ASTA Episode 1.20 "Us Against the World"

[shred]

TEASER

~WAREHOUSE~

Pike lifted his foot and smashed it against the wooden door of the abandon warehouse. The door ripped from its hinges upon impact. Xander winced at the loud sound the door made.

XANDER: I thought we were going for stealth here?

PIKE: No time. Come on.

Xander, David and Andrew filed into the warehouse with Pike leading them.

PIKE: This place used to house a vamp nest but they cleared out after what we did to the other warehouse – the one where we found Nivek.

ANDREW: So they are not coming back?

PIKE: I try to keep tabs on these warehouses and so far, no activity from this one.

DAVID: You keep tabs? So you bug the place?

Pike grinned as he went up a flight of stairs.

PIKE: Something like that. Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.

The three of them looked at each other quizzically before following Pike up to the second level. They stopped when Pike reached the top step. In front of him was a brick wall.

Xander smirked as he nodded towards the wall.

XANDER: Wow, Pike. That’s a really great…wall you got there.

Pike glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes at Xander.

PIKE: It’s not just a wall, Xander. It’s a barrier.

XANDER: Barrier?

DAVID: Like the one we put up around your house?

PIKE: Something like that but not quite.

Pike turned back to the wall and leaned forward – so close, his lips were nearly touching the rough surface of the wall. He whispered something before moving away.

A second later, the wall vanished. Andrew was in awe.

ANDREW: Oh! That was so cool!

Pike grinned at him before continuing up the stairs.

PIKE: This is what I wanted you to see.

The disappearance of the wall revealed a large open space. The space was relatively neater than the space below – though there was a thick layer of dust that covered every object that occupied the space.

A couple of cots with tattered mattresses were against one wall while opposite it was an old wooden desk and a chair. A locked metal cupboard stood beside the desk. Directly across from them were two large windows that were boarded up with wooden planks. There were only a few holes in the wood, causing little sunlight to steam through.

DAVID: What is this place?

Pike didn’t answer. Instead he went to one of the cots and slipped his hand through one of the holes in the mattress. He pulled out a key.

DAVID: Does Tabitha know about this?

PIKE: Nope.

Pike went up to the cupboard and unlocked the padlock with the key he had. Once it was unlocked, Pike yanked the doors open, causing a cloud of dust to explode in his face.

Coughing, he waved the cloud away before looking through the contents of the cupboard. He took out a few set of clothes from the cupboard and tossed them to the other men.

ANDREW: Finally! Clean clothes!

XANDER: Ok, now I’m officially confused.

Pike chuckled at Xander’s baffled expression.

PIKE: Relax. You’ll be safe here.


CUT TO BLACK

OPENING CREDITS ROLL

THEME SONG “Club Foot” by Kasabian

Starring:
Jewel Staite as Asta Dawson
Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris
Tom Lenk as Andrew Wells
Cillian Murphy as Oliver Pike
Ashley Scott as Tabitha Pike

Guest Starring:
Tyron Leitso as David Boone
Dean Cain as Ashley/Astwihad
Mike Erwin as Sebastian Gold

Created by Irene Issac with Beck Schwarz
Based on the hit television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”

END OF CREDITS

DISCLAIMER: ASTA is created by Irene (shred) and Beck (Radient Evil). All original characters belong to us and us alone. All the other characters and the slayverse, however, belong to Joss Whedon and we are just borrowing them. If you want to use this series or any of the original characters, ask and you shall receive. This series is set during the 5th season of ANGEL.

[shred]

ACT 1

XANDER: Here? And where is here actually?

Pike went to one of the cots and sat down. He started taking his shoes off. David was walking about the area, taking a closer look at the space.

PIKE: After a few months fighting evil with Tabitha, I realised that one of these days, the demons are going to fight back – just like this. And I know when they do our house won’t be safe anymore.

DAVID: (noddig) So you created a safe house.

PIKE: (grinning) Exactly. I scouted around a few places and found this. Brought some beds up here and voila, you got yourself a temporary home.

DAVID: But Tabitha didn’t know about this.

PIKE: At that point of time, Tabitha was sceptical about the whole hunting thing and has been telling me non-stop how dangerous it is. Telling her that we needed a safe house will just make her right.

DAVID: I guess she’s right now.

PIKE: Yeah but don’t tell her that.

XANDER: So this place has been here for years?

PIKE: Yup. I come in once in awhile to make sure things are secure.

ANDREW: But didn’t you just say that there used to be a nest here?

PIKE: They only occupied downstairs. Upstairs is out of bounds.

Xander nodded at the stairs as realisation dawn upon him.

XANDER: The barrier.

Pike nodded.

PIKE: It keeps the vampires and demons downstairs. Whoever tried coming upstairs will meet a dead end. A friend of mine works this street so he tells me the comings and goings of this warehouse. If there’s a possibility that this place might be compromise, I come in and make sure it isn’t.

DAVID: Ok, but what if vampires start nesting here with us around?

PIKE: Like I said. I know the comings and goings of this place. Once I find out there might be potential nesters, we’ll move. This place is to keep us safe for awhile, not forever.

XANDER: So what happens when we have to move? I hope you have another safe house.

PIKE: I don’t. I never really thought that far ahead. I guess I always hoped that trouble would die down before we needed to move again.

ANDREW: I guess we need to start thinking of where to go if the demons find us here.

PIKE: That should take them a few days at least.

XANDER: In the meantime we have to come up with a plan to make peace with those demons and get back to Tabitha.

The men fell silent for a few minutes before David spoke up again.

DAVID: Any suggestions would be nice.

PIKE: Well, I got one.

Pike stretched and lay back on the bed.

PIKE: Sleep.

The other three men blinked at each other. They looked like they didn’t consider that idea before.

ANDREW: Sleep?

Pike nodded with his eyes closed.

PIKE: Yes. Sleep. We need to rest before night comes again because when it does, it’s going to be hectic and we need our strength in order to keep up with whatever that hits us. There are a couple of sleeping bags in the cupboard you boys can use.

David went over to the cupboard and threw the doors open. Inside, he found the sleeping bags and about twenty canned food, 3 large bottles of water, flashlights and batteries and more clothes.

DAVID: You sure prepared yourself well.

PIKE: Hmmm.

XANDER: So that’s it? We sleep?

Andrew yawned as he sat on the other cot.

ANDREW: It does sound like a good idea to me. It has been a long 24 hours.

PIKE: What he said.

David and Xander exchange defeated glances before grabbing a sleeping bag each and started unfolding it.

#########################################
~MONASTERY~

Asta stood before Ahriman in awe. The large demon before her gazed back at Asta with its gleaming red eyes.

AHRIMAN: I’ve waited too long. Too long.

Asta turned to Astwihad who was standing a few feet away from her.

ASTA: I have so many questions right now, I don’t know where to start.

ASTWIHAD: As I expected. But don’t worry, I’ll answer them.

Asta turned back to Ahriman.

ASTA: It feels like I’ve known you even though I have no idea who you are.

ASTWIHAD: Of course you do Asta. Ahriman is the main reason for your existence. Without him, you wouldn’t have been born.

ASTA: (to Ahriman) You mean you created me?

Ahriman remained silent but continued to gaze at Asta. Astwihad answered her question instead.

ASTWIHAD: More or less.

Asta shot Astwihad a hard look.

ASTA: Tell me. I want to know everything. I have every right to.

ASTWIHAD: Well…

He turned to Ahriman, as if asking for permission.

ASTWIHAD: I will if you want me to.

AHRIMAN: She must know.

Astwihad clapped his hands together, smiling brightly.

ASTWIHAD: Great!

Astwihad went up to Asta and took her by her elbow.

ASTWIHAD: Come with me to the back room. I’ll tell you everything. Maybe over a cup of tea?

Asta looked at the man in confusion.

