Chapter 20
 
 
With the personal LED lamps Xander had provided strapped to their helmets like miners, and high-powered flashlights tucked into their pockets ready for when they had their hands free to use them, the trio set off back along the tunnels.
 
Buffy and Spike pushed wheelbarrows piled up with reels of extension cable, while Xander relieved them of their loads one by one. He unwound each reel as they went, connecting the ends together to leave a long cable trailing behind them back into the cavern.
 
By the time they finally turned into the wide entrance tunnel and reached the big steel door to the Initiative complex, there were just four full reels left.
 
“Okay,” Xander said. “We’ve got two hundred feet left. That means we need to find somewhere close to hook up or I’ll have to go find more cable.”
 
Spike examined the very solid-looking door for potential weaknesses. There was no obvious lock, or even handle, a fact which had escaped his notice the first time he’d seen it. “So, what can we expect in there?”
 
Buffy shrugged. “I dunno. Riley said they were going to fill it in with concrete but the place was humungous. It would have taken hundreds of loads. I never saw any trucks or anything. Did you, Xander?”
 
“Nope. That’s why I’m hoping that everything was just shut down and we’ll be able to switch something back on to uh… borrow the power. Remember the way to the control room, Buff?”
 
“Well, I know where it is. I guess it’s more a question of if I can find my way there from here.” Gesturing to the door, she added uncertainly, “Wherever here is.”
 
Spike stood back and studied the wall of rock surrounding the door. A shallow depression a little off to one side caught his eye and he went over to investigate. He discovered a metal panel with a speaker grille, a red button, a small fish-eye lens and at the top, a tiny red light. “Well, there’s got to be electricity switched on somewhere in there to run this,” he said, pointing out his find to the others. In a resigned tone, he added, “So to get in, it looks as if we need to find someone with security access. Bugger.”
 
Xander turned to Buffy, “I wonder… Do you think…?”
 
“Nah. They’d have taken my name off the guest list when everything went kerblooey.”
 
“Maybe they were too busy figuring out the mess to think about it?”
 
Spike looked from one to the other. “They gave you clearance, slayer? You said you’d been in there but I didn’t realise you’d gone so far as to join up.”
 
“It was only for a little while.”
 
“Yeah, until the evil boss lady got upset at Buffy asking too many questions and tried to kill her.” Xander nudged Buffy towards the panel. “Go on, give it a try.”
 
Buffy faced the panel, going up on tip-toe to line her eye up with the lens, and hesitated. “What if this doesn’t work?”
 
“Then I guess we’ll either have to find somewhere else to connect to the grid or give up and start digging with the hand tools,” Xander said.
 
“So… no pressure then,” Buffy mumbled.
 
She took a deep breath, held it, and pressed the button.
 
For a couple of seconds nothing happened. Buffy let her breath out in a disappointed grunt and slumped back down onto her heels.
 
Then a feminine computer voice came from the panel. “Retinal scan accepted. Please state your name for vocal identification.”
 
Buffy broke into a wide grin. “Buffy Summers.”
 
The little red light disappeared to be replaced with a green one and there was a loud click.
 
Spike quickly stepped forward and pushed the door which easily swung open.
 
“Yay me!” Buffy punched the air in triumph.
 
The first thing that struck Spike was that the space in front of him was so dark that it felt solid. Then a waft of stale air flowed over them carrying with it a noxious stench.
 
While Xander coughed and hastily buried his face in his arm, Buffy covered her mouth and nose with her hand. “Oh my god! What’s that smell?”
 
“Something in there has been very dead for a long time,” Spike said. “I hope you won’t object if I don’t talk much from here on in. If I don’t speak, I won’t need to breathe.”
 
“Some of us are human and aren’t so lucky,” Xander grumped, his voice muffled by his coat sleeve.
 
“Could always turn you, if you’d like?”
 
“Uh… thanks but no thanks. I happen to like me as I am, all warm with a heartbeat, having to breathe bad smells and everything.”
 
