“I still don’t believe Riley could have done this?” Dawn said. Her face was still wet from the tears she’d cried. She hadn’t known Diane extremely well, but she still mourned the slayer’s death.
“I’m not saying Riley was directly related,” Giles said. “Although, he was rather cold when I last spoke with him. But the Initiative certainly had no qualms about killing innocents who interfered with them. And certainly Diane’s death made it easier for these commandos to capture Connor.”
Kennedy had finished bandaging Mary and was staring intently at Giles. “You two are still skirting my question. What is Connor?”
Giles was still fidgeting with the cross necklace Kennedy had brought back to him. “Dawn . . . when exactly did you perform the spell to summon all the slayers?”
“I already checked the timeline. He was in that sporting goods store one day before Willow did the spell. It’s close, but it can’t be because of the spell.”
“Still,” Kennedy said. “There’s actually no indication that he actually had any powers when he was in the store. From the tape, it looked like Angel handled him pretty easily. And Dana . . . didn’t she have nightmares induced by memories of other slayers before she was called?”
Giles nodded slowly, but his nod was more one of inner reflection than agreement with Kennedy. “Whatever the specific case, I believe . . . I believe we should operate on the assumption that Connor is human.”
“Even if he’s not,” Dawn said with a quivering voice. “He clearly has at least one enemy in common with us. Maybe we should bring Willow in on this.”
“Unfortunately, a powerful Wicca is causing a bit of a stir in Paris,” Giles said. “She won’t be back for at least a week.”
*
“You’re not going to eat?” the woman said. She was pretty and looked fairly young.
“It’s drugged,” Connor said, not looking up. He sat hunched in a corner, tending to his wounds.
“You’re being paranoid,” she laughed.
“I can smell it,” Connor answered, still not looking up.
“Damn,” the woman laughed. “They told me it would be scentless. With all the money we spend on drug development, you think our scentless drugs would actually be scentless.”
Connor finally looked up. “Well,” he smiled. “Scentless to you and scentless to me aren’t the same thing.”
“Good point,” the woman smiled.
Connor had finally bandaged his wounds. He stood and walked to the front of the cell, standing less than an inch from the Plexiglas. “You’re Eve. Aren’t you?”
Eve smiled. “Your daddy tell you about me?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“We were wondering how you’d respond. Your father cut a deal with us so we’d do a spell to change your memories.”
“Sounds like him,” Connor said, looking intently at one side of Eve’s head, then the other.
“Then of course he broke the deal,” Eve continued.
“That sounds like him, too,” Connor said, still examining the sides of Eve’s head.
“I guess it . . . what are you doing?” Eve had resolved not to lose her composure, but Connor was really freaking her out.
“I’m trying to figure out which ear I want,” he said plainly.
Eve laughed, despite the chill that ran through her. “You think you’re actually getting out of this place?” She sat down with a smug grin. “I actually lobbied for that. I said the best way to hurt Angel would be to turn you into a killer. After all, it’s not that far of a trip. But the Junior Partners have other plans for you. So, sweetie, it looks like you’re never getting out of here.”
Connor smirked.
“What’s so funny?” Eve said, attempting to keep her calm appearance. But she couldn’t hide the fact that Connor gave her a serious case of the creeps. She hadn’t expected that.
“Do you have any idea what Quar’Toth is like?” Connor asked, sitting down again. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to get out of there?” Connor looked around his cell with a condescending smirk. “This place? Easy.”
“Well, while you’re here, the Junior Partners have decided you’ll fight in an arena for entertainment,” Eve said, looking at her nails.
“Forget it.”
“Bring her in,” Eve said loudly.
Two guards dragged Janice into the hallway where Eve was talking to Connor.
“What’s she doing here?!”
“Motivation,” Eve said. “You remember Dr. Corvino, don’t you?” Eve said. “The kindly older gentleman from Hungary who tortured you the better part of the morning? Well, you don’t even want to know what he has planned for your girlfriend here. Suffice to say, she’d be unable to have any children when it was over. Well, any human children anyway.”
