April 2000

Writer: Nick Bryan

Buffy	Xander	Willow	Giles
Spike	Riley	Anya	Walsh

The Scooby Gang was having a Scooby night in. In an attempt to get Willow’s mind of the departure of Oz so that she wouldn’t start messing with magic again, they were lying in Giles’ apartment, the only one with a TV, watching a range of movies. None of which matched Giles’ taste.

"Could we please find something that doesn’t involve guns, violence and massive amounts of spewing blood?"

"Come on Giles, it’s the new age of entertainment. Plus, it seems to be cheering Willow up." Buffy said, in her patented "patronise the old people" voice.

Giles looked over to Willow, and surely enough, she did seem to finally be enjoying herself somewhat. This did not change the fact that Giles was not finding the movie that entertaining at all, and he decided to keep up the argument with Buffy, just for the sake of something to do.

"Surely you get enough blood and violence slaying the undead?"

"Less of that talk!" came Spike’s ringing tone of complaint (A tone he’d had cause to use frequently since he took up his new living arrangement) from the back, followed by "And move out the way! You’re blocking my view of that guy’s intestines."

Giles sighed and moved aside, allowing Spike full access to the man’s digestive system. Spike was probably getting more out of this than Willow was, fulfilling his need for violence, death and bloody mutilation that he had lacked since his neutering at the hands of the Initiative.

Anya was sitting sideways across the sofa with Xander’s arm around her and her legs across his. She looked up at him and said in her complaining, possibly sarcastic voice "Xander, I don’t like this. It makes me nostalgic for the days when I could turn people inside out without artificial aids."

"I know", sighed Xander, "who needs demonic powers? I mean, I’ve still got a vague knowledge of guns from the soldier thing. I could become the new, heavily armed Slayer. I bet an anti-tank rocket in the chest works just as well as a stake."

Buffy raised an eyebrow. "This must be why the Slayer is one GIRL in all the world. Although, the idea of firearms interests me. What do you think Giles? Time we brought slaying into the 21st Century?"

Before Giles could sigh heavily and complain about the stupidity of youth, Buffy added "No, don’t even bother answering. I can guess what you’ll say, and it’ll probably be all nostalgic and stodgy."

Several miles away, a man in a wheelchair pulled a pistol from his pocket. The man was around eighty. The younger man leaping from the rafters with a gun pointing at his head was just over a quarter of that age. As the first shot rang out, the old man put the back of his chair on full tilt, and it fell to the ground, and he shortly after it, the bullet missing its mark. As the young man fired a second shot, which ricocheted off the metal of the wheelchair, the old man lined up his shot, and with one bullet, took his enemy’s head off. As he smiled to himself that after fifty years of gun-fights, he still had it, another enemy came behind him and pushed a gun into the back of his head. When the old man opened his eyes, he expected to hear a voice saying "Marshall Davis, your time has come," then some offer of either heaven or hell. The offer he got was entirely different.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Pilot Episode:

"Outgunned"

Featuring:
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Nicholas Brendon
Alyson Hannigan
James Marsters
Emma Caulfield
Marc Blucas
AND Anthony Stewart Head as Giles

The next day, as Buffy shoved a final book in her bag and went down to University, taking note of the fact that Willow had already left, she kept looking around the room. She was sure something was missing. Amy the rat was still here, busily munching through the scraps left in her cage. There was usually another photo in the cluster of them. Buffy, Willow and Xander from Junior Year was still there. The Graduation photo, complete with demonic mayor, was still there. Then she saw broken glass and an empty frame on the floor. She sighed as she recognised it. The photo of Oz. Clearly Willow hadn’t quite gotten over it yet. Then another thought crossed her mind. What if this hadn’t been simply an act of anger? Would Willow use the photo to cast a spell on Oz? Willow’s chest of witchy stuff seemed undisturbed. But then she didn’t know what came and went from that. She threw the smashed frame into the bin and went to class, still thinking a lot more about Willow and Oz then psychology.

