Wolves at the Gate, Part III

Plot

Buffy, Willow and the Slayers have arrived in Tokyo. They find Aiko dead – the vampires have tied her to the outside of a building. Below her, in her blood, they have written “Welcome to Tokyo” in huge letters. Buffy asks someone to help her get her down.

At the Japanese Slayer base, the Slayers watch Buffy come to the gate with the wrapped body – they are shocked; some cry.

Buffy lays the dead Aiko in a small temple and simply sits down on the floor. She looks up when Willow comes in and asks how long she wants to stay here. Until she knows what to do next, Buffy answers.

Willow offers to help; at least she could fetch her a few blankets – who would have thought Japan was so cold?

Buffy jumps up and says they have to get their hands on these vampires. Easier said than done, Willow replies. But there has to be a way.

Well, even if they could track them down… Buffy reminds Willow what they did to Aiko, so they do not exactly seem concerned with secrecy. Then it is a matter of somehow holding on to one of them – and that could be a problem when someone can turn into mist.

They hear someone ask whether they have surely considered “Carolina’s Comprehension”… or are they complete idiots, Dracula adds. Behind him comes Xander, loaded down with four suitcases.

“Carolina comprehends what?” Buffy asks, confused.

It is an elemental binding spell, Dracula explains, and asks whether they have a witch around here somewhere. Willow points to herself – she is standing right in front of him. Dracula says dismissively that he could have told from the acrid smell. Willow looks away, embarrassed.

Dracula gives instructions on what he needs for the spell, and as soon as someone has cleared the master bedroom of nighties so that he can move his coffin in, he will teach them the spell. Shouldn’t the sun be coming up soon?

Buffy says it is 8 p.m. Really? He never quite got the hang of time zones.

Xander greets the girls. Buffy kindly notes straight away how terrible he looks. Well, it was a long flight, and travelling with Dracula is not exactly comfortable.

Dracula has meanwhile discovered the wrapped body and asks whether anyone else is going to eat that…

At the vampires’ headquarters, Toru and Raidon discuss that they will be ready for their operation in about twelve hours. The technical department should hurry, because they know the Slayers are already here.

And what about countermeasures? They have sent out a kind of robot unit, but Raidon does not really believe in such things. Toru says he probably lacks the necessary imagination. It died with his soul, the vampire replies, and asks what Kumiko is actually doing. She is hanging above them from the ceiling. She seems to be praying, but it is hard to tell, says Toru. Then he orders some additional units to be posted at the Matsuya entrance and everyone to be prepared for anything. Somehow he does not believe these girls will attack them directly.

In the park:

Renee, in a skimpy school uniform, runs up to a guy who is just lighting a cigarette. She calls for help and is glad he understands her.

She tells a story about losing her school group (a church school, mind you!) and being scared.

The guy gives her his jacket and promises to take her wherever she wants to go. He wants to take a shortcut through the park. Renee whimpers that she was so frightened and is so glad she met him.

He tells her she must be careful, because you never know whom you will meet. He changes.

Tell her about it, says Renee, and the vampire finds himself facing Buffy, Willow and Xander. Willow speaks a spell and traps the bloodsucker in a magical field.

Buffy jumps down from the tree and explains her problem: every time they fight one of them, he turns into air, and you cannot hurt air… only maybe he remembers that air can burn. Willow opens the field with a word and pours petrol over the vampire.

Buffy advises him to tell her everything she wants to know – although she hopes he will be uncooperative. He will not, he swears – he will tell her whatever she wants to know.

So where is the Scythe, Buffy wants to know. Toru has it, and he is in the Ashikaga building.

Buffy wants to know why he needs the Scythe. Toru wants to reverse the spell; he wants to take away all their power and turn the Slayers back into normal people.

Willow asks how. The vampire tells them about the witch Kumiko – she knows the spell, and they have created this lens that amplifies the magic.

The four realise what this means. Xander asks how long they have and learns it is to happen before sunrise.

That does not leave them much time, Willow notes. They should hurry, says Buffy.

The vampire begs – since he has told them everything, he insists on being set free. Well, Buffy never said anything about that, she says, and flicks open a lighter.

The four leave while the vampire burns in the magical field behind them.