Connor gritted his teeth angrily and thought about trying to punch through the Plexiglas, even though he knew it was hopeless. “Let her go.”
“Come on. Like we’re really going to do that. What I can do is not torture the living hell out of her. But of course, that means you have to play ball.”
“Play ball? I thought you wanted me to fight in an arena.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “It’s an expression you moron.”
*
“Don’t walk away from me, you bastard,” Giles said, grabbing Riley’s shoulder. Riley threw his elbow back and hit Giles in the stomach. The watcher doubled over in pain.
“Sorry,” Riley said, turning to face Giles. “Reflex.” Riley grabbed Giles arm and tried to help him straighten up, but the older man pulled away. Riley sighed. “I understand why you’d be suspicious. I really do. But my organization would never murder a slayer. Nor would they kidnap a civilian.”
“I seem to recall you once belonging to an organization that attempted to murder a slayer. As for Janice, I’m sure you’re now aware that she has a relationship, however weak, with Connor.”
“Maggie Walsh was acting on her own authority.”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I’m afraid I don’t speak army.”
“She was acting without the knowledge or consent of her superiors. There is much more stringent oversight now. We would never intentionally kill a slayer. And we don’t have Connor. I’d know if we did.”
Giles frowned. He wanted to not believe Riley. He was a government agent, trained to lie. But Riley had always been an Iowa farm boy at heart. His flimsy attempt to feign surprise when Giles told him Connor wasn’t a vampire was proof enough he hadn’t yet learned to deceive Giles.
“Mr. Giles,” Riley said nervously as the watcher turned to go. Giles turned back. Riley spoke to him hesitantly. “If Connor’s not a vampire . . . what is he?”
*
“He a warrior!” the announcer shouted. “He’s an enigma! He’s a living miracle!”
The crowd roared.
“Standing five feet, eleven and a half inches tall, weighing a hundred and forty-one pounds, Connor Angel is estimated to be roughly eighteen years old. But don’t let his slight frame fool you. Being the only creature born of two vampires, he has speed, strength, and senses superior to that of your average bloodsucker. So, of course, he’ll be given no weapons!”
The crowd roared as odds began flashing across the Jumbotrons.
“And of course,” the announcer shouted gleefully, “tonight is a full moon!”
The crowd roared louder.
“And as a special full moon treat, he will be fighting not one, but two werewolves!”
“You look nervous,” Eve taunted from the video screen. She was sitting safely in her luxury box, high up in the large, enclosed arena.
“Just curious,” Connor said as tied his shoes. “I never fought a werewolf before.” He looked up at the screen. “Show me Janice. I want to know she’s safe.”
“Wow. She must give great head for you to be this love struck.” Eve frowned when she saw Connor’s confused look. She was constantly forgetting his unfamiliarity with colloquialisms.
“I’m not love struck,” Connor said defiantly. “She just . . . she reminds me of someone I hurt once.”
“She’s safe,” Eve said. “She’s here with me. And Dr. Corvino. And if you lose in the ring today, Connor, Dr. Corvino gets to take her to his shop.”
“Then she has nothing to worry about,” Connor said dispassionately. He looked up at the monitor and smiled menacingly. “I’ll see you soon, Eve.”
Eve shivered despite herself. She knew she was safer than the President in her luxury box. But Connor’s calm and confident demeanor seemed more dangerous and threatening than Patton’s Third Army.
Connor walked out of the training room where he’d been held and into the arena. A mixture of cheers and boos met him as he did. He quickly looked around the field of play, taking in all of its details with the photographic memory he inherited from his father. It was covered with faux mausoleums made of plaster and real foliage and trees. Luckily, Connor inherited his father’s hearing, instincts, and reflexes. Otherwise, the werewolf sitting on the perch above the entrance to the arena would have taken Connor unaware.
Connor turned quickly as the werewolf jumped from the perch. He grabbed the wolf and pushed it away just in time to avoid getting bitten. Connor rolled and flipped the wolf onto its back. He straddled it and glanced around, trying to find a weapon. Then he heard the sound of fast approaching footsteps. The other werewolf was on its way. Connor leapt from the wolf, flying up several feet into the branch of one of the trees.
