Chapter 8 - Enemy Action

"You let her follow you?" Wesley demanded. "Really, Gunn!"

"She has visions," Spike reminded him. "It's hard to avoid a determined seer."

"Ah," Wesley said. He looked over at Gunn: "Sorry."

"Why are you here, baby? I told you to leave," Spike said, rising and crossing the lobby to the vampire, who came down the four stairs from the landing to meet him.

"I saw you were here, so I called and left a message."

"Called where?" He reached out and took Dru's small purse. He removed the cell phone and hit re-dial. There was no answer--Ann's land line was set to answer on the first ring--and the phone on the hotel desk didn't ring. "Where did you call, Dru? If you didn't call here and you didn't call me, who did you call?"

"My lover. Adan. He's coming here for me."

"Weapons!" Cordelia said, moving across the lobby to the arms closet.

"Dru!" Spike said, turning off the phone. "Dammit, Dru, that was really unfriendly."

"Fred," Wesley called. "Go lock yourself in your room."

"OK, sure, I can do that," Fred was so startled she spoke at normal volume.

"Now!" The Watcher followed Cordelia to the weapons cabinet and proceeded to load two crossbows. Cordelia chose a smaller crossbow, while Gunn took a large two handed ax.

"I need to get out of here, let me get away," Konrad said. He shifted back to the young blond as he jumped to his feet.

Ann rose and smiled at him. He vanished. The maroon briefcase and all the papers also vanished. Ann moved unhurriedly after the others, stopping in back of the red sofa that Spike had just left. The naked sword she was holding by her side was bright, but it was partially concealed between the sofa and her legs.

"Can we kill her now?" Gunn asked, glaring at Drusilla.

Spike glanced at the big young man. "Go ahead."

"Hold off on that, if you can, Gunn," Ann said. "I'd like to talk to her at some point."

Gunn snorted, then said, "All right, but I'm not making a point of it."

"Thanks," Ann said. She flicked her hand at the female vampire. Spike thought he saw a bright spark fly from Ann to Dru.

Drusilla stared past Spike at Ann. "I know you, too, don't I?"

"We've met. You should get out of the way."

When had Ann met Drusilla? Spike wondered. Then he wondered what they had talked about, and what Ann wanted to talk to the female vampire about now. Reluctantly he put that aside: "Send her off somewhere?"

"That won't help," Ann said, nodding at the front door.

Spike followed her gaze: Adan was leading a somewhat diminished and varied pack of minions in the front door, while another, larger, set of minions came in the double doors leading out to the atrium garden.

Adan stopped before the steps down to the main level of the lobby. He smiled. Two vampires, one on each side of him, raised Uzi machine pistols and held them ready. Behind them, the minion with the band collar from the Getty was joined by one with a reasonably well cut evening jacket, but with a red tie, handkerchief, and matching cummerbund; one in a totally passé baby-blue tux, and one with a strange double ring beard, which must have made shaving difficult, or at least complex. They all ranged themselves in a loose cluster behind Adan.

Of the vampires entering from the garden, two more had Uzis. One of these moved down the four steps to the main level of the lobby, while the other remained on the landing. The other vampires--the even more discordant group, consisting of the tallest and the shortest, the shaven headed one and the pony tailed blond one, and the one in shirt sleeves and the one in jeans--arranged themselves in an arc, with the armed vampires between them and Spike, Ann and the humans.

Spike wasn't too worried about bullets, but he knew Cordelia, Gunn and Wesley were at risk. Since Tara wasn't present, he had less of an idea than usual of the extant of Ann's powers, but she seemed untroubled as she stood slightly behind and some distance to the left of him. When he thought about it, he decided even if all Ann had was her experience and her physical coordination, he'd still pick her as an ally. He saw her glance at group in the front of the lobby; then beyond him, to the vampires with Uzis standing in back of Drusilla.

"Adan," Drusilla said, pleased.

"Now, look," Spike started. "I realize you might be upset because I went off with Dru, but you must remember, we're old friends and I was worried about her. We were together for over a hundred years, after all."

"Get over here, Drusilla."

"And I'm sure she forgives me, don't you Dru?"

"No. You hit me."

"But I didn't hurt you. You're all right, aren't you?"

"Yes, but..."
"And I just wanted to talk to you in private. Now, you say you want to go back to your new lover. Well, I won't say that doesn't hurt, but if you're sure that's what you want, what will make you happy, it's all right with me."

"Drusilla!" Adan said.

"So no hard feelings, Dru," Spike continued, "and just remember, if things don't work out, call me."

Drusilla, with a quick last look at Spike, crossed the lobby. Adan came down to meet her, accompanied by the two armed vampires and trailed by the others, who spread out farther on either side of him.

"Where's my car?" Adan demanded.

"Was that your car?" Spike asked. "Again, I'm sorry if you're upset..."

"We left it on Wilshire," Gunn lied. "After we dropped Drusilla off."

"Barrington and Wilshire," Cordelia said. "That's where I picked them up; then I drove everyone back here."

"That's where we left it," Spike lied.

"He's lying. Adan, he's lying, they're all lying. If that's what they did, how did Ivarr get here?"

