All that, and a head of chips
Don't 'spose anyone got the license of that truck that hit me? 'Cause just as soon as I get my legs workin' again, I plan on trackin' the bastard down and showin' him that you can't just do that to William the Bloody and walk away with all your limbs. Things just don't work that way, you see. If a bloke wants to knock me over the bloody head, that'
( Read more... )
And then, miraculously, that scrawny little nerd had a hand around my throat and was holding me clear off the bloody floor. While I didn't exactly have to worry much about not breathing, I didn't care much to find myself in such a helpless position. But... Warren?! You know, I'm still trying to wrap my mind 'round that one... Warren? Whatever changed here must have been something big.
"Ignorant little vampire. Don't you understand yet? I am in charge now. I run things."
I tried to retort with something, but that whole crushing of my throat thing wasn't making that all that easy. I managed a few strangled sounds, but not much else. When the TV sparked to life, I watched with a sort of detached horror. Warren? Ruling the world? Overpowering me? How the blazes did that ever happen? It seemed like a joke, like whenever you hear about any disaster that just seems so impossible at first - it makes you almost want to laugh at the very idea, until you see the bodies. And knowing Warren, there must have been bodies. I may have only had a business relationship with the guy, but someone sick enough to make sex bots (yeah, that doesn't say much about me for buying' one off him, I know) must have some kinda disregard for human life. And to take over the US? No one does that without killing someone.
"Two years ago, Sparky. It's been two years since I performed a semi-hostile takeover of the U.S, and I've been running it quite efficiently since then if I do say so myself. I'm stronger than you, more powerful than you in so many ways, and richer than a failed cockney poet such as yourself could ever even begin to comprehend. So, I do believe you'll be wanting to re-think that petty little threat you just issued, yes? Oh, and your claiming to not be intimidated be me? Something else you might want to rephrase. Because if I were you, Spike-I'd be very afraid."
Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure what I thought of all this. The evidence was all right there in front of me, but I just couldn't believe it. The sod was holding me of the bleedin' ground and I couldn't accept it.
I know I've got a bit of a history of doing things I regret later, and this was definitely one of 'em. Grabbing the hand around my neck, I tried to pry Warren away from me while vamping out, ready to attack.
And was promptly hit with such an intense burst of pain in my head that I'm sure that it'd kill me if I hadn't already been dead.
Not sure if I yelled or anything like that, but it took me a good few moments of delirium before I could think straight again. Looked like I was beat for now. My face back to normal again, I nodded weakly to Warren to let him know I'd listen quietly this time.
Reply
At that point, I was unable to control myself any longer, and threw my head back, laughing out loud like I hadn't done in ages. My laughter only grew more so when he cried out with a kind of strangled scream and jerked in my grip, his body spasming from the intense burst of pain that was now shooting throughout his entire body.
"Oh...Oh, God. That was so sweet. Oh Spike, feel free to try and attack me in any way you see fit, Sparky. Oh God, that was so funny..."
I finally let him down, allowing his pained, limp body to collapse in a heap as he hit the floor. He seemed confused and disoriented, but docile enough for the time being, and so I motioned for him to stand up as I started walking in a slow circle around his prone form.
"Listen cupcake, I'm not here to start a battle with you. I have something you want. And you have something I want. The question I'm going to ask you-also something that you have to ask yourself-is are you going to cooperate? Feel free to refuse, to defy me. But rest assured that whereever you could possibly go, I will own you. There is no escaping Warren Mears in this country, and there is no escaping the country either. Now, by all means, I won't force you into anything. If you refuse politely and refrain from attempting to bring harm upon me or mine, I'll gladly let you go to live the same life as the rest of vampires in my country. Think hard, Sparky. Think real hard"
Leaning in, I nearly whispered my next words so close to his ear that I was sure he could feel my breath, feel the intensity in my voice.
"I've got the slayer, Spike. I've got her and all her little friends frozen in chambers right now, and if you're a good boy and do exactly as I tell you...she's all yours"
Reply
I hit the floor hard after he let me go, though I barely felt any pain through the remaining electric throbbing through my body. So there was still a chip in me, and this one seemed to pack a bigger whollop than the last one. As much as his mocking made me want to tear off his arms and beat him with them, I managed to subdue the emotion to a withering glare from my position on the floor in front of him.
That was when Warren started circling me, like some kind of bloody shark. He continued talking, giving me the distinct impression that he enjoyed hearing himself gloat just as much as he enjoyed seeing me in pain. Back when I first met the geek, I'd have never pegged him as being this sort, but I suppose it's always the quiet ones.
Though he wasn't all that quiet right now.
