Chapter 28

 

 

 

Countdown: 24 hours

 

Oz winced as he once more tried to stand. His feet no longer ached with unbearable pain, thus he no longer wanted to scream like an insane person when he attempted to put his weight on them.

 

Which was actually a step up, they’d actually healed enough within the last 12 hours so if Dru ever came back from wherever she had disappeared to and told him to run he might actually be able to do so.

 

He really didn’t want the vampiress to have to carry him again, even though the chances of anyone finding about it were minimal it was quite mortifying.

 

He knew that his feet would heal even faster if he were to allow the Wolf to take over, to shift and let him dominate the body.

 

But he couldn’t do that… the Wolf trusted Dru less than he did and he feared that if he allowed the Wolf to dominate and Dru were to return for him that the Wolf might try to cause her injury.

 

And seeing as how she had helped him escape he was currently of the mind that that would be a bad thing.

 

Glancing around the tiny room he sighed softly, Dru had laid him on the small metal bed, unfolded a thin blanket over him and shushing him with wide eyes vanished back out the door.

 

He hoped beyond hope that she would come back soon. Although he’d heard no guards pass by the door he couldn’t be sure that this room wasn’t being monitored.

 

Actually he couldn’t be sure exactly where the room was. It was much nicer than the cell that he’d been originally kept in, which really wasn’t saying much… and definitely about 30 steps up from the cell that he and Buffy had been sharing.

 

At least this one had a concrete floor as opposed to the dirt one.

 

As thoughts of Buffy flooded his mind he winced. The Slayer was still out there somewhere, hopefully Dru had gone to collect the tiny blonde female but if she hadn’t… he shuddered to think what his escape could mean for her.

 

Would they torture her worse hoping to unmask either the person that had been helping them or to determine if she knew his whereabouts?

 

He hoped not.

 

He hoped that as much as he hoped that Dru would be back soon.

 

Being alone in this room for 12 hours had afforded him way to much time to think. If Buffy, and even Dru had been within its walls with him he could have used them to distract him. But unfortunately he was alone and his thoughts persisted in flashing him worst case scenarios.

 

He’d hoped the visions of a happy future were just that… visions of the future. Not that he’d ever had any abilities to foretell the future before… but there were first times for everything.

 

With a sigh he stared at the door… he wanted to sleep. He was bone tired, but he was half afraid that if he closed his eyes he’d be found and be unable to strike out when they came to take him away.

 

So instead he stayed awake, focusing all his energies on the door, on the silent hallway… on sending hopeful thoughts to his unhappy psyche…

 

Because if Dru were right then they only had a day before all hell would break loose… and they would hopefully be free…

 

And for once in his seemingly ever shortening life he hoped the vampiress was right.

 

 

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Buffy paced the length of her dark, tiny cell. Outside the small room she could hear guards talking in whispered tones and she paused near the door.

 

Straining to see if she could make out actual words.

 

It had been over 14 hours since Oz had been taken from their cell and her companion had not yet been brought back.

 

Part of her feared the worse, feared that the werewolf had been killed as these monsters had been torturing him and that she was now alone… with only Dru for help, and Angel lingering in her mind for moral support.

 

Running fingers through her hair she scowled. Firmly banishing any thoughts of Oz’s demise from her mind.

 

He couldn’t die, the dreams that had plagued her for weeks, the dreams that showed a shared, rosy bright future for the three of them (because she couldn’t discount Dru’s presence in those dreams) had all of them alive.

 

Really, truly alive in Dru and Spike’s case.

 

Se remembered quite vividly most of her dreams… and Dru and Spike being alive in them, as in human alive, had been something of a shock and definitely not something that she would easily forget.

 

She had no idea how it would happen for Spike, but she knew in Dru’s case that something would happen here, within the Prison camp.

 

And actually she was kind of interested to see how it all had played out. Were her dreams just that? Dreams… or were they visions of a possible future?

 

She was hoping for visions of the future. Because at least then she knew that she, Oz and Dru all survived their time within the confines of these walls.

 

And she knew that someday she would trust in Angel’s love and devotion enough to share with him the weakness that had plagued her while she had been captive.

 

Leaning against the wall she allowed her body to sink to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs.

