Title: Manifest Darkness
Episode 14
Authors: Sovereign and Elizafan568
Rating: R - things get dark fast.
Notes: This story starts half way through season five of Angel in the episode "Damage". It goes AU from there with some cannon parts to it. Summary: Armageddon prepares to come to its end.
Feedback: Sovereign - xsovereignx@yahoo.com and Elizafan - elizfan568@yahoo.com
Samara St John ran her eyes across the intel report given to her by Jill Bradford. The Renegades mulled around in a large tent that was usually used for a mess hall, but for now was empty. The two leaders were conversing over the plans and facts, but could not help but overhear the general theme of the conversations going on around them. Those themes being of a very unencouraging nature. Most renegades, having suffered the double blow of both Raven's seeming betrayal, as they did no know any better, and the death of Buffy Summers were all in favor of either recklessly going down the hill and mass slaughtering the enemy. Sadly, though, most believed that if two leaders like Raven and Buffy could be neutralized, then what hope did their pathetic little band have?
In fact, Everyone was involved in such conversations except Jill, Samara and an obviously preoccupied Siren Trust, who sat at a back table with her back to the mass of Renegades. A loud ruckus broke loose in one corner, and two Renegades broke into a fist fight, which was quickly broken up by several others. The two leaders looked each other in the eyes. Samara spoke first. "They're losing hope Jill, and losing it fast."
Jill took a deep sigh, looking over her shoulder at the disgruntled Renegades before turning back to Samara. "I know but, can you really blame them. Buffy's dead and they all believe that Raven's turned against us. It'd be tough for anyone to keep an optimistic look, much less a bunch of young women with no place to call home." Jill paused, looking over Samara before making a huge grin, "Makes you appreciate my overtly positive outlook on things, doesn't it?"
"No." Samara joked, then headed towards what was a single chair at the front. She took her frame and climbed up on it, noticing how unsteady it was, but it was all she could do. She wasn't very tall at all and it had been joked that she had Summers Syndrome. Great big leader...itty bitty body. Above the mayhem and bedlam that was the Renegades, she shouted, "SHUT UP ALREADY!"
A sudden and complete silence fell over the group as they turned to look at their leader who was, for once, standing tall over them. "You all heard the boss. Quite down and take your seats or else you'll have to answer to me." Jill said, gritting her teeth and flexing on a mock, intimidating manner. The girls relented and took their seats, a sense of some order returning to the group, at least temporarily. "Alright, Samara, they're all yours." Jill said, giving her signature salute before taking a seat next to her. "So this is what Buffy Summers left behind?" she looked at them angrily, and with a bit of disappointment. "She fought and died so that we could pick fights with each other and argue and whine and just be general wastes. Let me tell you something, I'm fifteen years old, yeah, fifteen. My Birthday was spent with Raven Raines waving a huge gun in my face so that we could get a mission accomplished. Why? So you jackasses could fight and cry about everything?" she spit on the floor in disgust.
"Raven Raines is a traitor!" one voice yelled. "Yeah. She should die with the rest of that scum!" came another voice. Samara looked at Jill, then shrugged. The Renegades did not know, but maybe they should.
"Raven Raines is still the leader of this group. She is undercover you jackasses and if anyone breathes a word of this outside this tent then they're as good as dead, and I mean it. I got no problems with offing someone who could get Raven killed. She's put her life, her body, her very soul in danger by pretending to be with them, and if any of you cost her the chance to get out unhurt, you're gonna be all kinds of hurt."
"I'd just like to add that you better pray that its Samara that gets to you first, cause if I am, I have much worse things in mind for you than simply killing you. Things that could last days...weeks...possibly months." Jill said, a dark grin crossing her face, a gleam in her eye. A wave of fear and understanding could be seen going through the group as they again, fell silent.
"So, what's next then? Raven's pulling an inside job, so what are we gonna do?" Siren shouted over her shoulder, not taking her attention off of what she was doing.
"Well, it looks like the command structure is gonna be that Kennedy is going to run the Slayer side of things. Jill here is still the chieftain for us, and we'll all answer to Faith now. She is senior, and both groups generally like her. The Initiative will be reenforced, and when Angel gets his Wolfram and Hart guys down here from the hell place they come from, we'll all march back down there, this time with bigger and better. I guess that's about it, until then we don't try killing each other.