Willow should have been thinking about psychology about then too. But instead she too had Oz on the brain. Not Buffy. Just Oz. She looked at his photo. The frame had been fiddly. She just got bored of trying to get it out. She knew that she had to get over him somehow. So she had decided to do a "getting over Oz" ritual and try a new magic trick. She was in a corner of a park near the dormitory. This wasn’t complicated. She leaned against a tree and concentrated. The good old "make a spark come out of your hand" stunt, which should burn the photo. She muttered the chants and thought she felt it work. Then she looked at the photo. No spark. No burn. She swore under her breath. Then Willow looked at her other hand. And swore again. The tree was on fire. She thought quickly. Magic flame. Witch should be able to control a magic flame. And she concentrated and chanted once again. The flame fizzled out, leaving just a scorch across the tree and Willow more annoyed than ever. She sighed, folded up the picture of Oz and put it into her pocket and went to get her psych books, hoping Professor Walsh would forgive her for being late.

In a dimension not too far from our own, Marshall Davis was confused. He had expected to feel a bullet penetrate his brain and die instantly. But instead nothing had happened. He looked around. It was around then that he noticed the large demon staring at him.

"Marshall Davis?"

"Er.......yes?"

"How do you feel about becoming a demon?"

"Not really sure, that’s sort of a new offer."

"I am Ta'hoffren. I am offering to make you a demon. A new demon for a new age. The Lord of the Gun. It is your mastery of all fire-arms that has earned you this honour."

This suddenly become more interesting for Marshall.

"Tell me more."

Buffy sat in a psych lecture listening to Professor Walsh and Riley teach today’s lesson. But her mind wasn’t there, although Riley’s eyes were very much on her. Riley had been thinking about her a lot recently, since their picnic. He had also spent many hours pondering the occasion when she had just spontaneously decided to announce her engagement to him. "But," he then thought, "what’s a little insanity between friends?" He pulled back to reality and looked at Buffy again. Clearly not here. He played his part in the lecture, then went over to Buffy. She was still in a trance-like state, Willow-and-Oz related thoughts taking up space in her mind. Riley called out to her across the hall.

"Buffy!"

"OZ?"

That stopped Riley in his tracks. "Y’know, you told me you were still single."

Buffy fell back to reality with a thump. "Oh, sorry Riley. Didn’t see you."

"I guessed. Who’s Oz? Not cheating on me already are you?"

"We’re dating?"

"No, that’s what the already was for."

"Oh. Right. Anyway, Oz is.......I mean was Willow’s boyfriend. They broke up. Big topic with her at the moment."

"She looked preoccupied."

"What? I didn’t know she was here!"

"Oh, she wandered in half-way through. Looked as transfixed as you did."

Buffy managed a half-smile. "Sorry. I’ll try to pay attention to your words of wisdom."

"Well, today’s Riley words of wisdom are: Would you like to come for some food? That’s eight whole words today."

"Not today Riley, okay? I’m a bit busy with Willow. She had a bit of an extreme reaction to the whole Oz thing before. I want to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand again."

She started to move away, but Riley placed himself in front of her.

"Look, Buffy, there’s a party around now. A bunch of us have nothing better to do. We wondered if you’d like to come."

"Riley......."

"Okay, I’m asking too many things again. Sorry."

Buffy contemplated. Surely Willow couldn’t cause much trouble on her own for a few hours.

"Okay. I’m in."

Hours went by, and as Buffy went to a few parties with Riley, a portal to the demonic dimension opened in a wooded area not too far form the campus. A demon, seemingly designed in a modern style fell from it. He picked himself up and he heard footsteps. A man was coming towards him, talking on a mobile phone.

"Yeah, Jane, just reschedule my appointments. I might not be in for some.............time?"

John stopped in his tracks as he saw the demon. "What........what is........?"

The newly made Lord of the Gun did not answer him. He reached into the pouches of metallic-looking skin around his body and pulled out an automatic weapon. Five hundred rounds of heavy ammo. Beneath the demonic skin, Marshall Davis smiled. Then he opened fire.

