TITLE: Season 2, Episode 4(Ep. 15 Overall)-Struggles, Inside and Out Part 2
SERIES: Faith, Rogue Slayer
AUTHOR: elizafan568
EMAIL: elizfaith568@yahoo.com
FEEDBACK: Yes, please.
ARCHIVE/DISTRIBUTION: This site. If you want to post on your site, just ask.
SUMMARY: Shinra's nature is revealed as the confrontation between Faith, Skorn, and Zabi come to a close.
SPOILERS: Buffy season 7 and Angel season 5
CONTENT/WARNINGS: Violence
RATING: R
DISCLAIMER: All character are property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. I do not own them. Written for fun not profit.
NOTE: Set post-"Not Fade Away".
Season 2, Episode 4(Episode 15 Overall): Struggles, Inside and Out, Part 2
Gwen walked downstairs to see if Faith had returned, but instead found Lorne and Andrew playing chess. Connor was sitting on the couch, staring at the front door. "Okay, guessing she's not back yet." she said, seeing Lorne and Connor shake their heads to confirm as much, not turning away from their game. She could tell they were worried and were just using the game to hide it.
Suddenly, Connor got up and walked over to the weapon's chest, grabbing an axe from inside. "She's been gone too long," he said as he started heading for the door, "Something's happened. I'm going after her and Gwen, you're coming with me." he said, more of a command than a statement.
"Hold on here, kid. One, who put you in charge? Two, how the hell do you expect to find her?" Gwen shot back, worried about Faith as well but not wanting to go out and walk for hours when the chances of them finding her where near zero.
"I have her scent. I should be able to track her." he said, standing with the front door open, motioning for Gwen to come with him. "Now come on, let's go."
"Wait." A voice, small and fragile said, coming from the top of the stairs. It was Willow, out of her room for the first time in days. "I'm worried about her too. So I did a locator spell. I know where she is and I think Connor's right She's in trouble."
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Zabi bent down to pick Faith up as Scorn charged him, screaming. As she reached him, Zabi back-handed her with his huge fist, sending her flying back to the edge of the roof again. Scorn spit some blood out, wiping her lip and getting to her feet again, her rage making the pain nearly seem like almost nothing at this point. "Well, little girl. Looks like I'll have to deal with you first. No matter, there's plenty pain for the both of you." he snarled, his stance showing seemingly no unsteadiness or worry at the fact he was facing two Slayers.
Scorn charged him once again, attacking with a series of furious punches that he easily parried with his hands, laughing low as he did so. Enraged even further, Scorn kicked him in the chin, followed by another across the face and then a series of punches to his chest. "How's that, you unholy, mother…" Scorn started to say but was stopped by Zabi grabbing her by the throat and lifting her high into the air.
"How do I like what, little girl? Your blows feel like nothing more than mosquito bites to me. My body has been conditioned to the point of being as hard as stone. It'll take a lot more than that to harm me." he said, his face mere inches from Scorn's, blowing his steamy, rancid breath into her face.
"Really," She gasped, still defiant as ever, ". . .then how about THIS!!!" she exclaimed, pulling another dagger from her jacket and stabbing it into Zabi's wrist. He roared in pain, dropping Scorn to her feet. As he pulled the dagger from his wrist, Scorn drew two arrows from the satchel under her jacket. She slammed them into Zabi's chest as hard as she could, breaking the skin and drawing blood. A dark grin crossed her face at the sight of the blood and the sound of Zabi's roars of pain.
Zabi, now enraged more than he ever had before, kicked Scorn away, his leg bigger than her entire body. He pulled the arrows out and charged the stunned Slayer. Grabbing her by the back of the neck, he lifted her into the air and slammed her face into the ground, drawing blood. He then grabbed her leg, swung her into the air, and slammed her into the concrete again. Scorn coughed up blood as she laid face down on the ground. Another kick from Zabi sent her flying to the edge of the roof.
"You're gonna die, you little…" Zabi started but stopped mid-sentence, a drowsiness coming over him. His vision started to blur and he felt it hard to keep his balance. "What the hell's happening to me?" he snarled, trying his best to stay upright.
Scorn slowly got to her feet, blood dripping from her face and other wounds under her clothes, which were stained in blood. "Poison, you twat." she spat at him. "In the arrows…what, you think I'd just stab you with arrows over using a knife for no reason? Dumb ass" she blabbered out, her head spinning from the beating and loss of blood.
Zabi shot towards her, punching her hard in the chest and then slamming her down to the ground. "Clever girl, but too bad your in no shape to take advantage of it. I'm still lucid enough to kill you and her before it takes full effect." he said, looking down at the prostrate Slayer. "Pity, seeing you earlier with Faith, there could have been a place for you with us."
Zabi raised his fist to finish of Scorn but felt a sudden surge of pain in his back. It was Faith, her old knife in hand, stabbing him in the back and twisting it in. "What? You forget about me, huh?" she said, using the knife to climb up his back, making several deep wounds.
