CHAPTER 25

Willow whirled to face Anya. “The Slayer?” Her voice squeaked on the word. This was bad. Very bad. Buffy was already afraid of the Slayer, terrified of losing control again.

“Did I stutter?” Anya wasn’t pleased at the questioning. “Buffy needs to get in touch with her masculine side or something. My Xander thinks it’s the only way to win.”

“You’re joking, right?” Wrapping her arms around herself, Willow flinched as Buffy entered the conversation. “Do you have any idea what the Slayer can do? She tortured Spike, beat him to a bloody pulp and enjoyed it. You want me to let that loose? How is that better than Adam?” Buffy was nearly shouting at the end.

Slowly, not wanting to provoke the Slayer before the showdown with Adam, Willow turned. “It’ll be alright, Buffy. We’ll find a way to control her. It won’t be like it was with Spike.” She took a careful step forward. Buffy was pale, hands clenched.

“I can’t do it, Will. I can’t.” As suddenly as it appeared, the anger was gone. Tears glittered in Buffy’s eyes. “I can’t let the Slayer have control again.”

Willow was painfully aware of their audience. “It won’t be like that this time.” She took Buffy’s hands in hers. The small fingers twitched restlessly, as if Buffy were seconds from running. “You were still coming down from the drug at Willie’s.”

“That’s just it, Will. I don’t want to feel like that again. When the Slayer was there, it felt like the drug. All angry and powerful and out of control.” Buffy was shaking now.

Willow heard the rattle of a pan; she ignored it. Ignored the four human-shaped statues surrounding them, listening to Buffy come unglued. “Buffy, the drug and the beer, Spike trying to kidnap you. The situation was bad. The Slayer was all about saving you and getting answers about Adam. It saw a threat and it took action.” Willow kept her voice low and soothing, and she took another step forward, wrapping Buffy in her arms.

“When I came up to you, did you hurt me?” she asked, pressing her point. Buffy’s eyes lost a little of the wild look; the blonde head shook slightly. “No, you didn’t. You were able to take control back. I wasn’t a threat, was I?” Another shake. “Is your Mom a threat? Is Giles?” Willow felt Buffy relaxing. “See, baby? There’s no problem. The Slayer will go after Adam. He’s the threat.”

“I won’t let him hurt you, Will.” Willow blinked at the change in focus. Buffy went on, “The Slayer protects what’s hers.” Buffy’s voice had deepened. For just an instant, Willow glimpsed a hint of orange to the normally hazel eyes.

Responding to some inner call, Willow pressed a light kiss to Buffy’s neck. “I know, Buffy. I expect her to keep me…all of us safe. I’m no more important than your family.”

A cleared throat penetrated their intense exchange. “Before this go any farther,” Joyce said dryly, “breakfast is ready.”

Willow felt the blush race up her face. “Uh, yeah. Thanks, Mrs. Summers. Dinner was a long time ago and with all the running around and magic and stuff, I’m hungry.”

“Hungry for Buffy, sure,” Anya dropped into the vacuum left after the Willowbabble ended.

***

When Xander and Faith didn’t move, Graham gripped their arms, dragging them down the path. “I’m not joking. I’ve got information on Adam. My bosses didn’t want to give it up. There are armed Marines not far behind me.”

Faith started trotting, easily matching Graham’s pace. “How many are we talking?” If it were just a few, she might be able to take them out.

“Not sure. At least a platoon,” Graham gasped out.

“Numbers, soldier boy. I need numbers.” Faith glared at the young man running next to her.

Xander beat him to it. “Don’t even think about it, Faith. Even you can’t handle a platoon; that’s thirty, maybe forty guys with machine guns.”

Thirty or forty? Faith picked up the pace. “These guys local?”

If Graham was surprised, he didn’t show it. “No. The Pentagon shipped them in after Adam broke free.” They were at the edge of campus, the lights of downtown visible ahead.

“We’re going to lose your friends without marching the troops through the streets of SunnyD.” It might have been a while since Faith hunted evil, but she remembered every back street, alley, and hideout. “Follow me.” Avoiding Main Street, Faith led Graham and Xander down an alley behind the movie theater.

During her employment with the Mayor, Faith had often stalked the Scoobies. She’d followed them, spying, listening for any hint they knew how to stop the Ascension. Boots echoing on the concrete and brick walls, the three pounded through the dim space. “Here!” Faith detoured abruptly, ignoring the complaints from her companions. “In here, hurry.” Using a touch of Slayer strength, Faith forced open a narrow door well camouflaged by a dumpster and heavy shadows.