In her dormitory on Sunnydale University campus, Willow stared into the night. The silence, punctuated only by occasional burst of gun-fire, doesn’t answer any of the questions she has. Nor does the rat busily munching through a lump of cheese in her cage. Willow sighed and wandered over to the window, looking out over the entire campus. More gunshots. "Odd," she thinks as she closes the curtains, "never had much gunfire before. The final tortured screams of students being fed upon by vampires, sure, but not much gunfire." The door rattles and Buffy entered.

"Hey Will."

"Oh, hi Buffy." she muttered in a somewhat ashamed fashion.

Buffy waited for her to say something else, then continued herself when she saw no answer was forthcoming.

"Look, I know you feel guilty about nearly causing me to marry Spike, but I didn’t! So cheer up!"

Willow looked up from staring flatly ahead.

"Actually, that was kinda coming second to my boyfriend up and going some place else without giving much of a reason, but I’m sad about that too. Honest."

Buffy gave a subdued smile and sat down.

"Great. That’s really good. Tell you what, let’s phone Xander and go out! Just us three. It’s been ages since we all went out."

Willow turned towards the phone and mulled the idea over.

"Actually, he’s probably having wild sex with Anya as we speak. I think he may be somewhat pissed off if we trouble him."

"Well, if he is, he’s being really quiet about it."

Buffy and Willow looked to the door and saw Anya standing there.

"Actually, that wouldn’t be much of a surprise."

"Not that it isn’t lovely to see you Anya, but.......why are you here?" Buffy inquired.

"Oh yeah. Warning. Xander and the guy without the books sent me. Big demon. Come here now. Actually, I think I read that last part wrong."

"Well, thanks Anya. We’ll be right over."

"Don’t thank me. It’s been a bad enough day already."

And Anya left.

"Oh great. Slaying calls. Coming Will?"

"No, I’ll stay here. I like it.........."

As she finished that syllable, bullets flew through the dorm window, ricocheting around the room, smashing holes into the furniture. The heavy calibre machine gun fire exploded through the entire block as Buffy shoved Willow to the floor.

As the gunfire abated, Willow muttered "Actually, I’ll come with you."

Buffy and Willow sat down on chairs in Giles’ apartment. The others sat down on their chairs too, apart from Spike who was tied to it.

"So," Giles began somewhat hesitantly, " I called you here to discuss a new demon we may be encountering, but something else appears to have happened. Firstly, are you two alright?"

"B....b....bullets, guns........." Willow stammered.

"Willow, breath. Calm down. It’s alright." Buffy put her arm around her friend and spoke to Giles.

"This is new for me Giles. Never had someone open fire with a heavy machine gun on us before."

Xander turned to Anya. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Oh, I’m fine. Been through worse. Had an angry mob shooting burning arrows at me once."

"Really?"

"Moving swiftly back to immediate danger, how do we stop gun guy?" Buffy continued sharply.

Giles took off his glasses and pondered this.

"Not entirely sure Buffy. We don’t really know whether it was a random assault or a supernatural occurance. And there are no demons I know of who use firearms. of course, some books would be useful, but on my own knowledge."

Xander spoke up. "A plan! We shove Spike out and let him take all the bullets while we clobber them from behind!"

Buffy looked over at her former fiancée, tied firmly down to his chair, unable to move anything. "Interesting plan, Xander. Anyone who doesn’t like it raise a hand."

"Okay! I raise my voice here!" Spike commented in a raised voice. "I’m already the idiot librarian’s house-pet! I’m not taking a few clips of machine-gun fire and becoming his bloody sieve as well!"

"So we put my plan on the ideas pending list?" Xander sneaked in hopefully.

"If I might call this meeting to order?" Giles inquired whilst staring pointedly at the interrupters. "I take it a search of the area yielded no results?"

"You mean the gun discarded in the bushes? No."

Willow spoke for the first time after a short silence as the Slayer and her former watcher pondered their next action. "Guys? I was just thinking, shouldn’t we report this to the Police? I mean, demons, vampires, okay, but this looks like just a straight shooting. Their thing?"

Buffy thought about this. Silence descended in the room yet again. Suddenly Buffy noticed something.

"Giles, turn the TV on."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"Buffy, you were just shot at. I don’t think this is the right time for....."

"I said do it. I just heard something. Gunfire. More than you’d hear any other time in Sunnydale."

