Boats Against the Current

Boats Against the Current (Chapter Eleven)

He stood, eyes hooded as he watched the group gathered at the other end of the room. At first he, like Spike and Oz, had been angry and almost insulted that they couldn’t be part of the spell, that the ‘pure’ energy required meant that demons could not be part of it, that Cordelia – of all people – could contribute to it while they could not, but that feeling had passed. Now Angel was coming to think that maybe this was all for the best.

“So we distract them, that’s the plan?” Oz’s voice took his focus back from where it had been.

“Yes,” Angel replied cautiously, not certain if Oz could be trusted with the rest of what he had in mind. Oh sure, they would go in and draw the attention of the soldiers, let Willow and Buffy and the others get in to set up and do the spell so that Buffy could fight Adam, but there was more to it than that…much more.

It was all about meting out justice.

Buffy and Giles would never understand or approve; they’d spout platitudes about the sacredness of human life, as if the Initiative soldiers hadn’t willingly signed away the souls of which vampires were robbed. They were no more human than a Chaos demon, and they were far more dangerous and evil. They had brutalized Oz, mutilated Spike…

They had degraded his lover, fully intending to see her raped right before their eyes.

No, there was no power in the universe that could stop him from making them pay.

“Are we gonna take them out?” Oz’s question was a stunner. Even Spike had to fight to keep his shock from showing on his face.

“What do you mean?” Angel asked cautiously.

“Well we’re not just gonna be the diversion, right?”

“No,” Spike replied, obviously not believing that discretion was the better part of valour.

“Good. I was kind of hoping we’d be getting some revenge.” Oz’s eyes were colder than Angel had ever seen them.

Spike chuckled softly and put a companionable arm around Oz. “Keep this up and you might make a proper demon yet, wolf.”

“Why do I have the disturbing desire to take that as a compliment?”

Angel fought the urge to smile and he raised his eyebrow at Spike, who took the hint and removed his arm from around Oz before the others noticed. The last they thing they needed was for anyone to realize that something besides three disgruntled men planning to divert the Initiative’s attention was going on at their end of the room.

“We can’t share this with the others,” Angel cautioned.

“I kinda figured that,” Oz said. Was that sarcasm? With the wolf, it was always hard to tell.

“Red might be a bit squeamish about it, even when it’s done,” Spike warned.


“She’ll understand.” Angel wished he was certain of that. While he’d been the one who held her through the nightmares, he was also the one who knew best just how soft-hearted his lover could be.

Oz looked haunted for a second or two, before he shook it off. “She loves you. She’ll be okay with it,” he reassured Angel, who thought about how much it must pain Oz to say that. The fact that the boy still loved Willow was readily apparent.

“Of course, that’s assuming we all make it out of there in one piece.” Spike’s pessimism was a shocking jolt. His childe was usually the breeziest and least worried of them all, even with the chip. This was just one more reason to raze the whole damn installation. Seeing this kind of fear in Spike was painful.

“We will,” Angel asserted, this time with complete confidence.

Sadly, what he had no confidence in was getting that chip out of Spike’s head. Chances were almost nonexistent that they’d be able to find someone they could trust to undo the damage, even if they could get accurate information on just what and where it was in Spike’s brain.

Spike knew that, too, Angel could see it in his eyes. It hurt.

Funny how, after all these years, after all the times they had fought and even tried to kill each other, he stood here with Spike as friend, as ally, as family, as everything he’d never been until that chip had been placed in his head – and yet he wished he could undo what had been done.

There was no time to ponder the irony as Cordelia collapsed to the floor. Another vision. Angel and his companions hurried over.

Willow had Cordelia’s head cradled in her lap as Xander rushed to fetch a glass of water. Anya was silently fuming. Angel had to enjoy the fact that not only was the coarse and tasteless creature not even going to be a part of the night’s events – as an ex-demon, she was useless on all counts – but she had to stand by and watch her boyfriend fuss over another woman. Angel might not be able to loathe Xander anymore, but he could still despise Anya and he was going to revel in her misery to the fullest extent. It was a welcome divertissement from the more intense and powerful hatred he felt for the Initiative and its members.

“What did you see this time, Jackie Stallone?” Spike was as respectful of Cordelia’s gift as ever.

She glared at him groggily while Willow muttered the healing spell that was practically second nature to her now. “It was important. Buffy, Adam’s not alone. I saw a bunch of freaky-looking creatures. One of them was the one I think is Walsh. Another one is a black guy – he’s good-looking, too, except for all the weird, Frankenstein stuff.”

“Forrest,” Buffy said softly.

“Oh my God,” Willow said, obviously recognizing the name.

“He was killed today. By Adam. Guess he didn’t stay dead.”

