Willow started to come to and heard a buzzing noise in her ear. Moving around
and sticking a finger in her ear, she realized the buzzing was from outside
her ear. slowly opening her eyes, she moved a bit and bit her lip as she got
up. A pair of eyes looked towards her and then away, the person hitting one
of the other guy's arms and getting his attention to look her way.

It took a couple seconds for Willow to realize who they were and suddenly it
became clear what she had to do.

Run.

Jumping to her knees she hurried to get the doors of the compacted space and
the two men grabbed her legs, pulling them out from her and pulling her
towards them, crushing her under them to keep her from moving. She screamed
out for help and felt an elbow hit into her neck, casting her head to hit in
the ground and turned it away. She felt the other guy put his hands between
the two of them and grab her hands which were stilled slightly as the one had
her arms held tightly behind her back. She felt a plastic tie being put on
her hands and as she struggled she felt in snap.

Collins looked at Smith as he pulled the broken plastic tie out. "I told you
that wouldn't work!" He yelled over the noise. Smith scrambled to the bag and
pulled out handcuffs in a hurry before Collins lost his hold on the girl.
Placing them on just in time, Smith saw Collins receive a head-butt as the
girl threw her now free head up and tried to pull her arms away. Collins
gripped his nose and cursed as he pulled back on her hair and turned her head
forward. Leaning over, he got to her ear.

"I wisely suggest you behave, child!" He yelled over the buzzing. "You cause
too much of a stir and you'll distort the helicopter, crashing it and killing
us all! Now just stay still for the remainder of the ride!"

"Where are you taking me!" She yelled. He threw back her head and let her go.
Trying to get up, Willow found it impossible with her hands behind her back
and after a few minutes, gave up for the time.

Minutes passed by as if it'd been hours as Willow waited for the in-flight
chopper to stop. She tried to keep calm, thinking of Buffy or Angel coming to
help her. But those thoughts were later replaced with thoughts of a Riley
loving Buffy, too busy to know she was gone and thoughts of Angel thinking
she'd gone home. The only thing that kept her thinking otherwise was knowing
Welsey knew something was wrong. He'd been the last to see her and she hopped
he wasn't the last of any of them to ever see her again.

Willow knew the chopper had landed when there was a big bump as it settled to
the ground and then heard the blades slowing as the pilot turned off the
engine. Without much time in-between, Willow felt someone's hand on her arm,
raising her up and she was lifted enough so she could move out the doors and
stand as Collins and Smith dragged her towards the present building ahead,
following behind Travers.

"What's going on? Where are we? Why am I here?" Willow kept asking as they
dragged her towards the building. Everyone remained silent as they walked. "I
want some answers!"

"You'd do well to keep your mouth shut, Miss Rosenberg. It makes for better
manners," she heard Travers comment over his should, entering the building as
the door opened for them.

Escorting her, the men dragged her through the halls of what seemed to be a
well organized business. Or would be if more people were in it. Willow was
dragged by people and as she yelled for them to help her, not one gave a turn
of the head or even a glance in her direction as they moved her on. Willow
would think they didn't know she was there if they didn't move out of the way
enough to let the men dragging her passed.

As they reached the elevator, Willow calmed and let them think she'd been
through fighting for a couple minutes to when the door to the elevator
opened, she watched as Travers went in, going in at her own free will and let
the three Special Ops men go behind her and waited. As soon as Travers hit
the button and the door started to close she jumped, sliding through before
the doors closed and got free, the men not having a chance to catch her. The
doors closed properly and they couldn't get it to open as Travers hit the
door with his hand and cursed.

Willow darted around and saw the stairs and ran to the door. Hitting it open
so it swung, she held it a couple seconds and as she saw the elevator coming
down she let it slowly creep closed as she darted into the room across from
the elevator and pushed it closed slightly so it didn't shut and waited to
hear what happened.

She heard the movement of the men but bit her lip after that stopped. Looking
around the room she saw it was empty minus a few boxes. Levitating a box to
her she set it down and counted silently to herself. There or not she wasn't
taking a chance. Hitting 10 in her count, she moved the box and the door,
bolting through and tossing the box with her powers in the direction of the
stairs and she heard them trip on it and she started for the door when she
ran into a large, slightly solid object. Looking up she saw the serious face
of Quentin Travers.

Jumping back to run, she was grabbed from behind by Weatherby.

"No more games." He commented, dragging her back to the elevator. Pushing her
in, Weatherby grabbed hold of her as they all started up the to the floor and
Willow saw Travers put a key in a lower button and turn it, pressing in for
five seconds on the button under.

As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Willow was pushed forward into
a room. It wasn't a hall that lead to other rooms but one large room. It
resembling a confinement area and contained a bed, open area, exercise mat,
fridge, a small shelf of old books, and what looked from a distance as a
large, cushiony storage box.

Grabbing her by the arm, Weatherby held her still as Collins worked to uncuff
her heads. As soon as she felt she was free, she pulled away.

"Take a seat, Miss Rosenberg." Travers commented. "We have much to disguise."

"Yeah, like why I'm here." She sat leaned against the wall and folded her
arms.

"The Council has called upon me to be watcher to the current slayer. Welsey
was considered, but after the game he played with the vampire and previous
slayer. Well, he didn't have many points rolling in for his game."

"This is only going to make Buffy feel worse about the Council. She'll never,
ever turn back to it after this little shearade."

