Fic: The Plan/The Book
Title: The Plan/The Book
Creator: drizzlydaze
Rating: PG
Setting: NFA battle
Word count: 793
Prompt: Sun Wu Kong (So says Wikipedia: ‘Sun Wukong then defied Hell's attempt to collect his soul. Instead of reincarnating like all other living beings, he wiped his name out of the "Book of Life and Death" and with it the names of all other monkeys known to him.’)
A/N: Well, it’s been a while. Suppose no one’s interested anymore, but I might as well finish up. Prompt is only tangentially involved, the way this turned out. Part Eight. Parts One ( Chapters), Two ( Like Old Times, But Not), Three ( Help), Four ( Victim), Five ( Property), Six ( Escapee), Seven ( Interrogations).
There is a servant of the Senior Partners currently in the form of a disembodied voice. It is in charge of William the Bloody. It is also very unhappy about it.
But its loyalty still lies with the Senior Partners, so when an attempt on Spike’s life is made, it must intervene. It is not averse to a little fun, though; Spike is left to burn in flames for a good five seconds before they are reluctantly put out.
The servant doesn’t like Spike at all. Both vampires with souls are unnecessary. Far too many resources have been spent on Angelus, and it seems Spike will follow the same track. Still, the servant must admit that the Senior Partner’s plan is masterful-regaining control over Angelus while planting their possession into the Slayer’s midst. The servant is still unclear as to why they expect the Slayer to actually hand Angelus over, but the Partners must know something it does not (they know everything, of course) because they are entirely sure of the Slayer’s future decision.
Spike is a slippery one. Rebellious, twitchy, and so… so… pig-headed. Not to compliment the disappointing Angelus, but whoever thinks an ADHD vampire is one for destiny is highly underrating the appeal of a good brood. Spike still suffers from his burns, but the grievous wounds don’t stop him from practically bouncing off the walls of his cell. The servant is tempted to knock him unconscious because it feels weary just watching him. It wishes it were not the one in charge of Spike, despite the prestige of the position. A far more entertaining job would be observing the Slayer, it thinks sadly, and that says a lot about the unpleasantness of dealing with Spike.
Perhaps just a little peek… Being contained in a mind, especially one such as Spike’s, is such a confining thing. Surely a breath of air won’t hurt. Surely the Senior Partners would be more occupied with other goings-on than than a brief sojourn to the physical world. Surely…
Pushing aside its doubts and fears, it stings Spike to unconsciousness (it is not entirely without its sense of duty) before ascending. The process takes time, and the first sense that returns is sound, long before the others kick in.
Vampire, Angelus. “A contract book. That’s our best shot.”
“So we, what, just rip up the contract?” Slayer, Buffy.
“No, but then at least we’d know what it’s all about. Illyria herself doesn’t know, though she won’t admit it.”
“Okay, but even if we somehow void the contract, the Senior Partners will still have him.”
“Will they?”
“Won’t they?”
“Who knows? He might be trapped in his mind as part of a clause in the contract, or it could just be something the Partners cooked up.”
A frustrated sigh. “Whatevs. We’ll know more once they’re done with the questioning.”
“So wait.”
“I can’t. Don’t you see-”
Right on cue, vision flickers in for the servant. Disoriented, it misses a few words.
The two are by Spike’s bedside. There is a witch hovering over to the side, pretending not to be listening in.
Angelus is speaking. “-it’s not worth the risk.”
“He is.”
He frowns. “You know that wasn’t-”
“-I only stopped to chat to fill you in. Now I’m with the plan-going.” Buffy turns from him. The servant can sense that there is much left unspoken. “Helga! Let’s start.”
What could they be planning with a witch?
“I don’t know about this,” the witch says, wringing her hands. “I’m not nearly as good as Will.”
“Apprentice is close enough.”
“But! I don’t think a spell’s gonna solve this. The Senior Partners would have thought it out!”
Angelus takes the moment to interject. “What we need is a lawyer, Buffy, not a witch. You know the reason the W&H sorceress isn’t spilling much more? Because the Partners know that if we get a look at that contract, we can find a way.”
“Too bad Files and Records is busted, so I vote my way. I’m getting him out.”
“There’s another access point, Buffy. Spike is a vampire with a soul; I’m guessing the book of prophecies will have something more to show.”
“Then you hit that. I’m going in.”
Too late, the servant realises what they plan. Yes, the Senior Partners did put in certain measures to stop this from happening… the primary measure being it. It has to get back now, maybe make it in time so access is blocked-
-but the process of transferring its complex consciousness takes time, and the witch is very good.
The Senior Partners sense the spell immediately.
The last thing the servant remembers before its… dismissal… is that Buffy Summers has breached the property’s mind.