A Very Ordinary Evil

Part 32 It Takes a Thief


Three days later, Friday night, outside the Bronze


Giles pressed the broadcast button on his handheld radio and asked in a breathy whisper, “Is everyone ready?”

“For God’s sake watcher, stop bloody fiddling with that thing!” Spike hissed. “We’re as ready as we’re ever going to be. We have a good plan and the ability to do it right. Now stop making the kids nervous.”

“No nervousness here.” Willow said sotto voce.

Giles looked at the blond vampire, his face showed a combination of embarrassment and hurt at the comments. “True, I suppose,” he said quietly. “I just can’t help worrying though. This is a little out of the ordinary for me.”

Spike nodded. “I hate the bloody waiting mate. The tension just builds up further and further. ‘Course, the release is good, when it … arrives.”

Giles smiled tiredly. “Have I ever mentioned how much I hate unpunctuality?” He asked Spike and Willow.

“Frequently Giles,” Willow’s voice carried the hint of a chuckle as she continued. “How rude of her to be late for her own abduction. We’ll just have to whip some manners into her after we finish, won’t we?”

Giles looked at the redhead, her pert comment surprising him. Then, just for a moment, he paused, and then looked directly at Spike. “What’s she saying?” The Ripper accent came out in all of its North London glory as he asked.

Spike looked up, and breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the purr of the limousine’s engine. “We’re on people, it’s showtime.”

* * * *

They were all in position and fully aware of what was needed. Willow had cast the glamour over Anya and Xander before they arrived outside the Bronze, and they were inconspicuously waiting close to where the limousine would stop. Spike, Willow and Giles were positioned nearby, close enough to engage the bodyguards as soon as the empath demon had started to search for Anya and Xander. Cordelia was on the other side of Xander and Anya, ready to lure Holly away from the centre of events and into a discreet alley where she could hold her at crossbow point until the others arrived.

The limousine pulled in quietly and the Empath demon left the driver’s seat, coming around to open the kerbside rear door for Holly and the rest of the entourage. As he did so, he looked up, sensing someone’s desire to see Holly. He scanned the crowd, but failed to spot the person.{Probably a contract in the offing, or maybe just one of her ditzy ex-school friends,} he thought.

Two of the bodyguards, one human, the other a vampire got out and moved to either side of the car, with Holly following immediately behind them. The empath detected a surge as she appeared. {Okay, someone definitely wants to talk,} went through his mind. The remaining two bodyguards followed Holly out of the car and took positions either side and behind her, so Holly was in the centre of a stationary square.

“Madam,” the chauffeur said in a low voice, “there’s someone in the crowd seeking an interview. Shall I investigate?”

Holly nodded and the empath moved off, weaving through the members of the crowd easily. She looked left and right, “Inside boys?” she said. As the group began to move, Willow threw a crystal. The word of activation murmured from her lips almost as the tiny faceted gem left her hand. The barrier worked, unfortunately however, the planning had not taken account of a possibility where the humans and vampires were intermixed, and so only a single human was trapped by it. The two vampires and the human who avoided the magical snare surged towards the percd pod point of danger.

“Awwwww shit!” Spike swore as he closed toward the closest vampire, making sure that in doing so he wasn’t leaving Willow vulnerable. Giles snarled as he headed toward the human, closing the range as quickly as possible.

Willow began to chant another barrier spell, then changed her mind, and used a transmogrification crystal on the human. Suddenly a large dark brown cockroach replaced the enraged man who was running towards her and her friends with mayhem in his eyes. Fully aware of the necessities, Spike reached out a foot and crushed the cockroach, and immediately doubled over, shrieking in agony, discovering the hard way that transmogrified humans were still considered human and demon-free by the chip.

As Spike went down, searing agony coursing through his brain, Giles raised his crossbow and fired. The bolt flew straight into the vampire’s heart and it spasmed briefly before dissolving into dust, showering the surrounding area with its remains.

Spike was beginning to become aware of his surroundings again, but was still incapacitated. He rolled, attempting to trip the other vampire. The attacking vampire hurdled the blond with ease and headed straight for Giles, who was frantically trying to reload.

Willow saw the problem and threw another crystal, activating it on the fly once again. The vampire looked momentarily confused after the small detonation, and then continued to charge. “Oh bugger!” Willow swore as she realised she had used a will-weakening crystal in her haste to dispose of the vampire. She drew a stake and hoped that she would get one good lunge in.

The flash had given Spike just enough time to struggle to his feet, however, and he staggered towards the vampire from behind.