"Listen cupcake, I'm not here to start a battle with you. I have something you want. And you have something I want. The question I'm going to ask you-also something that you have to ask yourself-is are you going to cooperate? Feel free to refuse, to defy me. But rest assured that wherever you could possibly go, I will own you. There is no escaping Warren Mears in this country, and there is no escaping the country either. Now, by all means, I won't force you into anything. If you refuse politely and refrain from attempting to bring harm upon me or mine, I'll gladly let you go to live the same life as the rest of vampires in my country. Think hard, Sparky. Think real hard."
I'd managed to push myself back onto my feet, though I still felt a bit wobbly after that jolt the chip had given me. I managed to keep from flinching, however, as the bastard leaned in to whisper in my ear. His neck was right there... if it wasn't for this bloody chip in my head, I could just turn to the side and bite into him before he could blink. But no, I couldn't do that again. I'd rather not have my brain fried by his little toy. So I stood as still as possible as he spoke to me again.
"I've got the slayer, Spike. I've got her and all her little friends frozen in chambers right now, and if you're a good boy and do exactly as I tell you...she's all yours"
I vamped out again before I even knew what I was doing, going on instinct I suppose, as I snarled and dove at him. Again there was the blinding flash of pain and this time it floored me, literally. By the time I'd regained my sight and my ears stopped ringing, I found myself crumpled at Warren's feet in a manner that made me feel sick to my stomach.
"Huh... you... you stupid sod, think I just want to rape her? S'that it? Figures that's how you'd think, seein' as the only tail you get is your tailor-made tinker toys. I want her to-"
I stopped before I said any more to him. Whatever the hell it was I felt for or wanted from Buffy, it was none of his goddamn business. But I didn't want to rape her. It wasn't about that. I wanted her to feel the same way about me that I felt for her. Right now that feeling was violent and burning and painful, and so rightfully I'd like her to feel that, but... not the way I guessed Warren thought of it.
"A sick puppy like yourself wouldn't understand... go play with your life-sized action figures some more and come back to me when you've got any sort of clue what you're talkin' about..."
Hold on, did I just insinuate that I'd be willing to actually work with this bastard?
If it meant making Buffy feel what I felt? Hells bells, I'd work with him and shake his hand for it.
But what does this geeky tweak know about love like ours?
Hoping now that he hadn't picked up on my possible interest, I took to staring at the floor. Hopefully he's just leave me alone now that I'd shot him down.
Reply
"A sick puppy like yourself wouldn't understand... go play with your life-sized action figures some more and come back to me when you've got any sort of clue what you're talkin' about..."
"Oh?" I knelt beside him on the floor, bracing my body on one knee. "You know Spike, you go on and on about how sick I am...but in the end, it was you who came to me asking for one of those 'toys' of mine. What does that make you in terms of 'sick'? You're so desperate to believe that you and I are so different...but in the end Sparky, you're just like me"
I could see him cracking, could sense it in the creeping tone of desperation seeping into his voice, the almost visible tensing of his body, the paling of his skin. And it was sweet.
"However, far be it from me to force you into anything. As I said before, as long as you refuse like a civilized person and leave here quietly, you're more than free to go out there and live the same life as the rest of the vampires in the U.S right now. Your hunting will be restricted, you'll remain mentally neutered, and I'll be watching your every move...but what price is that to pay for your 'freedom'? But before you make your decision, Sparky...think long and think hard about what I'm offering you. You haven't even asked what it is I want from you yet, and already I'm offering to hand you a helpless Buffy Summers"
"Are you really trying to tell me that some dark part of you doesn't want that? Doesn't want her strapped down and helpless before whatever you want to do with her? Don't you want revenge, Spike? Don't you want to get her back? You're just like me, cupcake...not so innocent. Not so heroic. You're a realist, and you know what you want. This Buffy, this bitch, is taking your free will from you, turning you into a pathetic shred of a man. Aren't you pissed?"
Standing up, I held out a hand to help him up and offered him an indulgent smile. There was really no more to say.
Reply
I had to grit my teeth again to keep from lashing out at him. It really didn't help that the bastard was right - I had that damned robot made for me, though after all that had happened, the idea of it made me sick. Nothing could compare to Buffy, not the least of which was any toy built by his all high dorky dictator here. After getting a taste for the real thing, there really was no going back to how I'd been before.
But, apparently this guy had Buffy somewhere. She had been captured same time as I'd been. Of course, this meant that Warren had a chip on the table that he didn't even recognize the value of.
What if he did something to her? I couldn't just walk out the door after knowing that. He could... he could do things to her if I didn't help him with whatever the bleedin' hell it was he wanted.
Still on the floor, I turned this over a few times in my mind as Warren continued.
"Are you really trying to tell me that some dark part of you doesn't want that? Doesn't want her strapped down and helpless before whatever you want to do with her? Don't you want revenge, Spike? Don't you want to get her back? You're just like me, cupcake...not so innocent. Not so heroic. You're a realist, and you know what you want. This Buffy, this bitch, is taking your free will from you, turning you into a pathetic shred of a man. Aren't you pissed?"
