Scanning the hallway to be sure she would not be observed, Buffy slipped into the general’s still-empty office and put the laptop back where Spike said it had been, then slipped out again, unseen by anyone.


Mere moments later, General Cordova rounded the corner and went into her office. She was surprised and a little annoyed to see her laptop, just sitting on the desk unattended. Everyone knew that the information it held was vital, and could not be left just sitting out for anyone to get their hands on.

With an irritated sigh she took her desk keys and unlocked a drawer, placing the laptop inside and locking it tight. Then she got up and walked out, locking her office door behind her, leaving for the day.

*I’m going to have to have a word with Lieutenant Finn,* she thought. *If he’s going to be borrowing my laptop he’s going to have to be a bit more careful.*


Riley waited until he was sure the general had left for the day, then glanced through the window looking into her office at the top of her desk. He smiled to himself, a cruel, self-satisfied smile. The laptop was no longer where he had placed it when he had finished with it earlier.

Hostile 17 had taken the bait.


Twenty minutes after Buffy left, Spike was pacing absently around his suite, suddenly unsure of what to do with himself, restless and bored. He almost wished the Slayer would come back. He smiled to at the memory. Now *that* had been fun! Making the Slayer want him, need him, her body responding to his advances against her better judgment…

He frowned as he suddenly realized that the Slayer was not the only one who came away from the encounter less than satisfied.

*Oh come on, now, mate,* he told himself. *She’s the bloody Slayer, it’s like a death wish! Have your fun with the bint but don’t let her get a hold of you.*

Interrupting his thoughts, the door swung open again. His back was to the room but he smiled to himself. Should have known she couldn’t stay away. Turning slowly, he began, “So…just couldn’t stay away, Sl…” His words cut off suddenly when he saw who was standing in his doorway.

Lieutenant Riley Finn.

And Diana was not here today. And he had just committed some serious espionage. Odds were good that this was *not*.

Forcing a mocking tone, he smirked at the lieutenant, who happened to have a particularly nasty smile on himself. Suddenly he was very, *very* glad that the Slayer had stopped by and taken a certain piece of evidence with her when she left.

“Well, Lieutenant Finn,” he said in a voice that was mockingly polite. “To what do I owe the plea—oh, wait. Never mind.”

Finn moved slowly to stand directly in front of him, as the two soldiers who accompanied him followed him into the suite and immediately began ransacking it, going through his meager belongings.

“What’s all this, then?” Spike demanded, putting enough indignation in his tone to make him sound properly surprised by the inspection.

Smiling coldly, Riley did not respond for a moment. Then, lightning quick, his fist shot out in a hard backhand blow across Spike’s face, that sent him staggering a few steps back, into the counter.

“I think you know, Hostile,” Riley replied softly, still smiling with menace in his eyes. “Not that you have the right to ask.”

“Well, I *don’t* know, Lieutenant,” Spike said quietly, righting himself and wiping blood from his mouth, looking Riley in the eye with barely disguised hatred. “And they’re not going to find anything. So you’ve really got no cause to get so bloody violent about it.” As he finished the smirk returned to his lips.

“Maybe they will, maybe they won’t,” Riley shrugged as he advanced on the cornered vampire, his anger at receiving mockery where he had expected fear showing in his eyes despite his outwardly cool demeanor. When he had closed the distance between them, he struck again, driving his fist into Spike’s stomach this time. When he doubled over in pain, Riley smashed his doubled fists down on the back of his neck, knocking him to his knees. “And I don’t know,” Riley laughed. “I don’t mind the violence. Or maybe I just like hitting *you*.” With those words he turned toward the bedroom to check on the other soldiers.

Spike stayed on his knees for a moment, breathing hard, gathering his strength to rise. “Well,” he choked out, his lip curled up in a sneer as he struggled to his feet, “that’s one more thing you and the Slayer’s *other* ex have in common, then, mate.” He paused for effect before finishing, “You know, *besides* not being able to hold onto her.”

Riley whirled around, fury in his eyes. Without a word he grabbed the vampire by a handful of his hair and slammed his head into the counter, hard, causing him to drop back to his knees, fighting not to black out. Riley followed the blow up with a couple of vicious kicks to his ribs, snarling, “Shut up! You pathetic little freak! You don’t know anything about her!”

“Know her a sight better than you ever did, mate. And never had half the chance to know her that you did,” Spike countered, gasping for breath and wondering even as he spoke why he couldn’t seem to manage to just shut the bloody hell up.

A cruel rage shone in Riley’s eyes as he drew his nightstick from its sheath on his side. “I said *shut up*!” he snarled, bringing the heavy weapon down hard across the side of the vampire’s head, knocking him out cold.

“Sir,” one of the soldiers addressed Riley as he came out of the bedroom. “There’s nothing here.” He glanced down at the unconscious vampire crumpled on the floor, without a trace of compassion or concern. “Looks like he didn’t take it after all.”