Without further protest, Giles flicked on the TV. They came in as a newsreader was coming to the middle of a newscast. Buffy watched intently.

"And so, we return to our main story of the evening, the bizarre outbreaks of gun related crime around the town of Sunnydale, California. Seemingly random shooting began earlier this evening, and cultivated in a mob of people breaking into a rumoured illegal guns store and leaving carrying a large quantity of criminal weapons, some high-calibre automatics included in those guns lost."

Xander spoke first, as the newsreader stopped talking and the next programme began.

"So, does this mean that the rumoured illegal gun store is no longer rumoured?"

"Irrelevant, Xander. The point is there could be some super-natural influence causing everyone in Sunnydale taking up arms."

"Buffy’s right. We have to..."

"Go to college!" Willow cried out.

"What?"

"Buffy, we have to be there in fifteen minutes!"

"Crud. You guys try to figure out what’s happening, we’ll go to school. See how the gun-play’s affected them there."

As Buffy and Willow raced out, Xander, Giles, Anya and Spike looked at each other.

"So, we have to find out what’s causing all this sharp-shooting. Where do we start?"

"How about untying me? I’d be loads of help. Really."

"Sorry Spike. Busy."

And they went their separate ways to make the best possible use of the available resources.

Fifteen minutes later, Buffy and Willow wandered down to college.

"Wow. The gun-thing’s really decimated the place." Willow remarked, looking at the bullet holes in all the walls she could see.

"Yeah. But note the lack of weapons abuse now. This thing has stopped."

"Maybe it’s a night thing."

"Probably is," Buffy pondered, "which usually means vampire."

"But apart from a couple of occasions, vampires have never really been the gun-toting types."

"Maybe it’s some new sect or something. A different kind of...."

"Homework!" Willow darted in. "A new kind of homework which is.........much harder and more advanced."

"What?"

Then Buffy realised Riley had come within hearing distance.

"Oh, hi Riley."

"Buffy. So, a new type of homework? Strange that I haven’t heard about it."

"Well, it’s kinda only for the victims. You people who set it don’t know."

"Um..... What?"

Before Buffy had to explain herself, Forrest came running over.

"RILEY! Study period! We’re needed."

Buffy turned to Riley quizically. "You guys sure take your study seriously."

"Well, we kinda have to. See you around, Buffy."

"Yeah. Bye Riley."

And as Riley and Forrest dashed off, Buffy turned to Willow.

"Y’know what that reminds me of, Will?"

"Us? When we had to make pathetic excuses to those not in the know so that you could rush off and slay?"

"Exactly. Weird."

And they turned away and walked towards their next class.

Riley and Forrest activated the retinal scanner and descended into the ground below the college. Riley was preoccupied. He hadn’t spoken a word for several minutes when Forrest took it upon himself to initiate conversation.

"So, Riley, it’s catching then?"

"What is?"

"This staring straight ahead and not speaking thing. ‘Cause your girlfriend had it yesterday, and now you seem to be afflicted."

"She’s not my girlfriend," Riley stated, then changed the subject, "What do you think Walsh wants us for?"

"Well," Forrest said in his best patronising voice, "could it be the massive outbreak of gunfire and shootings last night?"

As Riley mentally slapped himself on the forehead and shouted "Doh!" they reached the Initiative’s base of operations.

As they began to suit up, Professor Walsh came over.

"That won’t be necessary yet gentlemen. We do not operate in broad daylight unless an extreme emergency occurs, and then not in full combat gear."

"Sorry Professor. So, this about all the gunplay last night?"

"Indeed it is, Agent Forrest. We need to pinpoint the source. I am assuming supernatural rather than simple mass aggression, so whatever demon is causing this needs to be pinned down fast."

"Gotcha." Forrest went over to the data banks. "So what have the intelligence people found?"

"Nothing. The seems to have been a sweep of mystical energy over Sunnydale just prior to the incidents, but nothing we recognise. It could be a new demon. You may be dealing with heavily armed civilians, so make sure you have non-lethal weaponry. You’ll be taking a squad each."

"Affirmative, ma’am."

