Part 2: Here's Lookin' At You, Kid
The cold knot was in her stomach and she felt every inch of the glare leveled at her by the older British gentleman sitting next to Arthur at the kitchen table that was set up in back of the coffee shop. Deciding if she was going down at least she wasn’t going to be nice about it, she walked over, turned a chair around and sat down in it backwards, looking defiantly at the older man across the table from her.
Arthur quietly introduced him as Mr. Ashton, a high ranking member of the Watcher’s Council sent to review her performance in Pleasant Hills. Sascha could tell from the set in Arthur’s jaw that the interview wasn’t going well so far.
Ashton started out in a very stiff and formal manner. “The Council has been watching your activities during the month you’ve been here, young woman, and I have to say we are extremely…concerned…with your performance.”
Okay, she thought. I expected at least this much. Just stay calm and shut up.
Aston continued. “Through your direct actions, a very serious threat has been unleashed upon this world, and you have continued to fail at every opportunity presented to you to stop what you have started.”
At this Arthur spoke, and from his tone it was clear they had already had this argument a couple times. “Mr. Ashton, as we have discussed, that accusation is completely unfair. Sascha had no way of knowing…”
Ashton cut him off abruptly. “The girl has shown no restraint as a Slayer. She has scoffed at our requirements of keeping a low profile by making a spectacle of herself on an international broadcast. She has single-handedly endangered the entire planet with her ineptitude. And last but certainly not least, she has chosen to associate herself in a relationship with a member of the Tanaka family…who are also considered by the Council to be a known threat.”
Oops…
The last part Arthur didn’t know…. Even after their talks, and after Sascha had promised to be more forthcoming with him, she still couldn’t tell him that she had started something with Anzo. What exactly that “something” was she wasn’t sure about, but they had actually used the word relationship last night. That exact word, as a matter of fact. Arthur’s sidelong glance was enough to break her silence, as her face reddened.
“You guys really do keep good tabs….we just talked about that for the first time last night.
He smirked. “We are the Watcher’s Council. Did you not expect us to keep tabs on our Slayers' activities? Unfortunately, your record reads as a singular monument to inadequacy and failure.”
Her cheeks flushed further as her temper rose and she stood up. “You know….I’ve busted my ass every single day since I got here. I’ve had my damn face put through a stone column. I’ve been almost sacrificed to demons and dark gods twice, I’ve almost been given to some nasty bug spirit as a bride for the next thousand years…..and I’m still here. You haven’t even had a Slayer make it in this town for more than two weeks before me…and you wouldn’t even know about this damned vampire god if it weren’t for me. Don’t you dare tell me I haven’t been doing my job!”
The calm smarmy tone of his response almost made her take his head off. “Well I never said you didn’t have your uses.” And with that he turned back to the table in general. “But it’s time to make way for a more capable Slayer, who is better able to perform the duties required here.”
Arthur started to protest, but Ashton once again cut him off as if he wasn’t even there. “You’re being reassigned. Someplace you are less able to…muck things up.” An almost cruel look was in his eyes as he stood. “You’ll have tonight to make educational arraignments and say goodbye to whatever friends you may have here. Tomorrow afternoon your plane leaves for
Arthur finally got angry enough to get a word in edgewise. “That is simply absurd. I will have words with the Council myself. Sascha does not deserve to be swept aside like some tool you are done with!”
“Approach the Council if you want…their interests have already been carried out in this matter. The new Slayer has been here for a number of days already, getting a feel for the place.”
That took Arthur aback. “She’s….here?”
Ashton smiled “Of course. She’s deep undercover in a demon fighting club called The Pit. Didn’t you….know about it?”
All Arthur could do was shake his head.
“You need to leave. Now.” Sascha’s voice had death in it as she stood there shaking with anger.
“That, my dear, is the first good idea I’ve heard since I’ve gotten here.” Ashton walked calmly to the door and took his coat and hat, nodded at Arthur and left. Arthur abruptly threw the hand towel that was hanging on his shoulder across the room, as Sascha just sat down, still shaking. Then he apologized for his outburst, which, had she not been so sick with anger, she would have laughed at.
Instead, in a very small voice, with her head hanging almost at the table level, she whispered “I’m sorry.”
“Sascha…”
”I…I screwed up. I…”
His voice almost broke her heart. “No.”
He came behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “You came here because we asked you to, and every day you put your life on the line…for a cause you don’t even believe in. No….no it is I who should apologize to you.”