The charging wolf leapt up toward Connor. Connor immediately jumped from the branch onto one of the plaster mausoleums. The result was the same for both. The wolf landed on a branch unable to support its weight. The branch snapped and the wolf slammed into the ground. Connor fell through the roof of the poorly constructed structure and crashed to the ground.
The first wolf, now recovered from Connor’s attack, charged the mausoleum, smashing through the shabby wall and pouncing on Connor. Connor grabbed a handful of the dusty debris from the roof and flung it in the wolf’s eye. The wolf howled but, using its sense of smell, continued its charge. The other wolf charged in as well. The audience booed as the events inside the cheap structure were obscured from them.
Connor leapt over the first wolf and dropkicked the second as it entered the phony building. The first wolf had come around and was charging Connor from behind. Connor spun and kicked, nailing the wolf in the jaw and knocking it away. He ducked as the second wolf swiped at him, again from behind. He threw the wolf off by backing into it instead of running away. Then a powerful elbow to the wolf’s gut pushed it back through the hole. The audience cheered.
Connor spun and slammed the wall with both hands. The poorly made and already battered facade ripped free from the rest of the structure. However, it was still heavy. It crashed down on op of the wolf outside, knocking it unconscious.
The audience cheered louder, not only because they could now see the action, but because one of the combatants had finally been subdued. Connor turned back to the first wolf, which had recovered from his kick.
Connor ran from the wolf back toward the tree he’d jumped into earlier. Connor grabbed the tree and spun around it, kicking the wolf from behind as it tried to follow him. Connor threw two hard punches into the trunk of the tree. The tree broke and hit the wolf as it fell over. The beast staggered to its feet as Connor ripped the fallen tree from the trunk. Then, with three quick slams with the makeshift club, he subdued the second wolf.
The audience roared its approval in a deafening decibel. Even the spectators who’d bet on the wolves felt a surge of excitement in the victor of the underdog.
“Ladies and gentleman!” the announcer roared. “We have a-”
The audience let out a collective gasp of shock as Connor jumped from the ground up to perch above the breezeway into the arena. From there, he leapt again, clearing more yardage than one would think possible, even for a vampire.
Connor landed on the Plexiglas dome to Eve’s luxury box. The lawyer gave a squeal of fear, despite the knowledge that she was safe. Connor reached up and grabbed a pipe connected to the sprinklers and ripped it loose. As water sprayed Connor, he slammed the metal bar into the Plexiglas, attempting to smash it open.
Guards with hoses shot a powerful blast of water at Connor, knocking him from the dome. He got to his feet and glared at Eve, then walked to the unconscious werewolves. He looked around to see if he could find something sharp. Not seeing anything, he reached down and plucked one of the wolves’ eye balls out. The crowds’ cheers rose to a deafening tone.
*
“Since when did Buffy’s little sister take over?” Faith said derisively.
“Come on, Faith,” Wood said as he sat next to the slayer.
“What’s going on here?” Faith asked.
“Not sure. But it’s good to see you again.”
“Don’t start,” she said, rolling his eyes.
Except for Willow, the rest of the senior watchers and slayers filed into the conference room. Buffy sat in the back, not really wanting to be involved. There was a dispute between her and the other senior council members about whether her boyfriend, the Immortal, should be trusted to attend these meetings. As soon as they started talking, Buffy’s mind began wandering.
“We’re hoping Willow will get here in a couple hours,” Dawn started.
“A couple hours!” Faith exclaimed. “Who has time for that?”
“Faith,” Giles said reproachfully.
“Seriously. I’m in San Francisco. I want to do some shopping and maybe bang Robin a couple times.”
Wood closed his eyes and looked down, embarrassed.
“Ah,” Giles said. “Well, yes. That’s obviously much more important than the first male slayer in history.”
The room went silent. Dawn gritted her teeth uncomfortably and then began. “The day before Willow called all the slayers, a young man took a sporting goods store hostage. We know very little about him except that he knows Angel. We don’t know when the powers arose, but Connor has superhuman speed and strength.”