Xander pulled a gun out of his trunk and put it in his inside pocket.

"Erm.......the firearm, Xander?"

"Protection. Some heavily armed people out there tonight."

"They’re civilians, Xander. We’re meant to protect them, not blow their heads off."

"Not even in self-defence?"

"Not even."

Buffy came down the stairs. "You boys ready. Sun set soon, then I reckon whatever caused last night’s fun will be at it again."

"We’ll be ready, Buffy. Has Willow recovered from the shock?"

"Pretty much. Just back to plain old pining over Oz now. And she’s pissed at me for spending all day yesterday out with Riley instead of listening to her issues."

"Will she be helping us?"

"Don’t think she’s in a good state to battle heavily armed lunatic. She can stay in for now."

"Fine," Giles concluded as he put down his cup of coffee, "let’s go."

As the sun went down over Sunnydale, the Scooby Gang headed out to do brave deeds, as did Riley, Forrest and the Initiative. With less good-hearted deeds on his mind was Marshall Davis, the newly elevated demonic Lord of the Gun. His influence faded at daytime, but he sat and concentrated as the night fell, preparing to cast his spell across Sunnydale again.

Riley crept through the bushes near Sunnydale University, with his squad following behind him.

"Okay men," he muttered, "be on the look out for anything suspicious."

Darkness had fallen now, and Riley was starting to get nervous. Then he felt different. The desire to pull his gun out of its holder and fire randomly was there, and strong. Then he looked down and saw his targets.

"Okay guys, stay down and follow my lead. Look out for any........"

As she said this, four tranquilliser darts zipped from Riley’s gun and hit the wall of Xander’s basement, where they had just emerged from.

"...Shots." Buffy finished uselessly. The Scooby Gang scattered as the Initiative, under the influence of the Lord of the Gun, mounted a firing charge. They exhausted their supply of tranq darts in a matter of minutes and pulled out their blasters.

Xander himself, knowing he had a small gun in his pocket was fighting the urge to grab it and open fire on the Initiative. The quick volley of blaster fire that followed settled that, blowing one wall of Xander’s basement apart.

The cry of "You BASTARDS!" erupted from his mouth as he grabbed his gun.

"Xander, NO!" Buffy tried to pull him back, but he leapt up and fired shots at the Initiative’s men. One shot missed and two hit their armour, before Buffy successfully pulled him back. Riley didn’t see her, absorbed by the spell, firing away. Buffy watched in horror as they started to advance towards the University where her dorm and Willow was.

Professor Walsh was at Initiative command, screaming down her microphone. "RILEY! REPORT!"

She heard the gunfire, and had the sneaking suspicion that her fears had come true. The shields to demonic energy they had built into the Agents’ gear hadn’t been enough. She shouted to her technicians "CHECK THE READINGS FROM THEIR SUITS! MAKE AN ANTIDOTE AND FIND THE SOURCE! NOW!"

And the technicians got to work.

Willow sat in her dorm, noticing the gunfire again. She looked down at her feet, with the photo of Oz still in her hand. As she fought tears, the gunfire became closer. She looked up and saw something that shocked her. Before she had time to utter an exclamation, Buffy smashed through the door.

"WILLOW! COME ON!"

"But Buffy............"

"MOVE!"

As Buffy grabbed her and raced out of the door, the volley of blaster fire ripped through the window. Willow saw it as she ran.

"As we a target for these people?"

"It’s not just us Will. They’re raking the entire building with gunfire. It’s the Commandos again. Except the random gunfire spell is a lot worse when you’ve got the latest Star Trek technology."

"I guess it would be..........wait!"

"What?"

"The blaster fire.......it’s stopped."

Buffy listened, then agreed "Yeah, you’re right."

"I’ve gotta get back to the room."

Buffy grabbed her arm.

"Not yet! It might be unstable."

Willow shook her off and raced back into the room. Buffy arrived a few seconds later.

"Amy’s gone, Buffy! I noticed just before you came in. Her entire cage has disappeared."

Buffy scanned the area. The table that Amy’s cage had been on was still wholly intact, and the cage had been taken.

