Chapter 11 - Powers and Persuasion

"Hi, Cordy."

"Ann, you have to find the girl. The young vampire people think is the Slayer."

"Ah," Ann said. "That explains a lot. Is this something from those chauvinist humano-centric powers that be of yours? Why are they interested in a vampire? And for that matter, why me? Why not Angel?"

"We aren't working with Angel anymore," Wesley said.

"You have to find her before she kills a human," Cordelia said. "So far, she hasn't hurt any humans, and it's important that she doesn't."

"And it has to be you. No one else can find her in time," Gunn said "Cordy says she's not in this town."

Ann's reaction was not what the three expected. She was silent and still for a moment, her face buried in her hands. "I should probably call my lawyer," they heard her mutter. Then, she lifted her head. "Tell me about the vampire."

"She's new, she's scared. You're already looking for her."

"All right. Where do I start?" After a brief silence, Ann asked: "You can help me with that, can't you? Because otherwise, I'm just as stuck as you are."

"The car," Cordelia said. "Find the car."

"I'll pick up on that again. What's going on with you three and Angel?"

"It's a long story."

"I'll want to hear it all, just as soon as we all have a moment. Not now, however," Ann said, and ported to Alice's office in San Francisco.

>>>||<<<

"Alice, I need to know about the Z-3," Ann said without preamble.

"I think I found it. Owned by Nicholas Lovel, stolen while he was in the infirmary."

"Eric's fraternity brother?"

"The anemic one," Alice confirmed.

"License number?"

"I don't know. This is where it gets interesting: It hasn't been reported stolen. I have an anecdotal report from one of the cleaning staff, that it was in the parking garage under the chapter house on Friday, and not there when Nicholas came back from the infirmary. He made a very brief fuss about it, then stopped and did not call the police."

"He knows who has it," Ann realized.

"Or thinks he does."

"Where is he?" Ann asked.

"Back at the house. The address is 750 Blackadder Lane."

"I'll go there. Find the other two."

"Ian Rawson and Charles Ash?"

"Yes."

"I've got what Spike asked for, or some of it," Alice said.

"Yes?" Ann said.

"He's good."

"He's intelligent," Ann agreed. "On the down side, he's untrained, impatient and very definitely not a team player. On the personal down side, he's committed to the rebellious teenager image and he thinks he's in love with Buffy Summers."

"Still, he's good looking and smart. Don't forget about that dinner."

>>>||<<<

"Where can I find Nicholas Lovel?"

"Third floor, turn left, second door on the left."
"Thanks."

>>>|||<<<

"Come in."

"Nicholas Lovel?"

"Yes?"

"Call me Ann. I need to talk to you about Eric, Charles and Ian, and also your car."

"No. There's no problem about the car. A friend borrowed it, as it turns out."

"I am not a reporter, I am not with the police and I do not ask this idly. I think you were attacked by three vampires last Friday. They nearly killed you. I need to know what else happened, what happened to a girl."

"How do you know about that?"

"I think she killed Eric two nights ago, not far from where I live, and she may be trying to make a clean sweep of them. I need to find her."

"She has reason to hate them," Nicholas said.

"I can imagine."

"No, you can't."

"I've seen what vampires can do. I've built a pyre for a girl who had been killed by vampires, and healed a man who had been nearly drained. I am no friend of rapists or murderers, and I won't say a girl who kills those who have injured her is wrong. I promise you, she will be safe with me."

Nicholas Lovel looked at her. "Why do you need to find her?"

"So far, she has not hurt a human. It is important to some of the powers that be than she not kill a human. I don't know why."

Nicholas nodded. "All right. I believe you. What do you need?"

"Her name, your car license number, anything about the vampires she intends to kill."

"Her name is Sarah Thompson. She was my date. I let it happen to her."

"No," Ann said at once. "You nearly died trying to stop it. Can you show me a picture of her?"

"Here."

"She has short, dark, curly hair? I thought I was looking for someone with long silver hair."

"She has a wig. We went to a costume party, before we came to the party here. She was one of the X-Men."

"And your car's license?"

"4XYA724."

"I can find that. Thank you." Ann stood up.

"Ian just doesn't think at all. Charles thinks money can solve every problem. His family always has a lot of helpers."

