RPG Summer the vampire slayer

[Sere Tuscumbia]

OOC: [I]Miss[/I] Tuscumbia?! What [I]crack[/I] have [I]you[/I] been smokin'?! Wait, I dun wanna know . . .

*~*~~``

[SIZE=1]In her dream there are two of her.

Summer-at-sixteen seems to float in a current of darkness that rustles her hair and clothes, pushes against her. She can feel it dragging against her from behind as well, particularly at the base of her skull, as though some unseen hook has violated her flesh at the peak of her spine. It tugs on her, but the flesh and bone are uncomfortably numb.

Amid the darkness that sweeps by her there is a bright core, a deep purple vein that surges with electricity and menace. Now that she has noticed it, she can see that it disappears into the distance ahead of her and behind, weaving in serpentine fashion and yet following the same path as this river of darkness that pulls at her.

A chilly certainty shudders through her and Summer traces the purple vein with her gaze, following it until she realizes that it runs right up to her chest. Suddenly it is warm there, where the energy enters her, and she feels stronger, more aware. She suspects that this bruise-colored cable runs through, entering her chest and exiting at the top of her spine.

[I]This. This is what's pulling me,[/I] she thinks.

Yet something holds her in place, floating there. Something has anchored her here.

Summer-at-sixteen glances downward. A kind of spotlight is shone in this dark place, and she sees Spartan living quarters, a hard bed, a rough blanket. Upon the bed, Summer-at-twenty-two rests uneasily, dreaming, twisting beneath the blanket. Her features are beautiful, but hard-edged like diamonds, a perfect war-goddess only for one strong enough to take her.

[I]Me,[/I] she thinks. [I]That's me. Or it will be. No. No, it [/I]is[I] me, it shouldn't be, but it is.[/I]

Summer-at-sixteen blinks, and then truly sees. The purple vein snakes back from her, back through the darkness, where it attaches to Summer-at-twenty-two, like some monstrous umbilical cord.

And she knows what it is.

[I]This is the power,[/I] she thinks. [I]From the First Slayer to the last, this is the power of the Chosen One.[/I] And on the heels of that thought, another. [I]Why is it so dark? . . .

Summer's eyes snapped open, and she kicked the covers away, the sun shining through the window, casting a distorted square of warmth and light across her legs. It was too warm, and she pulled her legs up in front of her, curling into an almost fetal position.

The sun felt wrong; too good; too healthy; too rich with heat and light. It was though the sun was unnatural; a hesitation between stretches of night. A gasp of brightness before the dark came again.

Tasya had filled her in on recent events, but had carefully avoided several subjects. For instance, no information on what had really happened to Rhea, purposely changing the subject at least twice when Summer brought it up.

Something had managed to shove Summer's sixteen year old body six years into the future, so she now existed in her twenty-two year old body. Twin spirits, one younger, one older thrived within her. Although she thought this was only temporary, she had learned to grow accustomed to it, just in case she never got back. . . .

Which made her mind wander to the subject of Saethi. How he got to the future, and what he was here for. Summer shook her head, and pushed those thoughts to a secluded place in her mind. All she needed now was to cure him, and fast.

All of these thoughts weighed heavily on Summer's mind as she rose from her bed. The small room they had given her had a full bathroom, and even though she had showered before going to bed, she showered again. The grime of five long years in captivity and her recent battles didn't wash off easily, and Summer assumed that it would take a many long showers to wash it all off.

In the closet, she found some clothes that must have been brought in while she was sleeping. Upon first glance, nothing fit, but that wasn't unusual. It wasn't like they had much time to prepare for her arrival. She finally found some clothes that fit. True, the jeans were a little big, and the shirt a little small, but she found a navy hooded sweatshirt to top it all off. In the stale and sterile-smelling room, Summer bounced on her toes and spent a few minutes stretching.

With a leap, she balanced on the metal frame of the bed, crouched with her arms out. Then she went into a perfect backwards somersault, and swept through a series of shadow-boxing jabs and kicks that shook her blood flowing.

Summer took one last glance around the small room they had given her. It was a significant improvement to the larger cell she had lived in for the past five years. The window, with light shining all the way through, made most of the difference. More than that though, was the simple fact that she could open the door and walk out.

Curious and almost trembling with the desire to take action, Summer went out into the corridor. Whatever this installation was where the Council had set up its task force -- if that was what they were -- was cold and featureless, almost military. Summer shivered, and started walking.

On impulse, she started off to the left. She passed an open door and saw a thirtyish guy doing pull-ups on a bar inside the room. When he spotted her walking past, he lost his focus and let go of the bar. Several others passed her as she wandered, all of them stopping and staring, like they had never seen a woman before in their life.

For some of them, it might have been true. On another impulse, she turned right, and started down, the hood up, hands tucked into her pockets, trying to look as inconspicuous at possible.

She walked past a small door on her left, and it opened the moment she stepped past it. The woman they called Michela exited, and turned to walk the same direction as Summer. She was wearing droopy denim jeans, and a green cotton V-necked shirt that hung loosely from her figure. She walked past Summer, but then stopped, sniffed the air, and turned to look at Summer sharply. Her features softened when she saw her.[/I] "Summer! Hey!"

[I]Summer managed a small smile.[/I] "Hey."

[I]For a moment there was an uncomfortable silence between the half a dozen feet that stretched from Summer to Michela, but then Michela's face brightened.[/I]

"Hey, need the ten-cent tour? I, your lovely tour guide Michela, will escort you throughout the building, pointing out several important places, and labeling everyone's rooms along the way. By the way, there's a debriefing conference twenty minutes from now. Your tour guide will escort you there when the tour is over."

[I]Summer knew Michela dropped that too casually for it to be accidental. She tapped Summer's arm, and for twenty minutes they walked the halls, Michela pointing out several rooms like "library" and "training area". Summer enjoyed Michela's company, and they chattered about several things, how Summer had met Michela, how the Institute worked, so on and so forth.

Summer didn?t have a clock, she never carried one because they always got broken one way or another, but she could guess when twenty minutes were up. Michela was getting jittery, but seemed to slow her steps at the same time. It was like watching an ADHD child go to the dentist?s office.