"Guess so. Look, Will, I really need to get going and see what’s happening. The blasters have stopped, but the other guns are still firing."

"Sure. I’ll look around for Amy."

And Buffy rushed out.

Professor Walsh smiled.

"Riley, you back online?"

Riley adjusted his microphone and replied.

"Yeah, sorry Professor. Must have been the spell. I’m alright now."

"Glad to hear it. Now, meet Forrest at these co-ordinates. We’ve traced the demon there."

"On it, ma’am."

And Riley rushed off.

Buffy watched the commandos move out. Then Giles arrived with Anya and Spike in a wheelchair.

"Xander alright, Giles?"

"Never better." came Xander’s voice from behind her.

Buffy looked around. "Glad to hear it. No more gunplay?"

"No, miss. I’ll be a good boy."

"Glad to hear it. I guess the spell only affected people who had access to weapons."

"Guess so" replied Xander.

And they rushed off after the commandos.

A few minutes later, Buffy was catching up to Riley and his team, as Forrest also closed in on the co-ordinates. Professor Walsh watched from a nearby camera. And raised an eyebrow.

"Damn," she muttered, "it’s her again. Have to get her away from Riley."

And she got on the radio.

Riley dashed towards the warehouse where the co-ordinates were located, when he received new orders.

"What? But Professor, you said he was in here. Why..............." and then Riley’s eyes locked ahead. And he obeyed the orders.

"Yes ma’am. No problem ma’am."

Forrest received similar orders. Then Professor Walsh sat back to watch the Scooby Gang deal with the enemy.

Buffy saw the warehouse. Then she saw the commandos run away from it.

"Hey Giles, the commandos retreated. Reckon we should move in?"

"I reckon we should get in and out now, I’m getting cold." Spike complained bitterly from his position tied into the wheel chair.

Buffy sighed. "Remind me why you brought him?"

"The spell will naturally be strongest around the source. Despite whatever jokes may be made about it, Buffy, Spike’s immunity may be useful." Giles said in his calm explanatory voice.

"EXCUSE ME! I may not die, but they bloody hurt!" Spike protested.

"Shut up Spike. Right, let’s see what we’re up against. I’m getting feelings from that warehouse. Whatever it is, it’s in there."

Walsh took hold of the controls of her remote cameras and moved in closer. She saw her friends behind her, some of which she recognised, others not, then she saw Buffy rip the lock off the warehouse main door with her bare hands. Walsh smiled at the edge of her mouth.

"The Slayer. I thought so."

"Okay guys, take the high ground. In two minutes, I move in. I’ll charge, you try and think of something. The guns are getting closer."

As Buffy said this, a volley of machine gun fire sprayed across the alley.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!"

Buffy leapt behind a crate. Then she heard a series of clicks and more footsteps. She leapt out and kicked the gun out of the man’s hand. It was a different guy to the one who had opened fire. This was only a small pistol. Her friends were gone. She decided, as she rendered the man unconscious, that they must have gone for the high ground. So she began her two-minute wait.

The Lord of the Gun heard noises outside his warehouse and smiled widely at the chaos he had caused. He concentrated harder.

Xander and the others ran down the alley. The man with the machine gun was in pursuit.

"ANYA! Leave Spike! He’s no problem. We need to hide."

She let go of Spike’s chair and the three of them leapt behind a dumpster. The bullets ricocheted off it, and Spike cried out in pain, along with a moan of "Bloody hell!"

Giles grabbed a stone from the dumpster and hurled it at the man’s head, knocking him out.

"Let’s get to the roof. Buffy needs us."

Anya retrieved Spike and they began their ascent of the fire escape.

Two minutes had passed. Buffy hoped the guys were in place on the roof. Then she kicked the door down.

"HEY! Any gun-loving demons in here?"

The Lord of the Gun snapped his eyes open.

"Who are you?"

"The Slayer. You’re dead."

"Eloquent."

The Lord stood up, ending his influence and pulling a gun out of a pouch. Buffy jumped and rolled as the bullets fired. As the Initiative’s remote camera came inside of the warehouse, Buffy moved towards the demon, but he pulled out another gun, and the blanket fire got worse.