"Everybody got that?" Jill asked the group, who answered in kind with an affirmative response. "Good. Until then, I guess just relax or train or do whatever floats your boat, cause this next fight is going to be hell and not all of us are going to survive." Jill said before getting up and making her way over to Siren, interested to see just what the heck she was doing that was so interesting.
"Thanks everybody." Samara said and came off the chair, the hard way. Everyone got a cheap laugh at the girl's expense, and she laughed as well. In the Renegades, if you did something stupid, and you got laughed at, well, you just lived with it.
Meanwhile, Siren more sensed then saw Jill approaching. "Hey Jill, still wearing that same perfume huh? I don't know why you think you have to spend forty five bucks for a bottle of that stuff when you can get the same stuff from Walmart for like eight." she said, still not turning around as her arms busily worked on what was in front of her.
"How would you know? You've never worn perfume or anything feminine for that matter in your entire life." she said, plopping down in a chair next to Siren. "So tell me, what's that you working on? Some sort of new, secret weapon or something?" Jill asked.
"Thermite bomb." she smiled widely. "At least its supposed to be. I just...I am having a bit of a problem with it." she tinkered with a small device using very small tools, the device was hooked to a rather oddly bean shaped and large can.
"Um, if it's a bomb and your "having problems with it", as you put it...umm...should I be high tailing it out of her, cause I'd really hate to bite it before the big battle even starts." Jill said, readying herself to make a mad dash out of the tent, should the need arise.
"Don't worry." she said as the device clicked, but did nothing else. "See I set the timer, to make sure it was working, and now I can't get it to shut off." She stopped to take a drink of a soda pop next to her, then set back to work. "There's really no chance you or anyone else could get far enough away when this things goes in the last thirty two seconds. You shouldn't scare people Jill, it wouldn't be nice." she smiled widely again but kept working.
Jill stared at Siren, mouth wide open and at a complete loss. "So, this thing is about to go off, there's no stopping it, and we have no chance to get away!? How can you be so calm about it? We're all going to die, right here in this tent." Jill said in a loud whisper.
"Because one, no one can do anything to me about it if I go up in a big whoosh. and two, " She paused and grabbed the girls hand. "Put your finger right there." She placed Jill's finger on a wire harness, then got another drink of soda, with twenty seconds to go. "I don't like to panic, it makes me kinda sick, and finally..." she reached in just above Jill's finger and three seconds later the timer stopped at :08. " Yeah, finally, because I don't want to die today. Anyway, Samara had a great speech huh?" She began to calmly pack her tools inthe small kit she carried.
Jill sat, mouth nearly to the floor, struggling for words and only find a jumble of noise that no one could make sense of. "Siren....you....I....how...I think I need to go lay down now." Jill said, slowly standing up and making her way out of the tent, towards her bunk in a stunned and dazed manner that no one seemed to notice.
"What happened to her?" Trinity, Siren's best friend and helper asked.
"Dunno. Guess she don't like my humor. Come on, we got seven more of these to do." Siren said and the two girls walked off happily together.
**
The Communications tent was a buzz as several tech went in different directions to try to find Riley Finn, or any of the other leaders, but especially their commander. There was a video message coming though the screens that demanded to talk to the leadership. Finally, one Private was able to spot the Major and ran for all he was worth. "Sir.. there...enemy.. message .. on the.. video screen.." he huffed and panted, unable to do much else. This ritual repeated itself as several other tech found the other leaders and told them of the communication.
Angel was the first to make it to the view screen and was slightly stunned when he found the face of an odd-eyed girl glaring back at him. He figured it was probably the Raven Raines he had heard so much about, but wasn't a hundred percent certain. "This is Angel, CEO of the LA branch of Wolfram & Hart. Who are you and what do you want?" he said in a very authoritive manner as he returned the young woman's steely glare.
"Angelus! Wow! Hey you're like a celebrity over here. I never thought I'd actually be able to talk at you." she smiled, looking majestic in her regal dress, that was getting skimpier with each new wearing. "Since we have never met, I will give you the honor. I'm Princess Raven Raines, heir and second in command of The Project. Where are your little friends? They should all hear this."
"They're on their way. So, you're the infamous Raven I've heard so much about. I have to say, I expected more. The way some of the girls talk about you, I imagined you'd be larger than life...a real sight to behold. Instead, all I see is a wannbe Faith who turned her back on her friends and her beliefs for no real reason. Sad really." Angel snapped back. *Think I've been around Faith too long. Her snappy come backs are rubbing off on me.* he thought.
