Portal

Portal

Prologue

Author: lizardmm

Rated: PG-13

The blonde slayer ran down the narrow alleyway and ducked behind a dumpster. She grimaced and looked down at her feet when she heard a sloshing sound echo in the darkness.

"Great," she muttered to herself, gingerly stepping out of the deep puddle she had somehow managed to tromp through. "Another pair of boots ruined by alley-muck. The Council should really reimburse me. Hazard pay or something."

The sound of glass shattering alerted the California native, and for a moment the Fate of her affordable-but-fashionable boots was forgotten. Buffy's grip tightened on the wooden stake she held in her clenched fist. She didn't know if it was a vampire following her, but in her experience a sharp-pointy-thing generally helped ward off a wide variety of Baddies.

The sound of boots echoed down the empty corridor. "What kind of demon wears boots?" Buffy wondered to herself, trying to mentally narrow down her options.

The stranger's steps clunked closer and closer, until finally coming to a stop a few feet from the experienced slayer. From her crouched position behind the large metal dumpster, Buffy couldn't see who her stalker was, but the tingles at the base of her spine told her to remain alert.

The Chosen One took a deep breath. The disciplined muscles of her crouched legs twitched in anticipation of her attack. Finally, she sprung out from behind the alley dumpster, her weapon flying forward along with her body.

"You!" the blonde girl exclaimed, abruptly stopping her attack mid-air.

"And you," the mysterious form responded. The woman's face showed neither alarm nor relief that Buffy had stopped her attack just in time.

The blonde girl stared at the Slayer standing calmly before her, smoking a cigarette.

"What are you doing following me?" Buffy demanded, knitting her eyebrows together.

"I wasn't following you," Faith frowned. She took a final drag and dropped the wasted cigarette to the pavement, stamping out the smoldering butt with the toe of her heavy boots. "And why were you hiding?" she asked in her usual raspy voice. "Are you hurt or something?"

The golden-haired slayer scowled and returned her wooden weapon to the lining in her light Fall jacket. Living in Cleveland, a town that experienced all four seasons, had forced her to expand her wardrobe, not that she minded the opportunity to buy new clothes.

"I wasn't hiding," Buffy protested. "I was...setting a trap."

The Bostonian smirked. "Setting a trap, eh? And you were the bait?"

A loud shriek interrupted the two slayers' fledgling banter. Buffy's eyes went wide, and she reflexively reached out to grab the dark-haired slayer's wrist.

"What was that?" she worried, holding Faith's hand in a tight grip.

A mangy grey cat jumped on top of a wooden crate and arched its back, hissing at the two women. Upon seeing the animal, the golden-haired woman hastily released her hold on the Boston girl's arm.

"Damn, B," the brunette chuckled. "You're gettin' jumpy in your old age."

Buffy cleared her throat, hoping her face didn't betray her embarrassment. She always managed to make a fool of herself in front of her sister-Slayer. Around Faith she always felt so erratic, neurotic, and awkward while the Boston girl oozed confidence and charm.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. "I thought you were supposed to be in Japan or something?"

"South Korea," the dark-haired woman corrected. "And I'm all done there. Got the new girls and got out." She tilted her head to the side and her neck made a crisp popping noise. "Thought I'd come back to home base and check up with y'all."

"How long are you staying for?" Buffy asked.

Faith shrugged, her shoulders making the leather of her jacket crinkle quietly. "Not long. Just until the Coven locates a new slayer that needs to be brought into the fold."

Another noise, this time louder than the alley cat, startled the two women.

"Okay, now I'm the one gettin' jumpy," the Boston girl stated, her voice nervously wavering. "You're contagious, girlfriend."

"T-that didn't sound like a cat," Buffy observed, her eyes squinting into the darkness. She couldn't make out anything. Her eyes were no longer adjusted to the evening sky now that she had been standing beneath a light pole for the past few minutes.

"Unless someone seriously overfed the fucker," the dark-haired woman noted in a low voice.

"You feel it, right?" The tingles at the base of Buffy's spine had become exponentially stronger. This thing's presence must have been why she hadn't felt Faith following her before. The energy it was throwing out was messing with all her senses.

"Fuck yeah," Faith breathed. "My body's humming like a vibrator."

