The Ghosts That Haunt Me: An Alias/Buffy Crossover
By: Sam Lincoln
Rating PG-13
Summary: A Rambaldi prophecy sends Sydney to Sunnydale in search of "The
Chosen One."
Spoilers: General spoilers for the current seasons of Alias, Buffy and
Angel, but nothing specific to any storyline.
Disclaimer: All characters from /Buffy/ and /Angel/ are property of
Mutant Enemy. All characters from /Alias/ are property of Bad Robot and
Touchstone Television. All characters are used without permission and no
infringement is intended.
The Ghosts that Haunt Me: Chapter Two
"Riley, hi, uhm, now is really not a good time. Why don't you come back
tomorrow." Buffy was at a lose as to why Riley was on her doorstep, but
she knew she couldn't let him see Sydney; that would lead to some rather
awkward attempts at an explanation.
Riley stepped around Buffy and entered the house, "No, this is urgent."
He noticed the overturned coffee table. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing wrong, we were just redecorating. You know, Feng Shui,"
Buffy insisted. She positioned herself between Riley and the living room.
"Buffy, this is no time for games. There's a government agent in town
and I need to find her."
"Did you say government agent?"
"Yes."
"Did you say her?"
"Yes. Buffy, do you know something?"
"Um, maybe, her name wouldn't happen to be Sydney Bristow would it?"
Riley sighed, "What did you do to her?"
"She's tied up in the living room," Buffy admitted. "But she was
snooping around for information about me, used an alias, kicked that
table in my face and knocked out everyone else."
Riley walked into the living room and knelt down next to Sydney who had
started to come to. "Relax Agent Bristow, my name is Riley Finn, Vaughn
sent me. I'll get you out here." Riley reached for the ropes holding Sydney.
"Not so fast Riley," Buffy said. "She doesn't get cut loose until we get
some answers, and just telling me she's a government agent won't cut it.
Maggie Walsh was a government Agent too Finn."
Riley sighed, "That's not my call to make. This is classified stuff; I
didn't even know about Agent Bristow's mission until her handler briefed
me this morning. You'll have to trust me, she's on of the good guys."
"Then we have a problem, because that's not good enough," Buffy folded
her arms across her chest and stared defiantly at Riley. "She attacked
me Riley, and frankly I'm batting about 50-50 with 'government agents.'
They're either my friend or they try to kill me, so pardon me if I don't
act a little suspicious."
Sydney glanced back and forth between Buffy and Riley in confusion. She
had no idea who this man was, but he apparently knew Vaughn as well as
Buffy. Xander saw the expression on Sydney's face and took pity on her.
"They used to date," he explained, thinking this was what confused Sydney.
"It didn't last," Anya elaborated.
"I can tell," Sydney commented.
"What's with all the shouting?" Willow asked as she walked in from the
kitchen. "Oh hi Riley," she said absent-mindedly.
"Hey Willow," Riley automatically replied.
"How's itwait a second, Riley, what are you dong here?"
"One of our agents was sent to Sunnydale and she's currently sitting in
that chair," Riley explained.
"Oh, so will we be needing that truth potion? Cause at this point I
could just turn it into milkshakes instead, it can go either way."
"Wait, why didn't an Initiative agent know who Buffy is?"
"That's because I'm not part of any Initiative," Sydney snapped. "If I
tell you the truth about me you'll let me go, right?"
Buffy nodded, "Sure."
"You don't have to," Riley interjected. "You shouldn't have to expose
yourself like this."
Sydney sighed, "No, it's ok. It's my story and I can tell it; whether
Vaughn likes it or not." She took a deep breath, "My name is Sydney
Bristow and I work for the CIA. When I was a freshman in college I was
recruited to join an organization called SD-6. At the time I thought it
was a division of the CIA."
"At the time? But I thought you said you worked for the CIA?" Willow asked.