Once they were in the small blind, Faith slid the door home.

Xander sank to the floor, sucking in massive amounts of air. Graham was in a little better condition. “Thanks,” he panted. “How did you know about this place?”

Shrugging, Faith avoided answering. “What did you find that was so important your bosses are hunting you?”

“I don’t know.” At her snort, Graham repeated, “I don’t know. Really. I was going through some of Riley’s files. He kept a stash of work in his room. Completely against regs.” Faith watched him run a hand over his short hair. “One of the files had diagrams – looked like some sort of circuitry. There were hand-written notes underneath, in Ry’s handwriting. The diagram was of Adam. That’s when I paged Buffy.”

“Wires and notes. Willow will be so happy,” Xander quipped, still mostly prone. “What happened? Why the unwelcome wagon?”

Graham grimaced. “I screwed up. The stuff in Ry’s files didn’t make sense. I went to one of the guys, asked him to take a look.”

“He wasn’t a team player?” Faith leaned against the wall, senses on alert. So far, she hadn’t heard anyone pass by their hiding place.

“Not for my team. For the brass’? Yeah.” The admission seemed to bother him. “Forrest was one of us. Like a brother to me and Riley. As soon as he saw the notes, though, he radioed for backup. He read me the riot act and called me a traitor.”

Xander had finally recovered enough to sit up. “How long do we stay here?”

It took a minute for Faith to realize he was asking her. “Uh, they ain’t even gone down the alley yet, X-man. I’m thinking we let them get past us then try to get back to the gang. Better question is: how long will they look before they pack up and go home?”

“Tomorrow.” Graham sounded very sure of his answer. “The unit’s being recalled. We were scheduled to ship out at oh-five hundred.”

“That was before you got the goods, though,” Faith said. She crossed her arms over her chest, meeting his eyes. “If the information is so important they’re putting armed troops downtown, will they leave before finding you?”

This time, Graham didn’t respond immediately. “Probably.”

“Don’t sound so convincing,” Xander mumbled. “I mean, it’s not like they’ve got big guns and won’t stop to ask questions before shooting us.”

“They’ve got a timetable. When the Initiative deployed here, there was always a risk of civilian exposure.” Graham started to pace the small room. “Once the order to pull out was issued, the unit only has forty-eight hours. Two days to destroy all traces of our being there, delete computer files, shred documents, and create cover stories for those of us pretending to be college students.”

Faith held up a hand. Multiple footsteps sounded in the alley. “Company,” she hissed.

***

Buffy sprang to her feet, taking a quick step in Anya’s direction. Only a small hand on her arm kept Anya safe.

“Eat your breakfast, Buffy,” Willow said softly. “We need to find out how to get you and the Slayer safely together and see what information Graham has. Ignore her.”

“Will-“ Buffy protested. She was already holding hands with the Slayer. A growl echoed in the kitchen.

She slumped when Willow pointed to her plate. “Breakfast.”

“Fine. Breakfast.” Dropping into her chair, Buffy picked up her fork and viciously stabbed the eggs.

The fork bent in her hand when Anya’s chirpy voice commented, “I don’t know why you’re so worried about the Slayer, Buffy. Willow seems to have her under control.”

“Anya!” Joyce jumped in while Buffy pried her fingers off the now twisted metal. “Why don’t we go and start some laundry? Those Council guys don’t seem like good housekeepers.” She moved across the kitchen and pulled Anya from the room.

Relaxing a little, Buffy went back to eating. When Willow perched on the chair next to her, one hand on her thigh, she relaxed more. “Sorry, Will. She just…”

Giles’ throat clearing interrupted. “Ah, Buffy, Willow, I take it congratulations are in order?” When Buffy hastily glanced in his direction, she saw the slight blush covering his face. The small smile, though, told her once and for all he was OK with the relationship.

However, before Buffy could catapult across the room and hug her blushing Watcher, Willow shattered the mood. “Um, guys, before we get all with the happies, I have a question.”

“Yes, Willow?” Giles met Buffy’s eyes. He looked suddenly tense.

“Anya said I was controlling Buffy’s Slayer. Great. Whoo hoo.” Despite the cheery words, Willow didn’t sound very encouraged. “If we have Buffy and Faith go after Adam, who gets to control Faith’s Slayer?”