The Slayer headquarters:

While the Slayers arm themselves downstairs, Buffy talks to Satsu. She makes clear that she gives the orders, and even if Satsu might not agree, she has to follow them. Satsu realises that Buffy wants to leave her here.

Buffy wants Satsu to “lead” the girls here who knew Aiko. They are too shocked for Buffy to take them into battle. So Satsu is to stay with them, look after them and help them cremate Aiko.

Satsu gets angry, because this means nothing other than Buffy wanting to hold her back. It was Buffy who said Satsu was her best fighter! That has nothing to do with it, Buffy notes. Satsu ignores her and states that this either means Buffy wants to avoid her or protect her, so she ought to be either hurt or flattered… but either way, this time she will not follow Buffy’s orders! She will see her on the battlefield, Satsu declares – adds a “ma’am” – and simply leaves.

Buffy watches her go and cannot believe she finds it sexy when Satsu calls her ma’am.

Xander and Renee seem to be deep in conversation. Xander has apparently been philosophising about first dates, and Renee does not understand a word.

Xander explains that first dates are always tricky – so much pressure, what to say, what to wear… Xander gets butterflies just thinking about it, but they are evil butterflies (Renee doubts such a thing even exists). He goes on: what if the date goes well – how should it end, kiss or not? Xander imagines all sorts of things until Renee interrupts him and asks whether that is why he wants to count their trip to the park tonight as their first date. That is how they should count it, Xander thinks, because then their next date would be their second, and that is always much more relaxed for everyone involved…

Then Renee sums up – if anyone asks her about their first date, she should say: he put her in a school uniform, sent her out as bait on the streets of Japan, set a vampire on fire, and then they got ready for a battle together with a few hundred girls and Dracula…

He is in the same room and takes offence at the remark. After all, he would never go on a date with the two of them – not even if they begged, so they need not bother asking.

Xander and Renee ignore him. Renee tells Xander he will not get away with it like that. This will definitely not count as their first date! Okay, says Xander. But she can take away one worry, says Renee, and kisses Xander. They smile at each other. Renee explains that now he no longer has to worry about how the date ends. Xander kisses Renee again.

The two of them completely ignore Dracula.

Finally he clears his throat and says they have a war to go to and would they please stop that! “Hello?” he says when they keep ignoring him.

The vampires’ headquarters / the Ashikaga building:

Buffy, Xander, Andrew, Dracula and the others note that there are about a thousand vampires. The girls are in position, and there are very many of them too; only, as they know, numbers are not what counts.

They cannot fight these guys if they can simply dissolve, says Xander. Renee tells Dracula that he probably does not have a brilliant idea either. Isn’t destroying vampires their speciality, he retorts.

Buffy explains that she is not out for a fight at all; she only wants the Scythe. Once they have it back, the vampires can no longer harm them – except in the traditional way with biting and stabbing and scratching, but they will deal with that when it comes.

They look down at the guarded back door. First they have to get into the building, and for that they need a pretty big distraction so that they can slip in through the back entrance.

If they would stop talking, she could concentrate on her spell, Willow demands. Everyone apologises. Willow floats up a little and speaks a spell. The vampires are blinded by a dazzling light, then scream and point at Dawn, who has appeared among them. She says “Hi” and then thinks a bit of roaring might be more appropriate.

Dawn tries roaring and smashes the building fronts to the left and right. The vampires run from her, screaming.

Andrew comments to Xander that you do not see that every day.

Buffy sees the vampires running away from the door. The way is clear, so they should go.

Inside the building they find Toru standing at the window with the Scythe in his hand.

Buffy says that is quite a nice Godzilla woman spreading chaos among his people down there, isn’t it? And what makes it worse: she is a teenager, and so moody!

Buffy offers Toru the chance to surrender – whatever his culture says about it, there is nothing dishonourable in it.

Suddenly Willow clutches at Xander and grabs her head. He asks whether she is all right.

Something is wrong…

Buffy reaches for the Scythe – and her hand passes right through Toru. This is a…, she begins.

Xander is splattered with blood as the real Toru runs Renee through with the shaft of the Scythe. The word Buffy is looking for is probably “trap”, says the vampire with a grin.

To be continued…