She wiped her eyes quickly. Dammit…how long had it been since she’d actually cried. “Arthur…I can’t go to
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’m done. If the Council wants to just put me away to use again someday…then I don’t want to be part of that.”
She stood up, but couldn’t look at him. “By tomorrow, I either won’t be here or I’ll…have found a way to stay.”
“I do not like the way that sounds, but” his voice softened, “whatever you decide, just know that I support your choice.”
Sascha turned away and said “I think….I need to go out and slay something tonight. Apparently I won’t have a lot more of a chance to do it in any official capacity.”
Arthur stepped back with a gentle half-smile. “Of course. I won’t wait up.”
As she went to go, she turned and threw her arms around Arthur, hugging him close. “Thank you.”
“The hell? Oh jeez….get a room.”
Bastion came down the stairs with one hand shading his face from the two of them. In the other hand were his boots and jacket. As Sascha awkwardly pulled away, Arthur eyed Bastion warily while he sat and pulled on his boots. “Young man, you are in no condition to be leaving that bed.”
Bastion had his boots on and was trying to lean over to grab his laces. “I’ll get better soon enough. But this place? Yeah it’s cramping my style.”
“Be that as it may, you can’t drive a motorcycle like that.”
“I’ll take him.” Sascha said, kneeling down and tying Bastions laces for him. He sat back and smirked at her, putting his hands behind his head, but straightened up as she eyed his broken ribs dangerously. “It’s not like he’s going to listen anyway.”
Ten minutes later, they were in Arthur’s Mini, pulling into the warehouse district. Sascha had explained to him in a very even, very controlled manner, what had just happened.
For once Bastion decided not to continue his habit of making asinine remarks. He simply said “So what are you gonna do?”
“The only thing I know is that I’m not going to
“Well just remember one thing,” he said with a smirk as they pulled into the warehouse Bastion called home. “You can’t stay here.”
Jerk.
But Sascha just wrinkled her nose at him. “You don’t even have indoor plumbing. And no offense, but I’m going to need a bit more serious protection from the Council. A team of Slayers isn’t going to have much trouble with an invalid.”
Bastion made a snarky face and opened the door to get out. Sascha said “Oh hey….what’s The Pit?”
He turned back at that. “Who told you about…ahh never mind. It’s a demon fight club just outside of town. Why…you thinking of entering?” The last was said with a sarcastic tone.
She shook her head “Not exactly. Apparently my replacement has infiltrated the place. I want to meet her.”
His eyebrow raised and he said “You’re never gonna get in. Demons from all over the
“I’ll find a way.
“Look, Bastion…if I decide to run….you won’t see me tomorrow.” She looked over at him sadly “And if I decide to stay….you’re not going to like what I have to do to make that happen.”
His look was questioning, even a bit concerned as she closed the door for him and started driving away.
Well that’s it. If I leave I’ll never see him again, and if I stay…. If I stay it’s going to be with Anzo. Either way any ‘might’ve-beens’ are pretty much over.
Sascha’s feelings on Bastion should have been fairly clear. The two of them were barely business acquaintances, he was an absolute ass whenever they weren’t actively working (and a lot of the time they were as well), he was well over 3,000 years older than she was…and last but not least, she was with Anzo.
Anzo was every bit a gentleman to her…never asking anything from her and constantly forgiving her almost complete lack of trust in him. He was always available to help whenever she needed it and was actually interested in her.
But the three times since she’d come to Pleasant Hills that she’d been finished….the three times that she’d been convinced she was dead….all three he’d been there to pull her to safety, or to catch her before she fell too far. Every time he’d saved her, the two of them had locked eyes and for just a moment…..
Ugh…She didn’t even want to think about it right now….especially the last time when she’d outright kissed him before she could come to her fool senses. Not one of her smarter moves.
Right now I want to be with Anzo and I may need to be with Anzo. Bastion just…complicates things.
Thoughts turned to one of her two new lives….either as a runaway or a rock star. You’d think it would be an easy decision….and if she trusted Anzo as much as she wanted to, it would have been.
If she stayed, who would be hunting her? If she left, who would she be leaving to protect the town? They’d said it was someone a lot more “capable”. Was Buffy Summers here, or another one of the second-generation Slayers?
“Ah screw it.”
She abruptly turned down a side street and headed towards Laz’s house. She was going to need one hell of a disguise.