ASTA: I…

ASTWIHAD: Asta, don’t worry. You’re safe here. You’re with family remember. Trust me.

Asta looked at Astwihad before turning to Ahriman.

ASTA: Ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~BACKROOM~

Astwihad set a cup of steaming tea on the table in front of Asta. Asta wrapped her hands around the cup for warmth but didn’t bother to taste the brew.

ASTWIHAD: Drink. It will restore your strength.

ASTA: I’m fine.

ASTWIHAD: You sure?

Asta glared at Astwihad.

ASTA: Just tell me what I want to know, Ashley.

ASTWIHAD: It’s Astwihad actually.

ASTA: So Xander was right.

ASTWIHAD: For the most part.

Astwihad dragged back a chair and sat down across from the slayer.

ASTWIHAD: Ahriman was born a long, long time ago. I’m not sure when the exact date is but that doesn’t matter. Along the way, one of his generations mated with a human. The offspring turned out to look exactly like a human but of course have every aspect of a demon – you know, demon blood and power and such. So from the generations that followed, they had Ahriman’s blood in them. The thing about Ahriman’s blood is that it never goes away. No matter how many times they mated with a human. Not his powers though. That fades away after every generation. You, my dear Asta, came from that generation.

Asta blinked at Astwihad, not sure she heard right.

ASTA: That’s it? It’s that simple? When you said Ahriman was responsible for me, I thought his wife gave birth to me or something.

Astwihad chuckled.

ASTWIHAD: Yes it’s that simple and no Ahriman’s wife didn’t give birth to you.

ASTA: Ok.

Asta looked down at her tea, her expression growing thoughtful.

ASTWIHAD: Is that all? I expected more questions from you.

ASTA: I just…I need all this to sink in first.

ASTWIHAD: Fair enough. But you do understand what’s going on right?

Asta looked up at Astwihad in surprise.

ASTA: Are you kidding me? I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. All I know is that some things are starting to make sense to me.

ASTWIHAD: Like?

ASTA: Like who I am and my role in this world. And I finally know who you are. But not what you do.

ASTWIHAD: You can say I’m Ahriman’s personal assistant. Yours too since you both are related.

ASTA: Yeah, that I’m still trying to wrap my brain around.

ASTWIHAD: (smiling) Don’t worry, you’ll get use to it.

ASTA: But what happened just now with Slick…that was real?

ASTWIHAD: That was…something you shouldn’t have gone through but it was necessary. Let’s just say it was part of your training with me.

Asta nodded slowly. She looked up at Astwihad.

ASTA: So that means you’re alright? You’re not harm or dead?

Astwihad chuckled, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

ASTWIHAD: It takes more than that to kill me, Asta.

ASTA: Ok. That’s good. I mean, it’s good that you’re alright.

Astwihad’s expression grew serious and he leaned forward.

ASTWIHAD: Asta, this is important. Now that you understand your role in this, we have to get to work.

ASTA: Work?

ASTWIHAD: Yes. A Saoshyant plays a key role to the balance of the universe. There are some demons out there who tips that balance and you are to make sure that doesn’t happen.

ASTA: So I kill these demons.

ASTWIHAD: (grinning) You’re catching on fast.

ASTA: But how do I know which demons to kill?

ASTWIHAD: There’s where I come in. I have the gift of knowing which demon tips the balance and which doesn’t.

ASTA: And Ahriman?

Astwihad reached out and patted Asta’s hand.

ASTWIHAD: Why don’t we leave that for another time? I’m sure you’re tired. You need to rest. We have a big day tomorrow.

Asta nodded.

ASTWIHAD: Stay here. I have a foldable cot that you can use.

ASTA: But what about my friends? I should tell them what’s going on.

ASTWIHAD: Why don’t we leave that at a later date? It’s not something that they will understand. Besides, I’m sure you need time to think about what you are going to say to them.

Asta nodded, suddenly feeling very tired.

ASTA: I guess you’re right.

ASTWIHAD: Good! Finish up your tea and I’ll show you where the cot is.

Astwihad stood up and started to leave the backroom.

ASTA: Ashley?

Astwihad paused and glanced over his shoulder.

ASTWIHAD: Yeah?

ASTA: I just…when you were dead…

ASTWIHAD: I’m not dead…

ASTA: When I thought you were, I was so afraid that I lost you. You’ve been so good to me Ashley that I don’t know what I would do without you.

Astwihad smiled softly.

ASTWIHAD: I’m not going anyway, Asta. I’m here for a long, long time.

ASTA: (smiling) Good. ‘Cause you don’t know how much you mean to me.

ASTWIHAD: And you don’t know how much you mean to me.

Astwihad went up to the slayer and dropped a kiss on her head.

ASTWIHAD: Rest. We have a big day ahead.

Smiling, he left the backroom and headed toward the main hall of the monastery where Ahriman was.

AHRIMAN: Your planned worked, Astwihad. I’m impressed and I’m sure you’re pleased.

Astwihad looked anything but pleased. In fact, he looked concerned.

ASTWIHAD: Thank you.

AHRIMAN: You’re concern.

ASTWIHAD: Asta took this pretty well. She didn’t panicked like I thought she would. It’s like she has given up. Like she wanted to believe anything just so she can have a moment of peace. I’m afraid her friends would be able to influence her and get her on their side again. So, yes, I am concerned.

AHRIMAN: We’ve gotten this far, Astwihad. I don’t want to lose her.

ASTWIHAD: You won’t. I just have to make sure she stays away from her friends. I’ve got to keep an eye on her all the time.

AHRIMAN: I’ll leave you to do that. We are too close. I don’t want anything to go wrong.

Astwihad gave Ahriman a reassuring smile.

ASTWIHAD: Don’t worry your pretty head about it. I got you this far didn’t I?

#########################################
~HIDEOUT~

Xander turned on his side. No matter how much he tossed and turned, he could not get comfortable on the hard, cold ground. He always seemed to find something digging into his spine. Sighing, Xander sat up and ran his hand through his dirty hair. He adjusted his askew eye patch as he looked around the hideout he and the rest of his friends were hiding in. He caught David standing next to the boarded up windows, looking through a small crack.

XANDER: Any demons out there?

David jumped at his voice. He looked over at Xander, startled.

DAVID: Oh. I thought you were sleep.

XANDER: A good tip. Sleeping on concrete? A big no.

DAVID: I’ll keep that in mind.

Xander stood up, groaning softly as his bones throbbed with a dull ache. He gingerly walked towards the window.

XANDER: Can’t sleep?

DAVID: (sighing) No. I can’t stop thinking about Tabby.

XANDER: Yeah. Me too.

David gave Xander a strange look.

XANDER: I mean, I can’t stop thinking about Asta. We haven’t heard from her for awhile so I’m really worried.

DAVID: I’m sure Asta’s fine. She’s a slayer. She can take care of herself.

XANDER: I know. It’s just…This is the first time she has face something this big. What if she doesn’t know how to take care of herself in a situation like this?

David didn’t reply. He kept staring at the street outside.

XANDER: I’m sure Tabitha’s fine.

DAVID: You don’t know that.

XANDER: You’re right, I don’t but there’s nothing else we can do. Not until things have died down a little. Besides, Tabitha can take care of herself too. She’s a pretty powerful witch.

DAVID: That is if she even wakes up you mean.

Xander pursed his lips, not sure how to reply. A moment of silence lapsed before David spoke up again.

DAVID: I’ve been thinking.

He looked at Xander, his expression determined.

DAVID: I’m going to get Tabitha away from that hospital.

Xander blinked in surprise. It was the last thing he thought he would hear from the other man.

XANDER: Ok. You’re scared and you’re not thinking clearly. Bringing Tabby here isn’t the brightest idea. Plus, Pike will kill you if you do that.

