Predators & Prey

Plot

And the bonds between the “family members” are unbreakable.

Andrew comes running into headquarters. He shouts for Buffy and almost knocks over two of the girls – who kindly tell him he will find Buffy, Willow and Xander in the command centre. What is going on, they still want to know.

No time, thanks, and by the way, he likes her top, Andrew calls, already past them.

Whoever hurts one of them has to deal with all of them. That is something like their motto. Nothing can come between them.

Andrew throws open the door to the command centre so that it slams against the wall.

If he does that one more time, Buffy will make him eat the door, she declares, earning a shocked look from Willow.

Sorry, that might have sounded a bit harsh, says Buffy.

Andrew should forgive her, Xander thinks. They are up to their necks in the Harmony business.

It’s okay. But, brothers and more-like-sisters, they should get ready to be cheered up. Because he has found a lead on Simone Doffler (the leader of the rogue Slayers). So, what do they do?

Simone, really? Since she broke away from them, she has vanished from their radar. So how did he find her, Buffy wants to know.

Not her, but her “lieutenant”, Nisha. Since he normally tracks demon activity in the hotspots, he picked up a signal outside Milan this morning. It seems Nisha was poking around where she shouldn’t have been and got caught in the trap of a Ragna spider demon.

Buffy wants to find Simone – all those reports of shadowy attacks on banks, military bases…

The reports have been piling up over the last few days, Andrew explains – gangs of women terrorising the area and throwing people out of their homes, brutal and nasty. But always with nicely styled hair… so he thinks it is Simone.

Ragna demons keep their victims alive for about 36 hours before eating them. Apparently the adrenaline makes them especially tasty. So they have enough time – but they have to travel, and if they want to go, better right away.

Buffy decides they will bring Nisha back, who will then hopefully give them information about Simone’s plans before she can strike again. A win would be nice for a change. Can Willow and Xander hold the fort here while she goes with Andrew?

A road trip! Sweet, Andrew rejoices.

Xander takes Buffy aside. Is she sure? Hours and hours of travel with Andrew? Really?

Buffy looks a little horrified. Oh come on, she says to Xander. She can absolutely handle it.

Buffy and Andrew’s journey by plane, train and car is accompanied by Andrew’s non-stop chatter… (we will spare you that, so just a short summary): about Star Wars, Superman, comics, role-playing games (here we learn that Giles apparently indulges in online RPGs too, since Andrew claims only Giles has created a stronger and more intelligent cleric than his), Giles, movies, Heath Ledger, clothes, his team, music, Daniel Craig as the new Bond…

At this point Buffy interrupts him for the first time (and we return to the regular retelling), because she likes Daniel Craig. He is so…

… daring and real, Andrew suggests.

Uhm, sure, and that run across the rooftops? She has done that herself and was still scared for him.

Yes, he knows! Daring, real and vulnerable, Andrew puts in.

And those swimming trunks, hello daddy, Buffy enthuses.

Andrew looks out of the side window and just says he has no opinion on that.

Buffy is just realising that she is forming some kind of freak friendship with Andrew. Him and her? Who would ever have thought, Buffy marvels.

Andrew knows! What about Pierce Brosnan – does she like him too?

Where? In Mrs. Doubtfire?

Auugggh, how dare she!!

Andrew parks the car in a wooded area. According to his records, it is this way.

Buffy thinks Simone’s timing is terrible: she has to step things up right now, just when the whole world is becoming Slayer-phobic.

Not really, because as soon as people found out about them, it was an opportunity for her, Andrew thinks. That way they are even more afraid of Simone, and she uses that to get what she wants. She plays the tough one. He has experience with people like that – from his youth.

Yes, she supposes he does.

The two approach their destination.

The nest should be here, Andrew thinks; they should see it any second…

Buffy asks wide-eyed whether that is it over there.

The two stand in front of a huge structure of pipes and sheet metal that vaguely resembles a spider’s web. Pretty high up, enclosed in some kind of pink magical field, hangs a girl.

Yes, that is the Ragna version of a web, says Andrew – iron, steel, and the trap for the victims up top.

Charming, Buffy thinks sarcastically. And now they should get Nisha down from there. Is she still alive, Buffy asks Andrew.

Yes, she is, Nisha herself answers, annoyed. And she is really not exactly happy.

Well, well, she has got herself into a pretty pickle, says Andrew.