A few hours later, a green, smoking potion was being stirred into a cup of vanilla yogurt by Laz’s aunt Chloe. Chloe was a witch, much like Laz’s mom and Laz himself, but she had the whole young, fun-loving edgy girl attitude. Sascha couldn’t help but think she’d be an awesome big sister.
“Now remember” she said, “No more than five hours. Any longer and you start thinking like a demon and….well it gets complicated.”
Sascha had once again ended up on their doorstep asking for help…this time to get a magically enhanced demon disguise that looked nothing like she actually looked (she had no idea if her newfound ‘fame’ had carried over into demon society as well). After some explaining over a meatloaf dinner, they’d agreed, but warned her the potion wouldn’t be a disguise. It would, albeit temporarily, turn her into a Mawgrah demon, which they snickered and assured her that she would look nothing like she normally does.
Demons not being her strong suit, Sascha agreed. They’d said it would take them a few hours to make the potion, so Laz dropped her off at home so she could grab her weapons and get a little slayage in on the way back to his house. Laz volunteered to go with to The Pit if she wanted him to and she agreed. Laz knew a lot more about demons than she did.
The streets were annoyingly vampire-free, so after only three kills (and only one save), she made it back to his house. The girl she’d saved was in tears but Sascha …worried the girl would get enough of a look to identify her if she stayed too long… finally lost her.
She came in to find Laz & Co. finishing up the potions, which is pretty much where things started getting weird.
Sascha took the yogurt and potion mix and drank it quickly. She looked in the mirror and…looked pretty much like she remembered looking before. They chuckled at her confused look and said she’d change pretty soon. Laz and Sascha left and drove out of town. Chloe knew exactly where The Pit was (amazing how many things in town were common knowledge that were left out of Arthur’s notes), and as the two of them turned down a dirt road outside of town, she could see Laz’s fingers becoming black talons and scales start sprouting from his arms. She started looking around and he looked over with now-yellow eyes.
“So when the hell am I supposed to change?” she asked nervously.
He laughed. “Dude. You already have.”
She looked down at herself and, other than a slight bluish cast to her skin she couldn’t see anything different. “Hey, I thought Chloe said I wouldn’t look like me!”
Laz started snickering as she slowly reached up to the top of her head. Instead of hair, she felt two wriggling antennae. She frantically reached towards the sunshade but there was no mirror on the other side. Laz shook his head and said “Trust me…you don’t want to know.”
“But…why can’t I be a cool looking demon?” she asked in an almost whiny tone.
“Didn’t you want to be left alone? Believe me…you’re gonna be left alone. Oh and if it’s cool with you….” he dug out a plastic garbage bag from behind the seat at a stoplight and slung it over the back of the seat, which had apparently become rather sticky.
Sascha recoiled from the back of the seat. “Gross!!”
“Yeah…you’re a little messy.”
“Christ….will I still have my Slayer-ness at least?”
“Um…yeah I wouldn’t get into any fights if I were you.”
Sascha sighed miserably as she tried to look out the window to the side-view mirror. “It really is the total package, isn’t it…”
The kids pulled up to an abandoned mining facility. The fenced-in buildings were surrounded by all manner of demons walking around openly. As they pulled up a large demon in a suit came up to the car. As he looked in his eyes ran over Laz to Sascha and his nose wrinkled. “Ugh….just….go.”
Sascha glared across the van at Laz for the hundredth time. “This is not doing good things for my self esteem right now.”
Laz smiled happily. “I know.”
They got out and started mingling, looking for the new Slayer. Sascha was betting it wasn’t going to be so easy though…if she was smart she’d be disguised. But she had one way to identify her. All Slayers were taught to fight by the same people. If she fought, Sascha would know who she was.
As the two of them turned to head to get some seats, a large horned demon bowled over Laz. As the demon turned with a snarl towards him, he paused and a look of fear came across his face. “Hey…I’m so sorry. N..no hard feelings right?” He all but ran off as Sascha raised an eyebrow at Laz.
“Yeah…these types of demons are kinda known for big mojo.”
“Aaaand ya just couldn’t make me a cool demon, could you?”
“What? You’re okay…honest.” he said as a few other demons walked by and almost wretched as they looked at her. This was almost worse than everyone staring at her at school. Almost.
Eventually it came time to take their seats, so they walked down into the arena itself. True to its name, it was a hollowed out pit in the cement between the buildings. Tiered seating ringed the pit, which ended in a 20’ by 20’ square at the bottom, littered with blood, bones and ichor. A vampire came out into the pit, wearing a flamboyant purple suit with a flowered handkerchief that looked like he stepped right out of the 70’s.