The ground slightly rumbled beneath the slayers' feet. The standing water in various shallow puddles quivered and rippled.

"Are we on the set of Jurassic Park?" the Boston girl calmly joked.

The earth shook slightly again. Footsteps. Very, very heavy footsteps.

First a foot, then a second, stepped out of the darkness of the nearly abandoned alley. A massive hulk of a demon stood before the two slayers. It lumbered tall above the experienced fighters, nearly as wide as it was tall. The creature didn't appear to have any special powers or weapons on its body, but the massive size of its rocky fists alone suggested it would be a formidable opponent.

Buffy turned her head when she heard her sister-slayer release a low whistle at the sight of the bulky monster. Faith readied herself, forming closed fists in front of her body in a defensive pose. "And here I thought I was gonna get a little vacation comin' back here," she stated wryly.

"Well, you know life on the Hellmouth," Buffy joked, clenching her fists as well. "It's not a normal day unless someone's vacation gets ruined."

"Mind if I have a crack at it first?" the Boston girl questioned, keeping her eyes trained on the slowly advancing demon.

"When have you ever asked permission?" Buffy shot out in reply.

Faith flicked her eyes toward the elder slayer and looked strangely amused. "Just bein' polite, Blondie," she retorted. "Don't wanna step on anyone's toes."

Buffy lowered her fists and grinned. "Then by all means," she gestured grandly, "after you."

The brunette slayer took a step toward the mouth-breathing demon. Its stony jaw was set in a straight line as it regarded the Boston girl.

"You ready to dance?" Faith quipped cockily. "I haven't had a good tumble in a while."

The bulky creature made no indication that it understood the formerly rogue slayer's words. It merely swung its fist backwards like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Faith grunted, the air quickly leaving her lungs, as the monster slugged her abdomen with a cement fist. The solemn demon effortlessly picked the woman up by the collar of her leather jacket, as she stood stunned and doubled over, and vaulted her into a pile of garbage bags and boxes.

"Hey!" Buffy protested loudly. "You can't just beat up my former enemies like that," she complained.

The Californian advanced on the monster as it gazed upon her fallen sister-Slayer. Buffy climbed to the top of a dumpster and vaulted herself on the creature's back. She tried to grasp the monster's neck in an effort to break its neck, but her hands were too small and the demon's neck too thick. Instead, with alarming agility for being so large, the dangerous creature twisted its trunk, sending Buffy flying into the metal garbage container.

Buffy's slight form slammed into the side of the dumpster, the force of the blow nearly rendering her breathless.

"Wow," she wheezed. "Somebody ate their Wheaties this morning," the blonde girl observed, holding her bruised ribs.

"Slayer," the looming giant growled, speaking for the first time. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Really?" the Chosen One grimaced. "Cause my ribcage is saying otherwise."

Buffy hazarded a glance toward the pile of broken wooden crates where the Boston slayer's body had landed. Faith's form stirred slightly and Buffy heard her quietly groan. She hadn't been knocked unconscious, but she wasn't going to be much help in the current fight.

The California-born slayer swung her leg out, her foot connecting with the demon's stomach. But instead of staggering backwards from the blow, the monster stood in place as though the Slayer's offensive was little more than an inconvenience. The solid creature grabbed onto Buffy's foot with two bulky hands and easily tossed her through the sky.

Buffy readied her body for the impact, closing her eyes tightly and curling her body into a ball. But instead of crashing into the side of a brick building, she found herself flying toward a green pulsing hole that had suddenly opened up in the wall. The blonde slayer uselessly flailed her arms and legs about, frantically reaching for anything to stop her momentum.

The dark alley, the anonymous demon, Faith, and Cleveland all melted away as the portal swallowed the Chosen One. Bright green light surrounded the golden-slayer's form as she continued to catapult through the air.

"Oh, shit."

Chapter 1: Echo of a Chance

Author: invalid_reality

Rated: R

She expected a hard landing. The green light faded as she dropped down to her feet with a gentle thud. Giving herself a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the soft light, she noticed she was in an elevator. The gentle hum sounded louder than she knew it was and when it came to a stop, she stood as casually as she could while the doors slid open.