DAVID: Leaving her in the hospital where demons attacked it not too long ago isn’t the brightest idea either.

XANDER: Neither is bring her here. Do you remember being chased by demons? Or did that chase knocked that piece of information right out of your brain?

DAVID: At least here I can keep an eye on her.

XANDER: David, take a minute and think about this. Tabitha has been hurt. Badly. The last thing you want is to move her and bring her to a place that rats even hate.

DAVID: It’s the only choice I have.

Xander was about to open his mouth to argue when a small noise was heard. The noise sounded like it came from downstairs. The two men exchanged glances.

XANDER: You heard that right?

David nodded.

DAVID: I did.

XANDER: It can’t be that both our ears are playing tricks on us.

DAVID: I highly doubt that.

Xander and David turned their eyes towards the brick wall barrier and listened hard.
The noise came again, this time louder. It sounded as if someone was scratching against the barrier.

Xander turned to David, his eyebrows raised.

XANDER: A rat?

DAVID: It doesn’t sound like a rat. It sounds bigger.

XANDER: Unless it’s a monster rat.

There was a soft thud and then a muffled cry. It sounded human and not at all rat-like.

Xander dashed towards Pike while David moved quickly towards Andrew. Grabbing Pike’s shoulder, Xander shook him awake.

XANDER: Pike! Someone’s here!

[shred]

ACT 2

From the metal cupboard, Pike took out a stake and handed it to David while he took a small axe for himself. Xander and Andrew on the other hand weren’t given a weapon. Instead, Pike picked up a long piece of wood that fell of the window and pried a metal bar loose from one of the cots. He handed them to Xander and Andrew.

ANDREW: We are using this as weapons?

PIKE: Yup.

XANDER: You don’t have anything else besides that stake and that axe?

Pike shrugged.

PIKE: I didn’t pack many weapons. So you guys clear on the plan?

David and Andrew nodded while Xander shook his head.

XANDER: I’m still stunned that after all these preparations, the only weapons you kept in here were a stake and a small axe.

Pike rolled his eyes at the other man.

PIKE: Trust me, I didn’t know I would be having more than two people here when I first planned this.

XANDER: But a stake? Why can’t you keep a sword or a rocket launcher?

Pike gave him a tight smile as he shut the door of the cupboard.

PIKE: Remind me later to pack a rocket launcher when we do this again.

Pike stood in front of them with a small axe in his hands. On either side of him were Xander and Andrew with whatever objects they could find as a weapon. David held a stake which Pike kept in the cupboard. They held their breath as the brick wall came down. A stunned looking man stood before them. He was short and dressed in clothes which looked like it didn’t see the inside of a washing machine for years.

Pike and the man blinked at each other.

PIKE: Frank?

MAN/FRANK: Mr. Pike?

Xander, David and Andrew lowered their weapons and looked at each other quizzically.

ANDREW: You know him?

PIKE: Yeah. He is the friend I was telling you about who watched this place for me.

FRANK: Hey.

The three men nodded and mumbled a greeting. Pike turned to Frank.

PIKE: What are you doing here, Frank?

FRANK: What are you doing here? You didn’t say anything about coming by.

PIKE: Yeah, something came up. It wasn’t planned.

Frank scoffed.

FRANK: I heard. Word’s already out on the streets. You are a wanted man, Mr. Pike.

PIKE: What did you hear?

FRANK: A lot of things. Some are saying that all the demons in Hades Valley are after your head while others are saying that it’s only a certain group of demons. There are also some who said that demons from Europe are making their way here to get in on the action.

ANDREW: Seriously?

XANDER: Demons from Europe? This situation is getting bigger by the minute.

FRANK: You don’t say. Things are really tense out there and demons like us are getting a little panicky. So I thought I come by here to stay of the streets for awhile. Or least things die down a little. I’m planning to go to Mexico. My brother’s there.

PIKE: Looks like we had the same idea. (pause) Hiding in here part not the Mexico part.

XANDER: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up a minute here. Did you just say ‘demons like us’?

Frank’s expression turned annoyed.

FRANK: Yeah. What’s it to you?

PIKE: I didn’t mention to them that you’re a demon.

Frank scoffed, rolling his eyes.

FRANK: Typical.

PIKE: (to Xander) Don’t worry he’s harmless.

XANDER: It’s not that. It’s just that –

David stepped forward, squinting at Frank.

DAVID: He looks so human.

FRANK: Hey! Hey! Don’t come near me with your grabby human hands.

David blinked, taking a step back.

DAVID: Sorry. I just haven’t met a demon that doesn’t look like, you know, a demon.

FRANK: Yeah well, get use to it. There are a lot of us out there.

PIKE: Ok can we do this another time? (to Frank) How is the situation out there at the right now?

FRANK: Still pretty tense, man. Demons are everywhere – trashing the place, terrorizing the human-folk. It’s nasty.

XANDER: So in another words, it’s not a good idea for us to leave just yet?

PIKE: Not if you wanna make their dreams come true.

XANDER: No. Not planning on doing that anytime soon.

PIKE: Alright, no big deal. They still have no idea where we are so we are safe here for a couple of days at least.

FRANK: I hope you’re not kicking me out.

PIKE: No. You can stay here with us as long as you like.

FRANK: Cool.

ANDREW: Buffy!

Pike, David, Xander and Frank looked at Andrew, his sudden outburst taking them by surprise. Excitement shone in his eyes and he was bouncing slightly on his feet like a little boy in a candy store.

DAVID: Who?

XANDER: What?

ANDREW: Buffy! We can go to her for help.

DAVID: Who’s Buffy?

XANDER: Oh no, we can’t do that.

ANDREW: Why not? She did tell us to get in touch with her if we ran into trouble and I call our little situation here us running head first into trouble.

PIKE: That does sound like a good idea.

XANDER: What? No! This is something we can deal with. We don’t need Buffy. We can handle this.

DAVID: Who’s Buffy?

FRANK: Hey man, demons are out for your heads and you’re hiding out in a dusty old warehouse. I don’t think you’re handling this.

XANDER: Stay of out this, Frank.

FRANK: Dude, I’m just saying.

PIKE: Xander, Buffy is our only hope right now.

ANDREW: Buffy has the whole Watcher’s Council under her control and she has hundreds of slayers at her disposal.

DAVID: Who’s…oh I give up!

ANDREW: And now that we have more information on Asta and her dreams and her link to Ahriman and know who Astwihad is, maybe Giles can help us get more information on them.

PIKE: Like how to kill that son of a bitch.

XANDER: You’re right. But how do we get in touch with them? We don’t have a cell phone and getting to a payphone is a lot trickier than normal with, you know, demons after us and all.

FRANK: I can help you guys get to a phone. I know the sewers pretty well and I’m pretty sure I can get you to a phone through them.

Xander, David and Pike looked at each other.

XANDER: Sounds like a good plan.

DAVID: The sewers? Are we even allowed to be there?

Pike turned back to Frank.

PIKE: And no demons will spot us?

FRANK: Unless they are looking for you in the sewers, you won’t be spotted. I came here through the sewers and it was demonless. You should be safe.

PIKE: Alright, we’ll do that than.

DAVID: Wait a minute. Aren’t we gonna talk about this?

Pike blinked at David.

PIKE: Didn’t we just talk about it?

Pike looked at Xander for confirmation.

XANDER: Frank said we can use the sewers…

PIKE: …I asked would we be safe.

XANDER: He said yes…

PIKE: …So yeah we talked about it.

DAVID: And that’s it? What about Tabitha? We can’t just leave her at the hospital.

Pike rolled his eyes, getting annoyed with his sister’s boyfriend.

PIKE: And it’s a good thing we’re not.

XANDER: David, we are just going to get to a phone and call for help. We’re not leaving Tabitha.

DAVID: We should be planning to get Tabitha out of the hospital not looking for a phone.