"I do now," Sydney replied. "SD-6 is actually led by a group of rogue
CIA agents working for the highest bidder. I found that out after they
killed my fiancée."
"They did what?" Buffy asked, not sure if she had heard Sydney right.
"They killed him," Sydney repeated. "You have to understand that most of
the people who work for SD-6 believe they work for the CIA; in sort of a
Mission: Impossible style outfit. And one of the Central rules at SD-6
is that no-one can know that you work there. I told Danny, and he died.
Buffy saw a familiar look in Sydney's eyes, guilt. She had seen it in
her own eyes after she killed Angel. "So let me guess, you then vowed to
destroy SD-6 and avenger your fiancee's death?"
Sydney smiled, "What, you know this story? Yes, I offered my services to
the CIA and I'm currently a double agent."
"Which is why none of this can leave this room." Riley added, "If SD-6
was to learn of Sydney's true allegiance she would be dead before the
day was over."
"So should we all do ourselves a favor and shoot Anya now, cause we all
know what a big mouth she has," Xander quipped.
"Oh bite me Harris, it's not you'd know if I had a big mouth or not,"
Anya shot back.
Sydney glanced questioningly at Buffy, "They were engaged," Buffy explained.
"It didn't last," Willow added.
"You guys lead interesting lives," Sydney observed.
"You don't know the half of it," Xander agreed.
"So you're a double agent, why are you in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked,
turning the conversation back on topic.
"Not until you untie me and explain who the hell you are," Sydney
defiantly replied.
Buffy thought for a moment then shrugged, "Alright, Xander, untie her."
"Wait a minute, you're going to let her go just like that?" Riley
protested and Xander loosened the knots on the ropes that bound Sydney.
"She did tell me what I wanted to know," Buffy pointed out.
"So did I, she just added a few details that you have no way of
verifying if they're true."
"What's bothering you Riley, the fact that I trusted the word of a total
stranger over yours?"
Riley looked sheepish, "Well, yeah."
"It's simple, she hasn't broken up with me," Buffy said.
Riley started to say something then shut his mouth. "I can't really
argue with that can I?"
"Not so much," Buffy agreed. It actually was not her reason, but she
enjoyed the chance to tweak Riley.
"We probably look real stupid right now," Riley observed.
Buffy turned and saw that everyone was staring at Riley and her. "Hi,
I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer, nice to meet you," she told Sydney.
"The what?" Sydney asked in disbelief.
"Vampire slayer. You know all those things you thought were myths or
scary stories like vampires, demons, or werewolves? They're real."
"Frankenstein's monster too?" Sydney asked, sarcasm evident in her voice.
"Actually, yes, sort of, same idea, but a little less monosyllabic. See
this town sits on a major demonic hotspot."
"The Hellmouth?" Sydney asked.
Buffy frowned, "How do you know about the Hellmouth and don't know that
vampires are real?"
"Shoddy intelligence," Sydney replied, "I'll explain later."
"Well the Hellmouth attracts all sorts of Big Bads and it's my job to
stop them."
"How'd you get stuck with that crap-ass assignment?"
"Born with it," Buffy replied, "but it's not all bad, I get
super-strength and heightened healing in return for a really lousy life
expectancy."
"Buffy's one of the oldest Slayers ever," Willow added.
"Do you age more slowly or something?" Sydney asked Buffy.
Buffy shook her head, "Nope."
"But you're the samehell you're probably younger than I am," Sydney
protested.
"Slayers are 'called' when they're in their teens," Buffy explained.
"Most don't make it past their eighteenth birthday. I've already died
twice." Sydney started at Buffy in disbelief. "I got better," Buffy
lamely added.
"That's horrible," Sydney exclaimed, "One person, a kid no less, has to
fight until she dies? What sort of screwed up system is this? Do you at
least have any sort of back-up?"
"I've got these guys," Buffy said, indicated the other occupants of the
room. "Except Riley, he's an ex-Scooby."