They stopped at a discreet door. It wasn?t very noticeable at first; just another door in a long hallway of doors. But when someone started to look at it, it was much different than the rest. Mainly was the fact that it had a medium-sized carving on the door. Summer couldn?t describe it, and Michela didn?t even notice it.

She pushed open the door, and Summer couldn?t imagine how many people managed to fit inside such a teeny room. Perhaps by the usage of magic, but Summer didn't bother to think about that. She already had enough things on her mind, and[/I] this[I] made her head hurt. Though the room had clearly been intended for smaller numbers, there were at least twenty people standing around a long wooden table. Nine others were seated around the table, at the far end of which there was one vacant seat. Summer glanced back at Michela, who just nodded for her to proceed.

Obviously she wasn't going to be sitting. Summer looked around nervously for a moment, her twenty-two year old self remembering the "good 'ole days" when school still existed in her town, standing in a new cafeteria among whispers of people she didn't know.

She had always hated school. With a vengence, and this wasn't any different. Well, ok, it[/I] was[I] different, but Summer shrugged the memories off. Burning down the school library and surviving death for five years was something she didn't need to muse about at the present moment. Slowly, she turned her attention to the people sitting 'round the table. At the head of the farthest end of the table was someone Summer knew well, and her breath caught in her throat.

Alpha sat, her hands clasped in front of her, a small smile playing on her lips, and that same smile, only brighter, echoing in her eyes. A business suit nicely complemented her crisp, clean-cut look, and made her look several years older. Then again, she didn't really[/I] need[I] to be any older . . .

Summer looked over to Alpha's left: empty chair. Hers, she supposed. Slowly, she looked to Alpha's right. Tasya sat there, and nodded at the chair right across from her. Summer ignored her. Next to Tasya was a sixtyish woman with her hair in a tight bun at the back of her neck and her hands folded primly on the table in front of her. Next to this woman was a large man in paramilitary garb whose nose had clearly been broken several times. It was flattened and skewed to one side. He had the look of an old-time boxer, but what surprised Summer were this man's hands, which were resting flat on the table in front of him. They were large, cruel. She couldn't remember seeing anyone with such hands.

The biggest surprise however, was the girl sitting across from the man with the pugilistic features and one seat down. A small Asian girl with blue tinted hair pulled back in barrettes. No more than fifteen. The girl met Summer's gaze, and some sort of primal recognition passed between them.[/I]

The Slayer, [I]Summer thought.[/I] The one replacing Juniper . . .

"Well, Miss St.Claire, might you have a seat so we can start, or rather, conclude this meeting?" [I]The serene look on the prim woman's face frustrated the hell out of Summer.[/I] "Miss St.Claire, my name is Helen Havershire, and I am the director of the Council operations in the area of London. To my left is
Christopher Lonergan," [I]she motioned to the man with the broken nose,[/I] "operative from America and my chief of staff and tactician. To your left, the current Slayer, Allenii Kuvi."

[I]Summer's brow furrowed deeply as she frowned.[/I]

"Oh, my apologies," [I]Ms. Havershire said, almost amused with her slip.[/I] "I meant other than you, of course."

[I]Summer wanted to punch the lady, head of operations she was or not.[/I]

"I'm sure you are familiar with most of the other occupants. We have a great many questions for you, so if--"

"You do, huh?" [I]Summer asked, a bit incredulous.[/I]

"Summer--" [I]Alpha warned.[/I]

"'Cause, gotta say, I have a batch of questions right outta the oven for you too." [I]She walked over to the table, looked at the chair, ignored it, and sat down on the edge of the table.[/I] "I've been in a vampire-surrounded cell for five years. Not that I appreciate the assist, but before you debrief me, I think at least you owe me answers to some of my questions."

[I]Ms. Havershire's face took on a sour expression. Then, to Summer's surprise, she fidgeted, and glanced over at Alpha, as if asking permission.[/I]

"What about it Alpha?" [I]Summer prodded.[/I]

[I]Alpha nodded, but wasn't smiling.[/I] "Whatever makes you the most comfortable."

"Fine then. Why didn't you guys tell me straight out that Rhea died?"

"How did you know?" [I]Tasya asked, the witch's face softening for one moment.[/I]

"Call it a woman's intuition." [I]As Ms. Havershire opened her mouth, Summer continued,[/I] "I want details. Why, how, when." [I]She looked pointedly in Havershire's direction.[/I]

"You know that Rhea was captured by the vampires. They struck a deal with the Watcher's Council: Slayer's blood for the Watcher's life. We complied for at least a ye--"

"You sick b*stards!" [I]Summer slammed her hand on the table and stood up, furious.[/I] "You . . . you [I]wankers[/I]! Killing off [I]innocent[/I] girls when you could have just gone in and [I]rescued[/I] Rhea?! You disgust me!"

[I]Havershire's sour expression deepened, but she continued.[/I] "We secured a worthy Watcher, and when the time came, our conference with the vampires was excuted. We no longer needed Rhea, and told the vampires that. They were furious, and drained Rhea. It was unknown at the time if she was turned or not."

"Later,"[I]Alpha spoke up,[/I] "through the use of a vampiric spy, we were able to confirm . . ."

"That Rhea was a vampire," [I]Summer concluded for Alpha.[/I] "Right then. What about Saethi?"

"Which one?" [I]Michela spoke up, a hint of amusement creeping into her voice.[/I]

"Present's."

"After Rhea gained power, she fully sired Saethi, destroying whatever humanity he had left, and driving him criminally insane. He is only calm around Rhea, and a powerful asset to her." [I]Michela moved up closer to the table after she was done.[/I]

"Ok. How's the Saethi in containment doing?" [I]Summer sat down on the table, her temper calmed for the moment.[/I]

"Well," [I]Alpha spoke,[/I] "he's unable to do any damage. We have a sedation drug being pumped into the room. With Tasya's help, we were able to give it a little boost, and he's been resting peacefully. Seems that even the genetic mutations within him can't resist the drug."