CHAPTER 26

“Can you say Faith and control in the same sentence?” Buffy asked, food forgotten. “Are you sure we can’t do this with just me?” No way was she turning Faith – and her Slayer – loose.

“It is possible,” Giles answered, crossing the room and sitting next to Buffy. “However, Faith is very much our secret weapon. As far as we know, Adam doesn’t know she exists. I don’t think we can afford to leave her behind.”

Absently taking a bite of her now-cold eggs, Buffy thought about that. She trusted Faith – didn’t she? Her right leg began to bounce. A thin hand moved to grip her thigh, slowing the frenetic motion. “Faith was able to control her Slayer, a little anyway, at Willie’s,” she finally admitted grudgingly. “Could you help her during the fight, Giles? I mean, you were her Watcher for a while.”

“No.” Giles sounded certain. He cleared his throat, fidgeting slightly. “That kind of assistance requires…shall we say, a much deeper connection than Faith and I ever shared.”

“You mean-“ Willow broke off, eyes wide. At Giles nod, she mumbled, “We’re in so much trouble.”

Leaning against Willow, Buffy considered that. “Yes and no.” She pushed her plate out of the way. “Faith already knows how to establish some control over her Slayer. That means we may not need a permanent pairing.” She looked up at Willow and Giles. “We find a willing and able bed partner, show them the bed, and close the door. Once Adam’s out of the way, she and whoever can go their separate ways.”

“Buffy, that’s…that’s cold,” Willow complained. “Faith may be more open about her exploits, but you’re acting like her pimp, not her friend or her sister Slayer.”

Buffy grimaced. “Better her pimp than her jailor – or worse.” Taking Willow’s hand, she tried to explain, to rationalize. “We need her. Or, we think we do. You didn’t feel what I did, Will. If we turn on her Slayer, and she can’t keep control, Adam will be the least of our worries.”

“I can do it,” Tara’s quiet voice interrupted.

Buffy spun in her chair. Tara huddled in shadows at the far end of the narrow kitchen. “Tara, no. I wasn’t talking about you.” No way. Tara and Faith? Just the thought of the shy witch paired with the so non-shy Faith had her stomach roiling.

Smiling crookedly, Tara walked forward and leaned against the island. “Buffy, I already have a con-connection with Faith.”

Not really sure how to respond, Buffy muttered a quiet, “Um, OK.” Had she missed something? She looked at Willow and got a tiny, rapid headshake in response.

Tara must have noticed the exchange. “I d-didn’t sl-sleep with her,” she stuttered. “I was in her he-head, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Buffy blushed. “That part’s still a little fuzzy.” She looked at Giles. “Would that be enough? ‘Cause if it’s not, maybe Xander could do it. He and Faith have already…ah, connected.” She felt Willow stiffen at that and held back a sigh. Damn it. This was opening a lot of old wounds.

“I said I’d do it.” Buffy’s eyebrows rose at Tara’s brusque and confident statement. “Think about it,” Tara continued, “if Faith starts to lose control, what is Xander going to do? Grab her arm? Tackle her? Beg her to stop?”

Suddenly very tired, Buffy bowed her head. Why did everyone always ask her the hard questions? She was a Slayer, not a military commander. She killed things. Period.

Willow sat forward abruptly. She was flushed, animated. “You think it’s more than having sex, don’t you?” she snapped at Tara.

Sensing more troubling news, Buffy rested her elbows on her knees and rubbed her hands over her face, waiting for Tara’s response.

“Maybe,” Tara said softly. “Slayers are mystical entities – magical creations, bound to a human form. Buffy and Faith, at least, seem to operate as separate entities from their Slayers. What if that wasn’t always the case? What if, when the Slayer Line was created, the Slayer and human parts were closer together? How would you control that?”

Buffy dropped her hands. “Isn’t that what the Council was supposed to be for? Controlling and training Slayers?”

“Indirectly, Buffy.” Giles sighed. “The Council, despite it’s protestations, is a relatively new institution. Before it was organized, Slayers were sent out on their own. Simply pointed in the right direction and told to kill evil.”

“You haven’t answered my question,” Tara reminded them. “How do you control a magical being?”

Raising her hand as if in class, Willow wiggled excitedly next to Buffy. She dropped her hand when the other three looked at her. “Sorry about that.” She grinned, showing all her teeth. “Magic. You’d use magic to control the Slayer.”