"Scooby?" Sydney asked.
"Allow me to handle this one," Xander said, cutting off Buffy. "Scooby
as in Scooby Gang. It's our little nickname for ourselves."
"Like in Scooby-Doo?"
"Exactly, except we don't so much fight crime, and it's never a weird
guy in a rubber makes but a real monster," Xander explained. "and I look
terrible with a goatee."
"You can't grow a goatee Xander," Anya said.
"You'd never see me in that much purple," Buffy chimed in.
"I don't wear glasses," Willow pointed out.
"And I have never worn an ascot in my life." Everyone stared at Riley.
"What, I was the Fred, wasn't it obvious?"
"I don't know what the hell they're talking about," Anya admitted to
Sydney, "Xander tried to explain it to me once, but honestly, I wasn't
all that interested."
"You're also missing the talking dog," Sydney pointed out, getting
involved in the game.
"That all depends on how you count werewolves," Willow mused.
Sydney shook her head. It all seemed so fantastic, and yet. "Those three
guys in the park, they were vampires weren't they?"
Buffy nodded, "That they were."
"Good, because that PCP thing was the lamest cover story I've ever heard."
"You're the first person to think so," Willow muttered.
Sydney thought back to her earlier conversation in the magic store with
Anya and Willow, "Let me guess, you're a real witch," she pointed at
Willow. "And you're more than just a businesswoman," she indicated Anya.
"Well yeah, I'm a former vengeance demon," anya admitted.
"So what about you?" Sydney asked Xander," What can you do?"
"Carpentry," Xander replied, "I'm Xander Harris, master carpenter."
"He distracts the monsters with his effeminate shrieks," Anya said with
a smirk.
"I'll have you know my mighty shrieks have meant the difference between
victory and defeat. Plus I saved the world once."
Bit deal, it was just Willow," Anya pointed out. "No offense Willow."
"None taken," the redhead cheerfully replied.
Sydney decided that she did not want to know what they were talking
about, and instead focused on something else that was bothering her.
"Why haven't the authorities done anything here," she paused and looked
at Riley. "They haven, haven't there? And you were involved."
Riley nodded, "For a while the government ran an operation in Sunnydale
called the Initiative."
"So what went wrong?"
"That's complicated, and classified."
"The bid demon-cyborg thing they were building in secret ran amok and
tried to create a zombie army. Buffy kicked its ass," Anya explained.
"Ok, so it wasn't that complicated, or classified," Riley frowned. "The
Initiative still exists, but we're now strictly a seek and destroy
operation."
"And you work for the CIA?"
Riley shook his head, "The DIA actually. Vaughn called me in because I'm
the resident expert on Sunnydale weirdness."
"And why didn't Vaughn tell me any of this?"
"He didn't think you'd believe him. So he wanted me to look out for you.
I would have been here sooner, but Sam and I were rooting out a next of
F'yaril demons in Prague."
Sydney was growing tired of all the questions that kept popping up." Sam?"
"Oh sorry, my wife."
"And how's that working out for you two?" Buffy asked.
"Quite well, we're thinking about kids."
"Really, you know, Buffy's a great name," she saw a look of doubt cross
Riley's face. "Or Anne, Anne's good too."
Riley chuckled, "I'll have to clear that with the boss first."
"Ok, now that you know more than you ever want to about us why are you
here looking for me and the Amulet of Rambaldus?" Buffy asked Sydney.
Sydney stared at Anya and Willow, "You two knew more than you let on,"
she accused the pair.
"Well d'uh," Anya replied. "Do you think I'd tell a total stranger how
to find an object that could bring about the end of the world?"
"It what?" Sydney exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.
"You didn't know?"
"I didn't even know the amulet has a name."
"Well of course it has a name, everything has a name."
"All I saw was a fragment of a 16th century text written by a man named
Rambaldi."
"Rambaldi? You wouldn't happen to be talking about Milo Rambaldi?" Anya
asked.
