Maimed and paralyzed slayers

[bespangeled]

First off - this is previous to Buffy's 'empowerment' of the potentials.

It's touched on briefly in LMPTM when Spike says that Wood's mother could have quit. But obviously that would have left no other slayer. I don't think a healthy slayer could quit without going insane. I don't know how she could deal with the extra energy, insomnia (lack of sleep needed, plus need to use extra energy), extra sensory input (being able to see and hear better than normal), and absolute physical need to fight.

This lead to my real question - what could be done if a slayer was so severely injured that they could not do the job (coma, permanently paralyzed - quadriplegic), legs amputated, or arms, severe brain damage, etc.). No other slayer would be called, since we know it is death that awakens a new slayer. Would it be moral to kill the old slayer? Would it be moral to kill them with the idea of reviving them? Would you need their permission - and what id they refused?

 

[Buffy Summers]

To be honest, I don't think it would have ever come up: the vamps would get any Slayer in that predicament in a heartbeat.

🙂

 

[white avenger]

Yeah, the only "retirement" that a Slayer could have was death, either in the line of duty, or (and this is just speculation on my part, but considering the people in charge, seems pretty logical) some sort of "mercy killing" either by the Slayer's assigned Watcher, or the Council's wet team, like the ones who came after Faith, so that a new, strong, Slayer could be Called.

"The mission comes first."

 

[bespangeled]

To be honest, I don't think it would have ever come up: the vamps would get any Slayer in that predicament in a heartbeat.

🙂

I'm assuming it wasn't in the line of duty. Buffy has been hospitalized and never attacked. And Darla was the only vamp to attack her home.

---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:23 PM ----------

Yeah, the only "retirement" that a Slayer could have was death, either in the line of duty, or (and this is just speculation on my part, but considering the people in charge, seems pretty logical) some sort of "mercy killing" either by the Slayer's assigned Watcher, or the Council's wet team, like the ones who came after Faith, so that a new, strong, Slayer could be Called.

"The mission comes first."

They did go after Faith because she went rogue, but a rogue slayer can be dangerous (unlike a rogue demon hunter🙂) And they do have the test but that is to see about how a slayer thinks and reacts without power.

Would they really murder someone because they are crippled - and how could they go about it without being noticed?

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Well the Watcher's Council had no problem with Faith being in a coma and Buffy quitting the council. I guess Buffy could then retire since the council wasn't going to do nothing. If I were a slayer I would do like Buffy and drown and then get revived. That way a new slayer would be called. Although I would have to change my identity and let everyone think I was still dead.

 

[Taake]

Would they really murder someone because they are crippled - and how could they go about it without being noticed?

I absolutely think they would. In a heartbeat.
As mentioned to them the mission comes before any individual Slayer, meaning that a useless Slayer would be better dead than occupying a role she couldn't fullfil. They would take their chances with a new one. How they would go about it is open to discussion but I don't think they would have any problems committing the act "unnoticed".

When Faith flees from the hospital we see a nurse calling from a "team" to be sent out and subsequently they come to track Faith down. I'm more than certain that if Buffy should have died and Faith, comatose Faith, would have been the only remaining Slayer that same nurse, or one of her allies, would simply had put a syringe to Faith or smothered her with a pillow.

Similarly I imagine that if there was a crippled sole remaining Slayer the Council would have found a way to infiltrate that Slayer's life and covertly ended it. They were good at stuff like that.

 

[Buffy Summers]

I'm assuming it wasn't in the line of duty. Buffy has been hospitalized and never attacked. And Darla was the only vamp to attack her home.

Spike...Angelus...

Buffy is sort of a different story to your average Slayer because she has people to protect her, and hasn't been down that long. I mean, if Angel hadn't been at the hospital in Graduation Day the Mayor would have killed Buffy...

I feel like if a Slayer was really maimed and down that long eventually they'd be taken out.

 

[The Bronze]

Maybe you'd get the amusing situation of the demon community providing a bodyguard service for the incapacitated slayer to protect her from the Watchers Council. An inactive slayer obviously suits the demons better than a fresh new one.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Which is probably why Faith didn't get killed while in a coma.