He held a hand out to me, and I found myself just staring blankly at it. The more he talked, the more tiny slivers of sense seeped into his words. It almost even made sense now.
Almost.
He really didn't understand, and probably never would. Warren just looked at women differently than everyone else. Which was why I was even more concerned knowing that he still had Buffy somewhere. Whether she was awake or not... I couldn't leave her here. So, in some twisted way, if I didn't take Warren up on his offer, Buffy could end up in more danger than if she found herself at my mercy.
So maybe if I just accepted his offer, I could help her escape later...
Or maybe it was just a very appealing offer.
I'm sure Warren had the benefit of seeing several different emotions pass across my face in the long moment it took me to finally take his hand and stand up. Sure the bastard loved every second of it.
"Just get to the point then, will you? What is it you want?"
Reply
"Just get to the point then, will you? What is it you want?"
"Good boy, Sparky. Now listen up. What I want from you is an inside source. You've got your finger on the pulse of the vampire and demon underworld of California, a state that I'm keeping a close eye on for reasons other than it being my old hometown. I know you've got friends there, friends who know things and know people. I want you to keep an eye on them. Not 'tracking', per se...just watching their activities. Should I request a report from you regarding what they're doing, what the word on the streets of good old Cali' is, I'll expect it in a reasonably short amount of time. That's all I want. Does that sound fair to you? Sound like something you could do? I bet it does. You've never been the loyal type, have you Spike? This should prove to be no problem for you"
I could almost see the wheels in his head turning, and so I moved in for the kill with another nudge.
"Think about it-I'm offering you everything that you won't admit to yourself you want, everything you're otherwise helpless to obtain. And all I ask in return is for you to be my PR man for the demons and vamps of California. Tell me that doesn't sound reasonable to you, Spike. I know you better than you'd like to think-and you're no fool. You know you're being offered something here that you never will be again. Just think about it. Buffy Summers...all yours. You could even try and make her love you. Hell, I could care less what you do with her. She'll be yours, Spike"
I didn't smile at him, didn't bother attempting to conceal the intensity in my stare. This was crucial to my current plan, and I'd be damned if I'd let this fool of a lovesick vampire disrupt things for me. I'd have him killed first.
"The ball's in your court, Sparky. Your call"
Reply
"...Just think about it. Buffy Summers...all yours. You could even try and make her love you. Hell, I could care less what you do with her. She'll be yours, Spike."
I had to grit my teeth at this part. It disgusted me as the same time as it made perfect sense. Everything I wanted and everything I hated about myself all at once... but again, if Buffy was here, I couldn't exactly just leave her to Warren. I want to be the one to hurt her, after all. Me. No one else.
My confusion must have been showing on my face, because Warren's voice (I was already so sick of it) broke my train of thought once more.
"The ball's in your court, Sparky. Your call."
"... Don't call me Sparky an' maybe I'll think about it, alright?"
Sighing, I turned away from Warren to face the wall, glaring at it accusingly for not offering me any other way out of this.
"I just need t' give it some thought s'all."
Was I willingly considering being Warren's little undead bitch? Well, why not? I've been everyone else's bloody bitch up 'till now, haven't I? Angelus, Dru, Adam, the Initiative, Buffy... Why not Warren next? Hell, why don't I just go find myself a nice fluffy kitten and start waitin' on it hand an' soddin' knee? Bloody hell...
Reply
"Sure thing, cupcake. You take all the time you need. You're not going anywhere" In a mockingly teasing gesture, I reached out and pinched his cheek.
"I just need t' give it some thought s'all."
"No problem, Sparky. Oh, but if you do manage to decide by tonight, I'd like to invite you to dinner. The inner circle of my regime and I are going to have a nice little semi-formal affair. It's not black tie, so don't worry. I know you're not exactly accustomed to the finer things in life. But I'll have someone send up some nice clothes for you"
I smiled cheerily, watching him slowly cave with a sensation of triumph that was oddly almost sexual. He was fascinating to watch, as his barriers and inhibitions slowly cracked. I'd have some fun with this one, I just knew it. I considered letting Andrew watch, and decided to make my decision on that later. Sometimes things like that still disturbed him a little. I didn't intend to do any harm to this one, however. He was too important for that. Besides, I liked him. I liked his spark.
"I'm going to be going now, Spike. But in an hour or two, I'm going to send someone down here to check up on you. If you make the right decision, I'll send someone with suitable clothing for you and you're more than welcome to join us for dinner. If not...well, you're on your own. Think hard, my friend"
That said, I turned and walked out, the metal heels and toes of my Italian leather shoes clicking on the tiles.
Reply
Leave a comment