"You Only Live Thrice..." Part XII...

P.G. 13

Summary: A certain 'benevolent' supervillain has tried to employ a
little more cleverness, patience, and respect for modern science and
technology than the usual Bverse evildoer...

Disclaimer: All BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon,
Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series...

Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse,
www.geocities.com/buffyrebecca/Cicelypg.html .

Or direct to story at
http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/buffyrebecca/yolt.html ..

***

Part XII...

Outside William's room at the Watchers' secret medical
facility...7:30 am...

Dawn, in blouse and slacks nervously standing by the door with "W"
in his usual Assistant Chairman's suit...Chairman Giles' own style,
naturally...Conservative and manly ...Despite the wild hair, which Dawn
frowned at, rather happy to find something to concern herself with
besides what was going on behind the closed door...

"Andy, your hair..." she pulled a brush from the Italian handbag at
her side and began fussing...

He glumly allowing her ministrations for a moment...Though she backed
off as several male and female staffers...Young Observer candidates,
just the sort of dweebs to start making and spreading dumb
jokes...Appeared in the opening door of the corridor elevator...On
their way to the early Undead Anatomy and Forensic Training class in
the facility's teaching hall...

"That's a little better...Andy, what am I gonna with you?..." she
clucked at him...But kept her voice low as the others passed, one or
two nodding to "W"...At least one young woman chuckling a bit as
she went by, staring at them...

Jerk...Filing a mental note of the woman's image...Hopefully she's
a borg...Or one of the voluntary traitors...Dawn, glaring after the
group...

"See...Andy, you gotta watch this sorta thing now..." she hissed...
"These guys'll walk all over you if they think they can..." She
stopped, seeing the sympathetic look on his face...

"He's ok, Dawn..." Andrew patted her... "They wouldn't try to
kill him like this...Their sleeper is too valuable to expose...Besides,
even they know your mom would blow out the whole system before she'd
let her borg hurt him...They're playing it cautious till our people
reach the Immortal's place..."

"And a few sniggers don't matter..." he shook his head, undoing
much of her efforts... "I've come round to my friend Jonathan's
way of thinking...It doesn't matter if folks don't think much of
me, I care about them...Besides, if they think I'm an idiot, word
gets back to His Benevolence that I'm an idiot...Which is why I wound
up with a title here in the first place..." sheepish grin...

"Andy..." she sighed...

Still, point taken...

"Ok, you're right..." she nodded, whispering... "But when this
is over I'm making damned sure everyone knows it wasn't Giles or
Angel or even Mom or Dad who uncovered this one..."

The door opened suddenly, William on slightly wobbily legs, carefully
supported at his right by an anxious Buffy...

"Ah, a reception committee..." he grinned... "Mr. Assistant
Chairman, ole 'W' himself..."

"Dad?...You ok?..." Dawn looked at the two before her and
Andrew...Fine, fine...Will waved a hand, shrugging... "Just strained
things a bit..." Ummn... "Stretching...A little physical
therapy..."

"Dawn?..." Buffy stared at the two before her and William... "You
two weren't here all night?..."

"Or somewhere together...?" Will frowned...Ow!...@%%#!...

"Will...!" Buffy hissed as he rubbed his jabbed limb-missing
side... "We agreed we'd talk about it later..."

"About what?..." Dawn looked at both... "You guys were talking
about us?..."

"What parents do, girl..." Will nodded... "But we'll get to
that later..."

"Really there's nothing for you to talk about..." Andrew began...
"Dawn and I..."

"Can decide for ourselves about us, thanks..." Dawn firmly cut
in...

"Weren't we all gonna have breakfast?...And you were gonna tell
your Dad how it went when you found out..." Buffy tried...

"The hell you will, Nibs...This may be 2006 but I was raised to look
out for my children's futures..." William returned, a bit
sternly... "And I damned well intend to put my two cents' worth in
here..."

Dawn blinked at his set face...Sputtering...

"You...You think you can suddenly walk into this family and start
dictating to me?!...You may be my father spiritually but there's no
way I'm...!"

"Guys..." Buffy pleaded...Nervously eyeing passers-by in the
hallway...Several nursing and Council types, all pausing to watch the
ruckus involving the Council's famed stars...

"Dawn...William...Lets save this for later...We do have a mission to
coordinate..."Andrew, placatingly...

"What?..." Dawn glared at him now...William looking a bit coolly at
him as well... "Andrew?... Are you gonna let him tell us we can't
see each other?...For cryin' out loud, Andy..."