"Hey, don't be like that Angelus, Angel... you of all people know certain things belong in certain places, and if they are not in those places, well, then they just destroy any place they are in now don't they?" she smiled. "Plus, I'm taller and weigh more than Buffy Summers did and she was larger then life." Raven smiled gently. "Semantics I guess."
Angel simply grunted in responses as the rest of the coalition leaders came in, each taken their own double take at the figure on the large, view screen. Riley, Samara, Jill, Kennedy, Giles, Willow, and Faith were all present and looking at Raven with very uncertain eyes as she simply grinned back at them. "Well, if it isn't the turncoat. What gives us this honor, or lack thereof?" Kennedy asked sarcastically.
"Kennedy, Buffy's little protégé." Raven smirked, leaning back in her chair quietly. "Gotta say though, you guys really pulled off a life saver with the explosions. Let me see...." she got a thoughtful expression on her face. "Samara and Jill's idea and I'm betting they let that little fruit loop Siren Trust loose. Nicely done. Won't save you, but it bought you some prayer time. Anyway, I'm ranting aint I? Down to what I called about. I'm here on behalf of your future rulers to offer you some surrender terms, take them, and we probably wont torture your soldiers to death slowly, don't, and we'll run out of troopers before we run out of ways to kill them."
"I find that highly unlikely. Looks like you guys are in a lot worse shape that we are. No route of retreat, no way to be reenforced, and surrounded by powerful hostile forces. You ask me, you're the ones that should be surrendering, not us." Riley said in his usual, militaristic way, a bit of a smirk on his face.
"Besides which, I think you know us well enough to know that we aren't the surrendering types. More of the, fight to the last man types and then come back to haunt you after we're dead types. And then..." Willow rambled on, but then stopped herself upon seeing no one was getting the joke, or lack thereof.
"You are cute. Might keep you as a pet one day." Raven leaned forward a bit. "Let me tell you exactly what you have in front of you. First, the dimensional doorway is operating at 100 percent. You missed. We got supplies, just here alone, that would last for two weeks and ammo for a month. We have a forty percent reenforcement team here on the ground and ready and, oh, yeah, the Marshmallow is a plant. Everything she said was crap." she giggled. "Things just went south before we were able to finish that plan, so, keep her. Call it a gift from your buddy Rave kay?" she looked over to her side and gave a nod. "One last chance, children, you gonna surrender or not? I'll give you a few minutes, just to be nice." and the screen went blank.
The group exchanged looks, each having their own opinion on Raven and her words but everyone hesitant to speak until, at last, Riley made himself the first. "Well, I realize I could be completely off base her, seeing as how I don't really know the girl, but that seemed pretty genuine and threatening to me. Are you guys sure she hasn't been turned?" he asked inquisitively.
Samara leaned over and whispered in Jill's ear, and in a flash Jill ran off. "Raven talks in riddles Riley. She always has, and she says something with every breath, both with the words she uses and the spaces between the words."
"Meaning what?" Kennedy asked, a angry expression on her face. raven Raines had pissed her of with that little crack about Buffy's protégé. She was going to get some flesh.
"Hell if I know. I sent Jill to go get Dredda. She figured out Raven's note, maybe she can figure this out. Anyway you cut it though, Raven is playing at a dangerous game here." Samara looked around the room sadly. "I think she paid a darker price than Buffy had to."
Faith, up until this point being silent and simply taking things in, at last spoke. "I trust her." The group turned and gave Faith looks of utter disbelief at her very plain statement. "I know and thing or two about human darkness and I think I know Raven a bit. She's still a good person with our best interests at heart but..." Faith sighed heavily, looking very serious, more so than usual. "...What she's doing...what she's gotten herself into, will change her forever. She'll never be the same person and the price she's paying, its.....its one none of you could really understand." Faith went silent, replaying the image of Raven and silently wishing her luck in this dangerous game she had begun.
Jill came in a moment later with the tall Slayer named Dredda. She looked over at the Major and saluted a flawless salute, then shook her head. "It's habit sir. I'm sorry. What have you got?"
"Want you to watch a play back of a recent communication with the Project. Raven Raines to be exact, and see if perhaps she was trying to say more than what she said."
The long legged blonde nodded her head and immediately went to the screen to reply the message and get a figure on it. She put on a head set and then grabbed a small notebook out of her pocket and a pencil, soon she was watching the message again.