“Physical strength wouldn’t be enough.” Buffy sat up, mind racing. “When we were at Willie’s, the Slayer saw Faith as a threat, a challenger. She responded to that with a physical challenge. Whatever they used to build us, Slayer’s don’t do magic – we are magic. Or, magical.”

“Exactly. Pairing a Slayer with someone physically able to control them would be disaster. It would call up that primal response. They’d view their ‘handler’ as a challenger, someone to fight and dominate.” Tara smiled shyly. “I’m no threat to Faith.”

***

The small room grew silent. Booted footsteps sounded from the alley. Ready for action, Faith leaned forward slightly, letting her senses roam. Through the heavy metal door to their hiding place, she picked up bits of conversation.

“Anything?” a male voice barked.

“They were here, sir.” Damn it.

Faith looked at Xander, whispering intently, “They know we came this way. Get ready.” He scrambled to his feet, moving next to her. “Look around. See if I left any weapons in here.”

She turned back to the group in the alley as Xander and Graham began hunting through the room. The footsteps were slower now. Closer, too. If the blind was discovered, they were trapped.

She sensed more than heard the bodies just outside the door. Hands scraped over the thick metal. “Xan!” Faith made a decision. “I don’t think the whole platoon’s outside. We’re not sitting here until they find a way in.”

When Xander started to object, Faith grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him until his feet barely touched the ground.

“Think about it with that soldier brain of yours. We can’t fight in here. It’s too tight, and there’s no way out.” Releasing him, she turned to a poised Graham. “Listen up, boys. Here’s the plan. I lead us out. They may have guns, but they aren’t expecting a Slayer. I’ll have a little head start.”

“Damn it, Faith.” Xander sprang forward, voice low and angry. “They’re human! Do you really want to kill another one?”

Flinching only a little, Faith ignored the bile burning her throat at the question. “It’s the only way, Xan. And, if we’re lucky, no one’ll get hurt,” she said as calmly as she could.

“She’s right.” Graham stood at quasi-attention. “They won’t expect us to attack.” He met Faith’s eyes steadily. “What do you want us to do once the shooting starts?”

“Run for the house.” She cleared her throat when her voice wavered slightly. “You have to get that file to Red and the gang. It might be the only way to beat Adam.” Turning away, she took a deep breath and rolled her neck to loosen the tight muscles. One hand reached out, gripping the metal door handle. “Ready or not, boys, we’re going.”

Throwing the door open, Faith dove forward, tackling one of the armed men examining the alley. “Go!” she shouted to the two men behind her. She didn’t have a chance to see if they’d followed her order.

Punching the Marine under her in the face, Faith held his body in front of her as a shield and rolled. In a move only a Slayer could perform, Faith planted her feet on the grimy asphalt and jackknifed erect, still holding her human armor. She moved so quickly the shouts of the rest of the group blurred crazily, a soundtrack on slow play. Faith tossed her bundle into two more men. They went down in a tangle of arms and legs.

There was no time to celebrate. Faith jumped to her right, kicking off the wall of the building there, and somersaulted over the heads of the three remaining Marines. The chase was on. Muscles straining, heart beat pounding in her ears, Faith ran. Now that she was no longer afraid of even accidentally killing one of the Marines, Faith called out to her Slayer. Starting with a slow trickle, the energy uncoiled inside. By the time the bullets began bouncing off the walls around her, Faith’s body tingled and stretched from the power flooding through her. Her stride lengthened, and she pulled away from her hunters.

Xander and Graham were still vulnerable. Faith turned right out of the alley and slowed, ignoring the scream of her Slayer. She had to lead the Marines away from the safe house, give the boys time to get the information to Willow. Then she could lose her pursuers and go back there herself.

Ducking into a doorway, Faith peered behind her. Uniformed men scrambled out of the alley. Faith counted five. One of them must still be down. A tall black man looked up and down the street and spoke into a mic looped over his shoulder. Muscles twitching from the need to run, Faith waited. Another team joined the first.

Faith stepped out of her hidden location and began a slow jog down the street. She grinned humorlessly when a shout rang out behind her. Four blocks of listening to the dull pop of gunfire and the sharp snap of concrete exploding from the impact of bullets later, Faith gratefully entered the wooded area at the edge of town. They were on the opposite side of Sunnydale from the safe house. Letting the Slayer loose again, Faith widened the gap

CHAPTER 27

Dodging through the trees, Faith began a circuitous return trip to the safe house. Faintly, she could hear the Marines thrashing through the underbrush and cursing behind her. Faith grinned and slowed to a walk. Her run had left her near the campus. She’d lose herself among the throng of students just to be safe.