“Wanker’s a copycat. Vampires have been doin’ that for centuries. But we look a hell of a lot better than the freaks Adam turns out.” Spike preened almost unconsciously as he spoke and Angel smiled. It was good to see Spike regaining his sense of superiority.

“Be that as it may, this does complicate matters.” Giles looked concerned.

“Riley was there, too,” Cordelia added. “And he seemed to be under Adam’s control.”

“Did I say complicate? How foolishly optimistic of me.”

Buffy was shattered. Her eyes were wounds and Angel was worried. All the spells in the world couldn’t prop up a Slayer who’d lost her will to fight.

“It’s a chip, Buffy, it has to be.” Willow turned to Angel. “We have to tell her.”

“Tell me what?” Buffy asked.

Angel nodded and Willow explained. “Riley’s not quite completely human…or something. Angel and Spike both noticed something off about the way he smells.”

“Angel said he thought it might be a chip,” Xander chimed in.

“You knew about this?” Buffy and Anya in stereo.

“I think the important thing is that Riley might have a chip. Can we save the wounded feelings for a later date?” Oz was a blessed, and uncharacteristically verbose, voice of reason.

“You’re right,” Buffy admitted. “And this is all important stuff to know. Thanks, Angel.”

“Hey! Who had the vision?”

“Thanks, Cordelia,” Buffy added, half-grimacing and half-smirking as she said it.

“You’re welcome,” huffed the rather annoyed seer.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’ll have all kinds of magical mojo at my disposal when I go up against all these guys.” Buffy was trying hard to be the plucky, devil-may-care Slayer she’d been once. It was almost convincing.

“We’ll be with you in spirit,” Willow said. “And hey, this time we really will be.” She grinned and Angel found himself grinning too. She had a way of drawing him into her moods.

“Yes, well, now that we’re all up to date with the latest information, might I suggest we coordinate our plans?” Giles had a point.

Everyone gathered round and began to talk. The operation was taking shape. Hopefully, he’d get a chance to finalize things with Spike and Oz before they had to go in. But if not…they were demons, they’d adapt.

He focused on listening to what Giles and Buffy were saying. They, after all, were the ones in whose hands lay Willow’s safety. While he was by no means happy to have to let her do this, he knew it needed to be this way. As the plan of attack took shape, Angel grew more confident of winning.

*****

Night had fallen at last and now here they were, off to do battle with Adam and with the Initiative. Angel held Willow’s hand as they walked. Every now and then, Buffy would turn and look, but she refrained from any dramatic expressions of disapproval. She was the Slayer – focused and dedicated – and that was all to the good.

Cordelia and Xander were off to the side; every now and then a voice would rise and it was easy to see they were bickering. Willow nodded ruefully the third time. “I’m guessing this isn’t a one-sided thing anymore. That’s just like how they acted back in high school.” What they were sniping about was anyone’s guess; it wasn’t as if Angel had eavesdropped on them in the past few days. He had faith, though, that they wouldn’t allow their rather obnoxious brand of chemistry to get in the way of the mission; that was what mattered – that and the front row seat he was ashamed to admit he wanted for Xander’s possible break-up with Anya.

The frat house was in sight and they all stopped for a moment – gathering their thoughts and getting their courage up, for the most part. Angel held Willow tightly. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said. “Don’t do anything stupid. I don’t want you getting dusted because of me.”

He was about to ask what she meant, but the look in her eyes told him that she was onto him. He should have known she’d figure out what he and Spike and Oz had in mind. Silence was the only answer he offered her because he was not going to lie to Willow – he and his companions were going to make those soldiers pay.

“So the plan is: we go in first and distract them while you guys go in and kick Adam’s ass, right?” Oz asked, by way of getting the ball rolling.

“Yeah,” Buffy answered.

“Let’s do it, then. Better than standing around out here like a bunch of nancy boys all night.” Spike had such an eloquent way of saying things. Oh well, it was better than his poetry.

The three demons exchanged a look and prepared to walk in. Before they could do so, Willow hugged Oz, then Spike, and then Angel. “Please,” she said, her eyes brimming with tears, “be careful, okay? Promise me?”

“We’ll be as careful as you will, Red,” Spike answered. Willow glared at him, but said nothing more, and with that, they all entered the deserted fraternity house.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m full of that good ol’ kamikaze spirit.”

“Xander, just because this is never going to work, there’s no need to be negative.” Giles was always such an optimist

“The enjoining spell isn’t powerful enough to defeat Adam?” Willow sounded very worried and Angel felt much the same. What were they all getting into?

“It’s very powerful. It’s also extraordinarily dangerous.”

“Game faces guys, we’re going in.” With that, Buffy kicked through a pane of glass and they were in the anteroom.

