Act 4
Cut To:
Int.
Presidium Caverns – Continuous
Vi screamed and raced toward the opening, but Kennedy snagged her by the waist and prevented her from going inside. Buffy turned sharply and blocked the other side of the doorway, so no one else would try to enter.
“Get her out of here!” Kennedy ordered sharply to the six other slayers on Rona’s and Vi’s teams. Vi fought against her hold, but Kennedy overpowered her and pushed her toward the other slayers, who immediately grabbed her. “Get everyone out and take cover outside. Understood?”
“I’m staying,” Mia told her defiantly.
“No, you’re going too,” Kennedy pointed to the group.
“But you don’t know –”
“No arguments,” Kennedy told her. “We need strong slayers, mentally and physically, to see this through, so go! Now!”
Mia looked frustrated and hurt all at once. Kennedy immediately looked toward Lori, who now supported a sobbing Vi. She nodded and motioned to the girls to leave.
“Leave three swords,” Kennedy added. Lori motioned to her girls and they handed the swords over to Robin before she turned the corner and left the group’s sight.
“We’re coming, Baby,” Robin called over to Faith.
Again, Faith began to vigorously shake her head no.
“Not you. Us,” Buffy told him, pointing to herself and Kennedy. “You’re staying right here.”
“Buffy –”
“No, Robin. If we get hurt in there, you might be the only one strong enough to carry Faith if she’s injured. Got it?”
Reluctantly, he nodded. Kennedy pulled her stake from her jacket and tossed it into the room. As it clattered against the ground, Faith pressed her body close against the wall. A host of arrows narrowly streamed by from both sides of the room.
“Oh boy,” Kennedy sighed. “This one’s gonna be tricky.”
Buffy deadpanned, “You don’t say.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Library – Moments Later
The Council’s senior watchers, along with Dawn and Skye, all sat at the library’s largest table, surrounded by a host of books and maps.
“Slayer One to Watcher One. Over?”
Rowena, Willow and Giles looked at each other as they heard Kennedy’s voice come over the airwaves. Giles hit the call button on the two-way radio. “Watcher One here.”
“We’ve found Faith alive, but she’s in a booby-trapped room. We think we’ve destroyed the power source with a crossbow bolt. but we can’t say for sure. Buffy and I are going in. But you might want to get a few more girls out here with weapons…just in case. Over.”
Giles pressed the button again. “We’ll put a team together and send them to the location. When you have Faith, radio us back.”
“Copy that. Over and out.”
Willow looked up to Giles. “The Presidium’s trying to do it again, aren’t they?”
“I’m afraid so,” Giles answered.
“We’ve got to narrow in on these guys, Giles, and take the fight to them.”
“I realize that,” Giles answered.
“How many more guerrilla warfare tactics can we survive? Honestly.” Rowena added. “We’ve got half of that team from this morning laying in the infirmary and none will be up too soon, and that’s if they survive through the night.”
“I realize that, too,” Giles replied. Everyone fell silent for a moment until he spoke again. “You said you might have found a connection.”
“More like a long shot,” Rowena answered, “but that’s more than what we had yesterday.”
“We’ll help,” Dawn said, pointing to herself and Skye. “The Demon Codex and Dimensional Glossary to start with?” she asked.
“Gooda place as any,” Willow told her. As if noticing the younger Summers’s distress, Willow added, “I’m sure Buffy will be okay. Even if it might not seem like it lately, she’s still a slayer, after all.”
Dawn gave a nod as she and Skye got up and left the room. Giles filed out behind them.
“Gonna miss the research party?” Willow asked.
“I need to coordinate the extra troops,” Giles answered. “But I’ll be back.”
“Giles?” Willow asked, making him stop. “What if we lose them? The four of them, I mean. What if –?”
“Willow, do shut up,” Giles said before leaving the room.
Rowena and Willow looked at each other. Rowena clenched her teeth, holding back the pain, as she reached for a legal pad. “You made a good point, Will. Let’s work on a contingency plan while we’re waiting.”
Willow nodded in agreement.
Cut To:
Int.
Presidium Caverns – Same Time
Kennedy handed the walkie-talkie to Robin and he traded her two swords. Faith began to mumble behind the gag, shaking her head furiously again.
“Faith? Forget it,” Buffy called across. “We’re coming in, so drop it.”
Faith chewed on the gag in frustration at the blonde slayer, unable to respond. But that didn’t stop her eyes from glaring daggers in Buffy’s direction.