Faith straightened her clothes and ran a hand through her wind-tangled hair before stepping out of the trees. Pausing briefly, she looked around. A handful of students loitered in the small park-like clearing. Fighting to get her breathing under control, Faith shoved her hands in her pockets and strolled through the grass.

Her skin tingled before she got more than halfway across the clearing. Slayer hearing picked up the dull thud of heavy boots on the ground.

Listening to them approach, Faith realized her plan had holes. How many Marines had followed her here? What if they had her surrounded? The urge to turn and look, to run tightened her muscles. Ignoring those instincts, Faith kept her deliberate pace. Her eyes, however, darted around, scanning for an escape route.

Two battle-dressed Marines jogged by. They never looked in her direction.

Relaxing a little, Faith picked up her pace. Walking with more purpose, she started along a sidewalk and skirted several brick buildings. There were more students now, and Faith simply became one of them – until she spotted Buffy’s ex-boyfriend and an older man having an intense conversation in front of a large house. Faith walked past them and ducked behind the hedges several feet away. Slayer hearing ruled. She easily picked up their conversation.

“Colonel, you can’t just blow up the labs.” Faith recognized Riley’s voice from the Bronze. “There are civilians here. Lots of civilians.”

“Agent Finn, my orders are clear. We are to leave no trace of our presence here.” Faith carefully moved some of the greenery around her and saw the older man lean closer to Riley. “I am not leaving millions of dollars of equipment for some nosy college kid to find. The charges my men laid are designed to implode the tunnels and caverns. Not one single student at this campus will even notice the blast.”

Faith tensed as Riley grabbed the other man by the collar. “Damn it, Colonel. Some of those tunnels aren’t stable.”

Before he could continue, his companion wrenched away, meticulously straightening his shirt. “I ought to have you up on charges, Agent Finn.”

“You do that, and I’ll make sure the brass in Washington know exactly what was going on here. There are things not even you know, Colonel.” Riley’s cell phone rang, shattering the tense scene. With a frown, he stepped away from the Colonel and flipped it open. “Finn,” Riley said tersely into the phone.

Inching closer, Faith tried to hear the voice on the other end. As she pressed against the house and pushed her way through the bushes, Faith stepped on a discarded beer can. The loud crunch seemed to echo.

Riley and the Colonel spun. “I’ll call you back,” Riley said into the phone, closing it and reaching behind him.

Faith bit back a curse when his hand – and a big gun – reappeared. Not bothering with stealth, she exploded out of hiding, diving at Riley. They hit the ground hard, and Riley’s gun clattered to the pavement. Rolling off Riley, Faith clambered to her feet, prepared for another long run.

She didn’t count on Riley’s near Slayer-like speed. A large hand shot out, grabbing her ankle, and Faith gasped as she slammed back to the ground. “What the fuck?” No way was Buffy’s ex winning this fight. The Slayer roared in her head, ignoring Faith’s frantic pleading. Riley was human. She couldn’t…wouldn’t kill him. Her internal struggle ended abruptly. Faith’s head snapped to the side, pain exploding in her cheek and jaw.

“Who are you?” Riley demanded.

Ignoring the flaring pain and the Slayer’s frenzy deep inside, Faith merely glared at her captor.

Another blow rocked her head in the opposite direction.

Faith and the Slayer had had enough. Human or not, Riley was the enemy. Faith allowed the Slayer limited freedom. A growl tore from her throat, and her hand slammed up into Riley’s ribs. He jerked away, grunting in pain. Taking advantage of the injury, Faith surged to her feet, tossing the injured Marine several feet away.

“Freeze!” a new voice shouted.

Ready for another fight, Faith turned. The Colonel held Riley’s weapon, the barrel trained directly at her. Dropping and rolling, the Slayer reached the older man before he even had time to blink. The gun flattened in her hand, the metal groaning in protest. Faith felt the Slayer attempting to slip the leash. She clamped down on the primal voice urging her to end this threat once and for all. She met the Colonel’s frightened eyes. “Run,” Faith ordered him. She was in control right now, but Faith had no illusions her dominance would last indefinitely. Following her own advice, Faith spun on her heel and took off.