"Yes, do you know him?"
"Do I know Milo Rambaldi? Please, he still owes me money," Anya said
indignantly.
"How could you possibly know Milo Rambaldi, he died five hundred years
ago." Sydney had dealt with many strange situations in her life with
grace and aplomb. However, the flood of weirdness that she currently was
encountering threatened to overload her.
"I was a vengeance demon for 1,100 years," Anya replied. "Milo was a
cool guy, for a seer. We made a bet about Columbus and if he'd find
India. I won. Milo died before he could pay up, the lousy welcher," Anya
grumbled.
"So what do you know about the amulet?" Sydney asked.
"Only that it houses a powerful demon who wants to destroy the world."
"Ok, that's definitely something SD-6 cannot get their hands on. Not
that they were, but this just reinforces things."
"Why were you looking for me?" Buffy quietly asked.
"What?" Sydney asked, she had not clearly heard Buffy's question/
"What do I have to do with this amulet?"
"The fragment I was shown said that you, or at least someone called the
'Chosen One' was its defender, but that you didn't know you were."
"Well that makes sense since I didn't know the stupid thing existed
until today."
Sydney hesitated a moment before continuing, "It also said that your
blood will activate the amulet."
Buffy sat down on the couch, "Of course it does, my blood always
activates something, or is the harbinger of some doom. I just wish those
damn prophets would be a bit more creative and pick somebody else. Keri
Russell hasn't done much lately, why not her blood?"
"Because they know you'll kick the bad guys in the ass," Willow said
encouragingly, "Let's see Keri Russell try to slay vampires, or battle
the hordes of darkness."
Buffy smiled, "Thanks Will. Alright, we need a plan. Anya, what else do
you know about this amulet?"
"Just that Milo said it was the fuel that stoked his crucible," Anya
replied with a shrug.
"Willow, what do we know about this Rambaldi guy?"
"No much, he was a wizard who was a friend of the Pope. He dabbled in
alchemy and prophecy, considered himself a scientist." Willow chuckled
at that. "But that's pretty much it. Giles did make a notation that the
Watcher's Council has a complete set of Rambaldi texts."
Buffy nodded, "What about the amulet?"
Willow shrugged, "Pretty much the same. The amulet floated through
history under a variety of names until Rambaldi acquired it. That's
where the name Rambaldus comes from, in case anyone was curious."
"I know I was," Xander quipped.
"The amulet dropped out of sight after Rambaldi's death; I guess he
managed to hide it near the Hellmouth."
"He probably instructed one of his followers to," Sydney theorized.
"Since there's no record of Rambaldi ever visiting the new world."
"I say he used a spell," Anya said. "The Hellmouth exerts quite a
supernatural pull so it would be easy for a wizard of Rambaldi's power
to transport the amulet here."
"It's not really important how it got here," Buffy interjected. "What I
want to know is why? The Hellmouth is demon central, why send an end of
the world inducing trinket here?"
"Because he knew you'd be here," Anya explained. "Rambaldi was a seer,
he knew the amulet would be safe until you arrived, and that you'd be
able to keep the demon from being unleashed when someone did try."
"I hate prophecy," Buffy observed.
"I know," Sydney agreed, "It's awful, somebody saying you're going to do
something before you've even considered doing anything."
"What do you know about prophecies?" Willow asked.
"The FBI thought that Rambaldi mentioned me in a prophecy, and not in a
good way," Sydney replied. "It turned out to be my motherit's a long story."
"Alright, here's what we're going to do. Willow, I want you, Anya, and
Xander to keep doing research. See if you can find anything else out. I
also want you to call Giles. Ask if he can get his hands on the records
the Council has."
Willow nodded, "I'm on it."
"Riley, can you stay for a while?" Buffy asked the agent.
"Sure, what do you need me to do?"
"Just go out and patrol, there are a couple vampires about to rise, and
if you could take care of them for me that would be a big help."