Angel was still listening to Faith's final words, and he nodded solemnly. "Faith is right. Even if Raven comes out of this alive, which is gonna be a lot harder as things get tighter on the Project..." he looked around the room. "The best she can hope for is that she'll be able to deal with the damaged parts of herself. She gave up a lot to bring them down..' he looked at the screen, muted by the headphones used by Dredda. "Maybe too much."
Faith shot Angel a look that he returned in kind. They exchanged nods of understanding, Angel giving her a smile that Faith greatly appreciated. She could use all the support she could get....and so could Raven. Faith mentally swore to herself that should everything turn out in their favor, and Raven makes it back alive, that she would attempt to help her deal. She usually wasn't much for such things, but this was something she knew all to well, and she cared and respected Raven enough to give it a shot.
A few minutes passed before Dredda at last took off her headphones and turned the view screen off. She turned to the group, note pad in hand with an unreadable expression on her face. "So, what's the deal? What was little Miss Princess trying to say?" Kennedy spat, her dislike for Raven's antics apparent.
"She's got a thing about her for sure. Had a strange urge to listen to her talk for a few more hours." Dredda shook her head. "The Project doesn't have a forty percent increase in troops, they have a forty percent loss from the bombings. Their supplies, food and water will only last them a couple of weeks tops and their ammo situation is about the same. They have no dimensional equipment to speak of and it seems the leadership is in turmoil." Dredda handed Riley the notebook. "It's all down there. Riddler has nothing on that girl, that's for sure."
"So, in a nut shell, their pretty screwed it seems. Sounds like good news to me, but are you sure its true. I mean, they could just be setting us up, a trap of some kind." Kennedy remark, still very unsure of Raven.
"Kennedy, just back off a bit, okay? I'm in charge, remember, and I trust her. If what Dredda says is true, then we may be able to bring this whole thing to an end soon. Just gotta be careful though. They've still got enough juice to put some hurt on us." Faith said, shooting Kennedy a slightly angry look before turning to the group as a whole. "So, anyone have any ideas about what our next move should be?"
"Maybe you could ask the uh, Marshmallow?" Dredda suggested. "Raven said everything in code pretty much, and said anything the Marshmallow said was going to be crap. Maybe it means its not?" Dredda scratched her eyebrow. "If anyone knows who or what a Marshmallow is outside the really yummy roastable treats anyway. Gonna go find me some." The tall blonde strode off, still giving Major Finn a salute as she left. Some habits died hard.
"I think the marshmallow bit refers to Mrs. Calender." Jill exclaimed in a bit of a eureka moment. "She's been with them for years. She's gotta know them in and out. Surely she's bound to have a few ideas."
"Alright then, Giles, would you mind going and getting Jenny. Once she gets here we need to get with the plan making. Time is not on our side here. The longer we wait, the better prepared they'll be. I don't trust my Alt. to just sit down there quietly and wait for us. Some things got to be up." Faith said, seeming to look through the tent and in the direction of the Project bast, seeing it clearly, much to her own surprise.
As Giles left, the video screen crackled back to life and there stood Raven Raines again, she seemed to be somewhere else and there seemed to be a lot of commotion going on in the back. "Okay, times up. You quittin or not?" she asked, seeming rather angry and unhappy with the circumstances of something.
"Hate to disappoint you, Miss Raines, but we won't be quitting anytime soon. Go ahead and hit us with whatever you got. We can take it but let me just give you some advice. You shouldn't throw away your lives...your souls, assuming anyone there still has one, away so easily. I'd think hard before I did anything to...drastic. Just a piece of advice, from me to you. I think we're understanding each other." Faith said, arms crossed across her chest and looking into the eyes of the image of Raven. Saying more with them than she was with her words, and Raven seemed to pick up on it as well.
"Then let the better side win." her voice became soft, then she looked over shoulder and turned off the screen.
"This is going to get very ugly, and I have a feeling that in amongst the winners is going to be some heavy losers as well." Riley got on his radio. "Bring all troops to level 1 readiness, anyone who can pick up a gun. Even the walking wounded." Riley set the radio back on the table. "Very...very...ugly." he muttered, still looking at the blank screen.
