Part 8
Spike and Anya had been searching most of the night, looking for any possible leads to what might have happened to the red headed hacker and what they had found out had not made either of them happy. A fledging vampire, barely a week from the grave, reported that he had seen someone matching Willow’s description with anther vampire that he hadn’t recognized. When he describe said vampire to Spike, the blonde realized that the fledging was talking about Angel. Then the other vampire told him that he saw the two of them taken down by men in soldier suits. That’s why he and Anya were now interrogating the reluctant bartender.
"I’m telling you, Spike, I don’t know anything about the girl. Or Angel," Willy added before realizing his mistake.
"We never mentioned anything about Angel, Willy," Anya said, finally speaking for the first time since entering the bar. Willy took a deep swallow, which was rather difficult to do considering Spike’s fingers were deeply pressed into his throat.
"Spill, Willy or else you’ll be needing some more help around here while your bones recover," Spike threatened, allowing his game face to show. "What do you know?"
"Well, I might have heard something," Willy finally admitted. "About these commando guys. They’ve been taking down demons and vampires for the past couple of months."
"What do they do with them?"
"No one knows. All anyone knows is that once the demon is taken, they are never heard from again," Willy took a deep breath as Spike dropped him to the floor.
"And they have Red and the poof?" Spike questioned.
Willy nodded his head, "Yeah, that’s what’s going around the rumor mill. Supposedly they took them when he came down to see her for some reason. Him because he was a vamp and here because she was with him willingly."
"Bloody hell, why is never anything easy," Spike swore.
"Because then this wouldn’t be Sunnydale," Anya stated simply, trying to put together what she had just been told and not liking what she was coming up with. She might not be a demon anymore, but that didn’t mean she liked the idea of people just randomly attacking others of her former kind. She turned back to face Willy. "Do you know where they take them? Or who may be involved?"
"No," he replied, shrinking back when Spike turned to face him once more. "I really don’t. No one has ever escaped from them. Or seen their faces."
"If I find out you’re lying to me, Willy, you know I will be back." Willy nodded his head. "And you will let me know if you hear anything else about this group or Red, right?"
"Sure thing, Spike. You’re the first one to find out whatever I know."
Spike simply nodded his head once, knowing that Willy was properly frightened enough to do what he was told. He would contact Spike as soon as he found out any information. Hell, Spike wouldn’t be surprised if Willy went to look for information, specifically to give it to him. Spike grabbed Anya’s hand and the two left the bar.
"What now?" She asked the blonde vampire at her side. She didn’t attempt to remove her hand from his, as she had found herself becoming more and more comfortable with him over the past several hours. There was something about him that made her not think of him as one of the bad guys anymore. She actually liked him. The fact that he was willing to listen to her ideas, instead of scoff at them like most of the others, helped with that feeling.
"Now, we go to the Watcher’s and let him know what we found out," Spike said simply, not caring that Giles would probably want to stake his ass on sight.
"But, what makes you think they’ll believe us? I’m not exactly on there high list of believable people right now and I’m pretty sure that you may actually be below me on said list," Anya pointed out. Spike sighed, brushing his hand through his short hair.
"I know, but I think we’re going to need their help in finding out about the people that took Peaches and Red," Spike said, hating to admit that he would need any help from mortals, let alone those that he considered his enemy.
"I mean, no matter what else has happened, they should be concerned about the disappearance of the two."
"Yeah, well, don’t be surprised if they decide to attack or think that maybe you might have some kind of secret agenda." Spike grunted as he and Anya headed to Giles condo, unaware that they were being observed by a pair of commandos.
"We have a problem," Forrest said into his walkie-talkie.
"What is it," Professor Walsh’s voice came.
"We have two people looking for information about Hostile 13 and his consort." Forrest spit out that last part, disgusted by the notion that any female would agree to willingly be with a vampire. Especially someone like Willow. He had met her once and immediately liked her, hoping that maybe she would agree to go out with him. Now, whenever he thought of her, he just wanted to gag.
"Do you recognize them?"
"One is a friend of Rosenberg’s. The other is a hostile that is unfamiliar to me. They have just left Willy’s Bar and we have reason to believe that they know about the capture of the others. We overheard them saying that they were going to the Watcher’s house," Forrest explained.