"Staking vamps in Sunnydale. It'll just be like old timesexcept not."
"What are you going to do Buff?" Xander asked.
"Sydney and I are going to look for an amulet. If that's ok with you
Sydney."
"Sounds fine to me, I'm more of an action-oriented person anyway."
"Perfect, now everyone meet back here when you get done with your job,"
Buffy ordered the group before she and Sydney walked out of the house.
"So, where are we going?" Sydney asked Buffy.
"The only place this amulet could be," Buffy replied. "The heart of all
that is evil in this town." Buffy sped up her pace and increased the
distance between her and Sydney before the brunette had a chance to ask
anymore questions.
Riley watched Sydney and Buffy leave the house before turning to face
the remaining three Scoobies. "So, uh, where exactly are these vampires
Buffy wants me to eliminate?"
"You'd have to ask Dawn," Willow admitted. "She's been helping out with
the majority of the patrolling lately."
"It's not like we don't want to," Xander said, "It's just, well Buffy
seems to like having Dawn around as the sidekick. Plus it's hard to put
in a nine to five at the site and then go out for a night of slayage."
Riley smiled, "You sound like an old man Xander. I'll go talk to Dawn
then, unless you think she'll try to punch my lights out or something."
"You should be fine," Willow assured Riley in a none-to-convincing fashion.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Riley said to Willow before walking
upstairs.
"Ok," Willow said after Riley left the room. "I'll call Giles. Anya, why
don't you and Xander start looking for stuff about this Rambaldi guy,
maybe you'll see something that will spark your memory."
Anya shook her head, "I really don't think so. I already told you
everything I know. He's short and he's dead."
"Dude," Xander added. Willow and Anya both stared at Xander like his
hair had turned a strange shade of green. "What, you know, Bill and
TedNapoleonoh never mind." Xander picked up a book at random from the
bookshelf and started to read.
"That's the spirit Xander, but it would help if you didn't read the
Time-Life series on home decorating," Willow chuckled. Before Xander had
a chance to reply Willow walked into the kitchen and picked up the
phone. She dialed Giles's number from memory and then waited.
"Hello, this is Rupert Giles"
"Giles! Hi, it's Willow," she almost shouted into the phone.
"I'm not home at the moment" the recording continued.
"Shoot, why does it always have to be an answering machine?" Willow
muttered to herself. She impatiently waited for the obligatory beep.
"Giles, it's Willow. We need your help with something. What do you know
about a man named Rambaldi? People are looking in Sunnydale for an
amulet of his that Anya says is bad news, and we can't find much
information here. Give me a call as soon as you can. Thanks." Willow
hung up the phone and walked back into the living room. "I got his
answering machine," she told the other two with a dejected shrug.
Riley gently tapped on the door to Dawn's room. "Who is it?" Dawn called
out.
"It's Riley, Dawn, can we talk?"
The door opened and Riley saw Dawn standing in the doorway with her arms
crossed in front of her. "So it is you. What do you want?"
Riley did not see much point in pleasantries. "Buffy asked me to take
care of some vampires, but she didn't say where they were. Willow and
Xander thought that you'd know, so here I am."
"Okay, but why are you here?" Dawn asked.
"That's classified."
"Does it have anything to do with the person Buffy has tied up in the
living room?"
Riley chuckled, "That's the problem with Sunnydale, operational security
goes to hell. Yeah, it has to do with her. Buffy's giving us a hand with
something and I'm pitching in with the mundane stuff to return the favor."
"And you need me to help you help Buffy," Dawn concluded.
"Exactly, so will you?"
Dawn thought for a moment, in the end her desire to help slay vampires
won out. "Sure, but on one condition. I get to help with the staking."
Riley frowned, "I don't know, Buffy not like it if I let you."
"She didn't really like it when you broke up with her," Dawn shot back.
"Besides, she lets me go patrolling with her so I'm sure she won't mind
if I go out with you."
