Wolves at the Gate, Part II

Plot

Dracula’s castle: just fifteen minutes earlier, an aged, bearded and resigned Dracula sits in his castle. He feels alone and clings to a bottle. His demonic (purple) servant Butterfield tries to persuade him to go out. Last night he let a boy escape in the woods, and they could hunt him. But the vampire does not feel like it. He is comfortable in his grubby bathrobe. Butterfield says this has been going on for a month now and the staff are worried. Dracula hardly leaves this room any more and has barely killed – people are starting to talk about what has become of the mighty Dracula. Dracula looks out of the window and then tells Butterfield to leave him alone. He is fine and needs no help – from anyone. Dracula stares outside and thinks it over again. Then he presses the bottle into Butterfield’s hand and asks him to fetch his shaving things…

Now Dracula, looking his usual self, opens the door to Xander and Renee. He asks what he wants. Xander explains that they need help. The timing is bad; Dracula wants to hunt the lost boy, because if he is out there too long, the fear will make his blood alkaline. So perhaps he could come back later – in about a month, says Dracula, and tries to close the door.

Xander will not be brushed off, because it is important. Well, then the servant may come in, and his Moor (Renee) can wait outside in the stables. The two stare at the vampire, baffled. Then Xander stammers that Renee is not his “Moor” but his, well, she is with him. Then they should both come in.

Dracula leads the way. He says he will call the kitchen, because, knowing his servant (Xander), he could do with a portion of hot mealworms before slipping into his servant’s uniform (with pantaloons!).

Xander thinks Renee had better wait outside – and for the record: he never wore pantaloons. Renee would not dream of it, and besides, she has no idea what he is talking about. He just thought… hey, maybe she wants to look for the boy in the woods? He can forget that right now! She is not leaving him alone with this guy!

At the same time Andrew, wearing a kitschy movie-Dracula costume and with a blackboard, is giving some of the girls a lecture on the vampire. He is explaining that his gaze alone is enough to make someone his slave. The girls know who Dracula is. Yes, they think so – but they only know him from films, Andrew corrects them. Yet he is the one in a costume, the girls note.

Andrew immediately makes clear that this is no ordinary costume but the original from the film, which he bought at auction. He even has a certificate, which he holds under the girls’ noses.

So is Xander under Dracula’s influence, one of the Slayers wants to know. Hard to say. Dracula’s gaze may have long-term effects, but in the case of those two they rather think they have become friends.

One of the girls asks how that came about. Well, they first came into contact when Dracula was in Sunnydale, and they stayed loosely in touch – a letter now and then. And then Xander lived with Dracula for a while. The girls’ reaction: “What?!”

Well, like a kind of student exchange, only without students and with demons instead. What the hell is Andrew talking about? After Anya’s death Xander took leave and went to Transylvania – he simply needed some time with a guy.

And Buffy allowed him to hang out with Dracula, the stunned Slayers ask. No big deal, says Andrew. Dracula likes Xander; they have a… unique relationship – Xander taught him to ride a motorcycle. And maybe he should add that to Dracula’s abilities on his blackboard…

One of the girls whispers to another that this is Andrew’s worst lesson since the one about the weapon from the film Krull. Andrew heard that, he says – and the weapon is called a glaive!

At headquarters in Scotland:

Buffy and Willow are told that there has been a hit in the search for these super-vampires. It is a vampire cult in Tokyo known for such abilities. Its leader is called Toru and matches the description Buffy gave of the guy she tangled with in the armoury. They did not tangle – he ran away, says Buffy; he is not the tangling type.

Exactly – that matches the descriptions.

Buffy asks who found the vampires. It was Aiko, one of their Slayers in Japan. Buffy wants to talk to her. They thought so; the connection is set up via satellite. Aiko is impressed that she is really talking to Buffy. Yes, yes, it really is her, says Buffy casually. How did Aiko get the information? Oh, the usual: she asked around, says the Slayer – standing in a room full of slaughtered demons she “questioned”. That in turn impresses Buffy, since some of the demons are really vicious. Tell her about it – one of the beasts scratched her, says Aiko indignantly. Willow smiles.

Buffy tells Aiko to watch the vampires but not to attack them. Aiko is to wait for her.

Buffy instructs Satsu to get her team ready. All the girls are to come. Satsu does not think that is such a good idea. Buffy makes clear it is not up for discussion – it was an order. Satsu just replies “Yes, ma’am”, and Willow frowns. Buffy asks whether they have heard from Xander. Willow has tried to reach him but got no answer. She wonders whether he is in trouble. Well, that probably depends on how Buffy defines “trouble”…

Meanwhile Xander is having tea and cake with Dracula and Renee. Xander and the vampire make small talk: about the tea, about servants and about Xander having lost weight. They pay each other compliments until Renee cannot stand it any more and asks them to stop. After all, they have important things to discuss.