"Who's Ivarr?" Cordelia asked, honestly bewildered.

"Where's Ivarr?" Adan asked.

"He was here." Drusilla looked around, "I guess he got away. I didn't see him go."

"The guy who just left?" Spike asked. "He wasn't anyone."

"He said his name was Giorgio," Ann lied, watching Adan intently. "If he had another name, we don't know it. He never did say what he wanted."

"I should have drained him," Adan muttered. "It may not matter. When we adjust the ratio..."

"Boss," Brendan said quietly.

Spike glanced at the minion, still wearing the band collar evening shirt and now with burns and sores on his face and hands. Hell, he thought. Not good. If this was what not killing every possible enemy you could when you had a chance got you, he would revert to form immediately.

"Not now," Adan said.

"Excuse me, boss, but this guy here? He was there this evening? In the museum? When the ruby went missing, you know?"

"Oh. Is he the one who hit me? From behind?"

"I didn't see that, boss. Maybe. He was right there, though, while I was spraying the gas."

"Now, that's interesting. I remember the black one, and my other seer, of course. I didn't notice the woman and the older man, or this one. Where is the ruby, Drusilla? You said it was here."

"Spike has it. I heard him say so."

"I don't have it," Spike said, telling the truth for the moment.

"You, turn out your pockets," Adan told Spike.

"I must admit," Spike said, "that I did yield to temptation to a very minor degree. I didn't think anyone would mind if I ..."

"Empty your pockets!" Adan said.

"All right, I will," Spike said, and took the seven rubies he still had and threw them hard straight at Adan.

Eight rubies flew at the big vampire: the three round, the three oval, the square cushion cut and the large square table cut ruby. Adan ignored the rest, and caught the flat square ruby out of the air.

Spike, about to follow the gems and attack, felt himself stiffen, unable to move. "How the hell did that get in there? What's going on?" he demanded, looking over at Ann, who remained calm and silent, watching Adan with a faint frown.

"Thank you," Adan said, paying no attention to Spike's outburst. He put the ruby in his jacket pocket and turned to Cordelia, standing beyond Spike. "Now. You, seer: Come here."

"No!" Cordelia said.

"Adan, no! She's bad luck," Drusilla said.

"What do you want with Cordelia?" Wesley asked.

"He wants another seer," Cordelia said.

"Nonsense," Wesley said. "Cordelia's visions come from the Powers That Be. They would be of no use to you whatsoever."

"The Powers That Be? What do you mean?"

"I work for Good. I can't help you at all, even if I wanted to, which, frankly, I don't," Cordelia said, stepping forward.

"Really?" the big vampire said to Cordelia.

"Absolutely not," Cordelia said firmly.

"Kill her, then. Kill them all," Adan said.

The two vampires with Uzis beside him raised their guns.

Ann stepped out from behind the sofa, catching the light on her sword as she passed in front of Cordelia.

The guns shifted to point at her.

Ann glanced at one machine pistol, then the other; then, still carrying the sword low, she turned to her left. Streaking past Spike to the landing, she swung the sword up through the Uzi held by the vampire still on the steps, cutting off the front of the gun and also all the vampire's fingers. She turned the sword as she pivoted to face the other armed vampire, bringing it around horizontally and decapitating him. Ann continued to turn, coming completely around to face the first vampire, still staring in shock at his ruined hand. The remaining half of the docked Uzi was still held by the vampire's thumb, and followed the vampire into dust as Ann took his head off.

Fine, Spike thought, following Ann with his stake in his hand, two down. He moved past Ann, and the tallest vampire, rather anorexic and gawky, leaped on him. He grappled face to face with Spike and tried to sink his fangs into Spike's neck. "Get real, you idiot," Spike said, entering full display and staking him.

Gunn saw Ann turn away from the vampire in shirt sleeves and take a step toward Adan. The shirt-sleeved vampire launched himself off the landing at her back, but went to dust as Gunn used his ax.

Spike turned away from the steps and moved down the lobby, intent on the bald headed vampire.

Ann, still focused on the group around Adan, saw only one Uzi-carrying vampire remained; Wesley or Cordelia had apparently taken care of the other. A crossbow twanged behind Ann and she saw a quarrel hit the last armed vampire.

As he first stared at the arrow in his chest, then fell apart into dust, Ann turned toward the elevators and dusted the vampire wearing the red tie, and followed that by decapitating the bearded vampire before he knew he was being attacked.

Spike, stopping his advance and watching the shaven headed vampire turn and run out the long corridor leading to the parking area, heard Adan snarl: "I always have to do it myself." Then the big vampire yelled in pain.

Turning, Spike saw Adan, moving toward the weapons cabinet, drop a chromed automatic to tug a slender crossbow arrow out of his right forearm.

Drusilla, moving around Adan, picked up the gun. "Don't worry, dear love. I'll do it. We don't need her at all, do we?"

"Dru!" Spike called, as the female vampire approached Cordelia, who was dealing with a contrary crossbow. Not heeding Spike, Dru raised the gun.

Ann moved from in front of the elevators to Dru's side in what looked like two steps and slammed her sword flat on Dru's right arm.