"Dawn, I didn't mean that but...I...It's not like we ever
had...Heck, I didn't even..."

"Andrew...." she stared at him, a bewildered look... "Are you
sayin'...?"

"Yes, just what are you saying, Mr. Wells?..." Will asked coldly...

"Andrew?..." Buffy staring at him now, a bit of glare entering as
well...

"It's just..." the Assistant Chairman glanced at the three
Walthrops now united in glare...

"I mean, Dawn and I...We were close this past year, of course...And I
really like..."

Giles' sudden appearance at the corridor's elevator door causing
the conversation to come to a screeching halt...

"All of you are up early...Anything wrong?..." he glanced at the
group's faces... "William?..." he stared where Buffy was
supporting his arm...

"Not a thing, Rupert..." Will hastily replied... "We were just
considering a few details about today's little trip...And I'm just
getting a few last kinks out of the new leg..."

Yeah...Buffy nodded...A quick glance to Dawn...

"I see...Well, if I'm not intruding on a family gathering I was
hoping to join you all at breakfast...I have our latest on His
Benevolence's activities..."

"Sounds great Giles...Heck you're family...More than some of
us..." Buffy smiled at him...A sidelong glance at the
sheepish-looking Assistant Chairman...

"I gotta..." Dawn gasping a little... "I gotta go to the ladies
room for a mo...Be right back..." she hurried off...

"Yeah, me too..." Buffy, following after...A slight, quick, hard
glare back at Andrew...

Hmmn?...Giles stared after them...

"Was Dawn upset about something?...She seemed to be crying..."

"Probably just the joy of finding her family again..." Will
noted... "I'd hardly think there could be anyone...Living...Who'd
want to risk causing my daughter grief..." he smiled blandly...

"Eh, 'W'...?" he looked at Andrew...Who blushed a bit...

***

At the facility dining area, Slayer nurse Gong Li had joined the
group...As, at several nearby tables, had a number of eager Observers
and other young staff...As well a few older, who at least were discreet
enough to keep a reasonable distance...

"I think we're in a zoo or something..." Buffy hissed to Will...
"Do they all have to watch us like that?..."

"Price of fame, girl..." he noted... "Still..." he
rose...Addressing the three nearest tables with their gawkers...

"Pardon me, folks...But would you lot clear out to the tables back
there?...This is a high security briefing with the Chairman...Eh,
Rupert?..." he turned to Giles...

"Oh, yes...Quite right...Sorry for the inconvenience, I should have
reserved this room...If you would move back a few tables, please..."

The reluctant members of the fan club moved off...

"That one has a camera..." Buffy indicated one young woman looking
their way from her table...Hurriedly putting something in her purse as
Will and Giles glanced at her...

"You think she's...?" Dawn, carefully maintaining a cold two
seats from an embarrassed-looking Andrew...A withering glance when he
tried to move closer...

"Just a star-crazed Slayer...The Immortal's folks would be a little
more subtle..." Will shook his head... "Though you might want to
make sure she's not looking to sell photos to the tabloids,
Rupert..."

"Ginny Stevens...I'll speak to her..." Giles nodded...
"So..." he regarded William, then Buffy... "Are you sure you're
up to this so soon, Will?..." he asked..."If you need more time to
recuperate..."

"I'm fine...Nothing better than a little exercise to get everything
running smoothly...Besides, this is just intelligence-gathering,
right?...A quick trip to the Immortal's famed little anthill to see
what we can when we kick said hill open while my Missus and me have our
first proper vacation together..."

"No kicking..." Giles frowned... "I do not want to see you two
spending the next ten years in prison...Remember that the Immortal is
not some vampire who'll disappear without consequences when you stake
him..."

"So we're in Angel's grey zone..." Will frowned... "Damn, I
hate grey after this last year...Still, it will give me the chance to
squire my lovely lass properly about a pretty place...Not our real
honeymoon, of course..."

"That's for sure..." Buffy noted firmly... "I want a month, at
least...And I want Will to have something for daylight operation..."

"We're working on it..." Giles nodded... "Willow should have
something for you when she returns from her parents..."

"Great...Though I'd've liked something right now..." she
frowned a little...

"It'll be better...I'd rather save that for when we're really
on our own..." Will patted her hand...

"And as for the target for our little excursion?..." he eyed
Giles...

"Yes..." he nodded... "Well, as you know, His Benevolence is
supposed to be assisting us with Buffy's global soul restoration
project...Discussing that...As well as simply wishing to enjoy a brief
vacation...Is your cover story..."