“Damn it!” Riley hissed, slamming the nightstick down on the counter with enough force that the young soldier standing before him jumped; Lieutenant Finn had quite the temper.

He had been so sure that Spike would take the bait, would fall directly into the trap he had set. When he had passed the general’s office and seen that the laptop was gone, he had been certain that that was what had happened. This would be the last straw, he had been sure. General Cordova would certainly agree to the execution of Hostile 17 if she found that his insubordination had gone so far as to have stolen from her, and especially to have stolen such highly classified information as was concealed on that laptop.

But apparently, he hadn’t. So where was the laptop?

Riley took out his cell phone and dialed the general’s number. When she answered he said, “I just wanted to be sure you got your laptop. I left it in your office.”

“I did, Lieutenant,” she said coolly, her voice dripping with disapproval, obvious even over the phone. “It’s locked up in my desk. And in the future *if* you borrow it again, I would appreciate your not leaving it just lying around for anyone to find and pick up.”

“Yes, General. I’m sorry, General. It won’t happen again,” he assured her through gritted teeth before hanging up.

He glared down at the unconscious form slumped against the base of the counter, whom he held responsible for his current failure and embarrassment. Resentfully he aimed another kick at the vampire’s battered ribcage.

“Sooner or later, you’re gonna slip up so bad she can’t help but finally do something about it,” he muttered, though he knew Spike couldn’t hear him. “And I’m gonna make sure that it’s sooner.”


“Oh, goodie!” Willow squealed in little-girlish excitement when Buffy placed the three computer discs in her hand. “This should be lots of fun…in the I’m-a-total-and-complete-lifeless-nerd sense of fun,” she added sheepishly.

“He said it’s in some sort of code,” Buffy helpfully supplied.

“Now why does *this* sound familiar?” Xander asked peevishly, frowning as he took a seat next to Willow at Buffy’s kitchen table, where Willow had her own laptop set up.

“This is *not* like last time, Xander,” Buffy insisted. “Why would Spike do anything to try and sabotage us when we’re trying to take down the people who are holding him prisoner?”

Xander’s suspicions about the vampire’s motives were not abated, but he really had no answer to that question, and the flaring Slayer-temper was beginning to show in her eyes, so for once he simply kept his mouth shut.

Willow put the first of the discs into the computer, as the others waited in anticipation. After a few moments, she frowned. “This looks kinda complicated,” she admitted. “It could take me a while to break this encryption.”

“How long’s a while?” Buffy asked anxiously.

“A couple days? At least?” Willow’s tone was apologetic as she looked up at her friend.

Buffy sighed. “All right. I just really hope that this is info that can help us, and we’re not wasting our time on this.”

“Too late for that,” Xander muttered under his breath, but loud enough that Buffy heard him.

She had had enough.

“You know, Xander,” she began, her anger showing more in her voice for its very calmness, than if she had actually raised her voice. “You don’t have to waste *your* time if you don’t want to!”

He looked up at her, stunned. She guessed that he had expected her to simply let the comment pass. Not tonight. “What is that supposed to mean?” he demanded, defensive.

“Just what I said,” she replied firmly. “If you don’t want to help with this, Will and I can handle it.” She paused, then went on, her voice softer, “But I have to do this.”

“Buffy,” Xander’s eyes softened at the look on Buffy’s face, and his voice grew gentler as well. “I know it’s terrible what these creeps have done to that girl, and that soldier, whoever he is, is a disgusting pervert who deserves to be punished for it. But I just think that your priorities are not quite in order at the moment.”

Willow gave him a look of mock-horror. “Ugh, channeling Giles much?” she asked.

“It’s Riley,” Buffy said suddenly, her eyes downcast, but her voice clear and certain.

“What?” they both asked her at once.

“The disgusting pervert is Riley,” Buffy clarified; there were tears in her eyes when she raised them to meet those of her friends.

Neither said a word for a long moment.

“My God,” Xander finally whispered.

Willow looked stricken, a speechless horror in her eyes.

“She looks like me,” Buffy told them, her voice almost a whisper. “So much like me. He *made* himself a – a *sex-slave* that looks *just like me*.” The impact of the words in the stillness that had suddenly taken over the room was devastating.

“Buffy,” Xander began, his eyes wide and guilt-ridden. “I’m sorry – I didn’t – I didn’t know!”

“I know,” Buffy said quietly, her eyes downcast again. Then she looked up sharply to meet his eyes. “But that girl could *be* me, Xander. Seriously. With the Initiative behind him with their tasers and drugs and all, Riley seriously could have done that to *me*.” Her voice was intense with deep emotion. “That girl is in there – in – in my *place*, sort of…”

“No, Buffy,” Willow interrupted her. “Don’t start blaming yourself for what’s happened to her, what Riley’s done…”

“I don’t blame myself that he did that to her,” Buffy insisted, meeting Willow’s eyes briefly before looking away, and adding softly, “I blame myself that he’s still doing it.”