**
Raven sat in her ornate chair, watching the scene play out in front of her. Troops were mobilizing everywhere and final preparations for their escape plan were being made, much to Raven's well-hidden dismay. The empress sat next to her, occasionally barking orders, but for the most part remaining silent, shooting Raven the occasional, sexy grin. They had spent the past several hours "entertaining" themselves and Raven was near exhausted, but Faith seemed to not be able to get enough of her.
"So tell me, my little fox, once this works, what do you think out next move should be?" she said slyly.
"Recruit and rebuild." Raven answered as if she already knew the question was coming. "I mean, this sure as hell ain't the end, just a minor glitch. This is still going to be our world, whether anyone else likes it or not."
"That's what I wanted to hear." the Empress said, as she looked over to see Cain, Kennedy and the others entering the chamber, seemingly done with their own preparations and presenting themselves to her. "Ah, my faithful minions. Any news for me or are you just her to bask in the glory of myself and my princess?" the Empress asked offhandedly, putting her hand on Raven's thigh, much to the chagrin of the ones before them.
"We have got everything in place, It's going to take Amy about an hour to an hour and a half, then we're outtta here." Kennedy answered, her Hunters mixed in with the Insurgence troops moving and shifting everything they could as fast as they could possibly do it.
"Sounds good." Raven brought her glance over to Cain. "You ready big man. You got the most risk and the most to gain from all this."
"Oh, I'm ready, don't worry. The risk is worth it for the pleasure I'll receive afterwards, so don't fret, little one. I'm more than ready." Cain said with an evil glint in his eyes and a grin on his face.
"Good." Raven said, her face turning cold and menacing. "Me too."
Captain Madison came up and saluted. "We've got all the remaining ammo and supplies aboard the remaining trucks. All the troops are ready, and we're just waiting on go."
"Well, by all means, proceed then. I'm ready to get out of this dump. My princess and I deserve so much better. Beside which, I think we've worn out the bed here anyways. Isn't that right, babe?" the Empress remarked, moving her hand up ever so slowly and slightly on Raven's leg.
Raven smiled at the Empress warmly, running her hand up the other woman's arm. "Plenty of new beds to be conquered though. Just like people, it all belongs to us." Raven grinned even wider, though internally, she felt dirty, humiliated and desecrated and maybe her spirit was just a little broken as well.
Faith snapped herself out of her lust-filed gaze, doing her best to concentrate on the situation at hand. "So, get things underway. I don't have all day, ya know." the Empress commanded, returning to her dark and hardened demeanor.
"Empress." Raven stepped in, protecting the minions from her wrath. "We've got everything done. We just have to wait for Amy to get the spell finished."
Faith looked into Raven's eyes and felt a slight calmness come over her. "You're right. Just gotta be patient. Just hate waiting is all." the Empress said, returning to her seat. "Don't know how you do it, babe, but you always make me feel better." she said with an uncharacteristic smile that most of the project had never seen.
"It's why I'm here." she smiled grandly.
Riley stood at attention, overseeing the convoy of military vehicles that made their way into the vicinity of the Project base. The blockade was just being completed, at about 2 miles distance from the base. Riley had makeshift com stations at several points along the blockade, keeping in touch with each at regular fifteen minute intervals so as not to be taken by surprise. At the moment, the rest of the leaders where discussing exactly what to do next with the information they had obtained from Jenny Calender. Riley still had his doubts that everything she said was accurate, but it was all they had to go on at the moment.
"Well, soldier boy looks like he's putting the finishing touches on his little blockade of army men outside. Anyone got a plan yet? Or are we just gonna sit here and wait the buggers out?" Spike remarked, entering the command tent and drawing varying looks from those present.
"We're going to use the blockade to launch the attack, when we have the personnel, but until then, this is what we got." Angel replied. "Have a little faith Spike. Riley knows what he's doing and he knows what's at stake. He's been in the game long enough."
"Oh, I totally agree. He's a regular ace. Probably got red, white, and blue running through his veins." Spike remarked as he plopped down in his chair, lighting up a cigarette and taking a few puffs.
"Do we really think a full frontal assault like this is the best option? It's bound to cost us many lives, and whose to say it'll work." Giles asked, characteristically cleaning his glasses in his usual manner. Jenny watched him and smiled, thinking of the Giles of her world who did the same. It was so hard to believe that this was not the same man.
"Riley has an ace up his sleeve. I don't know what it is yet, he said he would share it with us when we got together in about an hour. All I know is that I saw several soldiers and Slayers, injured, get quick patched and head off to the weapons tents." Xander replied. "I mean even the cooks and the support personnel. He's got something going."