Dru screamed and dropped the gun.

Ann, ignoring Dru as the female vampire backhanded her with her unbroken arm, slid the gun under the red sofa with a shove of her foot.

Dru stared at her left hand. Spike remembered that hitting Ann was like hitting a steel wall. Dru raised her eyes, still wide with shock, to Ann as the woman turned to face her.

Ann shoved the female vampire toward the front door with a hard hand on her sternum. Dru flew back, stumbling on the steps and falling against them heavily.

"Down!" Gunn roared.

Spike wasn't sure he was the one Gunn was yelling at, but since he was the closest, he dropped to the floor and rolled against the right staircase wall, just in case.

Gunn sliced the long haired blond apart in a diagonal cut running up from under his left arm and coming out through his right shoulder and Spike got covered in vampire dust as the blond vampire, his head still on his neck and surprise still on his face, came apart.

Brendan went to Drusilla and helped her to her feet.

Drusilla cradled her right arm with her left as she and Brendan climbed the steps and exited through the front door.

Adan looked around, swore, then headed for the front door.

Gunn leaped after him, but Ann moved at the same time, and they fell to the floor together.

Adan ran out, followed by the vampire in the horrible baby blue tux, and was gone.

"Ah," the remaining vampire said, glancing around. He rubbed his hands on his jeans nervously.

"Oh, get out," Spike said, ignoring his recent resolution and shifting back to human.

"Thanks." He glanced at the front door. "Can I use the other door? I'm thinking of visiting some friends in Colma."

"Be my guest." Spike watched him go, out to the garden and out of their lives.

"Why the hell did you stop me?" Gunn yelled.

"Yeah, Ann. No one will believe you just tripped," Spike said, joining her as she rose and looked down at the black ex-troll, who still lay on the floor.

"I hope Adan does. I want him to keep underestimating me."

"So why'd you stop Gunn?" Spike persisted. He picked up her sword. The sword was light for its length and balanced just beyond the crosspieces. It was straighter than a modern katana and broader than a rapier. It was sharp on both sides of the tip for about ten inches, and was single edged from there back to the hilt. It was ice colored, pale silver gray at the tip and all along the edge, shading from silver through to dark gray to black. The hilt was black and the crosspieces steel gray. Nice, he thought as he handed it to her.

"Because I wanted Adan to get away," Ann said mildly, extending her free hand to Gunn.

"That much was obvious," Wesley snarled, very angry. He made an effort and got his temper under control, "but we are interested in knowing why."

"Adan is pretty much of an idiot. The task he's attempting is beyond him, but he's making progress. I only wonder if he has a patron or even just an advisor. I'd like to know, one way or the other, and it would be difficult to track him if he were dead."

Gunn laughed. "You still think all the time," he told the woman, then took her hand and let her help him up. Ann did not seem bothered by his size at all.

"So why are we alive?" Cordelia asked. "He had the guns, we didn't. Why are we alive?"

"He had guns," Ann said, checking her sword. It was clean, not even dusty. She shrugged, and the sword vanished. "Also, he's an American, from the mid 20^th century."

"So?" Cordy said.

"We'd have been much worse off if he'd have had armed his minions without guns with swords or even clubs, but clubs and swords aren't modern; somehow, they're almost not respectable to people of that time and society."

"Besides," Gunn said, dryly, "Gytha hexed the Uzis."

"I wasn't sure that would work," Ann said. "It would for me, certainly, but I don't know if they would stay hexed for Cordy and the rest of you."

"So you were planing to take all the guns out yourself?" Spike demanded.

"Yes," Ann said. "That seemed the best idea. I didn't know Wes and Cordy were that proficient with their crossbows, which was good for us all."

"We are professionals," Cordelia pointed out.

"Risky," Spike snarled to Ann.

"If I took out the gun-carrying vampires by the back door, Wesley and Cordelia could concentrate on keeping the group from the front door busy. I thought it likely that they would, since not only was that group at the best angle for them, it included Adan, who annoyed everyone by threatening Cordy. You and Gunn would want to be out of their way, which meant that the two of you would, if you were sensible, attack the rest of the back door group, which meant that my back was covered. As a plan, that seemed pretty reasonable."

"It did depend on them being sensible, Ann," Cordelia said.

"That was the riskiest part of the whole scheme."

Spike growled something unheard by anyone else.

"But they were," Ann said, smiling at the vampire. "What I want to know now is: Did the part I cut off the first Uzi turn to dust when the rest of the pistol did? And what about the vampire's fingers?"

"Well," Spike said, "the one Gunn sliced in half went to dust, so it's not just decapitation that kills us."

"Take notes, Wes," Gunn said.

"Possibly it is the severance of the spinal cord..." Wesley began, but no one was really listening.

Spike, Ann and Gunn went over to the landing by the back door and located the front of the barrel from the Uzi, but not the vampire's fingers.

"Interesting," Ann said.

"Good sword," Gunn said, examining the clean edge on the metal. "It is just a sword, right? That wasn't Gang Long in his sword form?"

"No. He seems to have out grown being someone else's weapon."

Chapter 9

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