Before Angel could pry open the elevator doors, Buffy put her hand on his arm. “Thanks,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Spike interposed.

“You’re welcome,” Angel repeated.

“Let’s do this,” Oz said.

And with that, Angel opened the doors and the three began their descent down the elevator shaft. Angel and Spike could have jumped, but they elected to use ropes in deference to Oz. With any luck, they’d be met by soldiers at the bottom, they’d make enough of a commotion to alert the others up above, and three minutes later, Buffy and everyone else would climb down and head for the lab… as long as everything went the way it was supposed to go.

So far, so good. Right here at the bottom of the shaft, they were now face to face with a team of Initiative soldiers.

“You demons really aren’t too bright, are you?” What do you know; the soldier who’d leered at Willow was right here. The universe was definitely on his side.

His opinion nearly changed when that same soldier pointed a taser at him and made ready to fire. He’d sort of counted on just being taken into custody. But then, a hand grabbed the soldier’s arm and…

“Don’t. The Colonel says he wants to speak to these hostiles.”

The plan was working.

*****

Colonel McNamara wore a smug, superior expression that made Angel long to rip his face right off his skull. “So the Slayer sent you in to do a little recon, eh? She must be shaking in her boots these days, the way we’ve been rounding up all the demons. Pretty soon, she’ll be out of a job.”

“Oh, you think so?” Spike said, arms akimbo, looking Colonel McNamara over in an even haughtier fashion than the Colonel had done to him. “She’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”

“Watch your mouth, hostile,” one of the soldiers snapped, before slapping Spike across the face.

Spike’s eyes flashed gold, but he held his temper. It wasn’t as if he could do anything anyway. Angel felt his humiliation keenly. He made a note of the man who’d struck him and added him to the list of soldiers who weren’t going to make it through the battle

“Just so we’re clear, you do realize you guys are being played, right?” Oz’s tone was even. Only Angel and Spike could sense the fear he radiated.

“What do you mean?”

“He means that even you lot should have known something was up by the way demons are just falling into your lap the past few days.”

Spike’s mouth almost got him hit again, but fate intervened – or more accurately, the sudden absence of light did.

A soldier sitting at a monitor piped up, trying hard not to sound nervous. “Sir, the power grid’s down. Back-up’s not responding.” Big surprise, Adam was making his move.

“We’re locked in.” A few seconds later, he added. “The containment area’s been breached.”

“Here we go, kids. It’s party time,” Spike muttered.

“Hostiles are loose.”

“How many?” the Colonel asked.

“All of them.”

“It’s Adam,” Angel said, not that it mattered. These bumblers weren’t going to be getting near him. They’d be too busy getting ripped apart by angry demons…including the ones in this room. Angel’s eyes shifted to the one he wanted first – the one who’d degraded his love. That one…Angel had something special in mind for him.

“You men follow me, we gotta take the armory now,” the Colonel barked at the men behind him. “These hostiles are to be held here,” he said, turning to the soldier Angel was most hoping he’d entrust with guarding them. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” the soldier said. Angel stifled a grin.

The Colonel and his band of demon food departed quickly, leaving Angel, Spike and Oz to be guarded by two men. How the hell had this organization gotten away with their folly for so long? They were clearly none too bright when it came to demons.

The one now in charge addressed Oz and smiled lecherously. “How’s your little girlfriend?” Angel knew exactly what he was thinking.

“She’s not my girlfriend, actually,” Oz replied, calm as could be. “She’s…”

“Mine,” Angel said, as he grabbed the man too fast for him to fight back.

Spike threw the other one against a wall, then grabbed his head and sank to the floor. “Bloody hell,” he yelled. But pain or no, he’d succeeded in rendering the second soldier unconscious.

Oz disarmed the fallen man as Angel toyed with the idea of playing with his food for the first time while having a soul. “You think it’s fun…watching someone be invaded by a demon…helpless, agonized? Then you’re gonna love what I’m about to do to you.” The stench of the man’s fear was overwhelming and his screams were music as Angel sank his fangs into his neck. He drained him almost to the brink of death and then…”Drink up, soldier boy.” He fed the man the smallest amount of blood needed to bring him across. Tomorrow the creature who’d treated Willow so horribly would wake up a crazed minion, weak and helpless and ravenously hungry…trapped down here, turned into what he hated most and without any knowledge of how to fend for himself. He’d be dusted and damned soon enough.

Angel smiled with the features of his demon as he let the soldier’s body fall to the floor.

“You know, for a bloke with a soul, you’re quite a demon,” Spike said, rubbing his temples slightly as he stared wistfully at the cooling body lying motionless before him. “Angelus couldn’t match you.”