"Hello, Ms. Summers, right this way," a tall dark man said gently as he held out his hand, motioning for her to step out of the elevator. "Adelle will be right with you. Please, take a seat."

Buffy shrugged, following the man over to the couches near the window and she gingerly took a seat. He exited the office, not saying another word to her as the elevator doors closed behind him. She glanced around the room before looking down at her feet, half expecting to see her wet boots. Instead she found herself wearing a set of black heels, a short skirt she wouldn't have gotten caught dead wearing now, and a light white blouse that made her feel uncomfortable. Had this not been extremely weird, she would have enjoyed this sudden change in her attire, but her slayer senses were telling her there was something going on here that would change everything.

Faith's sudden appearance had frazzled her nerves and instead of worrying where she was, she worried about Faith. She'd been left behind in the alley with that demon, the same demon that, Buffy knew without a doubt, was behind her mysteriously being sucked into the portal and transported here.

"Ms. Summers," a woman, older and spoke with a British accent, smiled as she stepped out of the elevator. Buffy rose to her feet as the woman approached her and held out her hand. "I must say it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Buffy nodded, trying not to look as confused as she felt as she shook the woman's hand and sat back down.

"I must extend my well-wishes. You've been a wonderful client for the past several years and I trust you've enjoyed our services to continue to come back ever so faithfully," she smiled warmly at Buffy.

"Yes," she squeaked out, trying to remain as little freaked out as she was.

"We've provided, as always, the use of the penthouse at the Hilton for you and our active to enjoy the evening together. I've brought you in today to finalize the arrangement. I can assure you that everything will be handled flawlessly, as per usual."

Buffy forced a smile, having not a damn clue what was going on. "Thank you."

"Would you like to choose another active for this engagement, or shall we just go with Echo?"

"Whatever you'd like," she shrugged and she took that moment while the woman opened up a folder laid out on the coffee table to look around the office.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm fine, Ms..."

"Please, as I have told you before, call me Adelle," she smiled as she looked over at her. "Would you like the same imprint, or shall we try something new?"

The smirk on the woman's face sent shivers down Buffy's spine. Since she still had no idea what was going on, or where she was exactly, she just nodded her head and fidgeted with the hem of her short skirt.

"Same as always," Buffy managed to say confidently, flashing a smile at the woman as she watched her pick up the phone and press a number.

She listened as the woman spoke briefly, "Prepare Echo for her treatment for Ms. Summers and have her sent to the location within the hour."

Buffy continued to fidget with the hem of her skirt, knowing she needed to find a way to get in touch with someone back in Cleveland as soon as possible to figure out just what happened and where the portal had sucked her into. Wherever she was, she was known to these people, and that alone made her feel uneasy.

"Ms. Summers, we have a car waiting for you. If there's nothing else, we'll send you on your way right now," Adelle said as she stood up from the chair.

"Uh, thank you," she said softly, her voice faltering slightly as she stood up and allowed herself to be led to the elevator.

"If there are any problems this time, Echo's handler will be waiting in the room next to yours. You do not have any questions about the engagement?"

"No."

"Yes," she screamed at herself as she kept that forced smile upon her lips as she stood in front of the elevator next to Adelle. "What the hell is going on?"

"Do enjoy your birthday," Adelle said warmly, extending her hand to Buffy as the elevator doors opened.

"Thank you," Buffy said shyly as she shook her hand and stepped inside the elevator. As soon as the doors closed and the hum of the elevator could faintly be heard, she let out a frustrated sigh as she leaned against the wall.

Actives. Handlers. Treatment. Engagements. Buffy didn't have the slightest idea what she was getting herself into. What kind of a world had she been sent to? Now just noticing the small black purse slung over her shoulder, she dug through it until she found a cell phone and quickly dialled Willow's number. If anyone could help her figure out what was going on, it was Willow.

"We're sorry, the number you have dialled is out of service. Please hang up and try your call again," the automated voice said after several clicks. "We're sorry..."

Buffy stood there and held the phone in her hands, checking the number on the screen and knowing she hadn't dialled it wrong. Trying again, she got the same message and she hung up just as the elevator doors opened.

"Ms. Summers," the same man she'd seen in the office before was standing there with a broad smile and a hand extended towards her. "Your car is waiting."