For the first round: Buffy captured by the Dollhouse...
"We brought you here to talk about choices."
"Choices?" Buffy Summers raised a defiant gaze, staring up at the neatly dressed British woman sitting before her. Hadn't she known better Buffy would have sworn that it was a member of the Watcher's Council, pre-blow up, except for the fact that there was a sleekness to her "“ it reeked of money "“ and a cold calculative gleam in her attentive eyes. Neither thing warmed the Slayer to the stranger. Jutting her chin out Buffy wordlessly spoke her reluctance.
The woman smiled. Opening a brown paper folder she pulled out a series of black and white photographs, printed from a security camera no doubt, that she placed in front of Buffy.
The Slayer didn't grace them with a glance.
"Is this not you? Robbing a bank?"
"Who are you? The police?" With a scoff Buffy rolled her eyes in gesture of the stylish room they were in. It looked like something that could belong at a SPA or a psychiatrists office, the decoration was warm and comforting. Hardly a manner with which officer's of the law would be handling criminals.
"No. Not the police." The woman smiled. She opened her folder again, pulling out another piece of paper. "I work with extraordinary young men and women like yourself. That have..." she smiled again and indicated the photos "...found themselves in a difficult situation. "
Buffy swallowed hard staring down at the prints that anchored her guilt to fact.
"What about my girls?" She asked with a small tremble in her voice.
"We have no interest in them. We're interested in you. Now..." The woman put the paper down on the table too, pushing it towards the Slayer, and then stood up. "I'll leave you for a moment to think about this. Oh and don't bother trying to escape. We're well prepared for you and your... abilities."
Staring at the document, which was a contract, Buffy then glared at the woman who was indicating a small rectangular box that lay on top of a bureau by the door. She knew there was a needle inside of it, had seen it earlier when it had been put into her skin, and could only assume that the languidness of her muscles was on account of whatever had been in it.
Glaring still Buffy watched the woman disappear out of the room and bit her lip until she drew blood.
**
"Ms. DeWitt?"
Adelle smiled at the waiting Mr. Dominic standing dapper as ever outside the negotiations room. He was standing next to the intercom, having doubtlessly listened to the conversation she had been having with their wilful new charge.
"Mr. Dominic, I take it things are all right on the floor?"
"They are." He nodded curtly. "And the girl? She hasn't signed?"
"Not yet." Adelle sighed but felt far from hopeless yet. Their supervision of Buffy Summers had told them that she was a different breed of headstrong than they were used to. It would take some work to get her to sign, even more work than it had taken to detain her, but Adele had hope. Everyone had an Achille's heel and it was her job to find it and use it.
Smirking to herself she knew that the strong girl waiting for her return would break down, eventually... They all did.
"We could use an active with her... abilities. Do you think you will be able to... persuade her?"
"It's all about angle Mr. Dominic." Striding towards her office, with her right hand in tow, Adelle nodded towards the added security to guard the door they were leaving behind. "We just need to find the right one. Ms. Summers needs some motivation is all."
"What about the others, ma'am?"
"Keep watch. We have two in Washington but that's it for now."
Mr. Dominic showed one of his rare and taut smiles. "Bargaining chip?"
Adelle smiled as well. "She's a hero Mr. Dominic. They always do the right thing. And until she signs we do nothing but watch the rest. Direct order's from the top."
Mr. Dominic nodded again. "As you wish ma'am."
Buffy woke up in a haze. Her head was muddled and lolled from side to side while she struggled to keep her eyes open. Groaning slightly the room around her came into a slow focus revealing, to her disappointment, that she was still in the chair where Ms. DeWitt had previously left her.
How much time had passed since? An hour? A day? A week?
Buffy wasn't sure. She had fallen out of conciousness and had come to a few times but each time it had only been for a moment or two before she had drifted out again. She was hungry, she felt weak, and her limbs were aching along to the beat of the throb in her head.
She was being drugged. That much was obvious.
Putting her eyes on the only paper in front of her now, the contract, she tried to focus on the printed text. They were asking for five years. Five years where she wouldn't know who she was or what she was doing. After which she wouldn't have to rob anymore banks.
There was an appeal to that last idea, even to the Slayer, but it was impossible what they were asking. Her attentions were forced elsewhere and not being in herself "“ well the idea was too frightening for Buffy to really dwell on. What if they wouldn't allow her to come back? And what kind of magic were they using?
She held her head up straight with some effort.
Magic.
