ADVANCEMENT OF THE SPECIES
Part 6: Acting Fishy
by perletwo
Jean put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster. "Now why do I think running up a shopping bill's not the worst trouble the two of you were going to manage to get into?"
Rogue just smiled and sipped at her coffee, and Rahne giggled.
"There was plenty'a trouble to go 'round, was what Giles an' Spike started findin' out after Giles dropped us off..." Rogue began.
Giles went back to the high school an' nosed around the gymnasium. Turned out they'd pulled a girl out'a the swimming pool, way, *way* mauled all over her trunk. By the time he got there they were drainin' it so they could refill it with water that wasn't bloody.
He managed to snag samples'a some weird debris they skimmed off the surface with nets before the cops threw him out. Then he headed over to the Magic Box.
Meanwhile, Dawn an' I were walkin' into the house on Revello Drive. We could hear raised voices when we opened the front door, several people, that shut up double-quick when they heard the door close.
Dawn led me into the livin' room, where four people were standin' up nice an' straight, lookin' like they just been caught out at somethin'. There was a tall guy with shaggy dark hair, kinda looked like the best friend on that show "Mad About You," an' a bottle-blonde that was kind'a hoverin' around him. Next was a tallish, pretty blonde girl - nice figure hid under shapeless clothes, I read her as shy. An' next to her was a short li'l redhead who it seemed clear to me was the alpha of the pack.
"Hi guys! Wazzup?" Dawn bopped into the living room an' perched on the arm of a chair, smiling just a little too brightly. Me, ah just hung in the doorway an' watched.
"Dawn!" The redhead greeted her just as brightly. If her smile got any tighter it'd break, ah thought. "Why aren't you in school?"
"They closed down for the day, some kind'a bomb threat or something," she answered. "Giles just dropped us back by here, he'll tell you the same story, by the way. This is my friend Rogue, she's gonna be hanging out here with me for awhile."
"Hey." Ah gave 'em a little wave an' tried not to be self-conscious about wearin' leather gloves in California. They all smiled back, still lookin' nervous.
"Rogue, this is Willow, she's my sister's best friend. That's her girlfriend Tara - I mean, girlfriend in the Ellen DeGeneres sense, y'know? This is Willow's best guy-friend Xander, and that's Xander's girlfriend Anya." Dawn pointed in turn to the redhead, the shy girl, the guy an' the bottle-blonde.
"That's girlfriend in the we-have-sex-exclusively-with-each-other sense," Anya added. "Often, and with great enthusiasm, actually."
"Ahhh...okay?" Great. Now ah was doin' the brittle smile thing.
"Don't mind her, she says stuff like that all the time. We'll be upstairs, okay guys?" Dawn sprinted up the staircase, pullin' me behind her by the forearm.
"Whew!" Dawn threw her backpack onto her bed an' flopped down on her back right after it, mimin' a faintin' spell. "Geez, could they *be* any more awkward around me?" She sat up an' pulled her feet up to sit cross-legged at the foot of the bed.
Ah set myself down at the head'a the bed. "Tension city," ah agreed. "What was that all about, anyway?"
"Dunno." She shrugged. "They do that all the time, though - clam up tight as soon as I walk in the room. They're keeping something from me, that's for sure."
"So that's the Slayerettes, huh?"
"Yup. The Scooby Gang in all its glory. I shouldn't snipe at 'em so much, I know. I mean, Willow and Tara've moved into my Mom's old bedroom - she died last year too - and they've been looking after me ever since Buffy died. And they're doing their best to keep up with Buffy's Slaying, even without all the powers and training'n stuff."
"Aw, sugah, ah'm so sorry! Your mom an' your sister both? An' here ah thought ah was havin' a lousy year!"
That got a little smile out'a Dawn, an' she patted my hand. "It's tough losing your people no matter how it happens, Rogue. I get that." Then she brightened a bit. "Want some breakfast? We got a long day of doing nothing ahead of us, better fuel up..."
"Mmmm...nah, ah'm still feelin' those Twinkies we had at Spike's," ah said. "Y'know what I'd really love, though? A shower. A shower an' a nap. That's two things ah can never count on gettin' very often on the road."
"Okay! I'll go down and be fixing some breakfast for myself while you're doin' that."
I grinned. "An' try to eavesdrop on some Scooby schemin' while you're at it?"
