Episode 9: Rescue

Air Date: 11/12/2000

11 Aug 2000, Friday

Conrad goes off to his meeting with the wet-works team leader and returns around midday with Faith's location. It’s a currently unused restaurant in a commercial district on the outskirts of town. The bottom floor is the restaurant (including kitchen, two toilets, a rear kitchen entry, big double doors along the front facing of the restaurant and a front door directly opposite the stairs) while the top floor is office space (four offices, a large bathroom and a rear fire escape). Mary logs in and tracks down the floor plan easily (Hey, this is Buffy universe. Isn't everything available on the computer?).

Jonathan goes and cases the joint. He observes not much activity on the ground floor - one military guy leaves and then returns via the door near the stairs of the restaurant - but a reasonable amount of movement between a crack in the blinds on the upper story. All conclude that Faith is likely to be in the room upstairs with the single entry and no windows. She is also likely to be drugged unless they are planning more experiments in which keeping her drugged would affect her recovery.

Gemma gets in touch with Buffy to let her know that they are planning a rescue attempt. Buffy agrees to help get her out of the council's grasp but warns that we won't know her state of mind and how dangerous she is so we bring her out under very heavy sedation. We also need to keep her restrained until we can either talk to her and be convinced she's not a power for evil anymore or we can perform the ritual to remove her power. Preparing the ritual will take at least a few days.

The group discusses possible places to hold Faith. The tunnels under the university or the psychology boiler room? They'd do for the weekend but would run the risk of being discovered during the week. There is also the chance that Faith would interpret them as unwelcoming and hostile and react accordingly. Alex offers a room in her house - it is around people and she'd be heard if she called for help but at least it’s a warmer environment and less risky than holding her in a public place. If she's currently on a medical stretcher and restrained, the bed has been suitably modified and will be portable - they could grab the bed as well. That way they could just nab the whole stretcher with her on it if they can't get her off, or get her off it and transport them separately which would be faster and allow more manoeuvrability.

Jayde talks to Conrad and mentions that she thinks we should get Buffy involved and increase our chances of success. Conrad agrees as long as there's no threat that Buffy will endanger Faith in her weakened condition - he'd then have to choose one or the other and have the other killed. So long as there's no threat and he can do his research he doesn't see a problem. He also wants to stay close to Faith after she is out to make sure she hasn't been damaged. If the team sees this coming they are likely to destroy Faith on the spot.

Plans and ideas get thrown around for a while - throw in some vamps to add confusion? That means more to deal with if the vamps decide to attack us back. Get them to move her somehow and grab them as they do it? But then the whole team would be awake and armed. If we assume at least one would be asleep if they are doing 24 hour watches? Yeah, that sounds about right. We could go in through the ceiling straight into Faith's room? Too hard to stay quiet and they we'd find ourselves trapped on the roof. Conrad could drug their food and then call us when they are asleep? But we'd have to go in before anyone else realised they were drugged cos they'd be on the alert then and Faith would be in danger. Gemma and Jayde could dress identically to add confusion?

Eventually a solid plan is formed. Conrad goes in and drugs the food and calls to signal them when to start and get any last minute instructions. Mary drives the group in a van up to the alley behind the restaurant. Alex and Jayde go in through the back kitchen entrance and wait at the bottom of the stairs while Buffy takes Gemma and Jonathan up the fire escape. At an appointed time all break in - Buffy gets Gemma and Jonathan into Faith's room and then joins Jayde and Alex in dispatching bad guys while Gemma and Jonathan see what they can do about getting Faith off her stretcher.

The rest of the afternoon is spent shopping for supplies - bolt cutters, padlocks, chain, a couple of tazers and bulletproof vests for Gemma and Jonathan. Gemma also picks up a dreamcatcher and a bunch of crystals to use as wards against the nasty slayer-beast next time it decides to stalk her. Mary takes care of renting a van while Alex prepares medical supplies - sedatives, bandages etc for Faith and for any wounds sustained during the attack - and also gets the bedroom ready for Faith's arrival. Conrad and Jayde pack in a bit of defence training and Jayde and Buffy go off to a party.

12 Aug 2000, Saturday

Most of the day is spent in last minute preparation and much anxiety. Conrad heads off in the late afternoon and makes a quick report not long after he arrives. Faith is in the room everyone expected - the large room on the left as you enter from the fire escape. Of the team (four guards, four technicians and two doctors) one guard is patrolling the hallway outside the room, one doctor (at least) will be with Faith, one guard and two lab technicians are sleeping. They arrange for Conrad to be in the room with Faith when they attack.