“Suit yourself. Not sure I’d fancy you hanging about for eternity anyway.”
 
Xander snorted then gave up trying to keep from breathing the stink and turned to indicate the cable reels. “I think we’d better leave those here until we find somewhere to plug in. Maybe prop the door open too. It might get the air circulating and help get rid of the pong.”
 
“Good idea, Xan.” Buffy dug a rock out of some rubble and wedged it by the door.
 
Spike dug the big flashlight out of his duster pocket and swept the beam into the darkness ahead of them. “After you, slayer.”
 
They took up a loose V formation with Buffy in the centre, and walked slowly into the cavernous space. Buffy pointed her beam into the area immediately in front of them, while Spike and Xander played their lights to either side of her.
 
It quickly became apparent that they were in a vehicle maintenance area since there were a couple of inspection pits off to one side, and a load of abandoned equipment and tools. No vehicles though, which had presumably been too valuable to leave behind.
 
Xander turned around slowly, illuminating the walls. “No junction box in here. Looks like we’re going up.” He went across to the elevator and pressed the call button. Nothing happened. Slightly sheepishly, he said, “Oh, right. No power. I guess that means we use the stairs.” He led the way across the space to the door labelled Emergency stairs. “Uh, Buffy?” he whispered, halting in his tracks. “Over here.”
 
A huge grey demon lay spread-eagled upon the ground near the door. His abdomen had been ripped open and most of his internal organs had been removed. There was also a great chunk missing from the meaty part of one thigh.
 
 “Oh my god!” Buffy cried. “They just left it here?”
 
“Well, that explains the smell,” Xander muttered.
 
Spike stepped closer and examined the demon’s injuries. The fatal wound had clearly been a wide slash across its throat which had bled out, leaving a spreading dark stain on the concrete. The demon’s torso had been shredded by powerful claws but the wound on the leg showed very clear tooth marks. It was as though a shark had simply bitten off a mouthful of flesh.
 
He directed his light up the stairs behind the demon and spotted the carcase of a different species of demon which showed very similar wounds.
 
“Scavengers,” he muttered. “Slayer, something tells me that not all the demons in here died in that battle you told me about.”
 
“Uh, you don’t suppose whatever did that is still here, do you?” Xander started whirling about, sending his flashlight beam into every cranny. “What if it’s got friends?”
 
Luckily, he revealed no more bodies and there was nothing nasty lurking in the shadows waiting to pounce on them.
 
“How long ago did you say they closed this place down, slayer?”
 
“About nine months.”
 
Spike gestured at the demon. “He hasn’t been dead that long.”
 
“I can’t believe it! They just locked the doors and left them trapped in here?”
 
“Looks like it. I’d wager that when they found themselves trapped and started getting hungry, they started fighting amongst themselves. The vamps wouldn’t have been strong enough to fight after a while without blood, they’ll have been picked off first.” Spike cocked his head to one side and shone his flashlight on the demon’s intact thigh. “Still plenty of meat left. Enough to keep a scavenging demon or two going for ages yet.”
 
“Oh, gross.” Xander shone his flashlight up the stairs, past the dead demon and into the darkness. “Don’t suppose you’ve got any weapons on you, Buffy?”
 
Buffy reached into the thigh pocket of her cargo pants and produced a stake. “Never go anywhere without it.”
 
“No offence, Buff, but I think I’d prefer something a little more weapony.” Xander headed for one of the workbenches.
 
“Gotta agree with the lad, pet.” Spike waggled his eyebrows at Buffy and patted his hip where the sheath for his combat knife hung from his belt. “I’ve got my knife, of course, but you know how much I like my weapons.”
 
Buffy chuckled and nudged his arm. “Come on then, let’s go find something to make you feel all manly.”
 
They followed Xander and joined him in sorting through the abandoned tools.
 
Spike picked up a big tyre iron and hefted it experimentally. “Not as good as an axe, but I think this’ll do me.”
 