The word stuck to her mind like nothing else had the past few days of her captivity. Of course they were using magic to remove peoples personalities from their bodies "“ how else could they? - and did she not have a best friend who was the most powerful wicca in the world?
For the first time in what seemed like ages Buffy smiled a little. It hurt her face.
"Willow," she mumbled drowsily but with confidence. "Willow." She repeated. No matter what she knew that her friend would come through to get her back. They were probably working on getting her out right now.
"Oh good, you'e awake."
Buffy looked up. The British woman, Ms. DeWitt, was back. She wore a new outfit now "“ a wrap around dress in green silk "“ and was smiling kindly.
"I just wanted to show you this. I thought you might need some... incentive."
Buffy's head lolled to the side along with the movements of her foe.
Ms. DeWitt had moved over to the bureau on which perched a small TV that was turned on. It showed what looked like a lab.
The Slayer frowned. "You trying to bore me to submission? Won't work." Her voice sounded slurred.
Ms. DeWitt kept smiling.
The scene on the screen changed. A gurney was pushed into view with a girl strapped onto it. Buffy squinted her eyes. She knew that girl. It was one of her girls. Her eyes flared at the sight of what came next.
Another young woman entered the scene and with the help of a couple of men she had the girl put into some kind of messed up looking chair. Suddenly the image errupted with black and white flashes. The young Slayer, who had tried to resist, was released from the men holding her down as her head was surrounded by what looked like electrical shocks. Her body flopped involuntarily like that of a fish. Had there been sound Buffy would have heard the screams errupting from the other Slayer's mouth.
Flinching, turning her head away, Buffy winced. "You trying to scare me? I thought you weren't interested in my girls."
Ms. DeWitt shrugged. "We're not. If we have you. If we don't... well, we like to think that we make the best of each situation." Again she looked frustratingly polite and more willing than ever to throw a punch Buffy tried to fight the bonds that held her to the chair she was in. But her muscles were still like noodles and gave her no assistance in the matter.
The woman in front of her smiled again and came up close. Putting a pen down on the table, next to the contract, she made a comforting noise. "It doesn't have to be that way Ms. Summers. The choice lies with you."
Buffy glared and had to hold her breath to control the anger seething inside of her.
"I'll never sign that paper."
"Pity." Ms. DeWitt stood and turned to leave again. "Good thing we have back-ups."
Choices
"We brought you here to talk about choices."
"Choices?" Buffy Summers raised a defiant gaze, staring up at the neatly dressed British woman sitting before her. Hadn't she known better Buffy would have sworn that it was a member of the Watcher's Council, pre-blow up, except for the fact that there was a sleekness to her "“ it reeked of money "“ and a cold calculative gleam in her attentive eyes. Neither thing warmed the Slayer to the stranger. Jutting her chin out Buffy wordlessly spoke her reluctance.
The woman smiled. Opening a brown paper folder she pulled out a series of black and white photographs, printed from a security camera no doubt, that she placed in front of Buffy.
The Slayer didn't grace them with a glance.
"Is this not you? Robbing a bank?"
"Who are you? The police?" With a scoff Buffy rolled her eyes in gesture of the stylish room they were in. It looked like something that could belong at a SPA or a psychiatrists office, the decoration was warm and comforting. Hardly a manner with which officer's of the law would be handling criminals.
"No. Not the police." The woman smiled. She opened her folder again, pulling out another piece of paper. "I work with extraordinary young men and women like yourself. That have..." she smiled again and indicated the photos "...found themselves in a difficult situation. "
Buffy swallowed hard staring down at the prints that anchored her guilt to fact.
"What about my girls?" She asked with a small tremble in her voice.
"We have no interest in them. We're interested in you. Now..." The woman put the paper down on the table too, pushing it towards the Slayer, and then stood up. "I'll leave you for a moment to think about this. Oh and don't bother trying to escape. We're well prepared for you and your... abilities."
Staring at the document, which was a contract, Buffy then glared at the woman who was indicating a small rectangular box that lay on top of a bureau by the door. She knew there was a needle inside of it, had seen it earlier when it had been put into her skin, and could only assume that the languidness of her muscles was on account of whatever had been in it.
Glaring still Buffy watched the woman disappear out of the room and bit her lip until she drew blood.
**
"Ms. DeWitt?"
Adelle smiled at the waiting Mr. Dominic standing dapper as ever outside the negotiations room. He was standing next to the intercom, having doubtlessly listened to the conversation she had been having with their wilful new charge.
"Mr. Dominic, I take it things are all right on the floor?"