🙂

 

[bespangeled]

I absolutely think they would. In a heartbeat.
As mentioned to them the mission comes before any individual Slayer, meaning that a useless Slayer would be better dead than occupying a role she couldn't fullfil. They would take their chances with a new one. How they would go about it is open to discussion but I don't think they would have any problems committing the act "unnoticed".

When Faith flees from the hospital we see a nurse calling from a "team" to be sent out and subsequently they come to track Faith down. I'm more than certain that if Buffy should have died and Faith, comatose Faith, would have been the only remaining Slayer that same nurse, or one of her allies, would simply had put a syringe to Faith or smothered her with a pillow.

Similarly I imagine that if there was a crippled sole remaining Slayer the Council would have found a way to infiltrate that Slayer's life and covertly ended it. They were good at stuff like that.

I hate to say it but I suspect you are right. This could actually be turned into a decent story - because it's Buffy there would be one helluva lot of people supporting her!

---------- Post added at 05:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:01 AM ----------

Spike...Angelus...

Buffy is sort of a different story to your average Slayer because she has people to protect her, and hasn't been down that long. I mean, if Angel hadn't been at the hospital in Graduation Day the Mayor would have killed Buffy...

I feel like if a Slayer was really maimed and down that long eventually they'd be taken out.

When did Angel and Spike attack Buffy's home...am I forgetting? Oh, and I forgot - Harmony attacked too.

I agree on all the rest. I have the feeling it could be done with consent in a hospital setting - stop her heart and then restart it. I wonder if they would bother?

 

[Blaze]

To me the bigger question is, would we ever see a paralysed slayer or such. I mean, if a quadriplegic person was turned in a slayer, would she recover? This would be impossible for a normal person, but one of the slayer power is to heal incredibly fast. This might even include some miraculous recovery of the nerves. I feel like an incapacitated slayer wouldn't stay that way for very long.

For a coma it's a bit different, we do see what happens with Faith. But again, she was incapacitated for maybe 6 months and made a full recovery. So I'm not too sure what the council would do in that case if there was only one slayer. I wouldn't put it past them to kill the slayer, but they also didn't kill Faith when she went rogue, which is worst then being in a coma, so who knows.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Maybe you'd get the amusing situation of the demon community providing a bodyguard service for the incapacitated slayer to protect her from the Watchers Council. An inactive slayer obviously suits the demons better than a fresh new one.

I love the idea that demons are trying to keep the slayer out so a new one can't kill them. Also Faith did have that demon that was waiting for her to wake up, maybe he kept her safe. lol

Which is probably why Faith didn't get killed while in a coma.

Well they had a backup plan to kill her. Which if that was an option why didn't they do it while she was in a coma. The Watcher's Council are just very inept.

 

[Lyri]

I don't think the Council would even hesitate to kill an out of commission Slayer. Unless of course, like Buffy Summers says, a vampire or demon got there first. If a Slayer was active - meaning they were a known presence in a certain town - and she suddenly wasn't anymore, I don't think it would take long for word to spread in the under world and a demon or something else finding a way to get to her and kill her.

But I agree with @Taake in that a paralyzed or otherwise incapacitated Slayer is useless to the Council, she can't do the job she was Chosen to do and therefore they have no use for her. They wouldn't even pause in making the decision to get rid of her so that a new Slayer could take her place.

Whether the Council would send a team like the one they sent after Faith or make the Watcher of the Slayer do the deed is another matter.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Think about the Cruciamentum Watcher's Council guy...whatshisface...Quentin Travers - he would sacrifice a less than whole Slayer in a millisecond.

🙂

 

[danajsparks]

Is it possible that slayers never are permanently incapacitated? Like, what if their slayer healing powers enable them to eventually make a full recovery from any injury, even paralysis?

 

[thetopher]

That's certainly possible- Faith suffered significant head trauma (brain damage?) which incapacitated her for eight months or so, but she got back to full strength pretty quickly- considering.

It looks like unless a wound kills quickly (neck snap, getting shot or your throat slit) that slayers can heal from pretty much anything.

Don't think they can regrow limbs though, so there is that!