 

She shielded her eyes as her cell door opened, she half expected to see a demon carrying Oz’s still body back into the room, or Dru waltzing to some silent tune that only she could only hear… but instead her eyes narrowed as she saw the old man slowly enter.

 

Motioning to someone out of sight the door closed behind him and the cell was once more bathed in darkness.

 

It had to be day… yet it seemed like it was never light outside.

 

“Little Warrior…”

 

“You,” Buffy sighed, she managed a half-hearted glare at the Old Man who was standing framed in the only light in the room before closing her eyes and resting them on her knees.

 

“How do you feel?” he asked softly, hands linked before him he stared down at her, standing where he was, never moving closer for which she was thankful.

 

“How do you think I feel?” she muttered in answer.

 

Smiling ruefully at her he glanced around the room, noting the absence of a cot, blankets. “It seems like I’ve been no help at all,” he murmured.

 

“You’ve been helping? I hadn’t noticed,” she said sarcastically. “Between you and Dru and your help I think Oz and I would have been better off on our own.”

 

“Do you really think you would have lasted a day, do you think your Mr. Osborne would have lasted as long as he has if the vampire and I had not been running interference.”

 

“And yet look,” Buffy waved at the room. “Oz has been dragged off and tortured yet again…”

 

“Yes so it would seem,” the old man turned to look at the door. “You have guards now,” he commented.

 

“Yeah… I’m…”

 

“Do not apologize to me my dear,” he turned to frown at her. “I’ve been a most lax guardian… this was not the way that this was supposed to happen… but that’s neither here nor there,” he sighed shaking his head.

 

“The Wolf has escaped…”

 

“What?!” Buffy yelped, eyes widening in surprise. The old man frowned at her once more, finger to his lips to motion her to quietness.

 

“Escaped?” she hissed quietly, a feeling of dread was pooling in the pit of her stomach. “How long?”

 

“Several hours… they think that he’s still within the compound… that while they were torturing him he had a burst of strength, killed his tormentor and took to the tunnels under the compound…”

 

“And what do you think?”

 

“I think that they are remiss in thinking that he did not have assistance… but eyes have thus far remained far away from myself and the vampire so…”

 

“Why are you telling me this? Aren’t you putting yourself in danger? Sharing all of this…”

 

“I… I wish to leave this realm with a clear conscience.” Dragging a hand through thinning hair he absently stared at the dirt floor beneath his feet. “I came here to escape persecution, I brought my family thinking that they could finally live in freedom. I mistakenly thought that here that I might be able to offer help… instead my family was murdered and I found myself forced into assisting those that I would destroy…”

 

“I’m sorry,” Buffy whispered her eyes filling with tears as she listened to and heard the sadness in his voice.

 

“Oh my dear I don’t wish your pity or sadness,” he smiled gently at her. “I just wish you to understand so that you might record things correctly. If things were different…” he shook his head once again, seemingly clearing thoughts that he couldn’t put to words. “I help where I can, hinder when I’m able… and hopefully things will turn out the way they’re meant to… things have already progressed further than I thought even with your capture.”

 

“Angel,” she stated.

 

“Yes… you and the Wolf are not the only prisoners still within the camp,” he started. “The demons performing these experiments, these tortures here do not differentiate between good and evil. They search for the knowledge that will make them invincible to the Warriors and for that they’ve captured demons that would normally fight on their side Mohra, Fyarl… anyone they could get their hands on. They use drugs, poisons… whatever it takes to gain the desired results.”

 

Moving closer he kneeled before the Warrior, unmindful of the dirt staring into her eyes, willing her to understand.

 

“Your vampire was poisoned once…” he continued softly, his voice barely a whisper and Buffy knew that if anyone were listening outside the door they would never even know that he was still talking. Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth she issued a sharp nod, barely noticeable.

 

“It will be used again… human blood will not work. Remember you are the Slayer no more, but there are demons with regenerative properties in their blood.”

 

Buffy stared at him, her mouth opening as she went to ask the question that would confirm her suspicions but instead it snapped shut when the door to her cell opened once more.

 

“Alright Old Man,” Samuel growled eyes flashing with barely concealed anger. “I hope you got whatever information you needed because we’re moving her now!”