“Laaaadieeeeees and gentlemennnn!” (which drew a generous round of laughter from the crowd). “Tonight only….a double main event!! I hope you’re comfortable, because it’s gonna be a llllooonnnng night!
The vampire gestured “First up, in this corner, from Parts Unknown….Krrrrrraugh!”. A shorter demon stepped up from an underground tunnel connected to the pit. He was as wide as he was tall, with insanely bulging muscles. He carried a large club over his shoulder and growled up at the crowd.
“Annnnnd in this corner, from Cincinati, Ohiooooo…..Hawwwwwk!!!!”. A lean, but well-muscled Native American man stepped out. Clearly the crowd favorite, he had dark hair, handsome but very angled features, and his eyes were gold irises on black. Sascha sat forward and said “Oh my….”.
Hawk walked out and the crowd went wild. The vampire cleared out, and immediately the stocky demon charged with his club. Hawk stepped out of the way with superhuman speed and a casual grace as the demon sailed past and into the wall. Hawk turned as the demon came running back at him and jumped, flipping over Kraugh and landing behind him. The demon turned and swung, connecting with Hawk’s midsection. Kraugh took the opportunity to grab Hawk by the arm, and started laughing deeply, thinking the much smaller Hawk was done for now that he couldn’t run and jump. Kraugh swung his other fist hard around at Hawk with a punch that could have taken his head clean off, but Hawk turned at the last second and the demon’s fist caught nothing but air. Then, Hawk’s fist struck out like a viper and hit Kraugh’s face, shoving the demon’s nose into its skull. The crowd went silent for a moment as Kraugh’s eyes crossed, his hand unclenched from Hawk’s arm, and he fell backward. The arena erupted into cheers as Hawk gave a small wave to the seats and walked off down one of the tunnels as two demons came out to drag Kraugh’s body off down the other.
“That was….amazing.” Sascha said.
Laz noticed her staring and rolled his eyes. “You might wanna stop drooling all over your seat.”
“Hey just because I look like a slug doesn’t mean I can’t look. Besides….I don’t think he’s a demon. Granted I’m not sure what he is…”
“Well you can find out…he’s signing autographs back there during intermission. You can even ask him about your Slayer.”
“He is?” Sascha smiled evilly, but it didn’t last long. “Wait. Ask him what exactly?? ‘Hi M.r Hawk…have you maybe seen a Slayer wandering around demon-central here?’ Oh, and by the way Laz…I don’t exactly look my best right now.”
“Well…that’s why you have the big mouth. Go charm it out of him.”
Despite her protests, the two of them were soon walking up to a table where Hawk stood arguing with a huge, fat demon smoking a cigar. “That’s Brun.” whispered Laz. “If the demon underground had a mob boss…that’d be him.”
“Well Hawk certainly doesn’t look happy with the arrangement.” Sascha said, eying the pair. Sure enough, Hawk slammed a fist down in frustration and sat at the table as a line formed. He grabbed a pen and motioned for the first of many demons to come up. Laz pushed Sascha into line.
Eventually it was her turn, and with a brief look up, which made him wrinkle his nose in disgust, he leaned slightly closer for a brief picture to be taken, took it and signed it, saying “Next…”
Thinking fast, Sascha did the first thing that came to her….she tried to tick him off. She leaned in closer and said “I know you’re not a demon.”
Surprise was replaced by hostility as his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Excuse me?”
Sascha responded simply, as if they were talking about the weather. “I know you’re not a demon, and I know you don’t want to be here.”
“Listen…I suggest you take the damned picture and keep walking if you don’t want trouble….”
“Okay! Jeez….just answer me one quick thing and I’ll go. Is there a girl fighting in the competition...small, strong, and as fast as you are?”
He smirked “I wouldn’t say she’s as fast as I am…but yeah. Your girl is fighting next. And speaking of which….. Next!”
The two of them took their seats in time for the vampire to come out. Laz motioned over a demon selling snacks, and grabbed a bag. At Sascha’s horrified look he said “What? It’s popcorn!” He offered her some, but all she did was hold up a sticky bluish hand and spread her fingers. Laz quickly moved the bag back toward him and said “Good point.”