“Love you, too,” Buffy teased, fully aware of what the look meant. With a grin to Kennedy, Buffy continued, “Actually, when we get her free can we keep her gagged?”
Faith grumbled from the other side of the room as Buffy gave a short laugh. Kennedy tried her best not to smile, but it seemed to only make it worse. Her shoulders started to rise and fall and she hid her lips behind her hand.
“Is now really the time for cracking jokes?” Robin criticized, not amused in the least.
“No, probably not. Just a tension breaker, that’s all,” Buffy explained in a guilty voice. “Old habit. Okay? Ready?” she asked Kennedy.
Kennedy took a step toward the room, but Buffy grabbed her elbow.
“I go first. You walk behind me.”
“You’re not in charge here,” Kennedy reminded her.
“No, but I’ve lived longer than any slayer has a right to. You’ve still got a few more good years left in you, Ken. But I’ll tell you what. You order me to go first. How’s that?”
Kennedy gave a light grin and shook her head in wonder at how ridiculous it sounded. After a few seconds, she stepped to the side and motioned Buffy to move ahead. Buffy paused for a moment, picked up some small rocks by the cave wall and tossed them into the room. Nothing happened.
Carefully, she tiptoed inside, taking in every corner of the room. Nothing happened. She and Kennedy crept closer and closer until they were a sword’s swing from Faith.
“This was way too easy,” Kennedy said.
Buffy shrugged, “Guess we’ll find out for sure right now.”
The blonde slayer swung her sword, connecting with the shackle and breaking it free. They all seemed to cower, waiting for another unseen attack. It didn’t come. Realizing nothing happened, they all rose to their original heights again.
Faith briskly pulled down the gag.
“You are such a bitch, B.” Faith looked over and saw Robin stepping forward. “No way, Ace, you stay right there.” Quickly she directed her anger back to Buffy. “I told you not to come in here. But what do you do?” she asked as she freed her other arm and began to work on her feet. “Same thing as always, play the hero. And you?” Faith pointed at Kennedy as she rose up again. “If I’m gone, these girls need you. What the hell were you thinking?”
Buffy turned to Kennedy. “Told ya we shoulda left the gag in.” Quickly, she turned back to Faith. “Can we walk more and argue less right now?”
“After you, your highness,” Faith said as she gave a grand sweeping gesture of her hand.
“You realize,” Buffy began as she walked, “a thank you wouldn’t be outta line here. In fact –”
As Buffy tried to pass through the entryway she hit an invisible barrier and fell backward. After seeing Buffy fall, Robin tried to put his arm out to help her, but he, too, was unable to get through.
“Knew it was too easy,” Kennedy muttered.
“Shh,” Faith said, placing a finger over her lips. “Hear that?”
Kennedy and Buffy both stopped and listened closely. All three of them simultaneously looked up at the ceiling, where the noise of steel hitting steel was steadily growing louder.
“Are those bats?” Kennedy asked.
“Bats don’t make a metal noise,” Faith answered.
Suddenly a swarm of creatures descended on the trio.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Same Time
“Slayer One to Watcher One,” Robin called over the radio frantically.
“Oh gods,” Willow sighed and hit the button. “Go ahead, Robin.”
Cut To:
Int.
Presidium Caverns – Same Time
Robin spoke into the radio as he helplessly watched the three women on the other side battle with the flying objects. Buffy and Kennedy both swung at the projectiles, but seemed to do little damage. Those they managed to knock down took flight again with their razor sharp wings.
“There’s a barrier in the room and the girls can’t get out,” he told her.
“Okay, Okay,” Willow told him. “Get as close as you can and hold the radio out toward the barrier.”
Robin held the radio out and pressed the button. “Go ahead,” he said, quickly releasing it.
Willow paused a moment and took a deep breath before she started to chant, her voice projecting toward the unseen barricade.
Buffy turned to strike an object heading for Faith, but failed to notice a second one approaching behind her.
“B, Look out,” Faith yelled and pushed Buffy to the ground. The blonde slayer dropped her sword, so Faith picked it up and watched as another of the creatures barreled toward her. She waited until the last moment and stepped aside. As it whizzed past her she turned sharply, taking off its metal wing. It flopped helplessly on the ground, unable to move.
“Aim for the wings, Slick,” Faith called over.
Back on the other side of the barrier, Robin reached out his hand, but it came to a dead stop.
“Nothing, Will. It didn’t work.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Library – Same Time
“What in the world,” Willow muttered before hitting the button again. “Okay, repeat after me, Robin. Giù parete, parete di caduta, parete aperta.