Zabi screamed in pain, walking around and shaking violently, trying to get her off. "Damn you, Slayer. If it wasn't for that poison, I could…Arrrgghhh!!!" he screamed as Faith stabbed him in the shoulder, then withdrew the knife and stabbed him in the neck. Zabi felt his strength waning, the blood loss and the poison overcoming him.
As Zabi fell to one knee, and Faith slide off his back. She limped around to the front of him, looking him dead in the eyes, her own pain forgotten at the moment. "You made a fatal mistake, pal. Never turn your back on 'the' Dark Slayer.!" she exclaimed, kicking him in the face, stumbling backwards towards the edge of the roof. Faith let out a yell and charged him, hitting him square in the chest with a flying kick, causing him to lose his balance and fall over the edge.
Faith made her way over to the ledge and looked over, finding Zabi impaled on a metal fence. He wasn't moving. "That's that, now…" she turned back to Scorn, who was laying in a fetal position on the ground, shivering.
Faith bent down next to her, gritting her teeth to spite the pain, and put her hand on her shoulder. "Stacey…" she said, her voice warm and full of concern despite the situation.
"Why!? Why!? WHY?" Scorn exclaimed, pushing Faith away, and getting to her feet. Faith looked up at Scorn standing over her, a torrent of emotions going through her head. On the one hand, Scorn was a murdering beast, who had killed an innocent girl and tried to kill Faith herself. She was out of control and probably deserved to die for what she had done. On the other, Faith saw the tears streaming down her face, the lost look of a fragile little girl in her eyes, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her, feel responsible for her. Everything Scorn had done was not really her fault. It was her mental condition, and Faith's. Regardless, this had to stop. It had to end. Scorn, however, would be the one to determine what that end would be.
"You saved me? You're not supposed to save me! .You're not supposed to save anyone. You're a evil, murdering bitch, so why!?" Scorn exclaimed, tears flowing and her very psyche cracked. "It's not supposed to be like this….IT"S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS!!!" She screamed as she ran, jumping down off the roof, landing on a dumpster then disappearing down the alley. Faith started after her but fell to her knees, her strength spent and the poison still doing a number on her.
A noise from the fire escape on the other side of the building caught her attention. Her body tensed but then relaxed when she saw Connor and Gwen climb up. "Faith!" Connor yelled, dropping his axe and running over to her just in time to catch her head from hitting the ground. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine, but I'm more worried about Scorn. She's hurt pretty bad and all alone." Faith whisper as Connor lifted her up into his arms.
"So, exactly what went on up here?" Gwen asked.
"Scorn attacked me. She had me beat when this demon came out of nowhere and attacked the both of us. He was gonna finish me but Scorn saved me. I guess she wants me all to herself." Faith coughed and took a moment to catch her breathe before continuing. "Anyway, he was about to take her out and I saved her. It just felt like the thing to do. After I killed the demon, Scorn freaked out. She's done some unforgivable things and she's really messed up but…"
"But what Faith?" Connor asked, utter concern and interest in his voice.
"I looked into her eyes at that moment, and I didn't see a monster. No. At that moment I saw a lost, scared, extremely confused, little girl who wanted nothing more than to have someone. I still saw humanity in her, Connor. We have to help her before it's too late, before the monster takes over completely and before her other persona taints her beyond the point of no return. I owe her that much of a chance at least." Faith finished, passing out in Connor's arms.
As they headed back down, Connor knew the chances of actually reaching Stacey, or what was left of her, where slim to none. Faith thought it was worth a try, then he did to, but he'd be damned if he let Scorn hurt Faith again. He'd rather kill her first and have Faith hate him forever than let that happen.
Reaching the bottom, Connor noticed blood covering a fence but no body. He could tell it was a demon's blood which meant that whoever had attacked Faith and Scorn was still alive.
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Dripping blood from multiple wounds, Zabi limped back into the Dark Assembly's meeting room. All turned and looked at Zabi with utter disdain. He walked over to the table and knelt in front of it, still very wobbly from the fight. "I failed. Please forgive me."
The assembly turned from him and looked at their leader, Shinra to make the call. "Well, I told you brute force wouldn't work, but you had to go and find out for yourself. Now your injured and it'll take who knows how long for you to recover. Not only that, the chances of the Slayer finding out about us have increased greatly with this bungle of yours. What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked, his voice loud and full of authority.
"Forgive me my lord. Give me another chance, and I'm certain I…" Zabi pleaded but stopped as Shinra raised his hand, a gesture known to all as to be silent.
"Don't fret, my dear Zabi. If nothing else, your foul up has served as a reminder to all that we do things a certain way around here and that those who choose to go against that way, will fail. There is also one more thing that you can do to make this situation more of a learning experience to the rest." Shinra said, his voice giving not the slightest hint of anger of disappointment.
"Anything I can do, my lord, to make it up to you." Zabi said, still bowed.
"You shall serve as an example. That those who do not follow me completely, will suffer the consequences." Shinra said, his tone doing a complete turn into something full of evil and distortion, almost incomprehensible.