"Perfect. I wanna try again."

[I]Tasya stood, her mouth hanging open, but she closed it quickly.[/I] "W . . . [I]what[/I]?! Have five years in containment rotted your [I]brain[/I]?! After what happened [I]last[/I] time, there's no telling what he'll do now!"

[I]Summer slid off the table, and turned to face Tasya.[/I] "You said that he was sedated, no? And no signs of mutation, yes? [I]That means there's still human in him.[/I] We can get him back. [I]I[/I] can get him back. If we wake him up, there's a slim chance that the human side will still be dominant."

"And why do you think this is going to work?" [I]Tasya inquired, raising one eyebrow.[/I]

"Let's just say a little birdie who smokes told me. Kicking his *ss doesn't work, so I'm going to take my little blue birdie's advice and show him what humanity means. If I have to talk, I'll talk. I'm not going to lose another innocent soul to this . . . " [I]She gestured to the world around her.[/I] "This . . . monstrosity."

"Miss St.Claire, I would advise you not go through with this--"

"But you know I'm not gonna listen to you," [I]Summer finished for Ms. Havershire.[/I]

"Right. Now, if you are done, then will you and Ms. O'Shannagian please sit down. I, as would the others, would like to ask you some questions. Please."

[I]Summer sat in the chair provided for her, and laid her hands on the table. Looking around, she said,[/I] "Sure. Bring 'em on."[/SIZE]

*~*~~``

And finally it's done. ^^;; Long too.

[liamc2]

OOC: Wow, and well done too. Unfortunately I'm a bit overtaxed at the moment -.-, but my writing will pick up by the weekend, I'll be on holidays then.

----

[i]Saethi lay on his back on the cold hard slab in the room. The blood flow from his wound had stopped, leaving the spilt liquid to dry and cause the once white sterile room to take on a macabre scene that could have only come from hell. His eyes twitched as his drug induced stupor fed his already rampant dreams.
?Give it up. You know we?ve won.? A demonic Saethi cackled, waving his thorny arm around the black empty space....[/i]
?Yeah. Besides, you don?t want us to hurt you any more do you?? Another harsh laugh rang out, this time from the vampyric embodiment of Saethi. Around them both the darkness began to swirl and mix, horrific images of death and his past mixed to form a Satanic jumble that caused him to spasm violently. The human Saethi, fallen and bleeding, tried to force a chuckle from his cut lips.
?You don?t scare me...I was here first, and theirs no way I?m going to,? he coughed, forcing his mutinous limbs to stand, ?-to give into the likes of you. I?ll beat you both, and stand above you.?
The two evils glanced at each other, both raising an eyebrow before stepping forward and advancing on Saethi, cruel and jagged weapons appearing in their hands.
?Right,? he said, ?lets get this going.?

[Sere Tuscumbia]

OOC: Heck yeah it's well done! I've had, what? A month or so to work on it? Can you [I]imagine[/I] how many revisions I've made? *singsong* Sunday?s my birthday!

*~*~~``

[I]Summer walked out of the room she was given, weary and shell-shocked. The questions had come, from Ms. Havershire. From Lonergan. From Alpha. From Tasya. From Michela. Summer had told them all she could remember of those five years in her cell, and ignored the stares when she revealed the circumstances of Juniper's death. The worst was the young Slayer, Allenii's, outburst of rage and despair as she fled the room when Summer described how Juniper died.

A voice came crackling loudly through the headset that Alpha had fitted for her after the conference, interrupting her thoughts.[/I] "Yo, Summer!"

[I]Summer winced and cranked the volume down.[/I] "What?"

"Girl, you'd better get yo' azz down to Saethi's room right this minute!"

[I]Summer took off, her shoes pounding against the white, squeaky-clean tiles below her.[/I] "What's wrong?! And what's with the volume cranked all the way up? Are you aiming for a deaf Slayer or something?!"

"Sorry," [I]Michela's voice came crackling sheepishly through,[/I] "the person who owned the headset before you liked to listen to rock with the volume all the way up when he wasn't workin'. Forgot about that."

"[I]Owned[/I]? Do I really wanna know?" [I]Summer skidded around a corner, and wrenched the stair doors open. 1 flight. 2 flights.

3 flights. 4 flights.[/I] "He was lost to Saethi in the last squad. We had thought we had him, but that damn Rhea woman--sorry Summer--pulled the slip on us right when we had reached him. It was a massacre. The man who owned the headset was the last to go . . . good man 'e was."

[I]5 flights. God, how tall was this building?! 6 flights . . . first floor! Summer pushed the door open and slid around another corner.[/I] "Hey, sorry Michela. Didn't mean to bring back bad memories."

"Yo! No need for headsets now, girl!" [I]As Summer slid around the last corner, Michela waved her arms frantically.[/I] "You made it in under five minutes! New record!"

"Slid down the banisters. Learned it from a friend in high school. Real useful."

"Girl, you made it jus' in time! We need some of that Slayer strength you got there."

"What?"

[I]Michela pointed to the large window that lead to Saethi's room.[/I] "Yo' boyfriend there is havin' a little [I]problem[/I]."

[I]Summer felt herself flush in anger, but managed to hiss through her teeth,[/I] "He's [I]not[/I] my boyfriend!" [I]before turning to face the window.

She drew in a sharp breath.[/I] "Is he . . ?"

"Dead? No," [I]Alpha said as she walked up behind Michela and Summer.[/I] "But it [I]does[/I] look like . . ."

"He's dreaming." [I]Summer gasped.[/I]

"Not entirely," [I]Tasya countered, joining the group in front of the window.[/I] "It seems that he's actually [I]retreated[/I] into his subconscious. That means--"

"That he'll die unless he comes back within a certain amount of time." [I]Michela grimaced.[/I] "Your body still goes on, but you have no soul. That was one of the favorites of Anyanka's."

[I]Summer noticed a small twitch developing in Saethi's right hand.[/I] "Isn't there any way we can help him?"