"Good enough..." Will nodded... "Speaking of your little memorial
to yours truly..." he eyed Buffy... "Has anyone thought to look to
poor Dru?..."

"I've thought about it...Especially since Cicely resurfaced..."
Buffy replied grimly...

"Angel is trying to find her...And have support ready to help
her..." Giles cut in...

"Love, she couldn't help herself..." Will tried... "And for a
poor innocent like her to resurface so suddenly in such a fiend's
body..."

"Then she'd appreciate our helping first..." Dawn, equally
grimly...

"You'd never have heard Green Day if you'd been born alive in
1880, Nibs..." Will pointed out...

"Point taken..." she nodded sagely...

***
Breakfast over, Giles and Gong Li having excused themselves under
pressure of work with a promise to see them off later, and in spite of
Dawn's continuing coolness towards him...Buffy and Will now feeling a
bit more sympathetic...A bit... "W" was in his element as he led
the Walthrop clan to his departmental labs to provide them with their
equipment for the mission...

"So where's Q got to, W..." Will asked as they looked round the
gleaming labs...

"I'm in Sacramento..." Willow's image appeared before them...
"And it's R, Spike..."

"Sorry..." she caught Buffy and Dawn's stare... "William..."

"Spike's still a fine handle..." he shook his head, smiling...
"California still intact?..."

"The usual wildfires...Talk of another quake impending...Nothing too
bad..." she grinned...

"Wil?..." Buffy asked... "Spell or..."

"Hologram..." Willow replied... "My battery's a bit down for
trans-continental spells..."

So she knows...Will caught the brief hardness behind the smile as she
replied to Buffy...

He glanced at Andrew's non-committal expression as he watched the
exchange...Well...I have misjudged ole W...An ace in the hole in
California...Good lad...

Well...Perhaps...he looked quickly at Dawn now talking to Willow...

***

Chairman Giles' office...Ten minutes later...

"Mr. Chairman?...You wished to see me?..." Gong Li entered the
office carefully...

"Gong Li..." he nodded... "Thanks for interrupting your work to
come and see me...I'll get right to it...You've been working
closely with Assistant Chairman Wells for some time now, I
understand... "

She tensed a little... "I was assigned to help with William's
medical care...Andy...Mr. Wells...Asked for me cause I have nursing
training..."

"And you were a friend...One of the original Army of Slayers that
defeated the First ..." Giles smiled...

"We know each other from then, yes, sir..." she nodded, trying to
seem casual, while keeping alert...

"Miss Li..." Giles frowned at her... "Let me be frank...For
sometime now I've been getting the impression that Mr. Wells has been
running his division and this current operation a bit too much on his
own..." he raised a hand... "Now, I like young Andrew...I appointed
him...But he cannot start trying to deal with problems like His
Benevolence on his own, without clearance from me...Particularly when
it involves possible risk to the life of our greatest Slayer, Buffy
Summers and possibly to our other Slayers, including yourself..."

"All I want is to be properly informed as to what he's doing..."
he continued... "I can't provide help if I'm left in the
dark..."

Ummn... "I understand, Mr. Chairman...But really I don't think
Andrew is keeping you in the dark deliberately...It's just that
things are happening so quickly, I think he hasn't had time to go
over everything..."

"Well I think it's high time he made time, my dear..." an
exasperated sigh... "Still, he's done well so far...If not for him,
William might be ashes now and God knows what that might have done to
Buffy...All right..." he eyed her... "I'll trust to his
judgment...And yours...For now...But, please, Slayer...As a
friend...Try to make him see that I must be kept informed at all
times...I don't want to take measures to put his operations under a
committee but I will if I feel I must..."

"Yes, sir..." she nodded...Waiting...

"That's all, Ms. Li..." She turned and the moment she could not
see him...Giles' face turned blank, his features changing to those of
the one in the mirror on the plane...Hairless and only vaguely
resembling Rupert Giles...He aimed a hand at her back and an electric
pulse emanated from a wire and plastic harness on that hand...She
gasped quickly and collapsed...

He rose and carefully examined the unconscious Slayer...His features
remaining blank...

"The Slayer Gong Li has been secured and is ready for retrieval..."
he quietly spoke into the room...Reaching into his desk's middle
drawer on the left where he found and pulled out and set on his desk a
mask and harness similar to what Dawn had worn to operate her cyborg...

Then moving to a coat and storage closet which he opened...Inside which
a hairless female cyborg of Gong Li's height and approximate weight
waited, motionless...

***