Nisha replies that she will kick his pretty ass as soon as she is free…

Is that slang for “thanks, I appreciate the rescue”, Buffy asks. Because then: you are welcome.

Whatever. They should just get her down before that thing comes back.

What thing?

Buffy and Andrew turn round in fright and see the Ragna demon coming towards them.

Oh, that thing, Buffy comments. Looks like Charlotte is home again. Andrew should help her get Nisha down before the critter reaches them up there.

They would not have to get her down if they had not created this crap in the first place, Nisha complains.

A little gratitude would really not hurt, Buffy fumes. If Andrew had not been keeping an eye on demon activity, she would be eaten by now. It is not her fault that Nisha got caught in the… uhm… manga trap or whatever.

Oh, please. Does she really believe that? Ragna demons died out in the eleventh century. But somebody wasted all his free time in Italy on recombinant DNA experiments to bring them back. And now Buffy can guess who that was…

Buffy looks at Andrew. Without a word, he takes something out of his inside pocket. With a remote control he switches off the magical field holding Nisha. She crashes to the ground.

Andrew folds his arms and asks whether it really matters so much how they got hold of Nisha. They have her, so they should take her back to headquarters and…

He bred a dangerous demon, Buffy snaps at Andrew; and he lied to her about it. So yes, it matters!

Andrew defends himself: he did not lie. He only said Nisha was in a Ragna trap – he just did not say where it came from.

She is fine, by the way, Nisha remarks from the ground.

The next moment Buffy is punched hard in the face. Andrew cries out, but gets hit himself by Simone, who has appeared beside them.

She wants to know whether Nisha is okay. They came as soon as they had tracked her down.

She is fine, just a bit funny in the head from spending 18 hours upside down.

To Buffy, Simone says that it was not nice to capture one of her girls. Luckily she has a pretty strong witch who was able to beam them straight here. Yes, exactly, she says in Andrew’s direction, “beam” – that is what the Stargate freaks call it, isn’t it?

Star Trek, Andrew corrects her; did she never listen during his lessons?

Nice entrance, Buffy thinks, rubbing her head. Doesn’t she get that the fight is over? She should come back with them before that spider thing gets up here. They can talk it out and…

Come back?! Hasn’t Buffy noticed anything? Now they are the bad guys (or in this case bad girls, of course). People think vampires are cool and the Slayers are the threat. The only difference between them is that she (Simone) really is a threat. With that, Simone has drawn some kind of weapon.

Oh come on, does she really think a pistol is the right way to deal with her, Buffy asks. Meanwhile the Ragna has almost reached the little group.

What, this? Oh, please. She is not here to shoot Buffy. And if she were, she would use a real gun and not a toy. Guns like the ones she likes. But this one is not for Buffy. With that Simone turns and fires at the Ragna, which is hit by a discharge and lies motionless.

Supporting Nisha, Simone explains that she had to sedate the demon so she can take it with her. See you… With that Simone, Nisha and the Ragna vanish with a “pop”.

Buffy and Andrew climb down the “web”.

He created a killer demon to get to Simone?

Andrew did not want to kill anyone; only capture her. He just used what he had at hand – a giant Ragna was not his first choice, but he had to think fast.

He should have come to her, Buffy thinks.

No, he had to do this himself. After all, it was his fault that she went rogue in the first place.

He is not to blame for Simone’s betrayal, Buffy makes clear. Rona was the one who…

He was Simone’s Watcher. Maybe Buffy does not blame him for her turning bad, but he blames himself. And he had to prove himself. They both know how much he has changed since they first met. He almost thinks he has earned her trust by now – hers, and Willow’s and Xander’s and that of the whole organisation.

He has, Buffy confirms.

And that is why he is scared, says Andrew as he jumps the last bit to the ground. He has never had that with anyone before. Now that he knows what it feels like… he does not want it to change again. What if one day she had blamed him after all?

She would not have.

But he had to be sure. He did not want her to lose faith in him. So he just wanted to get everything right.

Losing a crazy punk Slayer is certainly no reason for her to lose faith in him, Buffy explains, marching back to the car. Lying to her, however, is.

Andrew follows her slowly, tapping on his PDA. Simone has the Ragna now, and if he has her figured out, she will use it against civilians.

Can he find the critter, Buffy wants to know.

He gave the demon a genetic modification – a radioactive isotope they can track. Ironic, isn’t it? All the work he put into creating the demon is why Buffy is angry with him. But that is exactly what lets them find it. When you think about it, yay… hmm… she is not a fan of irony, is she? So, uhm, yeah, it is on an island off the coast, Andrew explains.