Zabi stood up, his body shaking in fear as he begged. "My lord, please, I…" he stopped, his eyes going wide as he heard Shinra begin a chant.
"Ana ku, Raze ku, Mina koze taaa…Chaotic Disintegrate!" Shinra exclaimed, and in a flash of light, Zabi's body dissolved into nothing, leaving only a smoking burn in the floor where he once stood.
Shinra's tone and mood shifted back to the calm, unthreatening one it had been before. "Now, if there is no other business. Valgaav, call maintenance and have them replace the carpet in here for tomorrow's meeting. Gentleman, and lady, this is not a setback. I already have things set in motion to deal with the Slayer. Once she is out of the way, Wolfram and Hart will move back in and make us the new Circle of the Black Thorn. They need us much more than we need them, and the life of one Slayer is all we need to achieve wealth and influence beyond our wildest dreams, so don't worry. You're all dismissed." Shinra said as he got up out of respect for his comrades, who walked out one by one, making sure to step over the stain that had been Zabi.
Shinra noticed that Plague, the one female member of the assembly, stayed behind, staring at him. "Is there something you need, my dear lady?"
"Yeah, for you to cut the shit and tell me exactly what you planning. I know there's more to it that just becoming the new Circle. A proud, prestige position, true, but still a lackey of Wolfram and Hart. And I know you would never stoop yourself to being something like that. The others, sure, but not you." Plague said, knowing full well that there was much more to Shinra and his plans than meets the eye.
"Oh, my dear Plague, you know me all to well. You see, I do want to become the new Circle, but that's just the first step. Once I have that, I'll increase my power and influence and take over Wolfram and Hart from the inside. I'll topple those arrogant Senior Partners and make their power mine, and once I have that, I'll use it for more than just, brokering deals and making money. I'll take over the world and topple even the Powers That Be from their throne. I will rule all. Anything less is out of the question." Shinra said, finishing his explanation and looking over Plague. His demeanor unchanged throughout.
"That's the craziest plan I've ever heard. I like it." Plague laughed, giving Shinra a sexy yet evil grin, for she too kept her true form hidden in the guise of a human. "But why tell me and not the others?"
"Because, until I have substantial proof that it's possible, telling them now would just scare them off. I need them, for awhile anyways. I knew, however, that you would understand and share my desire. Besides, every ruler needs someone to rule with." he said, smiling back at her equally evil and lust filled.
"You picked the right girl for the job." she said, lunging at him and planting a heated kiss on his lips. He broke this kiss, however, to speak but a little more. "Just remember, no one else is to know." She nodded and then pushed him down onto the table. That's what he loved about her. She was wild, assertive, and great in the sack. The table would do for a bed just fine. It's not like it was the first time they had sex on it.
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Scorn sat curled in a ball in her hideout. She had cleaned and dressed her wounds and knew that slayer healing would take care of the rest. As she sat rocking back and forth, she tried to comprehend what had happened. "She saved me. The one who stole my life, who is as evil as they come, who I've spent my life hunting and trying to kill, saved me. Why? I don't understand. I don't understand any of it.
*There's nothing to understand. It's a trick, nothing more. She's evil to the core. She's trying to lure you into a false sense of security then kill you when you least expect it. Is that what you want? Ignore it and focus on our mission. Hate her. Kill her and anyone that gets in your way. Nothing you do is your fault, it's hers. You are a monster* her "Other" spoke, its voice booming in her head as she continued to rock.
Images of Faith killing the demon and reaching out to help her flashed in her head. "It doesn't feel like a trick, it feels.." Scorn whisper, her voice low and child-like.
"IT IS!!! Do not concern yourself with it. Have you forgotten you uncle, the one who took us in and cared for us when no one else would. Who wanted to give us the world but instead had his own taken away from him by that bitch. Are you going to let her win?* the voice said, harsh and loud, echoing inside her head as images of her Uncle Lester's smiling face flashed in her head. Then images of Faith brutally stabbing him, laughing as she took him away while the little girl Stacey watched and cried.
*She cares for no one and deserves a death just as violent at the hands of someone just as bad as she is…worse even. You have to be that. You have to be a bloodthirsty beast. It is the only way. It's what you are and always will be until she is dead, only then can our suffering end with our life.* The "Other" said as its voice drifted away, once again retreating back into Scorn's subconscious.
Tears continued to flow down Scorn's face and for the first time she had doubts…real doubts. In who she was, and what she was doing. "My other is right, isn't it? It's always helped me, protected me, done what's best for me, it has to be right? Doesn't it? I am a monster, I have to be, don't I? That's all there is to my existence." She whispered, putting her face into her knees, the tears flowing uncontrollably.
There she sat, a lost and lonely little girl with nothing in life but revenge. "Do I still want revenge? Do I even deserve to have it anymore? I don't know…I just don't know. I don't understand. I don't UNDERSTAND!!!" She screamed, ramming her fist into the wall then banging her head against it. Sinking to the floor, she crawled to the corner and cried herself to sleep. Nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Nothing.
End of Episode.
