

"Don’t!" Mia warned, bringing her rifle to bear on a guard with his hand still beneath his jacket, frozen in the act of reaching for his gun. He stared at her in shock, then carefully removed his hand, empty. Janet appeared behind him, disarmed him, then roughly cuffed him before pushing him over to where his companions were being herded out of the building.

Other slayers appeared from the doorway, pulling the prisoners out as the gas dispersed, and the Black Ops team moved further into the building, removing their masks and checking every doorway and hiding spot as they went.

"Mia," Janet warned, indicating ahead of her. Mia looked to see a rough hole bored through the concrete floor, into the earth beneath.

"Same drill as before," Mia ordered. "Secure the hole, clear the building, then we go down. Janet, Francesca, stay here. We’ll clear—" She broke off and raised her weapon as a door on the far side of the room opened.

Cut To:Int.Underground Tunnel – Same Time

The tunnel narrowed and slanted at a greater angle as it neared the surface, requiring Faith to clamber up the rough-hewn steps on her hands and knees.

"Come on baby," she muttered to herself. "Come on, not far now…"

With a final effort, she heaved herself out of the hole and stood, staring around herself. The triumphant grin on her face faded to confusion, as she saw the deep red sky above, the distant shapes of winged creatures circling among the clouds, and beneath them, surrounding her, the jagged spires of a hellish city, fashioned from black wood and iron, decorated with burning torches and rotting bodies hung on metal frames.

Faith slumped to her knees, dropping her head and giving a weary sigh. She fell over to the ground and closed her eyes. Footsteps approached, and she continued to lie still, with eyes closed. When she opened them, she found something standing above her, shadowing her.

"Hello, slayer," the voice said.

"Oh god," Faith sighed.

Cut To:Int.Volano’s Warehouse – Same Time

"What the hell are you?" Mia demanded, staring in controlled horror at Angella, with her ruined face. The woman gave her the barest glance, then looked away from her and began walking calmly towards the tunnel bored into the ground.

"Stay where you are!" Mia demanded, as she and the other Black Ops slayers aimed their weapons. Without breaking stride or even looking at her targets, Angella raised Volano’s rifle and fired it one-handed.

"Take her down!" Mia yelled as she and the others dove for cover. She and Janet fired at Angella, both hitting her, sending tiny sprays of blood into the air as their bullets impacted. Angella staggered, then recovered and continued on her way.

"We need backup. We’ve got a demon!" Mia called through her radio.

Cut To:Ext.

Cleveland Street – Same Time

Kennedy and Robin both heard the call over the radio, and Kennedy looked at it.

"One block over," she told him.

"Let’s go," he nodded as he took off into a sprint.

Cut To:Int.Volano’s Warehouse – Same Time

Aiming carefully at the demon, Mia fired again, her bullets this time smacking into Angella’s outstretched arm, some tearing at her wrist while others hit her rifle, breaking open its casing.

Angella frowned at the weapon, then tossed it away. When she looked back up, Mia and Janet stood between her and the tunnel entrance, while other slayers moved in to back them up.

"Very well," she said to herself, walking towards them. Mia and Janet attacked first, Janet aiming a sweeping kick at the woman’s legs while Mia punched her in the jaw. Angella ignored the effects of both attacks, standing her ground as Janet’s foot slammed uselessly into her shin, while grabbing Mia’s hand as she turned her head to absorb the blow. She used it to pull Mia closer, and in one quick motion grabbed her hip, lifted her off her feet and threw her at the other slayers, sending three of them sprawling.

Kennedy and Robin raced in at the same time to see the melee. They had little time to look astonished before Angella swept her leg up, thudding into Janet’s stomach and propelling her too back, sending two more slayers to the ground as Kennedy crashed into them.

"Back!" coughed Mia, waving frantically. "Everyone back! Francesca, hit her! Before she gets to the hole!"

The slayers scrambled to their feet and retreated, while Francesca pulled a red-tipped grenade from her bandolier and loaded it into her launcher. She glanced at the slayers, seeing they had moved far enough away, then aimed squarely at Angella and fired.

Angella’s head snapped around as she heard the weapon fire, and in the split second it took for the projectile to reach her she swung her arm out at it, catching it out of mid-air. It exploded, sending her hurtling to the ground without an arm.

"Holy crap," Mia swore as Angella got to her feet again, barely bleeding from the torn remains of her shoulder, and leapt the final distance to the hole in the ground. She looked sidelong at Kennedy, who was still recovering her breath. "I’m out of ideas. You wanna try turning into a bear?"

"Tempting," Kennedy coughed.

"All right, after her!" Mia finally ordered. "And careful! You see anything that looks like a portal circle, break it!"

The slayers formed up, Black Ops first, and started descending into the underground.

Fade To:Ext.Volano’s Warehouse – Later

Willow pulled up in her car, and Giles looked on anxiously as slayers filed out of the building. Kennedy and Mia were the last to leave, following Robin. The slayer gave the two watchers a glum look when she saw them.

"Hardcore Chick got away," Kennedy said, slumping dejectedly against a wall. "There were portals down there. We broke the circled ones, but she must’ve already gone through one of them."

At first Giles just looked sternly at Kennedy and then Robin. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Robin scratched at the back of his neck. "We, uh, decided to go get a pizza and, uh, we heard the call come in, so we thought we’d check it out," he answered.

"Pizza?" Giles asked skeptically.

Willow sighed and looked at Giles.

"Anyway, was there any sign of Faith?" Giles asked quietly. Kennedy shook her head.

"If they kept anyone down there, they didn’t leave any trace. Just weapons and glyphs carved in the rock, like the other places," Mia answered.

"Volano?" Willow asked. "Did we get him?"

"Heli’s team found him," Giles said somberly. "His neck was broken. We have his, um, records and computers, though. We might find…" He shrugged.

"We’ll find something," Willow said nervously. "Or-or one of the guys we captured will talk. They’ll know where Faith is…they might."

"We won’t overlook anything," Giles promised, but the sad frown never left his face.

Cut To:Int.Council Lobby – Later That Night

The group of watchers and slayers entered looking defeated as the members of the coven walked up.

"No good news I take it?" Andrew asked.

Willow simply shook her head. Jeff walked over to Willow slowly.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked sincerely.

"Yes, get some rest," she told Jeff and then looked at the others behind him. "That goes for all of you, too. Tomorrow we’ll try to work a little magic ourselves. See what we can come up with, okay?" Willow tried to sound optimistic, but everyone simply nodded without looking very hopeful.

Suddenly, the door opened, and everyone turned to the loud noise. Nestled on Brell’s shoulder was a battered and exhausted looking Faith.

"Faith!" Robin yelled and rushed forward.

"No!" Brell yelled, but it was too late.

Faith pushed the demon aside and landed a right hook to Robin’s jaw before he could get too close. Shocked, Robin sat on the ground, holding his cheek.

Faith scurried back toward the nearest corner of the lobby and appeared more like a caged animal than a slayer.

"Pretty Slayer very wild," Brell said, trying to explain.

Willow and Giles looked to each other with concern before looking back at Faith, who still stood with her arms up, ready for a fight. But almost as soon as she raised her hands she lowered them and started to wobble. With everyone afraid to go near her she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

Fade Out

End of Resistance