"Well," [I]Tasya noticed the tremor, and moved to a drawer situated near the center of the data banks,[/I] "there [I]is[/I] one thing that we can do, but it's extremely tricky. We'd have to make sure just what's going on in his head first. We wouldn't want to stumble into one of the mind's booby-traps."

[I]Summer turned her attention away from Tasya to focus back on Saethi. A grimace of pain briefly crossed his face, but then everything was calm again. Well, everything except that damned tremor . . . which was getting bigger . . .[/I] "Tasya? Tasya?!"

"Damn! That's the bloody third one in a bloody hour! Quick,"[I] she threw a gas mask in Summer's direction,[/I] "put this on, and follow me!"

[I]Summer caught the mask with ease, and quickly strapped it around her head. Once on, she was aware of her own breathing, quickened by adreniline rushing into her system. She slipped through the door after Tasya, and immediately wrapped her arms around Saethi's shoulders, not letting go until the convulsions subsided.[/I] "I think it's time you find out what's goin' on in this guy's head, Tasya."

[I]Tasya pulled off her gas mask, and motioned for Summer to do the same.[/I] "I've secured a small pocket of air around each of us so we can talk freely. Communication is the key when you're doing a spell."

"What about it Tasya? Ready to get down to the bottom of this?"

[I]Tasya nodded.[/I] "You might want to stand behind me for this. It's a complicated spell, and I don't know if it'll work or not."

[I]Tasya closed her eyes, raised her hands, and recited a strange, anicent language that Summer didn't recognize. She opened her eyes, and smiled at Summer, and something caught in Summer's mind: that look, that smile was very familiar . . . and then Tasya's eyes went wide, blank. She swayed for a moment, her arms falling to her side, and then Summer caught her as she fell to her knees.[/I] "Well,"[I]she gasped, as she leaned on Summer for support as she was getting up,[/I] "his situation was more dire than I thought. We might have to go through with our Plan B after all."

"Plan B?" [I]Summer inquired as she lead Tasya out of the room.[/I] "I assume you mean the tricky thing you were talking about earlier?"

[I]Tasya nodded, and, once outside the door, stooped over to regain her breath.[/I] "But it will require your help, Summer. Someone close to him can only do this, and you're as close as we're going to get."

[I]Summer nodded, and looked back to where Saethi was laying.[/I] "First, can we get him someplace more comfortable . . . and clean? [I]I[/I] sure wouldn't want to wake up in [I]that[/I] hellhole."

***

[I]Summer tentively knocked on the door that lead to the room Saethi was in. The doorhandle slowly squeaked downward, and Michela, smiling broadly, escorted her inside.[/I] "Good to have ya, Slayer. Ready?"

"When you are."

"Ok. All you need to do is link hands with Saethi, and make sure you're ready before you signal to us, ok?"

"Kay."

"Go get 'em, girl."

[I]Summer walked through the door, and over to where Saethi was resting. On an impulse, she hovered a hand over Saethi's head, and said a long known, but severely underused, prayer for him. Then she leaned down, and gently kissed him.[/I] "Don't let me lose you again," [I]she whispered, then linked her fingers with his, and sat down on the bed next to him.[/I] "Work that voodoo that you do, Tasya."

[I]A small smile from behind the glass, and when Summer closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall . . .[/I]

Blackness. A swirling, shrieking torrent of blackness. Much like the river of her dream, but only angry, boiling over.

Summer-at-sixteen pushes her stray bangs from her face, and then looks around. The frothing, seething mass around her moves, but she doesn't move with it. She is anchored again, and she feels a pushing, instead of a tugging.

A spotlight is shone from somewhere, and from the light someone appears, someone who Summer recognizes immediately. Her voice was lost to the shrieking, but she runs toward him . . .

. . . and right through him. [I]"Saethi? Saethi?"[/I]

He looks up at her, and a strange mix of emotions run across his face. [I]"How'd you . . ? Why're you . . ?"

"No time! Obviously, from what Tasya's told me, you're willing me here. You pretty much control this! Now, we've got to solve your problem, or we're [/I]both[I] going to die!"

"[/I]That's[I] my problem."[/I] He points over Summer's shoulder, and she swivels around. Two more lights are shone, but they almost seem like tears in the fabric of space. The two evils emerge, and start heading in their direction.

[I]"Not cool."[/I]

*~*~~``

[liamc2]

Saethi blinked a bit, and a bit more. Summer? Here? He glanced at her again, making sure that this image wasn?t just another torment supplied by his two counterparts. No, still there...so heaven does answer a cry for help...

?There?s a problem Summer...?

?Yeah, yeah two very big nasty-?

?Not them, I can?t control this, they?re controlling this...it?s pretty much all them here. All they need to do is kill me and, well...they can control the body, the only thing I?ve been able to hang onto...?

Summer blinked, ?And??

?I?m getting weaker, you?ve got to get the hell out of here...and kill me. Just get out of here and kill me,? already the two were metres away, seemingly taking their time. Summer glanced at Saethi, at a loss for words.

?Nuh-uh, no way. I came in here for a reason, a-?

?-solution.? Saethi finished. ?There it is. All you have to do is get my body into a furnace, total incineration. That way there won?t be any regrowth or healing. Total nothingness. Its what you?ve got to do Summer, there?s no other way, unless we take down those guys, ?he waved a hand to the two, ?which is never going to happen. Just get the hell out of here, I?ll do my best. Just, just go and do what you have to do...? With that Saethi turned and charged at the beckoning evils.

Summer stood immobile, blackness swirling around her. Odd really, it seemed to be lightening in colour, taking a different form even... Summer gazed at the glowing whiteness around her, it seemed to be spreading out, the dark recoiling at it?s embrace. Summer broke out of her trance at the sound of Saethi?s cry of pain. The vampyric Saethi had a hold on his neck, and was slowly sinking his inch long fangs deep into his carotid artery. Saethi slowly crumpled to his knees, feebly shouting for her to go. The demonic Saethi kicked him in the ribs and turned to Summer, voice full of mocking laughter,

?Ya might wanna do that, unless you want ta see your boyfriend become mush eh??

