Title: Clueless 16/20
Authors: Kim & Jen
Feedback: Oh yes, please! It's our drug of choice.
Disclaimer: We don't, never have, never will. We own our obsession with the G-man. We let them have fun and return them relatively unscathed to the Jossverse. Although, they probably have more fun with us.
Xander raised his hand. "Yeah, I have several questions. One, where are our friends? Two, how did you guys know to come back just then, and three, what did you find?"
Giles and Buffy took turns telling them about the monitoring station, the images on the screens, and Willow's appearance with the others.
Graham and Riley's eyes grew as more facts came to light.
"Man, they really want you out of the way. That sounds exactly like a set-up for a major HST hunt," Graham said.
"They must have pulled more field officers into the mission than I had been told. We have to get out of here," Riley replied and reached for Buffy's hand.
Buffy pulled it out of his reach and moved closer to Giles. Giles wrapped an arm around her as she rested against him.
"Riley, I told you. I'm not available."
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish look. "It will take a little getting used to."
"Well, acclimate yourself quickly," Giles told him. "And you said, `we have to get out of here'. Don't you mean all of us and our friends?"
Giles didn't miss the flash in Riley's eyes that faded quickly. Riley looked at Buffy and asked if they knew where they were being held. When they responded in the negative, he sighed.
"Okay, that makes it harder to get out of here. The longer we stay, the harder it is to leave. We need to split up and search the house."
"Been there, looked all over it. That's how they have been picking us off," Xander said. "Any more ideas?"
Graham and Riley stepped away to confer while Giles, Buffy, and Xander pulled closer.
"How much have you told Graham?" Giles asked Xander.
"Only the basics, nothing specific."
"Good. I have a wiggy feeling about this. They showed up just at the right time, and that makes me nervous," Buffy said. "Xander, wait a few minutes and try to contact Willow and see if she's seen anything else."
Xander nodded, and Giles murmured in agreement. "The timing is unusually convenient."
Riley and Graham walked back over to them, and the others turned around.
"We've searched the house from top to bottom, and you guys and the butler are the only other people we've seen," Buffy said.
"Butler? What butler?" Riley asked.
"Oh, no one important. Just a holdover from our shared dream."
"Shared… Buffy, is something like this normal?"
"Riley, I told you about that dream. The First Slayer trying to kill us."
"Oh, that one. Okay, what do we do now?"
Giles spoke up. "I believe that we should explore the grounds. It is the only place that we haven't looked."
Graham and Riley protested. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to make my way inside? Now, you want to go back out there?" Graham exclaimed.
"We have to. The house has told us basically everything it can, so the only thing left is outside," Buffy responded.
"This time, we will stay together, or at least within a few feet of each other. No wandering off alone," Giles said as he led the group to the door.
*****************
Buffy and Giles showed them the command post, and Riley whistled at the sophistication of the equipment. He and Graham began to look on the floor for a trapdoor or other means to reach the prisoners.
Xander stared at one of the screens, and a smile lit his face when he saw Anya and Willow. The smile faded to nothing when he saw them chained and gagged. His gaze went blank, and he nodded to himself. He made eye contact with Buffy, mentally letting her know that he had talked to Willow, and she would find out what she could and let them know. Buffy tilted her head in acknowledgement and looked at Giles. He rubbed a finger down her cheek and smiled at her.
The agents rose from the floor, and Riley clapped his hands together. Buffy jumped slightly and raised an amused eyebrow at Giles. He smirked back, and they faced the men.
"Well, there's nothing in here to give us ideas. Where to next?"
"The rest of the grounds, of course," Giles replied with a slight grin.
*****************
Ethan approached the redheaded witch and grimaced. `Couldn't these bloody army types do anything right?' The witch should have been the last one taken, except for the Slayer. This one had strong magicks running through her, and it scared him. That much power in one so young? Nothing good would come from that.
Willow stared at Ethan, and her eyes widened. She had punched through his mental blocks with ease. She shared her information with Tara, in case she and her girlfriend were separated. Tara's shock at the information was surrounded by her ever-present love for Willow.
Willow sent the new information to Xander.
Ethan never knew what occurred as he continued to look at his prisoners
*****************
Xander and Graham separated from the group to investigate a small stand of trees near the path where the group was walking.
Xander was on his hands and knees, searching the ground, while Graham searched the canopy of leaves above them.
After a few minutes, Xander emitted a noise of triumph when he uncovered a trapdoor in the ground. He looked around for Graham, but the commando was nowhere to be seen. Xander tried to lift the cover, but soon realized that stronger muscles would be needed. Willow's thoughts reaching out to him distracted him for a moment. `What!' He exclaimed in shock. As he turned to go find Buffy, a whistling sound behind him made him turn quickly. His world faded into black as the nightstick landed against his head.
*****************
Buffy, Giles, and Riley heard Graham's voice call out, "Stop, what are you doing?"
They rushed to where they had been searching, but found no evidence of the two men.
Buffy stomped her feet in frustration. Giles pulled her into a hug and told her, "This is quite enough. When I find the people who are doing this to us, they are going to be very sorry."
"Indeed?" Buffy whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Indeed," Giles responded.