Giles and Xander watched from above.

"Giles, we need to help her! Buffy with holes in her just wouldn’t be the same as un-holy Buffy."

"I agree. Apart from the unholy part."

Giles picked up a nearby brick and dropped it through the skylight onto the demon’s head.

Buffy shouted her gratitude to her friends as she charged at the distracted demon. She kicked him in the head and forced him against the wall. She rained punches upon it but he managed to smack her around the face with a machine gun.

As the Slayer flew back, the demon levelled its shot.

Xander saw this and grabbed Spike’s wheelchair from Anya.

"Sorry Spikey. No hard feelings. Really."

"What the......"

And he shoved the chair over the roof and through the hole in the skylight. The demon looked up just as Spike plunged down onto it. The chair was mangled and Spike pulled free. Thanks to his complete inability to actually hit anyone

he started backing away from the demon. Then the demon opened fire. And Spike keeled over.

"You sure he’s immune to bullets?"

"He said he was...." Giles muttered uncertainly.

The demon looked around for Buffy. Then he saw that she had grabbed the machine gun from the alley.

"Hey Giles! She grabbed the gun from that guy you clobbered!"

Giles looked down again. "What?"

As he said this, Buffy took aim. "Nice face. It’ll look better in pieces."

And she opened fire. It had absolutely no effect…except for annihilating the remote camera.

"No man-made weapon can harm me. Your guns are useless. Heh."

Then Spike attacked from behind.

He smashed the demon over the head with his mangled wheelchair and prepared to recoil from the pain. No recoil. He smiled. And Buffy looked surprised, as Spike continued his pummelling.

Xander looked away from the fight just as Spike began the eye gouging.

"Y’know, this is great, but we need to kill him. No man-made weapon? How about his own?"

Giles snapped his fingers. "Brilliant!"

"Me? Really?" Xander smiled.

"No, not you, the idea."

"Oh. Never mind." He yelled down to Buffy "USE HIS GUN!"

Buffy gave a thumbs-up and grabbed one of his guns.

"Spike! Get out the way."

"Just a minute!" He put a little more pressure on the arm with a sharp piece of wheelchair. It came away in his hand.

"How lovely." Buffy muttered, before opening fire with the demon’s machine gun. This time, the demon’s face did end up in pieces on the floor, as did most of the rest of his organs.

Spike looked at the arm in his hand. "Can I keep this?"

Giles entered the warehouse. "Not in my house you can’t."

"Damn."

Xander came in through the opposite door with Anya. "So, Spikey, you can hurt demons."

"Apparently so. Can I just try something?"

"Wha......." Before Xander can mvoe, Spike leapt on him and tried to bite him, but recoiled with a surge of pain.

"YYEAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHHHHH!"

Buffy smirked. "So, still can’t bite humans."

"Apparently not."

"Well, guess you’re stuck with us until you find an alternative source of blood."

"Don’t remind me."

As they left the warehouse, Buffy turned to Giles.

"Y’know Giles, I reckon I can live without hi-tech weapons. All seems a bit impersonal. Y’know, I shot him, but I didn’t get a kick. Hand to hand is better."

"Glad to hear it Buffy. I don’t think the Watcher Council budget runs to such things. Especially now we’re not part of it."

In the Initiative headquarters, Professor Walsh tapped her pen on the desk, deep in thought.

Riley approached her.

"Ma’am?"

"What? Oh, Riley."

"We didn’t find the demon on site, but we did find a cache of weapons that have been surrendered to the authorities."

"Good work Riley. You’ll be pleased to hear that the demon was subdued."

"Excellent. Who did it?"

"Another task force."

"As long as it’s out of the way."

And he left.

Buffy came back into her room. Willow was sitting on her bed. As Buffy approached, she shoved something back into her pocket.

"Hiya, Will. Find Amy?"

"No, not anywhere. I guess we should look in the morning."

"Yeah. You alright, Will?"

"Fine."

And Willow got up and went to bed. As she walked over, the piece of paper drifted out of her pocket. Buffy picked it up and unfolded it. It was the photo of Oz. She sighed and put it on her bedside table.

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