“Here.” Xander held out his hand.
 
With a raised eyebrow, Spike passed it over.
 
Xander fixed one end into a clamp on the bench and quickly used duct tape to strap a heavy wrench across it a few inches in from the other end. He handed it back saying, “There you go, dual function weapon. Stabby with a hand guard or reverse it and you can beat their brains out.”
 
He then picked up another tyre iron and repeated the process. “You want one, Buff?”
 
“No thanks. I think I like this thing. Whatever it is.” She swished a long tool through the air and made a stabbing feint.
 
Xander glanced at her. “Windshield cut out knife. Good call. Watch the blade in the end.”
 
Buffy grinned. “Nifty.” She picked up a spray can of auto paint and held her hand out to Spike. “Lend me your lighter, Spike?”
 
“No.” Ignoring Buffy’s indignant “Hey!” he picked up a chunky butane blowtorch. He tested the ignition and when it worked, he killed the flame, took the spray paint from her, tossed it away and passed her the blowtorch. “Here, hang on to this.”
 
She nodded and put it in her pocket. “Thanks.”
 
Xander said, “Watch where you point that thing. There’s still a lot of fuel about. That gives me an idea, though.” He unhooked a nearby fire extinguisher from its wall bracket. “Not exactly a hand-to-hand weapon but I bet a face full of foam would slow a demon down.” He handed Buffy the duct tape then held the extinguisher behind his back with the hose dangling in front of his shoulder. “Tape me?”
 
Buffy walked around and around him, securely strapping the extinguisher to him.
 
Spike touched Buffy’s arm to attract her attention as she passed him. He cocked his head towards Xander and said, “Seems like a handy bloke to have around.”
 
She directed a dazzling grin up at Xander. “I’ve always thought so.”
 
Xander preened. “Handy is me. Someone’s got to be the practical one around here. Fixing stuff that the slayage breaks; that’s my speciality.”
 
When the reel of tape ran out, Buffy patted the end down then picked up her weapon.
 
Spike took one last look around, pocketed a useful looking utility knife then with his tyre iron in one hand and his flashlight in the other, he directed the beam towards the stairs. “All set, Harris? Slayer?”
 
 
~*~*~*~
 
 
Buffy led the way up the stairs, daintily stepping around the dead demon. Xander followed her and Spike brought up the rear.
 
Xander was used to Buffy taking the lead but having a vampire watching his back was unsettlingly new. It made him tense his shoulders and the back of his neck itched.
 
Buffy pushed the door open at the top of the stairs and Xander stepped up beside her to add the light from his flashlight to hers. They had emerged mid-way down a short passage. There were several closed doors on either side and one at each end, each with a small identifying label.
 
“Store rooms?” He whispered.
 
“Could be.” Buffy turned to Spike. “Stay here and watch the stairs? Xan and I’ll just check a few doors.”
 
Seeing Buffy moving to the left, Xander turned right and started trying doors. They were labelled with an incomprehensible combination of letters and numbers. “No joy,” he said with a shrug when he came back to where Spike was standing watching Buffy.
 
Buffy had also gone the full circle of her end of the corridor without success. She stopped, scowling at the last door. After a moment, she reached out and gripped the handle again. With a grinding crunch it came off in her hand, allowing the door to swing slightly towards her. She turned and grinned at them. “Yay for slayer strength!”
 
Xander thoughtfully glanced back at the doors he’d tried. He’d assumed that they would open inwards; he’d pushed rather than pulling when he’d tried the handles. Perhaps he should…
 
“Hey, you guys. Come and look at this!” Buffy cried, having pulled the door wide.
 
Three flashlights played over an array of metal shelving clamped to the rock walls. It was crammed with sealed jars of various sizes filled with a cloudy yellowish fluid and… Xander stepped forward and shone his light directly into one of the larger jars. “Body parts.” He made a face. “Demon body parts,” he qualified, identifying an arm covered in scales in that jar and a pair of spiral horns in the next one over.
 