The vampyric Saethi extracted his fangs from Saethi, who slumped to the ground, and laughed trollishly. The demon gave the quivering Saethi another kick for good measure, and the darkness intensified around the trio. Summer clutched her head as a white hot fire droned into her skull, the glow around her receded, Saethi was losing control.

~~~~~

Michela watched as Saethi began convulsing, nerve above Sumer?s eye also twitching slightly, just slightly.

?Uh Tasya,? she said, ?we?ve got a problem.?

~~~~~

Saethi rolled onto his back, it seemed every molecule of his body was screaming out in pain, and it didn?t help that the demon standing above him was kicking him in the pelvis. He vainly tried to roll his eyes in the direction of Summer, only to see a ball of white glowing around her. He managed a sigh, she should have left, couldn?t she tell that he was only an inch from losing control? Couldn?t she tell the extreme pain he was in that...oddly seemed to be floating...away? The white around seemed to intensify, circling around him and repelling the evils, he stood and felt flesh and sinew reform and reshape inside him, broken arm grate back into place. He glanced at Summer who seemed to be smiling, and noted a purple cable that seemed to be snaking its way around her.

?Now I know my mind is messing with me.? he said. ?But if it keeps the bad guys away, its good enough for me.?

The vampyric and demonic forms stood defiantly, at least the demonic one did. The vampyric Saethi was shrinking away, terrified to the core. The demon noted this with distaste,

?Coward! Do not run from the frail one and her pathetic torch!?

The vampyre shook his head and turned to run, the demon cried out with rage and threw out an arm, catching him by the neck. He brought him to his face, lip curling with anger,

?Weakness...is not tolerated here...?

The demon crushed the vampyres skull, instantly his body glowed crimson and absorbed the late vampyre Saethi. The glow faded and the vampyre/demon hybrid stood before them.

?Damn.? exclaimed Summer

[Walnut]

[i] Alpha walked down a corridor. She felt totally useless, she wanted to be there to help Summer. That was her job, that was what she had sworn to! Not to be some stupid adviser who gave help only when needed.

she continued down the corridor and looked ahead of her. Herver (sorry about the spelling) and glared at her. How dare she talk to Summer like that! She was one of the best slayers that had lived and she was not about to let her be downfallen by her. But as usual there was nothing to be done. She turned back and walked down the corridor again. This was getting rediculas, it was taking to long. Maz was not like this, then she corrected herself. It hadn't been Maz this time, it had been Raven. She sighed and tried to think of anything that would help.

her mind strayed to the cross, for some stupid reason. she looked at her arms and could not feel the marks which should have burnt her to nothing. she couldn't work it out, but she'd seen others put in and they had finally 'died' but she hadn't. As she thought she remebered Brother Tron, a monk who had kept her alive long enought to be questioned. He had taken a good liking to her and had suggested that she help them against the forces of darkness, and he'd given her something. Something to help her in case something was beyond hope. She remembered what it was, but the only prob was that it was back at her old 'school'. She could get out with no major problem, but it would be trying to keep outta sight.

She ran back to her room and changed. She made sure that she looked like a new vampire who was just hitting the streets. She slipped out unseen and disappeared into the night. Not before texting Summer the message, "G T G B".

ooc: Hope you don't mind about this Sere. I'll make sure she's back for what you're gonna do or use her for.

[Sere Tuscumbia]

OOC: The fact that Mum is asleep, and Dad's hidden the pictures has driven me to boredom, I'm posting.

And dammit Liam, you're gettin' good! Whee, on w/ the story then.

*~*~~``

[I]That was [/I]it[I]. She had [/I]already[I] had a bad enough time. She glanced over at Saethi, who was standing and staring in somewhat of a shock. Summer wasn't surprised.

The hybrid Saethi laughed, a noise that grated against Summer's nerves. [/I]"So you really think that 'cha'll beat me?"[I]

Summer bounced on her heels, and smiled, the perfect image of icy calm. [/I]"You know what? I'm having a bad day. A bad [I]week[/I] for that matter. I don't think that [I]anything[/I] will make me feel more better than kicking your ***. 'Cause you may walk the walk, and talk the talk, but you're [I]not[/I] Saethi, and that'll make me feel even better."[I] She ran her tongue over her lips and smiled again.

The hybrid Saethi smiled in response, revealing incisors that were all too vampiric.[/I] "I remember you said that ta blood of a Slayer was addictive. Care to test that ta theory?"

"Let's do this."

[I]And before anyone could say a word, Summer took off, a chilly look in her eyes, and the same look reflected in her smile. True, the hybrid was fast, but Summer was faster. Using his shoulder as leverage, Summer grabbed the hybrid, and flipped, landing to kick up at the back of his neck.

The attack went smoothly, until an image of Juniper's dead body tumbling to the ground after an attack similiar to that one flashed in Summer's head. She tried to move, but the bloody images just kept coming, fresher with each scene.[/I] "So," [I]she growled, her legs wavering as she took a step,[/I] "you find that I [I]can[/I] kick your ***, and you don't like it, so you play mind games with me. Fine then. You wanna play rough, I'll play rough."

[I]And so she took a step, and one step more, until she was in a full run at the demon in front of her. She lept . . .

. . . and the scenery changed. A junkyard, filled with piles upon piles of cars. How lovely. Summer ran up the boot of the car, despite Saethi's enraged protests, and dove to the ground, rolling to pop up on her feet, a battle stance ready. The hybrid was at attention also. Swing, feint, parry, feint, feint, swing, miss, swing, hit! The hybrid hit the ground, only to sweep Summer's legs out from under her.

[/I]Some days this job sucks, [I]she thought, as her back (and the rest of her) thudded into the ground, knocking the breath out of her, and forcing black spots to dance across her eyes.

She rolled, as a vicious looking sword came whistling past her head by a few inches. She responded in full, rolling onto her feet and pulling the sword from its sheath on her back. As she looked around for Saethi [/I](A/N: both of them I might add)[I]the lights flickered, dimmed . . .

Well, that was just lovely.

*~*~~

Not all of it. Editing will come later.