"Then you know what you have to do. Take them out." Walsh commanded.
"Copy. Over and out." Forrest put away the communicator and turned to Graham who was looking at him for his orders. "We are to take them out and bring them back to the lab."
"Okay." Graham and Forrest followed Anya and Spike, trying to keep to the shadows as much as they could. They were almost caught a few times as Spike sensed someone following them.
"Spike, what is it?" Anya asked, as she felt Spike tense up beside her.
"We’ve got company," he told her, trying to reassure the girl beside him. He liked her and didn’t want anything to happen to her.
"Where?"
"Don’t know," Spike admitted, scanning the darkness for the people that he knew where hiding there. "I’ve felt them since we left Willy’s. I don’t think they are friendly." Just then he felt something hit his neck and his hand flew to pull whatever it was out. The last thing he heard before blackness hit him was Anya’s scream of terror.
*******
Cordelia and Doyle had arrived in Sunnydale late that night and decided that they had to wait until morning before going to see Giles and the others. They were still trying to decipher the meaning behind Doyle’s visions as they knocked on the former Watcher’s door. They didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t Buffy answering the door.
"Cordelia, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked as she let Cordelia and Doyle in the door. Buffy looked over at the half-demon, trying to figure out who he was and why she was getting some kind of vibe from him.
"Cordelia, what a pleasant surprise," Giles said, coming over and giving the surprised brunette a hug. Giles spotted Doyle behind the girl. "And who is this?"
Cordelia turned, grabbing Doyle’s hand. "This is Doyle. He works with me and Angel." Giles shook the Irishman’s hand, knowing exactly who Doyle was as soon as Cordelia mentioned his name. Other than Willow, Giles was the only one in Sunnydale that knew of the half-demon’s nature and visions.
"Well, welcome Doyle. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Won’t you make yourselves comfortable." Cordelia and Doyle looked around, noticing for the first time that Xander was also in the room and wasn’t looking too happy.
"What’s going on?" Cordelya asked. "Did something happen to Willow?"
"No, nothing has happened to Willow," Giles replied, surprise that the former May Queen would ask about the hacker. "She’s been out of town for the past couple of days."
"But…," before Cordelia could ask why the others thought Willow had left town, the front door opened and she could feel Doyle tense beside her at the sight of the blonde man that entered.
"Any sign of her?" Xander asked.
"No," Riley shook his head, trying to sound as if he was truly sorry for the disappearance of the dark haired boy’s girlfriend. "The only thing I found out was that she was seen with some bleach blonde last night."
"Spike," Xander spit out the vampire’s name. Knowing instantly that was who Anya had been seen with. "That bastard has Anya."
Doyle was confused. The names Spike and Anya had instantly been put together with the names of the other couple that had been in his vision. But he also recognized the man that had just told Xander what he had found out. He was a part of the group that had been chasing the four people.
"Anya’s missing?" Cordelia asked, picking up on Doyle’s thought. "Since when?"
"Last night. We got into another fight over Willow not being around. She’s convinced that something has happened to her," Xander explained to his ex-girlfriend.
"And you’re not?"
"No, I got a note from her saying that she was heading out of town for awhile to think," Buffy explained walking over to join the group, holding Riley’s hands. "Oh yeah, you haven’t met Riley yet. Riley, this is Cordelia and Doyle. Cordy, Doyle, this is my boyfriend Riley." Cordelia’s eyebrow raised at the word boyfriend, but Buffy ignored it. "He’s been helping us search for Anya."
"Well, I hope ya find her," Doyle said, suddenly standing and pulling Cordelia up with him. "We just wanted to stop in and tell ya that we were here. Cordelia wanted to introduce me to the people that helped make her who she is today." Cordelia snorted and allowed herself to be led from the condo, leaving behind a group of confused slayerettes. Once outside, she turned on the half demon.
"What the hell was that all about?"
"He’s part of the group that was chasing Angel and Willow," Doyle explained. Cordelia looked back at the condo that they had just left. "I don’t think they’ll be any help in getting Angel and the others out of trouble."
"Anya and Spike. They were the other two that were in trouble?" Cordelia asked, understanding suddenly.
"Yes." Doyle and Cordelia quickly left the complex, realizing
that time was of the essence if they wanted to rescue their friends.