"Hey! I gotta live here too, y'know! Is it *my* fault this house carries sound all weird n' stuff?" She put a hand to her chest and widened her eyes, all innocence, an' ah laughed an' applauded the performance. "Bathroom's the second door on the right, towels 'n stuff are in the skinny door just past it. Hair dryer's in the cabinet under the sink. Feel free to use my bed, but keep your hands off Mr. Gordo." She held up a pink pig. "I've been sleeping with him ever since Buffy died. Separation trauma's bad for pigs, y'know."
Ah nodded solemnly, dug in mah duffel bag an' pulled out mah Floppy the Basset Hound. "Brought m' own, thank you very much."
"Good woman. Okay, off to see a man about a stack of pancakes..."
'Bout that same time, Spike was comin' into the Magic Box through a trapdoor above some tunnels that run under Sunnydale. He found Giles peerin' inta a little low-power microscope, an' havin' a hard time 'cause his glasses were knockin' against the eyepiece. (Jean cringed in sympathy, thinking of her own reading glasses and science labs.)
"Find somethin' interestin', Rupes?"
Giles jumped an' turned around. "Possibly. I got a sample of some organic matter from the pool at the gymnasium. It seems to resemble the hard shell of an armadillo in texture, but in cellular composition it more closely resembles the scales of a fish. I was just about to start researching water-breathing demons. Does this sound like any of the demons you're aware of?"
"Nope. But *I* found somethin' interestin' at your murder site near the wastewater treatment plant," he said nonchalantly, and Giles grimaced.
"I do wish you wouldn't call it *my* murder site. Unless you've got some reason to think I've grown gills." Spike grinned.
"Wouldn't be the first time you'd gone all scaly, now would it?" Then he sobered. "Listen, Rupes. In the interests'a protectin' our girls, we gotta find this beastie an' kill it quick."
"Beasties, plural," Giles answered. "I'm finding two distinct DNA signatures here. Possibly more, I don't know."
"All the more reason. Listen. The girl they pulled out'a the sewer reclamation system was raped; I overheard some cops gossipin' at the site. So I went an' had a chat with a morgue attendant I know."
"Really." Giles pushed his glasses back up his nose. "And how would you know such a person?"
"Got a business deal with 'im. He sneaks me out packets of blood that's destined for the biohazard waste burn-down, an' I put out the word amongst the demon community that he's under my protection."
"A shakedown, Spike? Really, now..."
" 'Ey! This guy's seen enough neck punctures come through his fridges to believe in vampires, Rupert. He gets plenty'a peace of mind out of our little deal." Giles started to speak, but Spike ran him down. "Listen up, now. My friend gave me a sneak peek at the girl's autopsy report. Accordin' to the ME, rape seems t'have been the primary motive of the attack. Killin' her was incidental, or possibly accidental 'cause the beastie didn't know its own strength."
Giles pondered this. "The demon world is rife with predators, Spike. But are there any that are specifically sexual predators?"
"Not specifically. Most of us just see a li'l slap-an'-tickle as a bonus; the killin's the main event. But this beastie's seriously horny. They found semen in 'er. It's not human, but it has characteristics in common with human DNA."
He pulled a piece of paper out of his back pocket, which Giles later said looked a lot like a fingering chart for a guitar arrangement. Giles adjusted his glasses along the length of his nose, holding the DNA chart at arm's length.
"I could swear I've seen something like this before," he said at last. "Perhaps we should ask Willow in on this; her computer skills..."
Spike shook his head vehemently. "Bad idea, Rupes. Red's not takin' well t' the change in 'er responsibilities as a Slayerette, since Buffy...An' the stress is showin' on 'er. She's not as close to crackin' as she was when wolf-boy left 'er, but I'd just as soon not push it."
Giles shifted the desk chair back and forth on its casters, considering.
"Dawn said somethin' earlier this morning that makes me think the Scoobies're makin' some kind'a plans that don't involve me," Spike said at length. "You a part'a that, Giles?"
He looked up in surprise. "I am not. And I, I suppose I have had the same impression...although I've been too - too preoccupied - to examine it particularly closely."
Spike nodded. "So. We c'n figure that whatever it is they're plannin', it's somethin' you an' I most likely wouldn't approve of, for whatever reason. An' they're wantin' to protect Dawn from it. Which means it might be a threat t'her - If I know my Niblet, she's already nosin' around tryin' t' find out what they're up to, an' she's likely t'blunder into somethin' dangerous."
"It certainly wouldn't be the first time," Giles said with a sigh.
"So maybe we better nip it in the bud, whatever it is."
"Perhaps." He rolled back to the microscope. "But right now a beast in hand is far worse than two in the bush..."
Ah had myself a fine time in that shower.