Riley sighed, "Alright, just don't get hurt out there, otherwise Buffy
will kill me."
Dawn reached down and picked up her bag of weapons. "How do you know
that's not a part of my master plan?"
"You need to work on your planning squirt. A good plan doesn't involve
you getting hurt," Riley told Dawn as they walked downstairs.
"Bye guys," Dawn called out to Anya, Willow, and Xander, who were
sitting around the dining room table. Willow was intently reading a book
while Anya was talking and Xander balanced a pencil on his nose. "I'm
going to help Riley with some vamps."
"Just don't forget your homework Dawnie," Willow called out.
Xander dropped his pencil and dashed into the hallway. "Here, let me
help you guys with that."
"Xander, you really don't have to" Riley started to say.
"No, I insist. If I don't help you then something bad will happenin this
houseto me."
"Oh what the hell, I'm already bringing along an under aged civilian,
what's one more?"
"Hey, I'm not under-aged!" Xander protested.
"No, but you are a civilian," Riley pointed out.
"Not when it comes to vampires. So, what sort of cool toys did you
bring?" Xander asked as they walked out of the house and headed towards
Riley's car.
Riley opened up the trunk to his car and withdrew a wide-barreled gun.
"A stake gun."
Xander reached out for the weapon. "Cool, can I use it?"
Riley took a stake out of the trunk and tossed it at Xander, "Sorry man,
it's still experimental. I wouldn't want it to blow up in your face."
Xander caught the stake. "Your concern is touching."
Riley put on a bullet-proof vest and closed the trunk. "Ok Dawn, where to?"
"This is the heart of all that is evil?" Sydney asked in disbelief. "The
high school?" Buffy and Sydney were standing on the front lawn of the
newly rebuilt high school.
"Well yeah, isn't it obvious?"
"You had some real issues when you were a teenager didn't you?"
"The high school sits on top of the Hellmouth," Buffy explained. "Most
everything weird or spooky comes from here," she paused, "plus, you
know, all that other high school stuff."
Sydney nodded. "Do you want me to pick the lock?" she asked Buffy.
"No need, I have a key," Buffy said. "I'm a guidance councilor now." She
walked up to the door and opened it.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Sydney asked rhetorically as she
entered the school. "Where do you want to start looking first, the library?"
Buffy shook her head, "I was thinking the basement, there are all sorts
of weird catacombs down there." Buffy opened a door marked "Staff only."
"There aren't any nasty surprises waiting for us down there?" Sydney
asked as Buffy retrieved a pair of flashlights from a shelf in the
supply closet.
"There wasn't the last time I was down there, but that doesn't guarantee
anything, so stay on your toes."
Sydney nodded and took one of the flashlights from Buffy, "Ok, let's get
this over with." Buffy lead Sydney down to the cellar and they began to
walk through the dark basement. Sydney felt the hairs on the back of her
neck stand up as she shone her flashlight on the walls. "This place
gives me the creeps," she commented.
"You and me both," Buffy agreed. "So what exactly are we looking for? I
really doubt we're going to find this amulet just lying o the ground."
"There's a symbol Rambaldi's followers used to identify themselves, they
call it the Eye of Rambaldi. If one of them placed the amulet here they
would have marked the location with it."
"Ok, the Eye of Rambaldi got itit's not actually a real eyeball or
anything is it?"
Sydney chuckled, "No, it looks like this." Using the toe of her shoe she
sketched the symbol into the dirt on the ground in front of them.
Buffy intently studied the symbol. "I can remember that," she announced.
"Well hello Buffy, I see you have a new friend," a voice with a distinct
British accent said from behind the pair. Sydney spun around and saw a
lean man with short, slicked-back platinum blonde hair advancing on
them. She noticed that his clothes were disheveled and that there was a
look of not quite right in his eyes. Instinctively Sydney drew her gun
and aimed it at the man. He laughed, "I see this one's about as quick on
the uptake as your other buddies."