“Annnd now…for round two of our double main event…. Only three of them have ever been able to make it into this plane…and thank the powers for that! In this corner……the Yagmaw demon!!!”.
Out of the tunnel came something out of a nightmare…. An eight foot tall preying mantis…if a praying mantis had two extra pairs of forelegs, complete with serrated blades. Black and green in color, it had spikes and armored plates all over it. It just looked pissed.
“Annnd in this corner….your hometown favorite….the Girl with No Name!!!”
She came out of the other side, small and lithe, clad totally in form-fitting black nylon and leather. Even her head was covered with an eyeless hood, and over her left eye and her heart two red Xs were painted on. This time it was Laz who sat forward. The girl didn’t carry any weaponry, but blades were lining her suit along her forearms and the sides of her legs.
“Girl with No Name??” snorted Sascha. She’s here for almost a week and that is her big undercover name?”
“Hey it works…it’s all Clint Eastwood badass. She’s like…she’s so badass she doesn’t need a name, right?”
“Well she’d better be. That thing doesn’t look happy.”
And as if on cue, it charged straight at her, sweeping its blades like a lawnmower. Much like Hawk before, she jumped, did a somersault and landed to the side of it. As it swept with one of its blades, she caught it (no mean feat given the thing’s size) and twisted. The demon gave a high pitched keen as its arm broke and hung limp. She easily dodged the return swipes.
Crap. She’s better than I thought. Sascha sighed in half-resignation, half-disappointment.
The fight continued, with the demon trying to catch her with its blades. She got tagged a couple times, but it didn’t seem to slow her much, as she broke three more of its arms. Then it got a solid hit on her, driving one of its blades into her side and pinning her against the wall. She made a small crater as it pressed her into the stone. The crowd gasped.
Sascha rose to a half stance before Laz threw out an arm in desperation to stop her “What are you doing?” he hissed.
“Shouldn’t I….I mean I can’t just let a Slayer get eaten, can I? That’s got to be against some sort of bylaw…”
“Umm…nooo…not here you don’t. Here you sit and you behave and you don’t make waves. Here you leave the other Slayers to deal with their own stuff. Capice?”
He turned back to the fight “Besides…didn’t they give you the boot?”
The girl was fighting off the demon’s other working limb and mandibles as it pressed its attack. As it moved in for the kill she reached up and tore off her mask. Sascha and Laz, still in mid-fight about whether she was going to help or not, froze as they saw her face.
Flaming red hair framed Sascha’s own face, glaring up at the demon. But only for a moment, as her features shifted. Her brow deepened and fangs came out of her mouth as she lashed forward and bit into a joint in the demon’s neck armor. It keened again and started twitching, trying to throw her off, but she latched on and finally the demon slowed and then collapsed. The arena exploded in cheers and applause.
“How in the hell…” Sascha breathed as she sat down hard in her seat.
The other Sascha got up, dripping with the demon’s ichor. She looked around her with little-concealed contempt, and walked out, not acknowledging the crowd whatsoever.
Laz finally spoke up. “Well…that was a hell of a show. So um…she kinda looked like you, right?”
Sascha was once again too stunned to laugh. “I don’t get it. I’m the new Slayer in town?!? I mean…I don’t have a sister, and I haven’t been cloned lately that I know of. Whatl gives?”
“We’ll have to wonder on the way out dude. We have to get going.” Laz was looking nervously at his watch as he got up.
“Oh hell no. We came here to meet the new Slayer and I’m damned sure not gonna just walk out of here after that. We’re going down to see her…and you’re getting me in.”
“M…me?”
“Didn’t you say whatever infinitely-cooler demon you turned into was some sort of bigwig? Time to use your big mouth and talk us in.”
"Yeah but I can't...."
"Laz! She was me!" Sascha's voice held a tone of anger. "And she was a freaking vampire...."
Sascha's mind raced. Who was she? Her fighting style was so similar to Sascha's own it was scary. Was it someone in disguise, a sibling she wasn't aware of, or some other version of herself? Could a Slayer even become a vampire? She never admitted it to anyone, but it somehow seemed to her like the perfect way out. Immortality...safety (relative safety anyway)...leaving the stupid Slayer Deathwish behind. All you had to do was give up your soul....
Either way there was no doubt. They weren't just leaving.
She leveled an even gaze at Laz. "No. We're going down to see her."
Laz sighed as he recognized the stubborn look (even if he couldn’t recognize her features just then), shook his head and walked up to talk to the arena announcer.
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