Good, then they should go.

Andrew and Buffy are on a speedboat and do not talk to each other until they reach the island.

Andrew moors the boat while Buffy looks around. It is beautiful here, she remarks.

They really should bring the girls here on holiday one day, Andrew suggests. After they have got rid of the evil Slayers and the killer spider demon, of course. Is she still angry with him?

A voice from the jetty explains that they are not really supposed to be here.

Buffy spots a little girl. She is surprised that she speaks English.

Yes, they taught them at school. She lived in the village here before the evil woman came. She just turned up one day and said she was hungry, and her grandmother gave her something to eat and tea. Her grandmother is very kind; she does things like that. But then the evil woman stood in the village square and told everyone they had to find new homes, because the island belonged to her now. Her grandmother shouted at her, and the evil woman hurt her grandmother.

Where did they all go, ask Buffy and Andrew, who have bent down to the little girl.

Most of them fled to the mainland. But her grandmother and she have nobody there; so they stayed here, on the docks. They do not go into the village.

They will talk to the evil woman, Buffy promises – she cannot just take their home away, and somebody has to explain that to her.

In the village:

Absolute chaos reigns, and Buffy comments that Simone seems to have made herself at home.

She and Andrew find themselves in front of the opera house, where the signal is obviously coming from. Carefully the two go inside, but see nothing except walls covered in graffiti.

Andrew is still trying to explain why he did it – he simply thought he was doing the right thing.

So, does Andrew really think this is the time and place to talk about it?

Hey, they might not get out of here alive, and he just wants to make sure he has told her everything he wanted to say first. Now he has. Oh no, one more thing: now that he has met Angel, he has to say that Buffy developed better taste with Spike – he has much more bite. So he, at least, is Team Spike. And one more thing, even if he is in the minority: he likes it when she wears her hair shorter. There, now he has said everything.

Andrew stops in front of a door and listens. She should be in there, so let’s go…

Buffy and Andrew push the door open and find themselves facing a whole room full of rogue Slayers. Simone has made herself comfortable on the stage.

Nice of them to find their way here. Some of the girls had been worried; but she assured them that the great and mighty Buffy would let nothing keep her from her big entrance – in this case with her pathetic lapdog in tow. Simone knew Buffy would not be able to resist following her. She was really counting on it, because here… it is her move.

Buffy demands the Ragna back.

Simone explains that she does not want to fight Buffy (she calls her “Buffster”). She has nothing against her, and to tell the truth she even admires her. She is just outdated – and this vampire act on TV proves it. The way she sees it, there are two kinds of people. Those who fear them so much that they hope someone or something will kill them. And those who are stupid enough to try it themselves. She has no time for either.

So she thinks the solution is to take over an island, Buffy asks.

She has power – isn’t that what powerful people do, Simone asks back. Just take things? She has taken this place as Slayer territory, a base of operations. From here they can launch their attacks. They wanted them to bow to their rules; now they dictate the rules. They can bring their oppressors to their knees. They can spread change and fear, as they are meant to.

No, that is not what they are meant for, Buffy objects.

She knows Simone is right, Simone replies. And you know what? Andrew’s little spider friend can help them. If they create a few more, they will have a weapon everyone will shrink back from.

Meanwhile the Ragna sits in a cage at the back of the stage.

She would kill innocent people!

It is a war, and there is no such thing as innocent, Simone explains.

Buffy swears she will stop her.

Simone is sure Buffy will try. Well, Arachnophobia here is only plan B anyway. If things go as planned, they will not even need the critter. If Buffy wants it, she can have it – if she gives them Andrew in exchange!

Buffy and Andrew stare at Simone in horror.

What?! She would give her the demon just for… Andrew? Uhm, no offence, she says in his direction.

None taken, he replies.

Sure. Oh, come on. Someone like him? Who was supposed to be in charge of her? In case she hasn’t noticed, Simone is no fan of authority. And he acted like a drill sergeant, which made her pretty… well, mad. She wants her revenge. Besides, he is unbelievably annoying.

Yeah, well, you get used to it, Buffy admits. But Simone is not getting him.

With that Buffy kicks one of the nearby Slayers in the stomach, dashes towards some rapiers, grabs one and attacks Simone with it.

Andrew is held by another Slayer.