Suddenly Willow let out a little shout that took everyone by surprise. "Oh, sorry, its just...I had another eureka moment. Think I got an idea of how we can limit our casualties and increase theirs." Willow said, a slight grin crossing her face.
"Well, what is it, Red? Don't keep us in suspense here." Spike said, taking another long drag off his cigarette, blowing smoke into the air.
"Well, actually, its your smoking that gave me the idea. I think I can cast a major clouding spell to hide our attack and block their vision. Should give us the element of surprise and insure we at least get into the base before we lose anyone." Willow said, smiling and very proud of herself.
"Except you forget they pack magic power too." Jenny interjected. "Head of it being Amy Madison, and I'm telling you that if you try the smoke trick, she'll put something in it or worse."
"Jenny has a point there, we go magic for magic, it will be no different than bullet for bullet." Angel released a breath uselessly. "We have to pull an attack that they don't have an counter for."
"I guess your right. Sorry guys, but I guess I won't be much help in this fight then." Willow said with a sigh, getting a slightly defeated look.
"Maybe there's a way we can draw some of their forces out? You know, divide what they have making it easier to take the base?" Kennedy chimed in, racking her brain for ideas.
"Excuse me. Can I come in for a sec?" the little voice came from the door. It was Trinity, Siren's left hand girl. The tiny oriental girl came in and grabbed a box marked with military numbers. "Sorry, Siren is trying to make some uh.. thing." she smiled and waved then disappeared.
"Ut oh. I think I got an idea." Kennedy spoke, watching the now vacant doorway the small girl left from.
"What? Trinity make some kind of light bulb go off. What is it?" Xander asked, curious to know how Trinity's little interruption had sparked an idea.
"Kind of." she said, "it was something Angel said, about an attack they can't counter. I mean, not being rude but..." she looked across the room at the distracted Faith, who, even in normal appearance seemed more than just what she looked like. "... they don't have a mutant Slayer do they?"
Heads turned toward Faith, who slowly seemed to snap out of her quiet little world. "Don't know if I'm comfortable with that word, but I guess it applies." Faith remarked, taking a sigh. "The Empress is far from being just a regular Slayer herself, but I'll kill her, don't worry." she said, pausing as images if Buffy's death flashed in her head, which she did her best to shake off. "Sorry, what did you have in mind exactly?"
"Sorry, but I was thinking that maybe you could do that portal thing with Illyria and cause a bit of mayhem? Distract them until the main attack can get underway." Kennedy looked around for approval. "I mean when Riley gets his plan set up."
A silence fell over the room as those present took in Kennedy's idea, giving it a lot of thought. It didn't last long, however, as Faith came to her decision fast and with little thought. "Good idea Kennedy, and it seems like the best option we got. No offence to anyone, but Illyria and I are the powerhouses here and we stand the best chance of doing such. I can take the Empress and I'm sure Illyria can take care of Olvican. We'll cause some mayhem, and then you guys can come in and clean house." Faith said, seemingly totally resolved in the idea, as if it was already what she had in mind.
"Wait a minute. You can't do that, Faith. Go into that hornets nest, out numbered and out gunned. Its near suicide." Angel argued, not wanting to see Faith throw her life away in a moment of rage.
"Covertly however, should be a lot better." Jenny spoke up. "Distract them first, then when the attack is underway, go for the head. Doing it that way should leave the Empress and Olvican as alone as it gets."
"She's got a point there." Samara finally spoke up. "I've been there and it's a lot easier to move if everyone isn't looking for you.
Seemingly on cue, Riley entered the tent and took his seat. "Seems you guys have really been at the planning. Thought I'd let you know that the blockade is in place and I'm in constant communication with it. I've also got a little surprise cooked up that should give us the opening we need to get our assault underway with minimal difficulty."
Illyria came in on the opposite side of the tent, a curious look on her face as she took in the appearance of Faith and her downtrodden manner. Then turned her head towards Riley. "I had an important thing to which I had to attend. You were speaking, please, finish so that we can crush the outworlders and I can dine on Olvican's still beating heart."