"One of those," Ann said. "I can deal with him."

"I believe you. The powers that be?"

"So I'm informed. My interest, my sympathy, is entirely with Sarah."

"I'd like to know..."

"If I can," Ann promised.

"Thank you."

>>>|||<<<

"Mrs. Sternwood is a very good customer at her bank, and has been for a very long time. No one there wanted to talk. I hacked in, not easily, and found some of what you wanted, Spike," Alice said "No one named Sternwood bought the credit cards. On the other hand, she withdrew the money. Here's a copy of the records. The bank noted the serial numbers, since each bill was reportable, apparently she's never done this sort of thing before. I can't offer this to a court, and I'll deny it if I'm asked, but at least you know."

"Thanks, Alice," Spike said.

"We think we can resolve this," Giles said. "With any luck, it won't come to a court at all."

"I'll be just as glad," Alice said. She smiled at Spike, said: "See you," to everyone; and was gone.

"I'll copy this and put it with the video," Spike said. He went over to the scanner.

Giles was frowning. "How are we going to approach Mrs. Sternwood?"

"A direct frontal attack with molotov cocktails and mortars is out, I suppose," Xander said.

"So is writing for an appointment," Buffy said. "A non-incendiary frontal attack sounds like a nice compromise."

"Ann or Alice could put us there," Willow said.

"We can't ask Alice for help in this, we could get her license pulled. Gang Long might do it," Spike said. He folded the copy of the bank records and placed it in the brown envelope that already held the copy of the video.

"Yes, I was thinking that would work," Buffy said.

"Hey, Gang Long," Spike said. "Would you be willing to take us some place? Some place you haven't been?"

"I can do that," the boy said. "How many of you?"

"Me, Giles, and Willow," Buffy said. "Tara can't leave here and Xander gets sick."

"And me," Spike said.

"You can't get in," Buffy pointed out.

"Gang Long says his magic is stronger than traditional vampire reflexes. He got Harmony in here, didn't he?"

"Even so, you can't help," Buffy said.

"There's a least one vampire at the Sternwoods," Spike pointed out. "I can deal with him, if we need to."

Buffy considered. "All right," she conceded

"And Harmony," Spike said.

"Why Harmony?"

"Identification. Confirmation. We're still not completely sure Harmony is the target--mostly sure, yes; completely sure, no. If our theory is wrong, we should know that as soon as possible."

"When did you become such a perfectionist?" Buffy asked.

"While I was diving for cover instead of getting a beer--which is an experience I can do without repeating. If we return from the Sternwoods thinking we're safe and we were wrong, we can go to the Bronze tonight, and get shot at again."

"An accurate, but pessimistic, summation, Spike," Giles said.

"All right," Buffy said. She paced a little. "We may as well take the prisoners, too. Ann may want her house back."

"A very nice gesture," Giles agreed.

"Gang Long," Spike said, "can you handle the five prisoners, in addition to us?"

"I think so."

"Then, if we're ready, let's do this," Buffy said.

"Willow, wait," Tara said. "Wear this." She handed the other Witch the headset camera. "I used the interface spell--the one that didn't work so well with Ann's crystals and the VCR? It works fine with the mundane cameras, after you enchant them a little, that is.

"Good idea," Willow said. "Tara can keep track of us from here," she explained to the rest. "On the big crystal in the library."

"And I can make a DVD off the crystal, and you can tell Mrs. Sternwood that you all are being watched and recorded, so you'll be safer."

"Clever girl," Spike approved.

"That seems very tech-y for you two," Buffy said.

"Some tech stuff, but mostly it's magic. The hard part was the interface spell, and we'd worked that out already. The main difference between the plain camera and the enchanted camera, is that the disk and the power pack stay here and are totally safe, and the camera is camouflaged and mostly unnoticeable."

"Sounds like wireless magic to me," Spike said.

"It sort of goes tech-magic-tech," Tara said. "The camera's tech, the interface that brings the picture here and displays it is magic, and the DVD is tech."

"Sort of symmetrical?" Willow wondered. "Is that important?"

"You can ask Ann later," Buffy said. "Gang Long, are you ready?"

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(Chapter 12)

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