Conrad calls and notifies the group to come in 20 minutes - the team will be eating soon. Buffy jumps up onto the fire escape and pushes the ladder down for Gemma and Jonathan to carefully climb up. Alex and Jayde get into the kitchen without a problem and wait at the base of the stairs. They can hear the footsteps of someone walking around in the hall and muffled conversation above them. After around 15 minutes there is the sound of two or three people moving around between the dining area and Faith's room. Everyone waits until it is time.

Jayde is just about at the top of the stairs when one creaks. She stops and listens. The guard was heading away from the stairs at the time and maybe he didn't hear her… She hears a rending of metal as Buffy has just pulled the locked door to the fire escape open. There's a "Hey!" and Jayde looks to see the guard standing at the intersection of the hallways going to lift his gun toward the door. Jayde leaps at him and tazes him from behind. He shakes but takes it. There are sounds of movement from the two front offices. Buffy, Gemma and Jonathan run down the hallway. Gemma and Jonathan stop at the door to Faith's room while Buffy runs at the tazed guard and punches him in the head. He lets go of his gun and blocks. There's a sleepy sounding "Hey!" from the dining room, muffled talking, sounding like orders from the other office and no sound from the sleeping room. Buffy punches again, the guard shrugs it off, another punch and he falls down. Buffy turns to face the room where the orders seemed to be coming from.

Gemma opens the door to Faith's room and sees Conrad and a man in a white lab coat facing off. Another man, also in a lab coat, lies on the floor moaning. Gemma and Jonathan enter.

Another guard, holding a gun comes into the hallway. Buffy hits him. He is followed by a second man, wearing a lab coat and holding a syringe. He seems to be headed for Faith's room.

Gemma locks the door behind herself and Jonathan. The man on the floor seems to be getting up. Jonathan tazes him and he falls unconscious.

Jayde kicks the needle out of the doctor's hand and it flies across the hallway. He tries to back away into the room he came from. Buffy and the guard have been punching each other for a while when he gets a good hit to her head and she falls over, stunned. Jayde hits him from behind and he turns to face her. Now that it's just one slayer the doctor decides to attack her too.

Alex appears at the door of the dining room. She's knocked out a technician. Jayde yells at her to go around.

Both the doctor and the guard go to hit Jayde and both miss. Jayde goes to kick them and the doctor spins out of the way leaving Jayde to get a good solid kick at the door frame which splinters with the impact.

Conrad and the doctor are still facing off - they seem to be quite evenly matched. Faith is partially awake, pulling at her restraints and muttering to herself. Her aura is chaos - ripples and waves in all sorts of colours then waves of red (anger) and black (hate) then almost nothing at all.

Alex heads back into the dining room and there is a metallic thud sound as she knocks out a sleepy guard and heads for the intervening door.

Seeing the damage she did to the door frame the doctor shies away from Jayde and heads back into the room. The guard leaps back and goes to draw his gun. Buffy shakes off the stun and leaps after him leaving Jayde to follow the doctor. He's headed for a desk near the back of the room on which is layed out a selection of syringes and a pistol.

Buffy grabs the guard.

Jayde kicks the doctor from behind. He is stunned and lands heavily against the desk.

Alex enters the office through the intervening door holding a metal medical tray with a large dent in the side of it.

Buffy has the guard pinned.

Jayde grabs the pistol off the desk. The doctor groggily shakes his head and goes to look around. Alex hits him with her tray. He falls unconscious. Alex grabs a new tray and goes to check on the sleeping ones.

Conrad does a nifty looking spin and kicks the doctor hard in the throat. The doctor falls down and starts making gurgling noises.

Gemma goes up to Faith and reaches out to gently touch her hand. Faith's fingers snap around and firmly grab Gemma's hand. Faith mutters something about Buffy and being left alone an renews her struggling against the restraints.

Jayde ties the unconscious doctor's hand with a piece of cut phone cord.

Conrad leans over and punches the gurgling man in the head. He falls silent.

Gemma tries to pull her hand free and Jonathan goes to help her but without much luck. Gemma senses a lot of anger in Faith.

Buffy calls out to Jayde who comes into the hall to see that the first guard is awake and pulling a gun on Buffy and the guard she has pinned to the floor. Jayde kicks him in the chest and he flies back against the wall, winded. His gun skitters off down the hallway. Buffy finally gets in a good head-butt to her opponent and he is knocked out. Jayde, Alex and Buffy tie up all the bad guys.

Gemma is still struggling against Faith's grip, which is firm but not painful.

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