"We don't care about that insolent little brat. She made too many marks as it
were when she decided to 'quit' the Council. Or so she thought as we really
turned our back on her after the little shinnantics she pulled for that
vampire."

"Angel is an ally and was dying. I'd of done the same in her position. You
'Council', " She made the word come out as if she were spitting at it, "are
nothing more than a disgusting race of our human kind. If that. You don't
even seem human when it comes to tales of the heart. I'd just as soon think
you were the demons a slayer is to slay after the sight of you're
heartlessness." Weatherby stepped forward in a fit of rage and Smith and
Collins pulled him back.

"It's you that gives the Council a bad name! It used to mean something till
that hoer of a friend of yours turned her back on it. Now it's become the
laughing stock of London's Community." He spit at her and it handed on her
cheek. "We should just kill her and wait for the next!" He directed to
Travers. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks and the same goes for the
fact that you can't make them see differently from before."

"Weatherby. Back down. She'll be persuaded." Travers never turned his eyes
from Willow.

"What are you talking about? Persuaded? Persuaded for what?!"

"You have been activated as Slayer. Your duty from here on out is to protect
the innocent from the forces of darkness--"

"Like you." She cut in.

"And live as the slayer. You'll die young, as every slayer does. But you'll
fight the fight and be better for it. Don't look forward to children, you'll
meet no man to bare them with. From here on out, you will be Council
property. You will eat, breath, sleep, and fight under Council's order till
the day the next slayer is called."

"But what about the last Slayer?! Buffy --"

"Is alive and well in Sunnyhell."

"And Faith is in prison dealing with her demons and living the guilt of
murder."

"Or was till about 14 hours ago." Willow's face dropped. "People in LA had
grievances with her and took care of the problem." Willow stepped forward in
a harsh second.

"You let Wolfman and Heart kill Faith!" She went to attack Travers but
Weatherby and Collins stopped her, throwing her back to the wall. She threw a
punch at Weatherby and knocked him in the jaw. Collins knocked her from
behind and she fell to the ground.

"Training begins tomorrow. I suggest you rest up for it. Till then, calm
you're tone. You're here till we say otherwise." Willow got to her knees to
stand and felt a sharp kick to her ribs. Collapsing to the ground, she turned
to see Weatherby hovering over her.

"Watch you're tongue about the Council, little girl. Or what you last saw of
the outside will be the last you'll ever see." Turning, Willow watched as the
four entered the elevator and saw it close and exit. Turning to sit up,
Willow cradled her side and leaned her head against the door, starting to cry
as she realized how she Faith had been murdered in cold blood just so they
could call *her* to do their bidding. Resting her head in her knees, Willow
swore to herself she'd never let them win. She'd play the rules of
confinement but not the rules in the free.
 

* * *
 

Welsey and Cordelia hurried into the apartment and looked around. The lights
were on as they called Angel's name. No answer. They both hunted around the
rooms and still came up with nothing. In the dinning room, Welsey was
standing when Cordelia swung around from the kitchen.

"Where would he go so late in the morning?" She asked him.

"I don't know, Cordelia. Maybe he --" He stopped as he looked to his feet and
saw a powder residue on the hard wood floor. Kneeling, he touched it and
rubbed it between his fingers.

"What is it, Welsey?" She knelt down with him. "Oh God. It's not dust is it?"

"No, no it's more a powder." He continued to rub it.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm not sure. Possible from within a book. a spell used time ago and the
powder remained till the book was opened." He smelt it in. "Or..." He trailed
off as he moved a couple pinches to his palm and lightly dusted it to the
table.

"What?"

"Well, it's thinner than some you can find. If memory serves, we've used it
quit recently."

"How?"

"Well, it's thin so it takes to the air easier. So it's inhaled by a person.
What was the last case we used such a powder?"

Cordelia thought about it. "Well, there was when Angel had to break into the
Lawyer's building. He used some powder to knock out a demon guard."

"And where did we get that powder?" Cordelia's face lit up with realization
and she turned to Welsey.

"From the sleazy Lawyer that had suddenly developed a conscience, Lindsey
McDonald." She slid into one of the seats. "So we knew where it came from,
now what was it used for?"

"Well, Angel's not here so I'm guessing it was used on him." He slid into the
one next to her.

"This doesn't look good, does it?"

"We not only have a missing witch but a missing vampire. One by an evil
council--"

"*Both* by an evil council. Just not the same one." Cordelia stood to start
to pass when she noticed a folder on the coffee table in front of the couch
in the living room. "Welsey?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember that folder being there?" Standing, Welsey stood slightly
beside and behind Cordelia.

"No, do you?"

"Ah-uh." slowly Cordelia moved towards it and picked it up. Opening it she
read the contents. Stunned but what she was reading, she remained silent.

"Cordelia, what is it?" She handed him the file. Reading over it, his face
dropped just as much as Cordelia's had. "But, how? She was supposed to be
safe in there."

"Well, obviously either the council or Wolfman and Heart were thinking easy
target." She turned to Welsey. "Who do you think did it?" Welsey set the
folder down and shook his head.

"Honestly." He looked at her in the eyes. "I don't know. But right now we
can't worry about Faith. Right now we need to find Angel. Then we can get
Willow back from the Council." Cordelia threw on her jacket and Welsey
escorted her out as they went to find answers.
 

* * * * *
 

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