Ah, now things are getting interesting, Simone rejoices. Everyone should keep their distance, because Buffy is hers.

The two fight with rapiers until Buffy leaps up and clings to a chandelier.

Ooh, that looks dangerous, Simone sneers. Doesn’t it feel that way too? At least it looks as if she has put herself out of the game.

Buffy swings on the chandelier, lets go and, with a somersault, lands together with the chandelier right in the seats next to Simone, who turns away to protect herself.

Buffy puts the rapier to her throat. She has been doing this longer than Simone. That means she has more experience, so Simone is done.

But she is younger, Simone retorts. So she is faster, and Buffy is screwed. Simone has drawn a gun and points it at Buffy. The gun is real, she informs her.

Buffy tosses the rapier aside and explains that she is no fan of guns.

And Simone actually thought they had something in common. It is still very simple: Buffy gives her the loser and gets the demon. Nobody gets hurt. Well, although… with that Simone roughly ruffles Andrew’s hair… almost nobody.

No.

Buffy…, Andrew begins. The demon is what counts. He will stay, then everyone is safe. He has to do this.

Simone is totally crazy and wants to talk him into it, Buffy explains. She blames him for everything she has done. She told him: it was not his fault.

She did not talk him into anything; it is simple logic. She will hurt countless people with the demon. He is only one person – and the good of the many outweighs the good of…

Buffy stops him. She has been hanging out with Xander for eight years now – and is “freak friends” with him too. That is why she knows freak quotes and is not moved to tears by them, Buffy makes definitively clear.

Turning to Simone, Buffy explains that they can keep the demon or not, she does not care. She will find a way to stop them. But Andrew is coming with her. She does not leave anyone behind – because that is just who she is.

The Slayers have gathered behind Simone. She still has the gun pointed at Buffy.

A shame, she thinks – that makes sixteen Slayers against one.

Looks like she miscounted, they hear a voice from the back.

Andrew twists with some effort in the grip of the Slayer holding him and spots his Italian squad.

Mr. Harris told them that Mr. Wells wanted to deal with Simone – and they could not let him do that alone, one of Andrew’s girls explains. He is their Watcher, and where he goes, they go. So Mr. Wells is coming with them.

Buffy points out in passing that she is here too.

… and Buffy is coming with them too, the girl adds.

Good work, says Buffy. If they have to fight them to get the island back under control, then…

Andrew’s girl interrupts Buffy (who is once again addressed as “ma’am”) to say that this is probably not a good idea. Even though they now outnumber them, there are still guns involved – it could too easily end in a firefight.

Buffy promised the people they would get their village back.

With all due respect, they should take the remaining inhabitants to the mainland; and live long enough to fight Simone another day.

Buffy takes the gun out of Simone’s hand. Fine, she can keep the island.

Then Buffy points the gun at the Slayer holding Andrew. And now she wants her freak back!

She keeps the gun pointed at Simone and tells Andrew to get the Italian squad out of here, nice and slow and calm.

Simone thought Buffy did not like guns, she reminds her of her words.

This one is not for Simone, but for that…

With that Buffy shoots the lock off the cage and frees the Ragna.

Maybe she cannot stop them personally, but she can still make sure Simone is stopped. Or at least slowed down a little. She wanted the Ragna? Here you go, there it is.

Buffy closes the door behind her and leaves the Slayers alone with the demon.

Shit, Simone comments.

Andrew and Buffy are still on the island with the little girl and her grandmother, looking down at the village.

But that was their home, the little one says. Where are they supposed to go now?

Buffy does not know. But she knows they will be safer somewhere else.

Everything in her life has changed; it is not fair, the girl thinks.

Buffy knows, she agrees almost wistfully.

At the Italian Slayer headquarters:

Andrew sits alone in his room.

Buffy appears in the doorway. He can take the evening off.

He is just collecting all his information about the Ragna. If they ever have to fight it, they will know all its weaknesses.

Buffy is sure Simone and her people have taken care of that problem… which is not actually encouraging.

Look, Buffy begins, he was ready to sacrifice himself to save innocent people for the greater good. That is a huge step for him – he should be proud of himself.

But Buffy was right, he lied to her, Andrew says dejectedly.

Yeah, well, he is part of the family. He should get used to screwing up for good reasons. That is just what they do. With that Buffy turns to leave. He should drop by when he has written his report – they will look at it then.

Andrew slowly looks up, at first a little incredulous, then he smiles cautiously.

He is part of the family?