PIKE: If we don’t look for a phone, we’ll never get Tabitha out of the hospital. Besides, why the sudden urge to get her out of there? I thought we decided it was best to leave her behind.

David stepped towards Pike angrily.

DAVID: No, not we. You! You decided it was best to leave her behind. I wanted her out of there.

PIKE: And kill her in the process? Very smart of you, Dave.

David took another step forward, putting him inches away from Pike.

DAVID: I’m going to get her out of there whether you like it or not.

XANDER: Guys…

Wanting to make sure David knew who was in charge, Pike raised his axe.

PIKE: Well, I’m not going to let you. I’ll be more than happy to let you go if it’s only going to get you killed but that ain’t the case. You’ll get Tabitha and all of us killed as well and I’m not going to let that happen. Whether you like it or not.

The two men stared each other down, neither of them wanting to back off. Xander took this moment to quickly step in. He laid a hand David and Pike’s shoulder and pried them apart.

XANDER: Ok! Too much macho testosterone flying around in here and with the axe in the mix, that’s not good. You don’t want one of us to lose an eye right? I mean, we haven’t gotten into a big battle with the Big Bad yet.

PIKE: I mean it, David. You’re not going near Tabitha.

DAVID: You can’t tell me what to do. She’s my fiancée for goodness sake!

PIKE: And she’s my sister!

XANDER: Guys! Come on. We are wasting valuable time by arguing with each other here. David, Pike’s right. We got to leave Tabitha in the hospital. She’s a lot safer there.

DAVID: But –

XANDER: Yes, I know leaving her in a hospital which was once attacked by demons isn’t considered safe but at least she has doctors around her. She needs them more than she needs us.

David fell silent as he thought about what Xander. He spoke up a moment later.

DAVID: If something happens to her…

PIKE: Trust me, man, I’ll kill myself before I let anything happened to her.

Xander smiled brightly.

XANDER: Great! I mean, not the part about Pike killing himself but great as in I’m glad we have an understanding going here. (to David) Don’t we?

David nodded.

XANDER: Good. Now, let’s go and find us a telephone.

#########################################

Her feet slapped against the gravel road as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her opponent in front glanced at her over his shoulder. Surprise registered on the man’s face before facing forward and sped up.

She followed suit. Her legs ate up the distance in front of her as she poured on more speed.

The man rounded a corner, crossed a street and headed towards an alley. She didn’t fail to follow. When she entered the alley, she found the man trying to scale a fence to get to the other side.

Asta smiled. She spotted an overflowing trash can and headed towards it. Its metal lid lay on the floor. Asta picked it up and felt its weight in her hand. She turned to the man, who tumbled to the ground when his last effort to climb the fence failed. But he didn’t give up. He climbed to his feet and tried again.

Asta lifted the lid, aimed and threw it at the man’s head. The lid hit its target – the back of the man’s head. With a yelp, the man fell off the fence and plummeted to the ground.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Astwihad grunted as he tried to keep up with the woman in front of him. She was surprisingly fast. Astwihad didn’t expect her to be this fast when he decided to give her a head start, just for the fun of it.

He was definitely regretting his decision now.

As the two of them sped down the streets of Hades Valley and started heading towards the more remote part of the town, Astwihad slipped a round object out from his coat pocket and into his hands. He sped up again, forcing the woman to turn into an alley.

She did. Astwihad grinned. He had her cornered.

Astwihad slowed to the stop as he approached the mouth of the alley. He saw the woman trying desperately to find another way out of the alley. There wasn’t. All around her was grimy brick walls, overflowing trashcans, broken crates and pieces of furniture.

Terror filled the woman’s eyes as Astwihad slowly approached her with a predatory grin on his face. Then determination replaced that terror and she started running towards him.

Without blinking, Astwihad raised his hands and threw the object to the ground in front of him. With a small explosion, a white light flooded the alleyway. Astwihad blinked the light away from his eyes and when his vision cleared, he saw the woman standing frozen in front of him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asta stood over the man with a scowled on her face. The man looked up at her in terror.

MAN: I’m sorry! I really am!

ASTA: Get up.

MAN: I promise I won’t do it again.

ASTA: I said get up!

The man scrambled to his feet and backed away from her.

MAN: I really am sorry. I won’t –

ASTA: Shut up!

MAN: Ok. (pause) What are you going to do to me?

ASTA: I’m the slayer. What do you think I’m going to do to you?

MAN: Erm…slay me?

Asta rolled her eyes at the man.

ASTA: Too bad I don’t have a gold star for you.

She reached into the inside pocket of her coat for her stake and waved it in front of him. The man’s eyes widened in fright.

MAN: Oh man.

He suddenly fell to his knees and started grabbing at her coat.

MAN: I’m really sorry. It was a mistake. A harmless mistake. Really! Honest!

Asta’s scowled deepen as she tried to get his hands off her.

ASTA: You demons are all the same.

The demon looked at her, confused.

DEMON: We all steal cow hearts from the butcher?

Asta mirrored his confusion.

ASTA: What?

DEMON: That’s why you’re after me right? Because I stole that cow heart from Joe the butcher?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOMAN: What do you want from me, Astwihad?

ASTWIHAD: I just wanted to talk.

WOMAN: And this magick?

ASTWIHAD: Well, you made it so difficult, hence, the help.

WOMAN: I got nothing to say to you, Astwihad.

ASTWIHAD: Oh I know that. I said I wanted to talk. You just have to listen to what I have to say.

WOMAN: I don’t have any interest in what you have to say. I heard what you’ve been up to, Astwihad and I’m not interested.

ASTWIHAD: Really? What have you heard?

WOMAN: That you got a slayer on your side and you’re using her to take down the harmless demons. What I don’t get is why? Ahriman put you up to it?

Surprise flashed across Astwihad’s face.

ASTWIHAD: You heard about Ahriman? How?

WOMAN: It’s all over town, Astwihad. Something big like Ahriman being in Hades Valley doesn’t go unnoticed – especially with us demons.

Astwihad frowned. He did not like the sound of this.

ASTWIHAD: What have you heard?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asta pushed the demon away from her in disgust.

ASTA: You demons don’t give up, don’t you? I’m about to kill you and you still lie.

DEMON: But…I’m not lying. I only stole that heart. (pause) Ok, I stole two hearts but I’ll pay Joe back. I promise!

ASTA: Why did you steal that heart for?

DEMON: It’s my dinner. What? You think I was going to use it for some ritual where I bring mayhem and destruction to Hades Valley and to every human being on the planet?

The demon laughed as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his life. He stopped his laughter when he noticed that Asta didn’t find it as funny as he did.

DEMON: Well, it’s not. For a ritual I mean. I’m not those kinds of demon who kill humans or destroy towns. That heart was just my dinner.

Asta bent down and grabbed the demon by the collar of its loud Hawaiian shirt.

ASTA: That’s not what Ashley said.

She easily picked the demon up and tossed him against the wall on the opposite side. Groaning, the demon looked up from the ground. Fear filled the demon’s eyes.

DEMON: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Asta stalked up to him, grabbed him to his feet and punched him across the face. He dropped to the floor yet again.

ASTA: You kill children! How can you stand here and say you only take cow hearts?

Demon scrambled away from the advancing Asta.

DEMON: But that’s what I do! I don’t kill children! Please don’t kill me. I didn’t do anything wrong! I’m not a murderer!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WOMAN: Ahriman is here, in Hades Valley. And we all know he is not here to see the sights. Plus, he brought you here with him.

Astwihad shrugged, keeping a blank expression on his face.

ASTWIHAD: Maybe he is here to see the sights.

The woman scoffed.

WOMAN: We are talking about Ahriman here. He doesn’t just come into a town without an ulterior motive. What we don’t know is what that motive is? Care to enlighten me, Astwihad?