[Walnut]

Alpha tore down the streets as fast as she dared. The book that was under her coat was heavey and not easy to concel. She saw the corner that turned off to the HQ, but sunlight was there. She cursed there had to be a way to get to HQ without being caught by the vamp's or sunshine. Then again...how were any vamp's out at this time of day? How was she out? She crept forewards and ginerly placed her hand into the sunlight. Nothing happened, she looked at her gloved hand and realised that a curse was upon it, as was on the rest of her clothes. She would have to thank whoever had done that when she got back, but then again....a sudden chill crept over her. She charged across the street and entered HQ.
A couple of people looked at her but she shook her head and produced ID, without the photo of cause. She ran wildly round and eventually found Mangus, "Where's Summer?" she asked before he could say anything.

[Sere Tuscumbia]

OOC: Ummies . . . Alpha-chan? What curse? Alpha doesn't need a curse . . . I know I forgot to mention it to you though . . . PM me if you need the details. And another error (boo-boo on my part again, I know) Alpha knew about the "operation" and had been there at least the first few minutes . . . remind me to inform ya?ll whenever I get bored and think up this stuff . . .

*~*~~``

[I]Well, that was just lovely. A Colosseum. How appropriate. Once again, the hybrid was in front of her, and Saethi was . . . well [/I]somewhere[I]. Somewhere close, because Summer could hear his loud outbursts of frustration.

She lifted the sword, the same as before, and pointed it in the hybrid Saethi's direction. He lifted his hands, a heartless smile on his lips, and a malicious twinkle in his eye. A mace and a large shield.[/I]

"Sh*t. I hate you, you know that?"

"I know."

[I]Summer lept into action, one hand on the hilt of her sword, and the other resting on the back end. The hybrid fell for her guise, and swung the mace in the direction of her head. Summer countered, thrusting the sword into the ground, and smiling grimly when the shock ran up her arm and made her teeth rattle.

Next the shield came flying at her. Ooo, spikes, not cool. Summer flipped up, and tapped the shield with one of her feet before flipping off again. Landing, she slipped the dagger from her boot, and thrust it into Saethi?s back.

He stumbled, and went down on one knee. He rested his hand on the ground . . .

. . . and went through it.[/I]

"Dammit!" [I]Summer yelled when the lights flickered again.

Summer looked around wildly in the blackness for the hybrid, and didn't notice when the large club collided with her head.

She was falling, she knew that. How long did it take for her to fall? Yeah, she'd had books, chairs, desks, and even the head of an angel statue give her a little love tap, but [/I]nothing[I] hurt like this did . . .

She woke up with the hybrid Saethi gripping onto the front of her shirt.[/I]

"Didn't make it eh, Slayer? Too bad for you, eh?"

[I]Summer looked around blearily for a moment, and then smiled in Saethi's direction. Tipping an imaginary hat, she yelled the three most dangerous words anyone could ever say in their lifetime . . .

And it happened. She was dying . . . what a funny word: dying . . . the numbness of the situation wore off, and then Summer screamed. It hurt. A lot. Oh God in heaven it hurt . . .[/I]

Blackness. Not angry, but calm, gentle. She was floating there, resting peacefully. That's what being dead was like . . . she didn't mind it that much. She'd been a good Slayer, maybe there'd be a Slayer heaven, where she, Summer Elizabeth St.Claire would be a normal girl, living a normal, slay-free life, and have normal friends . . .

"You're pathetic. You're not even [I]supposed[/I] to be dead! What are you [I]doing[/I] here?! People [I]need[/I] you, you know."

Summer's eyes snapped open at the cranky voice's appearance. Being dead wasn't all it was cracked up to be after all . . . "Who are you?"

"One of your little birdie's friends sent to kick your bony butt back where it came from."

"Fun."

*~*~~``

And my postie comes before Liam's BTW.

[liamc2]

OOC: and now it does...*sigh* bored...

----

Saethi watched the two go at it, snapping out of a trance, and started rushing at the Hybrid Saethi. He leapt and fell, straight into him. The world was dark and dank inside again. Saethi glanced round for the other two. No one. Something told him he shouldn?t be here...shouldn?t be here at all.

He stumbled around, noting it seemed to get brighter. He walked forward, suddenly the image of a chained figure appeared, the vampyric Saethi.

?Now this is all seriously out of wack.? Saethi muttered to himself as he stepped closer to the glowing bonds.

The vampyric Saethi glanced up and sighed, ?So you?ve come to taunt me eh? Do a bit of spitting and cussing? Can?t blame you...?

?No,? he said, ?I?ve come to free you.? The vampyres face held surprise, ?Yes free you, you see, I need your help.?