Ah wasn't kiddin' when ah said runnin' away was hell on mah personal hygiene - that hot water was like heaven. Ah sudsed up three times, washed mah hair twice an' belted out all of "Jolene" *and* "Delta Dawn." Dried mah hair good an' proper with a real blow dryer, wrapped up in a towel an' bopped out into the hallway.
An' ran smack inta a girl in a short, skimpy sundress. One that showed lotsa skin. An' me all but totally naked...
Ah screamed. Froze with terror, an' waited for the Big Suck t'start.
Just as mah head cleared enough t'realize mah power wasn't kickin' in, ah saw the girl's eyes dart from one side t' the other uncertainly, then she screamed herself. Once. Mechanically. An' went right back to smilin' after.
Ah backed away, hyperventilatin' from fright an' tryin' not to pass out. Behind the still-smilin' blonde girl ah could see Dawn an' the Scoobies chargin' up the stairs an' into the hall to see what the fuss was about.
Dawn took in the situation at a glance an' took charge right away.
"BuffyBot, I thought you were still charging up your batteries for tonight's patrol," she said sternly, taking the girl by the upper arm.
The name - Buffy - got mah attention, an' that was when ah realized. This girl was the dead spit'a the girl in Spike's picture frame. Dawn's sister. Buffy. Only kind'a like a Stepford wife. Stepford wife? Waitaminnit. Buffy -Bot- ?!
"I was, Dawn!" the blonde chirped. "But I heard you come in and take your shower, and I deduced that school must be over. And if school is over, then it must be time for me to stop recharging and go Slay!" She smiled a perfect Pearl Drops smile - too perfect.
"School let out early today, Buffy," Dawn sighed. "It's still six and a half hours away from patrol time. You go back and finish charging now."
The blonde's head tilted quizzically. "Okay, Dawn! You're my sister, so you must know best!" An' she - it - went into the other bedroom an' shut the door without a glance at me or anyone else.
"Rogue, it's okay. Nothin' bad's gonna happen to you here -" Dawn started toward me, an' ah jumped back away from her quick, still shakin' from the scare. She held up her hands like she was stoppin' traffic. "Gloves, remember? And they work. You're *okay,* Rogue, I *promise.*"
"Dawn!" the redhead - Willow - snapped, clearly annoyed, and pulled her over a bit by her upper arm. Ah could hear her mutterin' under her breath into Dawn's ear, an' she did the eye-roll-an'-sigh thing before turnin' to her.
"Rogue knows the real Buffy's dead, Willow. It doesn't matter that she knows about the 'bot."
Several Scooby voices overlapped each other at once, all tryin' to drown each other out, an' Dawn's fist shot straight out to the side, slammin' into the wall with a mighty thump.
"Rogue's not a friend from school, guys; she's just passing through town, and she's got plenty of troubles of her own to worry about. She's also a friend of Spike's, and she's under his protection." She glared significantly. "And *mine.* And we trust her with the secret about Buffy. She's shown us we can. I *expect* all of you to do the same."
The Scoobies all looked from one to another, kinda guiltily, an' then the shy girl drew herself up an' took charge. "Rogue? Why don't you go finish tidying up and have a little lie-down in Dawn's room? I've got some stuff for tea that's really calming, I'll bring some up in a minute. Might clear your head," she said softly, and took Dawn and Willow both by the upper arms. "Guys, why don't we hash this out downstairs and let Rogue rest?"
She was gentle but firm, an' ah wondered vaguely what'd've happened if anyone'd crossed her. But nobody did - instead, the tension seemed to defuse as she led Willow and Dawn to the staircase. The straight couple looked at each other, seemin' a bit confused, but followed 'em.
Ah collected mahself as best ah could and went on in to Dawn's room. But ah didn't think ah'd be sleepin' much.
"An android?" Jean said quizzically. "I didn't think there was anyone around technologically advanced enough to make really convincing ones. There's this guy in Latvia, Dr. Doom, who built a robot army, but he's a megalomaniac; I don't think he does commission work..."
"From what Dawn told me later, there's just this one nerdy guy who built himself a girlfriend, an' then the BuffyBot. They're the only two examples of his handiwork around, ah gather," Rogue said, sipping at her coffee.
From Rogue's other side came a troubled rumble from Rahne Sinclair. "A monster that rapes, an' kills in the process..." she muttered darkly, then looked up suddenly. "Beasties, plural?"
Rogue nodded, and considered how to tell the next part of the story without upsetting the younger girl's sensibilities.