Cut To:
Int.
Presidium Caverns – Same Time
As Robin stood outside chanting the words Willow fed him, the slayers continued to strike the creatures out of the air. As Kennedy slew the last one, the entrance of the cavern suddenly flickered and she put her arm through. Seeing they could now escape, all three swiftly moved out.
“Thanks, Will,” Robin said into the radio. “We’re on our way.”
“You okay, Ace?” Faith asked.
Robin shook his head. “Am I okay?” he asked, with a hint of disbelief. He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed the crown of her head as he sighed in relief.
“I’m all for the love and kisses here, but we gotta go,” Kennedy told them.
Without further prompting, they all began to race down the corridor.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Library– Same Time
“Okay, that’s just screwed up,” Willow said as she faced Rowena.
“What?” the Watcher asked.
“Robin had to cast the spell. I wasn’t able to,” Willow answered, seeming perplexed by the thought.
“Perhaps you needed to be there?”
“Maybe but…it’s kinda weak for a high priestess though, don’t you think?”
“Honestly?” Rowena asked. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Besides, you can’t say that your focus right now is, well, focused. You’ve got a lot on your shoulders, so just take it easy.”
“Oh yeah, this from the woman that should be in a hospital bed right now.”
“Touché,” Rowena answered with a guilty grin.
Cut To:
Ext.
Outside Presidium Caverns – Moments Later
The quartet emerged from the cavern, but no one was around. Kennedy gave a whistle and a few slayers began to stand up from their hiding places. As they all began to gather in one area, Faith heard the sound of rushing feet and turned to look behind herself.
A host of at least a hundred demons began to storm out of the cavern, racing toward them.
“Son of a bitch,” Faith mumbled before giving the sword in her hand a twirl, preparing herself for their arrival. “Slice and move!” Faith called out.
“Here,” Robin said, thrusting the extra sword he held toward Buffy.
“No. You keep it,” Buffy answered as she raced to meet the demon wave.
Buffy tackled the first demon she met. Both of them crashed to the ground and she picked up his fallen axe, using it against him. Without wasting a moment, she followed Faith’s orders and continued to strike demons with lightning speed before moving on to the next. She glanced over to see Kennedy holding her own against three demons that surrounded her.
The younger slayer worked herself between two demons, one at her front and one at her back. As they both closed in to strike, Kennedy flipped backwards, so the demons skewered each other instead of her. With one fluid swing, she took down the third.
She turned to see a demon run his sword through another slayer and quickly move on to cut down another. At the same time, Mia noticed the highly effective demon cutting through their troops. She raced toward him from the opposite direction of Kennedy. When the two slayers were both close enough to engage him, they both swung from opposite sides, aiming for his head. His body fell to the ground and both slayers found their swords now touching each other, meeting where his neckline used to be.
Faith sliced at the tide coming toward her and kicked each one over to Robin. In almost a production line fashion, she wounded them and Robin finished them off by stabbing their chests or slicing their necks.
As the demons regrouped, they formed a line in front of the slayers. Exhausted but determined, the slayers lined up across from them and moved a few paces back. Faith looked behind them to see the lake only a few yards away. Quickly, she turned back to the snarling fiends in front of them. Twenty or so slayers stood around her. They looked determined, anxious to charge ahead.
“Stay tight,” Faith called out to the slayers. “On my order!”.
Kennedy looked around to see slayers and demons alike splayed across the lakefront grass around her group in various states of injury or death. She tightened her grip on her sword.
The beasts attempted to taunt and intimidate the slayers, swinging swords and gnashing their fangs. But then the confidence quickly scurried from their faces and a look of fear took shape. Their leader called out and began to run. “Retreat!”
Confused, Buffy and Faith looked at each other. Suddenly, the sound of rushing water drowned out the sound of the fleeing demons. The slayers all turned toward the noise to see a massive monster, about four stories tall, surface from the water. Instinctively, they all began to move from the water’s edge. As the beast took its first step, it sent a tidal wave in their direction.
Faith dropped her sword and grabbed Buffy and Kennedy on each side of her as the water rushed toward them. She screamed to her troops, which were already scattering in every direction..
“Ruuuuun!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.
Black Out
To be continued…
End of Another Day
SEASON ONE FINALE TEASER VIDEO!
In the explosive (literally) finale of Watchers Season One, the Council takes the fight to the Presidium in a last-ditch attempt to stop its plans for, you guessed it, the end of the world.
Click here to read “Another Apocalypse” now!