The vampyric Saethi thought it over, and nodded, letting Saethi place two hands on the bonded vampyre. There was a momentary glow of white, and Saethi fell away, noting the disappearance of the vampire. He smiled, feeling the canines slide down. He was back.

~~~~

Summer took another stance, raising her sword in defiance. The hybrid Saethi started to run forward, fire glowing around him, and he stumbled. Saethi reappeared beside him. He frowned with distaste, kicking him in the side.

[Sere Tuscumbia]

[SIZE=1]Summer stood in the blackness, looking around with her hands on her hips. "Ok, what do you want?"

A small woman walked out of the shadows. Pale blonde hair fell to her shoulders, and bright blue eyes winked underneath her bangs. She echoed Summer's pose, saying, "I want the Slayer back. You see," a part of the blackness dissipated at the wave of the woman?s hand, "your world is falling apart without you."

[I]It was her . . . or her twenty-two year old body. Tasya and several other operatives were vainly trying to hold her body down, which was convulsing wildly. After several minutes, the convulsions slowed . . . slowed . . . stopped. Alpha ran into the room, and upon seeing Summer?s limp body, stopped and dropped the item she was carrying. She fell to her knees, her head buried in her hands, and her shoulders heaving wildly. Tasya walked over, and put her arms around Alpha?s shoulders, saying words that Summer couldn?t hear . . . or could she?

"There was nothing we could do . . . I?m sorry Alpha."

"What about Saethi? Is he gone too?" Mangus stood just inside the door, his face twisted into a grim expression.

"Surprisingly enough, his pulse and temperature are normal, if not [/I]better[I] than they have been for a while. Seems that something Summer did when she . . . retired . . . helped him out . . . "

"I understand that you would want to give Summer a proper burial, but it is entirely possible that Summer?s soul has been transferred to Saethi. Keep her linked, just in case. Keep her warm, we don?t want a Slayer with a cold . . . if she comes back . . ."

Several more images flashed past. A sheet being laid over Summer?s body; a frantic Allenii with a gun to her head, screaming insanely about responsibilities; the Council sitting in the room, discussing new battle plans . . .[/I]

"They need you. What are you doing here?"

"I?ve got nothing to live for. They?re all going to leave me . . . "

The woman laughed. "Looks like Gachnar got hold of you. What happened wasn?t your fault you know."

[I]More images flashed across the blank space in the darkness. Summer lounging boredly in one of those stiff-backed library chairs that everyone hates, as Ethan paced back and forth, mumbling to himself about the large book he was holding in his hands. He occasionally gestured in Summer?s direction, but she wasn?t listening, instead working on the homework that was due the next hour.[/I]

Ah, her at fourteen. Summer smiled wistfully in nostalgia.

[I]"No, side, side, back, under, top, under, Summer! You can?t go too fast when you?re doing this! You rush, get ahead, get sloppy! Precision is everything! One false shot, and everyone around you is a crispy little pancake, you got that?"

Rhea, strawberry blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, stood with her hands on her hips, looking in disdain in Summer?s direction. "Now, try again."

Summer repeated the exercise. Once, twice, each time getting faster and faster, until Rhea clapped her hands.

"Ok! Now, the quarter-staff. Same exercise, but now pretend I?m a vampire, and you?ve got to slay me. Ok?" Rhea picked up two staves, and threw one to Summer. "Ready?" Rhea took a battle stance, and Summer did the same.

They went at it, Rhea having the advantage at first, but then slowly, as Summer got used to her battle weapon, losing as Summer gained ground.

"Ok! Up, up, down, side, around, back, side, under, top, sweep!" Rhea?s back hit the ground. "Ok, good. But you?re going to have to be quick if you want--" Rhea somersaulted back and pulled something from her belt, "if you want to beat a vampire!"

She shot something, and Summer dived to the ground, rolling sideways to avoid another shot. Up on her feet, she flipped backward, grabbed something from the wall, and threw. The stake thunked firmly into Rhea?s safety vest.

"Good! Now . . . "[/I]

Fifteen to sixteen. One of Rhea?s training procedures. God she was sore after those.

"You don?t need to carry those scars forever. You have people who need you. The Grim Reaper isn?t allowed to take you just yet. Your time will come later. Why stay?"

"It?s nice. There?s nothing to fight."

"So? Roll with the punches. Give what you get. You?re letting yourself be defeated by your own selfish ambitions. What happened with not breaking the first rule of Slaying, eh?"

"Another immortal demon?"

"What?d ya think I was? A human-eating guinea pig?"

"Well, tell you what. Why don?t [I]you[/I] get your immortal azz down here and help me out sometime?! I?m tired of fighting by myself!"

"You don?t have to. You?ve got friends, but you push them away. You can?t protect everyone from the world all the time. Step back, breathe, and then kick vampire tushie. Stop being afraid to live."

"You call what I do [I]living[/I]? This whole Clark Kent thing is [I]not[/I] working for me. It?s the same damn thing, day by day!"

"Well, hate to tell ya, but if you really hate your life [I]now[/I], things are just going to get worse."

"So why bother living?"

"Don?t give me this Me-Against-The-World attitude, Slayer. The blackness is deceiving you, isn?t it?"

Suddenly, the world flashed blinding white, and Summer threw her arm over her eyes. When it died down, she opened her eyes, dots flashing in front of her eyes. She was standing on a long gray road . . . everything was gray . . .

"This is a Ghost Road. Only the cursed and the dead can walk here. This is where all the souls that have lost their way end up. Not a pretty place."

Summer looked around, as gray shapes came into focus. A young woman with sad eyes came up to Summer, and reached for her.

She went through, but Summer was left with a chill that penetrated to her bones.

[I]"Cursed,"[/I] the woman muttered, and retreated away.

"This is being dead, Slayer. This is death. Do you like it as much now?"

Summer looked around. Everything seemed like mist, but occasionally a figure would appear, look in her direction, and then disappear into the mist again.

"No . . . " Summer?s voice croaked out, as a familiar figure departed from the mist, and smiled in Summer?s direction. Summer reached in Rhea?s direction, and was met with the same bone-chilling cold.

Tears streamed down Summer?s cheeks, and she turned to the blonde woman. "When?"

"Your 17th Birthday. Same day that Tasya arrives. It will have already happened when you get back, I?m afraid that there will be no way to save her."

"When I get back? You mean that I won?t be in the future forever?"

The woman waved, and the blackness surrounded them again. "Yes. You will be able to get back, but it seems that the Powers That Be have a job for you to do before you?re allowed to go back."

"And what?s that?"

"Saving Saethi . . ."

"And? Everything has a catch."

"Destroying Rhea?s lair, and killing Rhea."

"If I fail?"

"Then this future will come to be, and you will be damned to the Ghost Roads until judgement."

"Which is when . . ?"

"A very long time."

"Someone?s speaking from experience."

"Let?s just say I was one of the lucky ones. Some never get to judgement."

"Fine. I?m convinced."

"Well then. You were easy. Some take much more convincing."

"There?s [I]more[/I]?!"

"There?s worse things than the Ghost Roads, Slayer. Damnation goes a long way when you?re dead."

"More experience?"

"No comment. Now then, you ready?"

Summer nodded, and stood facing the woman.

"Ok. Close your eyes. You?ll feel like you?re falling, but don?t be alarmed. And it?ll take a while; your body will need to find itself."

Summer closed her eyes, and let her breathing go slow and deep. A tap on her forehead, and then she was falling again . . .[/SIZE]

[Walnut]

ooc: hiya guys. Right we don't seem to be getting anywhere with this so what I'm going to do is close this one down and start a new under the name of Summer the Vampire Slayer season two. That way we get some more character's and more plot twists. Okay.

[liamc2]

OOC: what the hell do you mean? lol It's just in a slump, believe me I wouldn't give up on this one yet, besides, I'm still figuring out my bloody post, and juggling everything else and the fact that school starts tomorrow...bah

Anyhow, cut this short at your own risk. ;)
____


Saethi looked at the void surrounding him, after he had finished brutally beating the demon lying in a pool of blood at his feet. Odd, Summer had vanished.

?This must be over then, well hello real world for me!? He paused, waiting for something to pull him back out. Nothing happened. He sighed and the demon at his feet began laughing, blood dripping out of his broken lips.

?Fool, you haven?t won yet. I have the feeling the slayer had a little trouble when she shared a bit of her life force around.?

Saethi was quiet, stunned into a small silence. He snapped out of it and kicked the demon viciously in the ribs, relishing the cracking sound that ensued. He gathered his thoughts, thinking over his predicament. He had to get out of this bloody nightmare and do something about what was going on. A small thought niggled in his mind, well the part of his mind that he?d retained control of, the only reason why he was still here was that the mangled mess of a demon was still here.

Saethi smiled, he was going to enjoy this.