"Put the gun away Sydney," Buffy instructed. "Spike's awell, he's not
hostile." Sydney reluctantly holstered her firearm. "What are you doing
here Spike?" Buffy asked.
"I tried to go away I didbut down heredown here's where I belong. It's
where I'm supposed to be, you know, under the groundall my friends are
and so is Spike, but not like them, they're all resting, do I look
rested to you?"
"Spike," Buffy forcefully said, "I don't have time for this, I'm looking
for something."
"I went looking for something once. Finding it really was not what it
was cracked up to be," Spike said conversationally.
"Is he alright?" Sydney asked Buffy.
"He's just spend a little too much time down hereI think," Buffy
replied. "Spike, I want you to focus. Have you ever seen this?" She
shone her flashlight on the symbol Sydney had sketched on the floor.
Spike looked at the floor and blanched. "The eye, don't like what that's
looking at, no sir."
"So you've seen it?" Sydney asked.
Spike laughed, "Yeah, I've seen it, and it's seen me."
"Where have you seen it Spike?" Buffy demanded.
"Where do you think? At the center, it was in the center." Spike turned
and started to walk away.
"Spike, where are you going?" Buffy called out.
"If you're going to look at the eye then I'm going somewhere else. Maybe
kick Clem out of my crypt or something," Spike said, mostly to himself,
before he turned a corner and vanished.
"You did well Spike," Buffy said, appearing suddenly in front of the
vampire. "I admit, I wasn't expecting this turn of events, but if the
amulet gets found that can only help my plans." Spike stood stock still
he started at a point to the left of Buffy's head, like he was trying to
ignore her. "She'll be destroyed by it," Buffy continued, "But that's
what happens when you meddle in affairs that don't concern you." Buffy
leaned in close to Spike, "And if there's one thing the Slayer is good
at it's meddling. Now run along little vampire, pretty soon it won't be
safe for anyone down here, dead or alive." Buffy vanished and Spike
stumbled out of the basement and into the night.
"What was that?" Sydney asked Buffy, unaware of the conversation that
was taking place not too far away.
"That was Spike, he's a vampire."
"He's a what? So why didn't you stake him?"
Buffy sighed, "Because he can't hurt anyone."
"And whylet me guess, long story?"
"Is there any other kind?" Buffy asked with a weak smile. "Come on, the
amulet is this way." Buffy pointed down a dark hallway.
"How do you know that?"
"Because Spike said the center, that can only mean one place, the
Hellmouth itself."
Sydney nodded, 'Of course, that would be place for this thing wouldn't it?"
"Yeah, always is." They walked down the hallway in silence. The walls
gradually faded to bare rock as they descended down father into the
earth. The tunnel emptied out into a large chamber, the center of which
was dominated by a crack in the ground.
"The Hellmouth?" Sydney asked.
"The Hellmouth," Buffy confirmed. "Why don't you go that way and I go
this way, we can check out the room quicker that way."
Sydney nodded her understanding and the two women started to carefully
examine the wall surrounding the chamber. "Hey Buffy," Sydney called out.
"Yeah?" Buffy replied.
"Is this pretty much par for the course for you?"
"No, so far things have been going smoothly, we haven't run into any
slime-oozing demons yet."
"And I thought I had it bad. All I have to worry about if a mission goes
wrong is torture."
"You get a lot of the torture, because I'm seriously thinking about
changing jobs, and if there's not much I might look into being a secret
agent," Buffy said as she ran her hand across the wall of the chamber.
"Well I've been beaten up a lot."
"Been there, done that."
"I also had a couple of my molars pulled out, without anesthetic."
"Ouch."
"And most recently my mother shot me," Sydney told Buffy matter of factly.
Buffy stopped dead in her tracks. "You mom did what?"
"She shot me."
"Why on earth would she do that?"