Astwihad laugh.

ASTWIHAD: Oh so now you’re interested in what I have to say?

WOMAN: You haven’t killed me yet so that has definitely piqued my interest. I mean, if you’re not here to kill me, what else would you want me for?

Astwihad folded his arms across his chest.

ASTWIHAD: You’re smart for a demon.

The woman grinned, baring inhumanly sharp teeth.

WOMAN: I’m not just your average demon, Astwihad.

The demon cocked her head as something dawn upon her.

WOMAN: But you already knew that.

ASTWIHAD: Like I said, you’re smart.

WOMAN: So what do you want from me?

ASTWIHAD: Something’s big is happening and I need you and your little demons friends to be on Ahriman’s side.

WOMAN: And what do I get in return?

ASTWIHAD: Well, whoever is not on Ahriman’s side will die a slow and painful death. I think that’s incentive enough.

The woman studied Astwihad for a long moment before replying.

WOMAN: Drop the magick and we’ll talk.

Astwihad looked pleased.

ASTWIHAD: That is what I wanted to hear.

[shred]

ACT 3

~SEWERS~

PIKE: I always wondered why I never used the sewers for patrol but now I know why. This place is disgusting!

XANDER: No different from the ones in Sunnydale I guess.

PIKE: You do this often back home?

XANDER: More than I like.

FRANK: This is one of the better sewers around here actually. You just have rats here but the one on south end? I saw an alligator once.

David, Pike and Xander looked at Frank sceptically.

FRANK: Honest!

ANDREW: Wait. Did you say there are rats down here?

FRANK: Of course.

A spark of terror flashed across the Watcher’s face.

FRANK: Big ones, small ones. Black ones, brown ones.

Andrew grabbed Xander’s arm.

ANDREW: Oh god!

FRANK: There are even ones with really sharp teeth. You know how I know that? ‘Cause this big black one bit me this one time.

Andrew’s grip on Xander’s arm tightened, causing Xander to flinch.

FRANK: That vermin bit me right on my –

XANDER: Thanks, Frank! I think we get the picture. (to Andrew) Can you let go of me now?

ANDREW: Can I hold on until we reach the surface?

Xander shot the Watcher a glare.

ANDREW: For a little while longer at least?

Xander rolled his eyes and swatted Andrew’s hand away.

XANDER: Go be grabby with Pike.

FRANK: We’re here.

Frank came to a stop just beside a rusted iron laddering that led up to the surface.

FRANK: This leads up just in front of the shopping mall. I’m pretty sure there’s a pay phone outside the building.

PIKE: Ok. You guys stay here. Andrew, come with me.

Pike started climbing the ladder with Andrew closely behind. When Pike reached the top, he shoved the manhole cover aside and climbed out of the dark and dank sewer. As soon as he was out in the warm night, he scanned the area for the payphone. He found it a few metres on his right. Andrew was just coming out of the sewer when Pike jogged towards the payphone.

PIKE: Come on! We have to hurry.

ANDREW: I’m coming. I’m coming.

Pike handed Andrew the telephone as he jogged towards him. The street they were in was void of life but in the distance Pike could here the blare of a police siren and the dull roar of a fire. It looked like the demons who are after them decided it was a good idea to trash the town.

PIKE: Be quick. They might be hitting this street next.

Andrew fumbled with the phone as he searched through his pockets for the phone number to the Watcher’s Council. Pike tapped his feet impatiently.

ANDREW: Quit doing that. You’re making me nervous.

PIKE: And you fumbling around like that is making me nervous.

A minute of searching later, Andrew finally pulled out a scrap of paper. He grinned triumphantly has he started dialling. Pike surveyed the area around them as the Watcher waited for someone in England to pick up the phone.

ANDREW: Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? This is Andrew Wells. I’m a Watcher in Hades Valley, Cleveland. I need to speak to Rupert Giles or Buffy Summers. It’s urgent.

Pike froze when he caught a flash of light at the end of the street.

ANDREW: Andrew Wells. Wells with a ‘W’ not a ‘B’! (pause) Yes, I’m a Watcher. My Slayer’s name is Asta, Asta Dawson. (pause) No, I’m not looking for Asta Dawson! I just…can I talk to Mr. Rupert Giles. (pause) Giles!

PIKE: Andrew…

ANDREW: (to Pike) The connection’s pretty bad. I can hardly hear what she’s saying.

Pike wasn’t listening. The flash of light came again and this time he was sure he saw a figure running past.

ANDREW: Yes, Giles! Tell him it’s urgent. And hurry!

PIKE: I think we got company.

Andrew turned to Pike.

ANDREW: What?

Pike nodded towards the direction he saw the figure. There wasn’t just a figure there. There were two and they were carrying torches.

Andrew turned his eyes to where Pike was looking and almost dropped the phone in surprise.

ANDREW: Holy flaming torches!

PIKE: Like I said. Be quick.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~SEWERS~

Xander was pacing impatiently as David glanced nervously around the dark sewers. The only source of light came from the flashlight he was holding and the moonlight from up above their heads. Frank was leaning against the ladder, looking bored.

FRANK: Can I go now?

XANDER: No. We need you to lead us back.

Frank sighed. He started to study his fingernails.

DAVID: I should go.

Xander stopped his pacing to face David.

XANDER: Where?

DAVID: To get Tabitha.

Xander sighed. David’s constant demand to get Tabitha was increasingly getting on his nerves.

XANDER: David we’ve been through this…

DAVID: I thought you of all people would understand. What if it was Asta? Would you have gone back for her?

Xander’s face was blank. He wasn’t sure what the other man was getting at.

XANDER: What are –

DAVID: I know it’s a completely different thing. Asta is not your girlfriend or your fiancée but she’s your friend. Would you go back?

XANDER: I…I guess I would.

DAVID: So why aren’t you out there searching for Asta? Didn’t you say you were worried about her?

XANDER: I am…

David straightened. A look of fierce determination was on his face.

DAVID: I’m going to get Tabitha. You can help me. We’ll search for Asta as well.

XANDER: What about Pike and Andrew?

DAVID: They are big boys. They can take care of themselves. Besides, I don’t think we’ll take long. We’ll go to the hospital and get back.

XANDER: And Asta?

DAVID: I’m sure it’s easy to find her. We’ll go where the demons are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANDREW: Giles? Oh thank god! Why can’t you answer the phone yourself? That secretary of yours is useless!

PIKE: Andrew!

ANDREW: Oh right. Sorry. Listen Giles, we got a problem. We are in a situation at the moment and we need your help. Can you, I don’t know, get us out of here? (pause) You do? Ok. Can you, like, send me an email on it? I don’t really have time to talk on the phone. We are in a hurry. There are demons after us. (pause) Go there? How? We don’t… (pause) Ok. I think so. I have –

PIKE: Andrew! Duck!

Before Andrew could react, Pike shoved him to the ground just as a large knife plunged into the phonebook just above Andrew’s head.

ANDREW: I hope that just means they don’t like phonebooks.

PIKE: I wish. Finish up your call, Watcher. I’ll hold them off as best as I can.

Andrew scrambled for the phone as Pike turned to face the on coming demons. There were five of them now. Two of them held blazing torches while another two held what look like baseball bats. One of the demons was empty handed and Pike guessed that the knife that was sticking out of the phonebook belonged to that demon.

Pike grabbed the knife and kept it for himself.

ANDREW: Hey, Giles? We got a problem right now so can we…(pause) I…I can try but…(pause) Are you sure you want all of us?

Pike stood his ground as the first demon ran towards him. He was a few feet away from Andrew and Pike hoped that the demon would pay attention to him and not to the defenceless Watcher.

Pike swung his axe just as the demon came near. The demon jumped out of the way just as the second demon, the demon with the torch, came at him.

PIKE: Hurry up, Andrew!