Dracula says Xander should tell his Moor to mind her tone. Xander passes it on word for word, calling Renee a Moor himself before correcting himself that she is not a Moor. Besides, her tone was nice, and they really do have business to discuss. They believe someone has stolen Dracula’s powers.

What is he talking about? Xander tells him about the vampires who attacked them and apparently had Dracula’s abilities. That is impossible; they were deceived – perhaps by some confusion spell or something. No, they had his powers, which is why they thought someone had destroyed him. Ridiculous, Dracula thinks. Then maybe he sold the powers to the highest bidder, Renee says nastily. Xander looks at the two of them uncomfortably. Dracula stares at Renee and tells Xander that his Moor is one remark away from a punishment.

Xander steps between them. They should calm down. Nobody is accusing him of selling his powers. It is just that these vampires exist and somehow got hold of Dracula’s mojo – so something must have happened.

That is simply not possible, because these powers are part of an ancient magic. He risked his soul to get them, and now he is their keeper. The mere thought that some second-rate bloodsucker could come along and take them is… oh, crap, he then says.

Dracula looks out into the night and asks whether the vampires happened to be Oriental…

In Japan:

Toru and Raidon from the vampire cult stroll through the streets. Kumiko – the witch from the last part – wants to kill them. She will not, even if it will make her angry. She is to concentrate fully on the spell; there will be plenty of killing later. But she can have the body when they are done with her; that should appease her.

Toru asks Raidon where the Slayer is. A block away, south of them. She is good and keeps her distance, but she is watching them. Well, then they should give her something to see, says Toru, looking at a kind of red lens in a setting.

Dracula’s castle:

The lord of the castle curses the dirty yellow dogs. So they think they can steal from Dracula – he will bathe in their blood for that.

Xander would like a backup: what actually happened?

Well, to be honest, he cannot remember all the details. He was in a Tibetan bar, and he remembers ample amounts of alcohol, a game of pai gow and the papers for a Kawasaki Z1000.

Wait a moment, says Renee: Dracula sold his secrets for a motorcycle?!

No, he lost them in a game for a motorcycle, Dracula makes clear. But he is pretty sure he was cheated. They had that witch with them, and he should never have let her deal the cards.

Dracula rages again. Xander had no idea Dracula was such a racist.

Dracula asks whether the vampires are in Tokyo. Yes, Xander confirms – so that probably means he wants to come along.

Dracula makes clear that he owes them nothing and their affairs do not interest him. He explains what he will do to Renee if she mouths off to him again, and that he hates Buffy and her whole army and, given the chance, will wipe them all out – but: nobody steals from Dracula!

On the plane to Japan:

Willow is talking with Satsu. They talk about Buffy. She is alone and vulnerable and carries the whole weight of the world on her shoulders. If that is not a good reason for a thoughtless one-night stand, Willow does not know what is.

Does Willow think Satsu took advantage of that? No. It was mutual taking advantage, says Willow. Only Satsu has to remember that Buffy is not like her. She is the leader, they follow her, and that will never change. Besides, she is not a… lesbian, Satsu asks. She would have put it differently, but whatever the kids call it these days, Willow says, amused. After all, she is hip and can live with it.

She just does not want Satsu to get her hopes up. Satsu understands.

Good. Then Willow asks her what Buffy was like in bed. Satsu looks at her aghast. Does Satsu have any idea how long Willow has been asking herself that? They are “sisters”, after all, so she should tell!

Satsu will not! Oh yes, she will! Willow wants to know whether Buffy made that high squeak Willow calls Buffy’s shoe-sale noise…

In Tokyo:

Aiko is on the phone with Buffy. She is still following the vampires and has them in sight. They will land at about five o’clock – can Aiko keep an eye on them until then?

If not, they should take away her Slayer club card.

Aiko follows the vampires into a dark alley. She sees a red flash and goes towards it.

Aiko has the red lens in her hand when Kumiko appears above her, holding the Scythe. A red beam shoots from the Scythe’s shaft, hits the lens and then Aiko.

Toru materialises and hits Aiko. The Slayer flies into some crates. She holds her bleeding face and wants to say something, but the blow has broken her jaw. Too bad, says Toru. He wanted to ask her what it feels like to suddenly be a perfectly ordinary girl again. It must be frightening.

Toru bites Aiko.

Raidon materialises too. Well, Toru would call that a successful test run.

Then it is time for a global operation.

Kumiko flies off again with the Scythe, smiling wickedly. On one of the buildings stands a gigantic, exact duplicate of the red lens.

To be continued…