Right now, that was as high a compliment as Angel could have hoped for, though he was sure there’d be some guilt later. For the moment, however, he allowed himself to enjoy Spike’s praise before saying, “We better grab the rest of the weapons here and head out. We have to protect the entrance to the lab. Nothing can interrupt that spell.”

“Right.” Oz was armed, so Spike knelt down and grabbed the weapons off the dust-pile-to-be, stopping to quickly lick the man’s neck first. “What?” he asked, when Angel glared at him. “You can’t blame me for wanting a taste of the real thing. You could have left a bit more for me, by the way. When did you stop being a messy eater?”

Angel didn’t bother saying anything. He was all business now…and all concern. They needed to get to that lab and guard it. He took a gun and the taser from Spike and they headed out.

*****

It hadn’t been a clear run, but here they were. Spike had gotten in a few kicks and punches since the demons were as troublesome as the soldiers. The violence was mindless and the demons were killing each other, just as the soldiers were.

Something…the others were doing the spell now. Angel could tell. The power of the magick Willow was channeling was immense; he could actually feel it. He made a note to himself to tell Wesley about this when they got back. Willow was possibly stronger than any of them had realized.

They were alone for now and Oz spoke. “Angel, what you did back there…thanks.”

“I did it for Willow,” he said, the stress of the night making him blunt.

“I know. But thanks anyway.” Oz held out his hand and Angel shook it.

“Let’s get back to work, shall we?” Spike yelled as a demon chased two soldiers toward them. Angel pulled his gun and fired indiscriminately. Everyone, after all, was the enemy. More bodies poured down the corridor. Angel and Oz focused on the humans and let Spike enjoy dispatching the demons. Within moments, they’d cleared the hallway and then…

“It’s over,” Angel said as he felt the magick leave. “We won.”

“How do you…”

“I’d know if she died.”

“Oh. The claim.” Oz’s monotone didn’t hide the sadness he felt. Angel was not only Willow’s new lover, but he shared something with her that Oz never had and the reminder was a bit of a blow. Angel understood that, but by the same token, he wasn’t going to hide the truth in any way. Better for Oz to face it all clearly – he’d move on that much faster.

“Handy that. One of the many perks of being a vampire,” Spike chimed in. He was almost giddy, riding the cocaine-high he always seemed to get from violence. Angel still marveled at how a shy, gentle poet had turned into a devotee of blood and death and pain. What would Cecily have said had she known what lurked beneath William’s surface?

Hearing some shuffling and movement behind the door to the lab, Angel opened it.

“Angel!” Willow cried happily. “You’re alright!” She ran to him and hugged him just as Buffy came out from behind a door at the far end.

“Buffy!” Xander called out happily. “Looks like we all survived.” Just as he spoke, Riley appeared. “And unfortunately one of the bad guys did, too.”

“Xander,” Buffy chided, “he saved my life.”

“Well, goody. I, for one, have completely forgiven him for being one of the evil assholes who kidnapped Willow…oh wait, I haven’t.” Cordelia was getting more than one pair of shoes when this was all over.

“I didn’t kidnap Willow,” Riley argued.

“No, you’re just part of the group that did it. You’re just like those German guys who said they were only following orders.”

“Cordy, I don’t think Riley’s a Nazi. He’s right, he wasn’t there. And hey, I do think he rates for helping Buffy. Plus, he’s the only one of us who got injured.” Willow was looking at the wound on Riley’s chest. So was Spike, but for vastly different reasons.

“I did that to myself. Had to get the chip out.”

“Would have been nice if you’d put my chip somewhere convenient like that,” Spike spat out.

“I’m sorry,” Riley said.

“Fat lot of good your apology does me.”

“Excuse me for interrupting, but as entertaining as all this is, have we forgotten that we still need to get out of this building alive?” Giles, as he often did, had a point.

“Right,” Buffy agreed, then she turned to Willow, Cordelia, and Xander. “You guys get to the exits, get ‘em open.”

Spike immediately offered, “I’ll go with them, make sure the demons leave ‘em be.” Angel was grateful.

“You,” Buffy said to Riley, “organize the soldiers, pull ‘em back. Angel and I will take point.”

Oz and Giles both looked a bit bewildered about being left with no assignment, but Angel immediately stepped in with orders of his own. “Oz, you still got ammo?” The wolf nodded. “Good, you go with the others. Same goes for you, Giles.” He pulled the taser from his belt. “Take this. The soldiers are shooting first and asking questions never. Don’t hesitate to fire at anything that looks threatening, human or not.” Giles nodded. There was a tinge of gratitude in his eyes for a moment; he was obviously pleased to be acknowledged as useful for something besides his ability to speak Sumerian.

“Let’s get out of here,” Buffy said, and with that, they were all out the door and into the thick of the fray.


Tbc…