 

“What?!” Dru’s voice rose in startled anger which she masked quickly at Samuel’s glance.

 

“I’m not taking the risk of the Wolf making it back here to help her escape, right now we have an edge over the Warriors and I’m not going to give it up,” the vampire muttered, waving forward his ever present guards Buffy shot an alarmed look at both Dru and their old ally.

 

Both standing there helpless against Samuel’s dictates.

 

“Don’t worry Dru… you’ll still get her for playtime,” Samuel patted the brunette vampiress on the shoulder. “It’s just for safekeeping you know.”

 

 

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Angel stared down at the busy compound in the valley below him.

 

Through their seemingly ever growing bond he could feel Buffy’s panic… something was happening,  something unforeseen and her emotions were bleeding through the bond to him. Serving to make him edgy as he waited for confirmation of what was happening.

 

For not the first time he wished the bond were more, wished that he could use it to figure out exactly what was happening to her… although from the looks of the busyness of the camp…

 

If he hadn’t known that the Initiative had been for the most part had been disbanded or destroyed he would have thought that those below him, guns in hands, stakes in belts were part of that ‘elite’ military force.

 

The only reason he knew that the Initiative hadn’t taken up arms against them was because what was remaining of the organization were working with them.

 

When he had left the Indaran’s small compound Riley and his friends had been busy setting up perimeters and the like.

 

The sun was high in the sky, scorching in its heat… but he had his sunglasses on, had remembered the sunscreen after much prodding from Connor and was right now dealing with the biggest case of déjà vu that he’d ever experienced.

 

He could have sworn he had dream exactly like this just a few short weeks ago.

 

“Angel,” he heard the young Hunter approach from behind him. He didn’t turn... in his dream he hadn’t turned either, his attention had remained fixed on the Prison Camp below them.

 

“Xander,” he acknowledged the male, nodding as his companion joined him in studying the movements below.

 

“How’s that new heart working out for you?” he asked crossing his arms over his chest.

 

Angel’s hand flew to his chest, smiling softly when he felt the steady beating of his heart. No surprise this time.

 

“They’re busy down there,” Xander nodded, drawing the Warrior’s attention back to the Prison camp below them. “Something must be going on.”

 

“I think they’re getting ready to move her,” Angel murmured quietly. “I thought Jade said that the ‘numbers’ didn’t indicate that?”

 

“That’s why I came; Jade… the witches said that something’s happened… something’s changed.”

 

“What?”

 

“They don’t know…”

 

Angel scowled at the camp below them, “Buffy’s strong, Oz is strong… and Dru isn’t going to let us down.”

 

“You sure about that…?” Xander asked softly, Angel glared at him, frowning when he saw the Hunters posture suddenly stiffen. Angel turned his attention back, eyes widening as he saw a flurry of movement from one side of the building.

 

And then a familiar blonde head being pushed along, heavily guarded she was limping slightly. Angel could feel the panic rushing through him and he screamed her name.

 

“Buffy!”

 

 

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Buffy struggled within the grasp of her guards, the bright light of the sun blinding her as she tried to dig her heels into dry ground.

 

Tried to stop her forward motion towards the waiting truck.

 

She struggled even more furiously when she heard her name screamed… someone who sounded exactly like her Angel.

 

Twisting her arm she tossed one guard away, peeling at the fingers of the other even as he turned to dust beside her.

 

Dropping to her knees she turned slowly, everything seemingly moving in slow motion she waited for that inevitable moment when someone would tackle her, would pummel her into submission but instead she met the nearly black eyes of her savior.

 

“Dru,” she breathed, almost shocked at the sight of the crossbow in her nemesis’ hands.

 

Dru motioned to her and Buffy scrambled to her feet, diving for the small enclave that Dru had been ensconced within. Grabbing her arm Dru pushed her before her and then gasped with pain, Buffy turning back to her with a question on her lips.

 

Only to have the question fall away in shock as she saw the arrow protruding from Dru’s side, eyes widening she grabbed the shocked vampiress’ arm this time pushing her along.

 

And with alarm bells ringing, with shouts of anger in the Camps courtyard they disappeared into the darkness.

 

 

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