~~~~~

Tasya glanced over at the immobile Saethi, ?He?s stabilising, might pull through to our world any second now...? she glanced over at Summer, ?but I can?t find her anywhere. Her pulse...seems to have come back, faintly but I don?t know...?

Tasya took a shocked step backwards when Saethi sat bolt upright, chest heaving as he took great gulps of air back into his system. Saethi coughed, and looked around the room, eyes rapidly changing back to their familiar blue hue.

?Wha...what?s going on??

There was a stunned silence. Saethi?s gaze rested on the unconscious Summer, he tightened his grip on her pale cold hand, immobile and thinking.

[Sere Tuscumbia]

OOC: You know what would be REALLY fun? Keep both of them going until the first one catches up to the second, THEN cut it off. I'm still not done having fun with this one . . . *insert mildly scary music*

*~*~``

"I thought I was going back. Dang stupid--if you show your lazy arse around me again Whistler, I'm kicking it to the 3rd dimension, you hear me?!"

"Loud and clear, baby."

Summer spun around in disgust. "Where am I [I]now[/I]?!"

Whistler stood against what appeared to be a wall in the white . . . place she was in. "Well, you're out there," he gestured vaguely out in a random direction, "but you're in here too. Somewhere the Powers That Be became the Powers That Screw You Over."

"That's just a little bit more than bloody obvious! Now [I]where am I[/I]?!"

"Somewhere in-between the Ghost Roads," Whistler suppressed a shudder, "and your inner self. A limbo of sorts."

"How do I get back?

He stepped away from the wall and started to walk toward Summer. "Dunno. You pulled me an image of me in here. I know what you know. However, much longer and you're going to start gettin' unfriendlies in your living area."

In one swift motion, Summer laid a hand on Whistler's chest and slammed him against the wall. "You know what? I'm having a bad day, and if you're going to crack jokes, I'm going to pull out your ribcage and wear it as a hat, got it?"

Whistler looked slightly uneasy, but then cracked a grin. "Deja vu . . . again. Wouldn't that be deja vu? Deja vu deja vued. Huh."

Summer pulled her hand away and turned, disgusted. "Just tell me how I'm supposed to get outta here!"

Whistler suddenly cocked his head, as if listening to some invisible person standing right next to him. "Um . . . problem. You gave your powers as a Slayer up so you'd die human, yeah?"

Summer nodded, peeved. "So . . ?"

"If I tell you this, you won't try to hurt me? Wait, I'm a hallucination, you [I]can't[/I] hurt me. Well, in a nutshell, your body doesn't recognize you as well . . . [I]you[/I] anymore."

Summer swore loudly.

"What a [I]mouth[/I]! Which side of the family did ya get [I]that[/I] from?"

"Just tell me how I get out of here before I kick your hallucinatory *** back where it came from!"

Another cock of the head, and then Whistler broke into a slow grin. "Well, according to some higher power that's decided to bestow a blessing upon you, all I have to do is [I]this[/I]," he snapped his fingers, "then--"

Summer heard one word before her world went black:

"[I]Cool[/I]."

***

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around her again. Blackness, but it wasn't sinister . . . much like the river of her dreams. In fact, as she looked around once more, it [I]was[/I] the river . . .

[I]I am [/I]really[I] getting tired of being transported places against my will,[/I] she thought, as she looked out on the horizon. The familiar numb feeling wasn't there this time, instead a slight itching replaced it. The purple cord of energy was there, and Summer had a feeling she knew where it started and where it ended.

There was no need to gaze down; she already knew what was down there . . .

[I]God's in his heaven, all's right with the world . . .

***

Saethi sat, staring down at Summer, trying his hardest to think of something, [/I]anything[I] to do. So far the situation was looking bleak.

Hold up a moment. Saethi looked at Summer's hand in surprise. Was it just his imagination or was her hand [/I]twitching[I] . . ?

Summer's eyes snapped open, to have a pair of bright blue ones meeting her line of vision.[/I]

"Hey!" [I]Saethi smiled playfully.[/I] "Look who decided to wake up!"

[I]Summer smiled weakly back.[/I] "Two questions: One-am I dreaming, and two-can I get a blanket?"

[I]Tasya walked up, a blanket in hand, and a broad smile on her face.[/I] "Ask and we deliver. Welcome back, Summer."

"Good to [I]be[/I] back," [I]Summer said, as she accepted the blanket gratefully. She wrapped it tightly around herself, and then took Saethi's hand again.[/I] "Is Allenii okay?"

[I]Tasya gave Summer a weird look.[/I] "Yeah . . . she was a bit unstable earlier--how'd you know about that?"

"A little bird showed me."

*~*~~``

And for the lack of nothing better to do, I'm going to cut this off.