ANDREW: (to Pike) I’m coming! (to Giles) I’ll be there. If I’m not there in an hour’s time, then well, you’ll know that we are demon food.

Pike ducked as the torched whizzed towards his head. He stuck out his axe and stabbed the nearest demon. Roaring in pain, the demon with the torch stumbled back towards the payphone. Andrew stuck out his foot and tripped the demon. As the demon fell to the pavement, the torch it was holding slipped out of his hands and fell on the demon’s torso. The demon was immediately engulfed in flames.

ANDREW: Ha! (to Giles) Ok, I gotta go now. Pike needs my Watcher-y help.

Andrew hung up the phone just as a demon with the baseball bat came screaming at him. Andrew let out a scream of his own and moved out of the way. The bat slammed into the phone, smashing it.

PIKE: Andrew! Catch!

Andrew glanced at Pike and spotted the other man tossing a knife at him. Andrew caught it and stuck it out towards the demon. The demon, so engrossing in getting Andrew that it didn’t noticed the knife, ran straight towards the Watcher. The blade stabbed the demon in its chest. Andrew yanked out the knife and stabbed it again for good measure. This time in its face.

PIKE: Andrew! Run! Go!

Andrew turned to Pike. He was fending off the demons with the torch and the bat. The last demon was approaching Andrew menacingly.

ANDREW: What? What about you?

PIKE: Me? I’m running too!

ANDREW: Oh!

Andrew threw the knife at the demon that was coming at him. It stuck the demon at its knee. It crumpled to the ground howling in pain. Andrew didn’t wait for the demon to climb to its feet and try to catch him again. He turned on his heels and started running down the street. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps pounding on the gravel behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted Pike running closely behind him. Behind Pike were the two remaining demons.

PIKE: Turn to your right! There should be a manhole there. We can escape through the sewers.

The two men rounded the corner and scanned the street they had entered for a manhole. Andrew spotted one about 200 meters away.

ANDREW: Pike! 2 o’clock!

Pike took a momentary look at where Andrew was referring to and nodded. But instead of following Andrew and heading in the direction of where the manhole was, Pike grabbed the Watcher’s sleeve and yanked him towards an alley. He didn’t let go of Andrew until they were deep in the alley and crouching behind some big dumpsters.

PIKE: Hide here and stay quiet.

ANDREW: I thought we were going into –

Pike’s slapped his hand against Andrew’s mouth. He glared at the Watcher.

PIKE: (whispering) I said stay quiet!

A second later, heavy footfalls could be heard nearing the mouth of the alley. The two men stay as still as possible, Pike’s hand still plastered against Andrew’s mouth.

The two demons ran past the alley, not stopping for a moment to check it.

Andrew mumbled something against Pike’s palm, relief shining in his eyes.

PIKE: Shhh!

As if on cue, the two demons returned. They stood at the alley checking the street around them.

DEMON #1: You sure they went this way?

DEMON #2: I saw the blond one enter here. The other guy must have followed.

DEMON #1: Or they split up.

DEMON #2: Unlikely. The dark haired one looked to be protecting the smaller dude. For whatever reason.

DEMON #1: Come on. Let’s go back to where they came from. They might have given us the slip and still be there.

The two demons started walking away from the alley.

DEMON #2: Unlikely. They didn’t look all that smart to do something like that.

The demons disappeared and the place was silent.

Andrew mumbled something again. This time Pike removed his hand.

PIKE: What?

Andrew, looking annoyed, wiped his mouth with the front of his shirt.

ANDREW: I said, “can you take your hand away now?”

PIKE: Oh. Well, yes.

ANDREW: Thank you. And I thought we were escaping through the sewers?

PIKE: We are. I didn’t want them to see us doing that so I thought it would be best if we lose them first.

ANDREW: Oh. That was smart.

PIKE: (grinning) Guess the demons were wrong. Come on. Let’s go. Xander and David would probably be worried about us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~SEWERS~

FRANK: It’s about time! Your friends left by the way.

PIKE: What?!

ANDREW: What do you mean left?

FRANK: They went off to rescue a couple of chicks. Told me to stay here so that I can tell you their gone.

ANDREW: Chicks? Who are the chicks?

PIKE: David must have gone to get Tabitha. That idiot!

ANDREW: But he said chicks – with an ‘s’. Who’s the other one?

PIKE: (to Frank) Did they say they’ll come back here after their big rescue mission?

FRANK: Nope. Didn’t bother asking either. Listen, Pike, I know we are friends and all and I would love to stay here and help you out but I really gotta go if I wanna stay alive. Doubt it would be that way if I stay with you guys. (pause) No offence.

PIKE: Yeah, yeah. I understand. Thanks anyway for your help.

FRANK: No problem, man. When all of this is over and you’re still alive, we should grab a drink together.

PIKE: No problem.

FRANK: See you guys later.

And with that Frank sauntered away. He disappeared a minute later.

Pike threw his axe to the ground in frustration.

PIKE: Great! Now what?

ANDREW: We have to go to England.

PIKE: (scoffs) We have to go to England. That’s just…Wait a minute. What did you just say?

ANDREW: Giles told me that they have some important information on Asta and Ahriman. And he thinks he might have the answer on how to defeat Ahriman. And since we are in trouble here, he said that it would be best if we go to England. The plane leaves in an hour.

PIKE: We?

ANDREW: Yup. All of us. You, me, Xander, maybe David and Asta. If we can find her. Oh! The other chick! The other chick is Asta! Xander must have gone to find Asta with David.

PIKE: Ok. Let’s get this straight. I’m not leaving for England. Not with David and Xander out there. I have to go and find them because there is a strong possibility that they might get Tabitha or Asta dead. Maybe both. Maybe even all for of them. So I’m going to go out there and find those two and kick their asses!

ANDREW: But Giles said –

PIKE: Then you go.

ANDREW: Me?

PIKE: Think about it. One of us has to go to England to get the information. Obviously that person is you because there’s no way you’re going to follow me around looking for Xander and David. You’re just going to slow me down.

Andrew opened his mouth to protest but shut it when he realised that Pike might be right.

ANDREW: I guess you’re –

PIKE: Of course I am. We’ll go to the airport together – I’ll help you watch your back – then I’ll go and find David and Xander. We can all meet back at the warehouse in 24 hours. Alright?

Andrew nodded.

PIKE: Good. Let’s get you on that plane.

#########################################
~MONASTERY~

Astwihad was seated cross-legged in the middle of the monastery floor. He had his eyes closed and was deep in concentration. A minute into his meditation, the sound of footsteps rang throughout the hall of the monastery.

VOICE: Ashley?

Astwihad’s eyes snapped opened. He smiled when he saw his slayer walking into the hall.

ASTWIHAD: Asta. How did your patrol go?

Asta shrugged as she laid down her various weapons that she had with her.

ASTA: It was ok, I guess.

ASTWIHAD: You guess? What happened?

ASTA: Nothing happened. Everything went right as planned. But…

She shrugged again as she stretched her muscles to cool off.

Astwihad stood up, waiting impatiently for her to continue.

ASTA: Demons are just confusing.

ASTWIHAD: (chuckling) Which aren’t?

ASTA: You’re right.

ASTWIHAD: Well, it’s not over yet. There’s still more on the list.

ASTA: Can we do this tomorrow? I’m just so tired right now. I just want to sleep for a year.

ASTWIHAD: You can do that once we are done with this. Alright?

Astwihad started to head towards the backroom when he noticed Asta glancing around the hall nervously.

ASTWIHAD: Everything ok, Asta?

ASTA: Erm…is he here?

Astwihad produced what he thought was his most comforting smile.

ASTWIHAD: He’s always here. You just can’t see him at the moment. Do…you want to see him?

ASTA: No, no. I’m just wondering where he was.