At that, Samara rushed to a trash can and cut loose lunch whole heartedly. "Um, sure." Riley said before continuing. "Anyways, got a few prototype weapons that I've been wanting to try out for awhile and I think this is the best time to do so. They're particle rifles that pack on heck of a punch. Figured we could use them to fill that place full of holes, giving us plenty of ways in and out." Riley said, taking out a map of the area with the locations of several things marked on it." I've also got mortars placed here and here. Think we can start a bit of a controlled fire that won't danger our attack, but will throw them into immense confusion. Also got some mines set up in some key positions that I've left lightly guard on purpose, so as to give them a place they'll think is an easy way out, but boy will they get a surprise when they attempt it." he finished.
"We were thinking that sending Illyria and Faith could go in there quiet like and cause some commotion." Jenny spoke, "Insert them here, opposite of the mine field, and that way we could keep track of them. The Empress is arrogant, figures everyone will work on her schedule, but if you attack with a couple of hours, she'll be caught unaware, and you'll have your victory."
"Good idea, they go in there, and it'll force anyone who wants to run towards the mine field. Well, ladies and gentlemen. I'd say we got ourselves a plan. Everyone in agreement here. I think it's the best we can do." Riley said, looking at all those present.
"Just tell me where and I'll get my Renegades ready." Samara said, looking back at everyone while wiping her face with a sleeve. "Yeah, my Renegades. Right. I meant Raven's Renegades." she said as Kennedy stood up as well.
"I'll get my Slayers ready, though we aren't as many as we used to be." Kennedy smiled and patted the Renegade leader on the shoulder.
"I'll get my people ready. Guess we'll all meet up at the blockade within the hour." Angel said, exiting the tent.
"Yeah, what he meant to say was he's going to get his minions and lackeys ready." Spike remarked before following Angel out.
"I got a few last minute things to see to, so I'll meet you guys at the blockade in a bit. Good luck, everyone." Riley said, giving Faith a salute and existing, followed by Giles, Xander, Willow, and Jenny. Now only Faith and Illyria were left in the command tent, alone and in silence.
"You look troubled." Illyria said as she stood in front of the beleaguered Slayer. "I would think you would be happy to avenge your fallen friend. Am I incorrect?"
"Am I glad that I'm getting the chance to kill that bitch....that thing that I could have been....would have been under different circumstances? Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that Buffy's dead and will never come back. Or the fact that it was me that did it." Faith said, fighting back tears as she was no longer able to shake away the images of Buffy's death at her Alts. hands.
"The realities are all different, but retain themes similar to each other." Illyria stated. "You killed Buffy, Buffy killed you. You both die, neither die." she tilted her head slightly. "The common theme is that you and her were always meant to fight, always would and always will. I do not know if it helps to know that, but, it is all I have to offer."
Faith sighed, taking in Illyria's words. "So, it was our destiny to never get along, no matter what world we're in and or what the situation is.....Nice to know I never had a choice in it...never had a chance. The one person in the world that I wanted to connect with more than anyone else...the one person I wanted acceptance from...no matter what I did or will do, I can never get it cause its not the plan. So why do I want something so bad that I'm never meant to have?" Faith said through tears, the suit reacting, coming alive and seeming to slide across her body in an embracing manner.
"You misunderstand. You were meant to fight was what I said. I never said you never got along. As there were realities where you hated each other, I am sure that, since all things must be equal, that there exist realities where you were very close as well." Illyria looked down at the depressed girl's broken body language. "It was all about and is all about the choices, the results, and how you choose to perceive them."
"Still, it doesn't matter right now." Faith said, wiping her eyes and standing up from her seat. "I know, that in the end, and perhaps even before, Buffy trusted me...believed in me. She wants me to put an end to this and believes that I can do it. Regardless of what happened between us, Buffy will always have my respect and I'll do what I can to honor her memory. It's the least I can do. I owe her that."
Illyria observed as the suit seemed to hug her body even tighter, but seemingly gently. "Very well then, we shall go into the lion's den. We shall take our price in blood, coin by coin, till we spend all the money they have." She blinked and looked at Faith a moment. "That seemed nice. I like it." she turned to walk away, leaving Faith to follow.
Faith looked up at the sky, looking through the roof of the tent. *Buffy, wherever you are, this is for you. Give me the strength you always seemed to have and I'll will put an end to this. I will avenge your death, no matter what.* With that, she left the tent, her resolve strong as the coming battle loomed in the distance. Faith felt something come over her, she wasn't sure if it was the suit, or just her imagining things, but she felt as if Buffy was there with her, and that things would be okay. She only hoped she was right.
T...B...C...