As this was happening, Cordelia sneaked up and hissed into Holly’s ear. “Holly, this way. You’ll be safe.”

Holly looked up and gasped. “Cordelia? I thought you’d moved to LA!”

“Long story. Hide now.” Cordelia responded, taking Holly by the hand. Cordeligan gan to move, leading Holly toward the alley with the DeSoto hidden in it.

“What’s happening? What’s going on? Why are those people attacking me?” Holly would not stay silent.

“For God’s sake Holly, shut up and let’s hide before you get us both killed!” She pushed Holly into the alley as she spoke and then directed her towards the far end.

As she did so, Willow received the vampire’s charge and went down under it. However, before the vampire could really hurt her, Spike staked him from behind. He reached an arm down to lift Willow up. “C’mon pet, let’s get out of here,” he said, dusting her off.

Giles got the radio out again and spoke into it. “Anya, Xander. Come back now.”

* * * *

As the group concentrated in the area of the car, Holy began to look nervous. “Cordelia, why are all these people here … Oh my!” S!” She looked at Cordelia, a sense of betrayal painted on her face.

“You helped?”

Cordelia simply nodded. “Get in the car. We’ll chat more when we’re all safe.”

Willow pushed Holly’s head forward and wrapped a long sheet of cloth around her eyes several times before tying it off. “If you take it off, my boyfriend gets an early lunch.” Spike growled menacingly to help convince the confused woman.

“But I can’t see!” Holly complained as soon as the blindfold was in place.

“That’s the point,” Willow said coldly. “We’re going to go and have a little chat. We’re going to start with what I shouldto yto you for the hell you put me through in high school, and then just keep going.” Willow then lapsed into the silence that had already claimed the others.

* * * *

The DeSoto pulled into the garage, the automated door shutting behind it. As Cordelia turned the engine off, people began to exit the crowded car. Spike led Holly out, one hand tightly gripping her upper arm. “This way, folks,” he said, leading them into the short passage that led to an internal door which provided direct access to the apartment.

“Home sweet home. Oh, and no-one take the bint’s blindfold off yet,” Spike said very distinctly. “I just have to open up the cellar.” A minute or so later, he called out. “Okay, we’re ready. Pet, bring the bint along and we’ll lead her down. The rest of you can follow.”

“Sure,” was Willow’s single word answer. She led Holly towards the trapdoor in the hallway floor, and positioned her carefully. Spike took hold of her feet and led the blindfolded girl carefully down the steep steps into the cellar.

Having manoeuvered Holly into the cellar they sat her down and locked her wrists behind her in a kitchen chair. The handcuffs were looped through the wooden arches at the back of the chair, guaranteeing that she would be unable to move.

Willow called out from the cellar “Okay, you can come down now. Be careful it’s very steep.”

Once the others had all negotiated the steep and slightly rickety steps, they gathered together. “What’s with all the curtains Wills?” Xander asked, curiously.

“Oh, nothing really. It just looks nicer than bare brick. And it’ll be useful now, because she won’t see anything that could identify where she was, if she ever remembers.” Willow answered easily.

“Let’s get started then, shall we?” Spike’s natural impatience asserted itself in the tone of his voice. “Ripper, would you do the honours? Y’know, link her up to the drug and stuff.”

Giles nodded and went to the small collection of medical equipment adjacent to one wall. As he did so, Spike began to speak. “All right, Holly. I want you to listen carefully. We know who employs you, who it is who provides you with bodyguards. It’s the Order of Taraka.”

“So, you know just how dead you’re going to be then, right?” Holly spat back.

“I doubt it. Y’see we’re beginning to set up some truth drugs and some spells luv. You’ll tell us more than we ever wanted to know, and you won’t be able to help yourself.”

“The Order will crush you!”

“I really doubt it ducks. Y’see when we’ve finished, we’ll wipe your memory completely of this little incident, and leave a rather curious and quite unbelievable story about you being abducted by aliens.”

Her gasp at Spike’s suggestion was enough. She was beginning to become very scared now. He could smell her fear as it flooded her system, the pheromones filling the air. “Now ducks, are you going to answer our questions nicely, or are we goio hao have to get nasty?”

“Do your worst, you walking corpse.”

Willow laughed coldly. “Holly, dear,” she said, making ‘dear’ sound like the vilest insult, “he may be a walking corpse, but he’s got more life in him now than you’ve ever had. Now listen to me, you bitch. You’re going to tell us everything we want to know, one way or another. Now, personally I’m hoping that the spells and drugs don’t work, because then I’ll get a chance to get my own back on you for high school, so think very carefully Holly. Because you could end up rather … unattractive if I get my way.”