"Because my mother worked for the KGB. At the time she shot me she had
branched out to international terrorism and other fun side interest. Her
people caught me and while they were interrogating me she shot me,"
Sydney explained to the Slayer.
"If it makes you feel any better my mom once tried to burn me at the
stake," Buffy offered.
This time it was Sydney's turn to look stunned. "You mean like Joan of Arc?"
Buffy nodded, "Yep, she was under the influence of a demon."
"That pretty much explains every bit of weirdness that goes on around
here doesn't it?"
"If it wasn't for the Hellmouth Sunnydale would be incredibly boring."
"Isn't that along of lines of saying 'Other than the shooting how was
the play Mrs. Lincoln?"" Sydney asked with a smile.
"I suppose," Buffy admitted. She suddenly froze, hand had hit something
unusual. "Hey Sydney, come here."
"What is it? Sydney asked as she crossed the room.
"I think I found what we're looking for," Buffy replied as she ran her
fingers over a pattern carved into the stone. She wiped away the dust
and accumulated grime that had built up on the wall then shone her
flashlight on the spot.
Sydney regarded the engraved Eye of Rambaldi. "That's it," she concurred.
"So where's our amulet?" Buffy asked.
"It has to be around here somewhere," Sydney declared. She got onto her
knees and felt around on the floor, looking for any hidden doors.
Buffy stared at the symbol. "Wait, I think I have an idea." She dug her
nails into the palm of her hand until she drew blood. She then placed
her bloodied hand against the symbol.
The ground shook slightly as a section of the wall rumbled into the
ground revealing a new tunnel. Sydney shone her flashlight down the
tunnel. For as far as she could see it looked empty. She drew her gun
and started to walk down the hall.
"Hey, aren't you curious how I figured it out?" Buffy asked as she
followed Sydney down the hall.
"You defend the amulet without knowing. Nobody can get in without a key,
and your blood is what unlocks the door. Am I right?"
"And here I thought I was being clever," Buffy grumbled.
"I only figured it out while you were doing it, and it was in keeping
with how Rambaldi likes to operate. Don't worry, you were being clever."
They continued to walk down the tunnel. "Is it just me, or is it
starting to get brighter?" Buffy asked Sydney.
Sydney looked up and saw a faint glow emanating from the end of the
tunnel. "No, it's not you."
"Should I be worried about the light at the end of the tunnel metaphor?"
Buffy quipped as they walked closer to the source of the illumination.
"I sure hope not," Sydney commented. The tunnel came to a stop inside of
another chamber. This one was smaller and brightly lit, though Sydney
could tell from where.
"The walls are smooth," Buffy observed.
"Somebody must have hollowed this room out," Sydney hypothesized.
The center of the room was occupied by a marble pillar upon which a
stone box rested. "Gee, I wonder where the amulet could be?" Buffy said
sarcastically as they approached the pillar. The lid of the box bore an
engraved Eye of Rambaldi. "Bingo," Buffy said happily.
"Hey Buffy," Sydney said, "doesn't this seem, I don't know, a little too
easy? Usually there's been some sort of alarm set off or something."
"There's probably a trap or something attached to the box," Buffy
agreed, "but I figure we'll just cross that bridge when we get there.
Buffy opened the box and reached inside. "Come to Buffy," she told the
metallic amulet she withdrew.
"Five four three two one," Sydney muttered to herself. As Sydney feared
a stone slab slid down in front of the entrance to the room.
"You wouldn't happen to have any explosive toothpaste would you?" Buffy
asked.
"I'm afraid not," Sydney replied. Suddenly the room began to shake and a
new doorway opened up on the other side of the room.
"Hey check that out, we aren't..." Buffy's voice trailed off as a large
demon walked into the room. It was reptilian with long claws on its hand
and a fearsome spiked tail. The monster looked at Buffy and Sydney and
roared, displaying an impressive array of razor sharp teeth.
"...trapped?" Buffy finished saying in a more subdued voice..
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