“That is so gross,” Buffy said. “You’d have thought they’d have cleared out their specimen collection.” She turned and played her flashlight over the door directly opposite. “Do you think…?”
 
The store-room was left in deep shadow when she and Spike went to investigate.
 
Xander belatedly realised that he had been left alone among all the Frankensteiny gruesomeness so he hurried out of the store-room just in time to see Spike grimace as he tried in vain to force the door handle.
 
He sniggered when Spike stood aside for Buffy when he couldn’t break in. “So, vampire strength doesn’t match up to slayer strength, huh? Bet that smarts…”
 
He was surprised when rather than act offended, Spike beamed proudly at Buffy as she wrenched the door open. “My slayer’s stronger than any vamp.”
 
“More icky parts,” Buffy said in disgust when shelves groaning under the weight of even more full jars were revealed. She made a gesture encompassing the entire corridor. “We’re so gonna come back and deal with these later.”
 
“What about Giles? Won’t he want to see?” Xander stepped into the second store-room and started examining the contents of the jars.
 
“Maybe, Xan. I’ll ask him before we start with the clean-up. I’m thinking along the lines of smashing and burning.”
 
Xander played a game with himself, trying to guess whether any of the parts he could see came from a species of demon that he’d come across. A few minutes later, he abruptly became aware that once again, his was the only flashlight illuminating the space and he looked around anxiously. Yup, he was alone.
 
He stuck his head out into the corridor and saw blackness, relieved only by wavering brightness coming from behind the slowly closing door to the stair well. It was getting fainter.
 
“So I guess it’s onwards and upwards…” Xander muttered. He pushed the store-room door closed and trotted to catch up with Buffy and Spike, trying to calculate in his head the distance they’d travelled from the entrance.
 
“Wait up!” he panted when he caught up with them at the top of the next flight as they opened the door. “You went off and left me down there all alone!”
 
“Aw diddums. Did the widdle carpenter get left behind and get all panicky then?” Spike sniggered. “That’ll teach you to keep your wits about you and follow your leaders.”
 
“Stop it, you two.” Buffy played her flashlight beam along the aisle between two rows of glass-fronted cells. “God, is the smell even worse here?” She shuddered but continued regardless. “I never came down this far myself but going by the way Harmony described it, this is where they kept the demons between experiments. Now I know where I am. We just need to go up one more level.” She confidently turned around and then stopped short with an embarrassed squeak. There was no second door marked ‘up’ at this location, only the one leading back down the way they’d come.
 
Folding her arms across her chest, she batted her eyelashes at Spike and Xander. “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find some stairs going up.”
 
“You gonna self-destruct in five sec…” Xander’s quip was cut off in mid flow when something powered into him from behind, sending him crashing forward into Buffy. His tyre iron sword went flying in one direction and his flashlight in another as he thrust his hands out in an attempt to save himself.
 
He tumbled across the floor, arms and legs flailing and when he finally came to a halt, jammed up against the glass front of one of the cells, he felt as though the fire extinguisher had made a permanent dent in his back. He simply lay there for a few seconds, trying to decide which way was up.
 
“Xan, get off me!”
 
He became aware of something pushing at his arm and shoulder and rolled away to discover that he’d landed half on top of Buffy.
 
As they both staggered to their feet, he noticed that their only source of light was now Buffy’s helmet light. His own had been ripped away in his spill and both their flashlights had gone out, wherever they were.
 
He was crouching to feel around the floor for them when Buffy’s shrill voice broke the silence.
 
“Spike?”
 
Xander tried to follow the tiny light from Buffy’s helmet lamp as it flitted around the space. The movement became faster and more frantic by the second until he started to feel dizzy. He saw no sign of the vampire, although he caught a brief glimpse of one of the flashlights.
 
“Spike! Where are you?”
 
Buffy turned to look at Xander, momentarily blinding him. “Where did he go?”