Everyone else in the room looked at the petite redhead in open shock. They had never heard Willow speak so coldly or bluntly, not even in the recent past. Spike’s eyebrow raised questioningly at the redhead as Giles asked, “Willow, what on earth’s wrong?”

“This bitch not only made my life hell during high school, Giles, but now she’s trying to have both Spike and I killed. Well, no more!” She spun and delivered a savage slap across Holly’s face. “No more you cow! I won’t let you hurt me again.”

Spike pulled the enraged redhead into his arms, “Calm down pet, calm down. As far as I’m concerned, after we’re done you can cut her into inch size cubes and feed her to the pigs, but don’t damage her before we know what we need to.” He began to stroke her hair gently, soothingly and encouraging her to regain her composure.

Willow began to relax into Spike’s arms once more. “I just want to know who’s trying to kill us Spike. Please. Let’s get it over with,” she said, once more under control.

“Ripper, I think you’d better start the Pent. I don’t think Red here’s ready to work her mojo just yet.”

“Are you sure Spike? We had planned to use this as an addition to the magic, not alone. We’ve prepared it that way.”

Spike nodded. “Bloody hell, Ripper, you’re right.”

“I-I can still d-do the spells,” Willow said, stuttering slightly as she regained control of her temper. “I’ve got both locked into crystals.”

“Pet, you’re a bloody marvel!”

“Spells! What are you people gonna do to me?”

Xander chuckled evilly. He understood how Willow felt, even though he had not suffered anywhere nearly as much as she. The desire for payback, however, became overwhelming. “Well, what I’m going to do it to try and convince W-Red not to turn you into a cockroach when we’ve finished.”

“A what!” Shrieked Holly.

“A ‘roach,” Willow confirmed coldly. “Now, last chance before I use the spells, bitch. Who contracted you to kill Spike and I.”

Holly shuddered, I can’t tell you. The Order’ll kill me if I do. Don’t you people care?”

“Honestly, no, I don’t,” Willow said brutally. “It looks like you’re in trouble Holly. Either you tell us and hope the Order understands, or we will do far worse than kill you. Unless, of course, you like the idea of living your days out as a cockroach.”

Holly remained silent.

“Oh well,” Willow murmured, and activated both the truth-detection and will-weakening spells.

Spike took over, once again. “Now Holly, listen carefully. There are two spells operating on you now. One lets us know when you’re lying, and the other suppresses your own will, it makes it too difficult for you to do anything other than just make us happy. If it turns out that they aren’t enough, then we’ve also got some truth serum on hand; so, ducks, you’re fucked. Now, I know I’m a vampire, but, believe it or not, I don’t really want to hurt you. Oh, not because I don’t like it, but because it’s counter productive. If I go too far, you’ll tell me what I want to hear, just to make all the pain stop. But what I really want is the truth. Understand that ducks?”

Holly nodded, trembling.

“Now Holly, why don’t you tell me a little about the contract on Willow and I?”

She drew a breath and began, haltingly. “There … isn’t a contract … on you both. I-It’s … just on you. Willow is-isn’t meant to-to be harmed. Nor … was anyone else. The-The client was … very clear … about that.” Every word was dragged from her. The audience could sense the internal struggle she was undergoing, trying with what remnants of willpower she could summon to hold back, and the spells stopping her from doing so.

Spike nodded and said “Very good Holly,” in an encouraging tone. Now ducks, why did you approve an attack that could have killed dozens, in contravention of the client’s requirements?”

“I didn’t” Holly bristled at the suggestion. “That was that pair of idiots operating alone. They didn’t tell me what they planned. If I ever catch them, they’re toast.”

Willow laughed coldly. “You won’t. They decided to visit Fort Knox. The bullion vault to be precise.”

“What? How?”

Willow just laughed, but said only, “Just answer the questions Holly. I may even let you stay human”

Spike intervened again. “Okay Holly, as I understand it, if a client dies, so does the contract, correct?” She nodded in response and Spike continued, speaking softly. “So, who want’s me dead?”

Holly laughed bitterly. “Just about the whole demon community. You’re their Benedict Arnold.” This time there was no hesitation in her speech. She enjoyed twisting the knife like that.

“Ducks, where I come from, he’s a hero, so thanks. So, let me ask the question distinctly. Who contracted the Order to kill me?”

Holly struggled, seconds mounted as she tried to keep silent; but the spells worked too well, and eventually she gasped out a name. “Angel.”