***

“OK then. One problem solved.” Buffy pushed her plate away and stood. “Tara keeps Faith from going all Evil Slayer again. Willow makes friends with my Slayer. We’ll be one big happy family of butt-kicking superheroes.” She smiled grimly. “Now we just need a butt-kicking plan.” Buffy waited for Willow’s giggle or Giles’ pained sigh at her levity.

However, everyone simply looked at her, waiting for her to unveil the plan.

Buffy frowned. “No. No way,” she said firmly. “I’m not Xander. There are no soldiers fighting wars in my head.”

As if Buffy’s words conjured him, Xander burst through the door with Graham right behind him. “We’ve got it,” he announced excitedly.

“Got what?” Giles queried, looking confused and a little impatient at the lack of real information.

“The goods on Adam.” Xander took Buffy’s abandoned chair and started eating her leftover breakfast. “Graham got this file from Riley with diagrams and stuff,” he mumbled through the food.

Buffy felt Willow tense against her. “Where are they?” Willow wanted to know.

“I’ve got them right here.” Graham pulled a rolled file folder from a leg pocket on his pants. He handed them to Willow, and she immediately spread them out on the table.

Buffy could see the outline of a human shape, but the notes surrounding the drawing didn’t make sense. Willow, though, seemed to immediately understand. Her slim finger tracked the tiny script before going to various marked spots on the figure. Growing restless, Buffy scanned the room. Maybe Faith wouldn’t mind a little sparring in the yard.

Faith wasn’t in the room. Buffy searched for her through their Slayer connection. Faith wasn’t in the house.

“Xan, what happened to Faith?” Even Willow looked up at the almost accusatory note in Buffy’s voice. “Where is she?”

“Whoa, Buff. Calm down. She’s fine.” Xander swallowed the bite he’d just taken. “I mean, she was when we left her.” He squirmed at her glare. “We ran into some of Graham’s buddies. Faith told us to come here, give you the file, and she’d lead the platoon away from us.”

The plate jumped when Buffy slammed a fist into the table. “Damn it, Xan.” Needing to move, burn off her sudden nervous energy, Buffy stalked back and forth across the room. “Where was she headed? I’ll go after her.” Then she remembered. She couldn’t go after Faith. Her pacing got faster. The safe house suddenly felt like a cage.

“Buffy-“ Willow grabbed her arm, spinning Buffy in her direction. “This isn’t helping.”

Buffy knew that. However, she couldn’t seem to stem the energy flooding through her. “Sorry,” she muttered in Xander’s direction. Faith would be fine. She was a Slayer. Not even Marines were that good. After all, Buffy had taken on a dozen of them for the Professor’s tests. Throwing her shoulders back, Buffy stopped pacing. “Anything useful in that file, Will?”

She got a suspicious look for her sudden amiability. “Maybe. There are some notations about a power source. It’s some kind of uranium core.” Willow held up the diagram, tapping her finger over the heart area. “If we could get to it, we could basically turn Adam off.”

“I’m sensing a but in there, Wills.” Xander put down his fork, watching her closely.

Buffy agreed with him. Willow hadn’t sounded happy about what should have been good news.

“We could turn him off…if we could get close enough.” Willow shrugged. “Right now, that might be a problem.”

Tara moved closer, reaching for the file. “Is there anything else, Willow? If destroying the power source isn’t an option, is there an alternative?”

Reluctantly surrendering the slim folder, Willow answered, “I don’t know. The notes are hard to read and I only got a chance to scan the first couple of pages. Why? What are you thinking?”

“A list of all the demons they used to make Adam?” Tara asked with a self-mocking smile.

Snorting, Buffy put a commiserating hand on Tara’s shoulder. “Lesson one in the Scooby Handbook: If you need information, you can’t find it without musty old books.” She took the file from Tara, peering at Riley’s notes. “Will?” Buffy pointed a finger at one of the diagrams, confused. “Is this the same drawing?”

“What do you mean?” Willow asked, snatching the file back.

“Look.” Buffy pointed again. “The first one doesn’t have this…thing.” Buffy didn’t know how to describe the weird vein-like overlay.

Humming slightly, Willow studied the diagrams. “I…I don’t know. I thought it was just part of Adam’s exoskeleton, but you’re right. The two are different.” She raised shadowed green eyes. “Goddess, Buffy, what if Adam isn’t the only thing Professor Walsh created?”

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