"They are." He nodded curtly. "And the girl? She hasn't signed?"
"Not yet." Adelle sighed but felt far from hopeless yet. Their supervision of Buffy Summers had told them that she was a different breed of headstrong than they were used to. It would take some work to get her to sign, even more work than it had taken to detain her, but Adele had hope. Everyone had an Achille's heel and it was her job to find it and use it.
Smirking to herself she knew that the strong girl waiting for her return would break down, eventually... They all did.
"We could use an active with her... abilities. Do you think you will be able to... persuade her?"
"It's all about angle Mr. Dominic." Striding towards her office, with her right hand in tow, Adelle nodded towards the added security to guard the door they were leaving behind. "We just need to find the right one. Ms. Summers needs some motivation is all."
"What about the others, ma'am?"
"Keep watch. We have two in Washington but that's it for now."
Mr. Dominic showed one of his rare and taut smiles. "Bargaining chip?"
Adelle smiled as well. "She's a hero Mr. Dominic. They always do the right thing. And until she signs we do nothing but watch the rest. Direct order's from the top."
Mr. Dominic nodded again. "As you wish ma'am."
**
Buffy woke up in a haze. Her head was muddled and lolled from side to side while she struggled to keep her eyes open. Groaning slightly the room around her came into a slow focus revealing, to her disappointment, that she was still in the chair where Ms. DeWitt had previously left her.
How much time had passed since? An hour? A day? A week?
Buffy wasn't sure. She had fallen out of conciousness and had come to a few times but each time it had only been for a moment or two before she had drifted out again. She was hungry, she felt weak, and her limbs were aching along to the beat of the throb in her head.
She was being drugged. That much was obvious.
Putting her eyes on the only paper in front of her now, the contract, she tried to focus on the printed text. They were asking for five years. Five years where she wouldn't know who she was or what she was doing. After which she wouldn't have to rob anymore banks.
There was an appeal to that last idea, even to the Slayer, but it was impossible what they were asking. Her attentions were forced elsewhere and not being in herself "“ well the idea was too frightening for Buffy to really dwell on. What if they wouldn't allow her to come back? And what kind of magic were they using?
She held her head up straight with some effort.
Magic.
The word stuck to her mind like nothing else had the past few days of her captivity. Of course they were using magic to remove peoples personalities from their bodies "“ how else could they? - and did she not have a best friend who was the most powerful wicca in the world?
For the first time in what seemed like ages Buffy smiled a little. It hurt her face.
"Willow," she mumbled drowsily but with confidence. "Willow." She repeated. No matter what she knew that her friend would come through to get her back. They were probably working on getting her out right now.
"Oh good, you'e awake."
Buffy looked up. The British woman, Ms. DeWitt, was back. She wore a new outfit now "“ a wrap around dress in green silk "“ and was smiling kindly.
"I just wanted to show you this. I thought you might need some... incentive."
Buffy's head lolled to the side along with the movements of her foe.
Ms. DeWitt had moved over to the bureau on which perched a small TV that was turned on. It showed what looked like a lab.
The Slayer frowned. "You trying to bore me to submission? Won't work." Her voice sounded slurred.
Ms. DeWitt kept smiling.
The scene on the screen changed. A gurney was pushed into view with a girl strapped onto it. Buffy squinted her eyes. She knew that girl. It was one of her girls. Her eyes flared at the sight of what came next.
Another young woman entered the scene and with the help of a couple of men she had the girl put into some kind of messed up looking chair. Suddenly the image errupted with black and white flashes. The young Slayer, who had tried to resist, was released from the men holding her down as her head was surrounded by what looked like electrical shocks. Her body flopped involuntarily like that of a fish. Had there been sound Buffy would have heard the screams errupting from the other Slayer's mouth.
Flinching, turning her head away, Buffy winced. "You trying to scare me? I thought you weren't interested in my girls."
Ms. DeWitt shrugged. "We're not. If we have you. If we don't... well, we like to think that we make the best of each situation." Again she looked frustratingly polite and more willing than ever to throw a punch Buffy tried to fight the bonds that held her to the chair she was in. But her muscles were still like noodles and gave her no assistance in the matter.
The woman in front of her smiled again and came up close. Putting a pen down on the table, next to the contract, she made a comforting noise. "It doesn't have to be that way Ms. Summers. The choice lies with you."
Buffy glared and had to hold her breath to control the anger seething inside of her.
"I'll never sign that paper."
"Pity." Ms. DeWitt stood and turned to leave again. "Good thing we have back-ups."
-end-