ASTWIHAD: A little titbit about Ahriman. He’s trapped in his monastery. He can’t leave. Ever. For the past hundreds of years he has been nowhere but in this hall. He can’t leave no matter what he does. Well, that’s not entirely true but we are working on that.

ASTA: So where is he now?

ASTWIHAD: Right where he was the last time you saw him. I just put a glamour up so you can’t see him. I thought the last time you saw him was a bit too much to take in so I thought you wouldn’t want to see him anytime soon. But if you want to…?

ASTA: No, that’s alright.

ASTWIHAD: Ok then. But if you do, just let me know.

ASTA: Thanks.

Astwihad nodded his welcome before leaving for the backroom.

ASTWIHAD: I have an errand to run. Once I’m back, we can start work.

ASTA: Ok.

Astwihad turned and smiled as he caught sight of Asta staring at where Ahriman was.

[shred]

ACT 4

XANDER: “Let’s split up,” he said. “Sure. What a good idea,” I said. Good idea my ass!

Someone punched him across the jaw and Xander fell to the ground. The demon stood over him, scowling.

DEMON: Hey! Will you shut up?

XANDER: Sorry. I babble when I’m nervous.

Xander lashed out with his leg, his foot catching the demon’s knee. Roaring in pain, the demon crumpled to the ground. Xander scrambled to his feet.

XANDER: And I run when I’m in trouble.

He turned on his heels and started running. He didn’t bother looking over his shoulder to see whether the demon was giving chase. He passed David’s bar and thought for a moment to take cover there. Before he could make up his mind, he caught a familiar figure darting across the street. Her lean figure and dark hair sparked recognition in Xander’s mind.

XANDER: Asta?

He didn’t hesitate as he changed direction and started running after the slayer. She seemed to be heading in the direction of the cemetery. In her hand was a broadsword, its leather sheath strapped across her back.

XANDER: Asta!

The slayer glanced over her shoulder. She slowed to a stop when she spotted Xander panting behind her. Xander jogged up to her with a smile of relief on his face.

XANDER: I’m so glad I found you.

Xander took a step forward and pulled the surprise slayer in a hug. Asta stood limply in his arms. When Xander pulled away, he gestured towards her weapon.

XANDER: Nice sword you have there.

Asta frowned. She didn’t look particularly happy to see him.

ASTA: What are you doing here?

XANDER: Looking for you actually.

ASTA: Where’s Andrew? And the rest?

XANDER: Long story but they are safe. Pike has this hideaway. We should be safe there. Until this whole thing dies down anyway.

ASTA: We?

XANDER: Yes. You’re coming with me. To this hideaway. Where you would be safe.

Asta shook her head. She looked behind her before turning back to Xander.

ASTA: I can’t. I got work to do.

XANDER: I know. It’s pretty crazy out there. That’s why you shouldn’t be alone. Besides, five people with pointy weapons are better than one sword.

ASTA: No, you don’t understand. Ashley –

XANDER: Ashley? You mean Astwihad.

ASTA: Yes. Astwihad. He told me who he is. He told me everything.

XANDER: So we were right.

ASTA: You were. And I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. Ashley…I mean Astwihad told me everything about who he is and who I am.

XANDER: And you believe him?

ASTA: What he told me made a lot of sense, Xander. And besides, why would he lie to me?

XANDER: Oh I don’t know. Let me take a wild guess. Because he’s evil? And he did lie about his name

ASTA: He’s not…(sighing) He was right.

XANDER: Right about what?

ASTA: Look, Xander, I don’t really have time for this. Ashley explained everything to me. It all makes sense now. Ahriman, the dreams and the visions…

XANDER: Wait. He told you about Ahriman? What did he say?

ASTA: He told me I’m connected to Ahriman because of who I am.

A small smile began to form on Asta’s lips.

ASTA: I finally know who I am and my purpose here.

XANDER: You’re the slayer. You’re here to fight demons and keep the world safe. You already know that.

Asta shook her head, sighing in frustration.

ASTA: Ashley was right. He told me you wouldn’t understand.

XANDER: Wouldn’t understand? Asta, you’re talking to Xander here. I’ve seen and understood everything. Try me.

ASTA: I don’t have time to explain everything. My demon has already escaped and…DUCK!

Asta pushed Xander into the ground just as the demon that was chasing him earlier swung a large arm at Asta. The slayer blocked the arm with her free hand and aimed a kick at the demon’s abdomen. The demon staggered back and Asta took this moment to put her sword into good use.

In one fluid motion, she sliced at the demons neck. The demon looked stunned before its head lolled back and dropped to the ground. The rest of the body followed a second later.

Xander climbed to his feet, dusting dirt from his clothes.

XANDER: Thanks. That was a close one.

ASTA: You better go back to wherever it is that you came from. It’s not safe here.

XANDER: I wasn’t safe until you came along.

Asta turned to leave.

ASTA: I have to go.

Xander followed her.

XANDER: Where?

ASTA: I lost my demon, I have to go and find it.

XANDER: I’ll come with you.

Asta stopped in her tracks and faced Xander.

ASTA: No. I can’t deal with you right now. There’s too much going on.

XANDER: All the more reason for me to be with you.

ASTA: No, Xander! I mean it. Leave me alone!

Before Xander could protest, Asta whirled around and started running away from him.

XANDER: Asta. Asta!
#########################################
~HOSPITAL~

Somehow David managed to get to the hospital without encountering any demons. One of the perks of being born and bred in Hades Valley. When he reached the hospital, the place was almost deserted. Most of the doctors and nurses where at one wing of the hospital, tending to the patients that were further wounded when the demons came storming in. It took David almost twenty minutes to find out where Tabitha was. She was moved to another part of the hospital – the part of the hospital that wasn’t touched by the rampaging demons.

As soon as David entered the room, he made a beeline towards Tabitha’s bed. He let out a sigh of relief when he found her unharmed. He reached for her hand.

DAVID: Hey babe. It’s me. I came to get you out of there. I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to a safe place. Just…just stay with me ok? I can’t lose you now. Be strong for me. I promise you, I’ll do anything to make you healthy again.

VOICE: Anything?

David jumped at the voice. He whipped around and saw a man approaching him. He immediately recognised who it was.

DAVID: You. You were here at the hospital earlier.

ASTWIHAD: That’s right. I’m Ashley. Asta’s friend.

DAVID: Friend huh? Didn’t seem that way when you attacked Xander.

ASTWIHAD: Technically, he attacked me. I was just defending myself.

DAVID: Sure. What do you want?

ASTWIHAD: I came to…help. Asta told me about Tabitha and I thought I come and offer my services.

DAVID: Services? What are you? A demon or something?

ASTWIHAD: Or something. Let’s just say I have abilities. Abilities that you might need in a situation like this.

DAVID: I don’t need your help or your abilities.

ASTWIHAD: Are you sure? Tabitha doesn’t seem to be getting better and with everything that has been going on, I’d assume you’ll do anything to make her well again.

DAVID: You…you can make her better?

ASTWIHAD: I can and I will if you let me.

DAVID: I’m sure there’s a catch somewhere in there.

Astwihad offered him an assuring smile.

ASTWIHAD: No catch. Just… a small payment.

DAVID: What kind of payment?

Astwihad walked up to Tabitha’s bed and stood on the other side on David. He gazed down at Tabitha, smiling sadly.

ASTWIHAD: She’s a beautiful girl, powerful girl. Would be a great loss if something happens to her.

Astwihad reached out to stroke her hair.

DAVID: Don’t touch her!

Astwihad looked up in surprise, taken aback by David’s sharp tone.

DAVID: Stay away from her or –

ASTWIHAD: Or what? You’ll kill me?

Astwihad let out a laugh, causing David to flinch.

ASTWIHAD: Don’t be ridiculous.

DAVID: What do you want?