“Wait a minute,” Faith interrupted. “You said Connor?”
“Yeah,” Dawn said.
“Who knows Angel and has super powers?”
Dawn and Giles looked at each other, wondering how Faith, of all people, could know more about this boy than they did. Then again, she had spent quite a bit of time with Angel.
“That’s right,” Dawn said.
“Are you sure we’re not just talking about Angel’s kid?”
“Angel’s what?” Buffy yelled from the back of the room.
“Kid,” Faith answered, before realizing the many, many reasons that was a difficult concept, particularly for Buffy.
“Define . . . kid,” Dawn said, hoping for an explanation.
“Buffy,” Faith said, inhaling deeply as if that would soften the blow. “Angel has a son.”
“Everyone get out,” Giles said.
“Forget it,” Kennedy said. “I want to see the fight.”
“Get out!” he shouted. Buffy and Faith stared at each other, Faith remorsefully and Buffy angrily. Everyone else stood and began filing out. Dawn began walking past Giles when the watcher reached out and touched her arm, indicating he wanted her to stay. “She’ll need her sister,” he said quietly.
*
“So, tell me Connor,” Dr. Corvino smiled as he shut off the battery. “Does electrocution hurt more or less when I apply the honey?”
Connor just glared at him.
“Are you looking at my ears?” Corvino smiled. “Which do you thin you’ll take.”
“I only take trophies from attractive things,” Connor said.
Corvino frowned. “I’m hurt.” He nodded to the guards. “Take him back to his cell.”
“But Eve wanted him worked on for another hour,” the guard said.
“Three is enough,” Corvino said coldly. “I’m done with him.”
Eve entered the “interview room” after Connor left. “You meant it, didn’t you?” she asked. “You really are hurt that he wouldn’t take a trophy from you.”
“Pain is my art,” Corvino said, putting away his tools. “I can think of no greater compliment than to have one who has suffered so much respect the pain I can inflict.”
“It’s a bit of a moot point, isn’t it? I mean, he’ll never have the chance.”
Corvino shook his head. “He will.” He turned and looked at the clearly frightened Eve. “The boy was trained to kill. And he is good at it. But that’s not why he was born. He was born and, in fact, his entire body was designed, to survive. Any creature who could endure Quar'Toth would certainly find a way to escape this place. No matter what precautions we take.”
“Then we should kill him now.” Eve was grateful. Connor scared her. She’d wanted since the moment she met him some excuse to kill the boy.
“The Junior Partners forbid it. And, until contact can be reestablished with the Senior Partners, they’re in charge.”
“But your life is in danger. Isn’t that more important.”
Corvino looked at Eve and she could see the admiration gleaming in his eyes. “I would rather die than destroy such a creature.” He smiled warmly, like a doting uncle. “Pain is my art. I must respect those who do it better than I.”
*
Buffy was staring at the floor. It had all been too much to take in, but, having died twice, why couldn’t two vampires have a son? “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“We were fighting the First,” Faith said. “Willow and I thought you needed to be focused.”
“And after that?” Buffy asked.
“I . . . I forgot.”
“You forgot?” Buffy yelled.
“Yes, Faith,” Giles said. “Please explain to me how one forgets one of the most unique, and perhaps most dangerous, creatures in the history of mankind.”
“He’s strong and he’s impulsive,” Faith said. “But the kid’s not dangerous. I could take him down easy. Already have once.”
“Then we just have to find him,” Buffy said.
“How?” Dawn asked.
“You think Riley was on the level when he said his guys didn’t do this?” Buffy asked Giles.
“He was being up front with me. Whether his organization is being up front with him, I don’t know.”
“Angel cut a deal with Wolfram & Hart, then broke it,” Buffy said. “I have to believe, even after killing Angel, they’d go after his son. They have the resources to do this and I doubt they’d hesitate to kill a slayer.”
“Then I guess we’ve narrowed our list of suspects down to one,” Faith said. “Now we just have to figure out where they’re keeping him.”
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