ASTWIHAD: I’m here as a favour to Asta. She asked me to help and so I’m here to help. That is if you allow me.

DAVID: So you’re going to make her well? No side effects, nothing?

ASTWIHAD: As if this didn’t happen at all. What do you say, Dave?

Astwihad leaned forward, smiling big.

ASTWIHAD: How much do you love Tabitha?

DAVID: With all my heart.

ASTWIHAD: Good. Then this shouldn’t be a problem.

#########################################
~AIRPORT~

Just as Giles said, a private jet was waiting silently for Andrew and Pike. Two men – both looking almost identical – stood beside the plane, looking impatient.

MAN #1: Are you Mr. Wells?

ANDREW: Are you the Watchers Dudes?

The man who spoke nodded.

MAN #2: We were about to give up on you. We’ll leave in five minutes.

With that the two men started preparing the plane for takeoff. Andrew turned towards Pike.

ANDREW: You sure you don’t want to come with me? I’m sure there’s a lot less demons in England.

PIKE: No, I can’t leave without Tabitha.

ANDREW: And Xander and David?

PIKE: (nodding) And Xander of course. Maybe David. Just get back to Hades Valley as soon as you can and with plans to make this chaos stop.

ANDREW: I’ll try. Giles said he had information that would be helpful to us and Giles is usually right on the money with stuff like this.

PIKE: Good to know. Say ‘hi’ to Buffy for me.

ANDREW: What do I tell her if she asked about the situation here?

PIKE: Tell her everything. We might need all the help we can get.

#########################################
~MONASTERY~

Astwihad was dressed in a black hooded robe. The hood was over his hand and in his hands he held a blade engraved with intricate designs and symbols. A triumphant grin was on his face.

AHRIMAN: I can feel it, Astwihad. The balance. It’s shifting.

ASTWIHAD: (smiling) I know.

AHRIMAN: But how? I thought it would take longer than this.

ASTWIHAD: Well, I did a bit of research and it turns out that our dear Asta holds a lot of power – not just as your descendent but also as a Saoshyant. Now that she’s coming over to our side, her power is causing the balance to shift a lot more. She’s speeding up the process.

AHRIMAN: And our army?

ASTWIHAD: Almost ready to go. Word is spreading and before you know it, your army is ready to rise.

AHRIMAN: Good. Astwihad, you’ve done me proud. You’ll be rewarded for your loyalty and for serving me.

Astwihad almost blushed.

ASTWIHAD: Oh shucks.

AHRIMAN: But there’s one thing that’s puzzling me, Astwihad.

ASTWIHAD: And what’s that?

AHRIMAN: The witch…

ASTWIHAD: Ah, yes. The witch. She was just a…token I thought I leave before we end the world.

AHRIMAN: Won’t she be a hindrance to us?

ASTWIHAD: Her? A hindrance? Please! She’s just a witch.

AHRIMAN: You sure?

ASTWIHAD: Very. Don’t worry about this, Ahriman. If she posed a problem, I wouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to make the final stage a little bit more exciting.

AHRIMAN: Astwihad –

ASTWIHAD: But if she gives us trouble, I’ll kill her ok?

Ahriman nodded. Then he waved towards the dagger Astwihad was holding.

AHRIMAN: Shall we begin?

Astwihad didn’t answer. He just smiled like a kid in the candy store as he sat cross-legged in the middle of the hall of the monastery. He closed his eyes and started chanting in a language that was unheard of. He voice was low but loud, the words echoing across the hall.

As he chanted, Astwihad extended his free hand in front of him. Gripping the dagger in the other hand, Astwihad drew the blade across his palm, drawing blood. His voice grew louder as dark red blood welled up at the cut. Astwihad balled his hand and tightened it into fist. Blood started dripping out of his hand and onto the floor.

As soon as the blood hit the floor of the monastery, the ground around Astwihad started to shimmer like water under a bright sunshine. It then started to ripple and swirl around him.

#########################################

Asta finally caught up to her demon and had him cornered in an empty mausoleum in the cemetery.

The demon was small, like a child. His skin was white, like the colour of chalk. He had small round eyes and a thin mouth. His nose was so flat that he didn’t even look like he had a nose – just two small holes in the middle of his face. From afar he looked his like face was smashed flat with a frying pan.

The demon started to whimper, almost sounding like a little kid. But Asta was not going to be fool. Ashley told her what this demon was capable of no matter how small he might look like.

The demon started to tremble violently, taking Asta by surprise.

ASTA: What the –

Right before her eyes, its skin started to ripple. The demon started morphing. A second later, a ten year old girl was standing before the slayer.

ASTA: You’re not going to trick me that easily.

#########################################
~MONASTERY~

Astwihad stopped chanting as he watched the floor churn around him in amazement.

AHRIMAN: It’s close.

Astwihad stood up but didn’t move from his spot.

AHRIMAN: It’s very close.

ASTWIHAD: But not close enough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~CEMETERY~

The demon, now an adorable little girl, looked up at Asta with big blue eyes that were filled with fear.

DEMON/GIRL: What do you want from us?

ASTA: Change back.

DEMON/GIRL: Why can’t you just let us live in peace?

ASTA: I said change back!

DEMON/GIRL: You’re suppose to be the protector.

ASTA: I am a protector. I’m protecting this world from demons like you. Now change back and show me your true face.

DEMON/GIRL: Shouldn’t you be protecting us too?

ASTA: No, I’m not. I’m suppose to get rid of all things evil.

DEMON/GIRL: But you’re the Slayer.

ASTA: But I’m a Saoshyant as well.

Determination set on Asta’s face.

ASTA: If you think being this little girl is going to change my mind, you’re wrong. This is what I have to do. You can’t be apart of this world. Not when I’m around.

She raised her sword, its sharp tip coming into contact with the demon’s chest.

ASTA: Let this be a message to all of your little friends.

With a quick thrust, Asta plunged the blade in to the girl’s heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~MONASTERY~

Astwihad smiled brightly when he felt something in the air change.

ASTWIHAD: Can you feel that?

AHRIMAN: Power.

ASTWIHAD: Hell yeah! And lots of it too.

Then the ground started to shake, causing the walls of the monastery to tremble. Dust from the ceiling started to fall to the ground as the monastery started to shake more violently

Astwihad closed his eyes and raised his hands. Bright blue energy started to shoot out from his fingers and hitting every corner of the monastery. The place started to shake even more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asta exited the cemetery and started to make her way back to the monastery. In one of her hands was the dead body of the ten year old girl, while in the other hand, she held her bloody sword. There was a satisfied smile on the slayer’s face as she walked down the empty street.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ahriman stood up from the position he was sitting in for what felt like eternity. The blue energy that sparked out of Astwihad hit Ahriman squarely in the chest. Upon impact, Ahriman burst into flames. He roared with delight.

More power started to fill the monastery. The walls and the floor started to crack just as big chunks of the ceiling came crashing to the ground around Astwihad and Ahriman.

ASTWIHAD: (shouting) This is it, Ahriman! You’re almost there!

With the added power and energy around the room, Ahriman started to grow even bigger than he originally was. Bright orange flames surrounded him.

Then everything went still.

The sound of crackling blue energy faded away. The ground stopped shaking. The flames on and around Ahriman disappeared.

Astwihad dropped his hands to his side, panting hard. He looked up at Ahriman. Ahriman stared back at him. Then with his red eyes blazing bright, Ahriman took a step forward. And then another.

Before Astwihad could say another word, Ahriman was standing tall and large before him. Astwihad looked up in awe.

ASTWIHAD: Geez, you’re big.


CUT TO BLACK

END CREDITS

Written by
Irene Issac

Story Editor
Beck Schwarz

Special Thanks To
Everyone and anyone who helped in making this episode a success



A BECK TO SHREDS production. © 2008 Irene Issac

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