Buffy the Vampire Slayer

POISON CLAN

By Bryan "Blade" Bonner

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and related characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Productions, 20^th Century Fox, and Warner Brothers. Original concepts of the Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and Toad are the property of Chang Cheh and Entertainment Programs International (EPI). All other characters and story concept is the property of the author, Bryan A. Bonner. This story is not intended for sale or commercial profit. Any unauthorized reproduction, copying, or use of any portion of this story, without the author’s express permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Chapter 6-Answers

For a few hours, Willow taped incessantly on the keyboard of her parent’s graduation gift, a Gateway Solo PII, 350 MHz laptop computer. The modem card Oz had given her was coming in quite useful for her present task. Willow had hit every mythology, mystic, occult, and supernatural web site on the Internet looking for a clue to Tien-Mu. Preferring a more traditional approach, Oz combed Giles’ modest library looking for additional answers. Determined to be useful, despite his techphobia, Giles worked diligently to uncover the dialect of this strange term.

"Ah ha" Giles sounded moderately triumphant "the text appears to stem from 3,000 BC China, that narrows it down to only a few dialects."

"I think this Tien-Mu has something to do with Mother Nature or earth goddess or something" Willow was a little annoyed she didn’t yet have the complete picture.

"What makes you say that?" Oz began massaging Willow’s tense shoulders, he could feel the tension between her shoulder blades.

"It just that…well without knowing the dialect, I can only guesstimate on the translation" Willow began to relax into Oz’s back rub. "It has something to do with thunder or lightening and it involves women."

"Women, well it can’t be all bad" Oz’s quip was greeted by a loving slap on the hand.

"Yes…yes indeed…of course" Giles’ excitement was growing.

"Hey…share" Willow’s sarcasm was mixed with anticipation.

"Yes, but of course. Here see these symbols" Giles perched the book near Willow’s laptop. "It is similar to the ancient Mandarin text."

"Wait I think I’ve seen that at a Chinese mythology web site" Willow glided her finger over the small black, integrated mouse pad double clicking on the web browser’s back button.

"Hey it looks like a match" Oz peered carefully over Willow’s shoulders.

"According the page’s translation, Tien-Mu means Lightening Goddess" Willow continued scrolling down the page. "Tien-Mu was one of the ancient Chinese deities and not one of the nice ones. Tien-Mu rained lightening down on the Earth punishing its inhabitants, until a noble warrior banished her to the realm of never ending screams."

"Sounds like a real party place. I think we played a gig there once. What’s the rest of that say?" Oz pointed curiously at a point on the screen. "Looks like a warning."

"It is" Willow was becoming frustrated again "I can’t make it all out. It says something about raising the lightening goddess through…I can’t make out the rest."

"Well, we are further along than when we started" Giles sought out the proverbial silver lining in the gray cloud of incompleteness "perhaps Xander will have some additional good fortune with Willie the Snitch. The knock at Giles’ door was a little startling.

"Speak of the Xander…" Oz moved so Giles could reach the door.

Giles expected Xander, Buffy, or perhaps even Allen’s familiar face. Needless to say the sun-glassed, trench coat wearing stranger, standing at his door in the late hours of the night, was somewhat surprising.

"Can I help you?" Giles was perplexed by the unusual stranger’s appearance.

"You live here?" the stranger’s face was expressionless.

"Why yes" Giles’ concern was now elevating to fearful anxiety of the starnger’s unknown intent.

"Then you can invite me in" the stranger’s crooked smile revealed the fangs from the corner’s of his mouth.

Giles stumbled backwards "vampire!" Keeping his footing, he pulled a crucifix from out of his pocket. "Get back demon!"

"Get that thing out of my face" in obvious pain, the stranger pulled his face from the holy symbol’s view! With almost the speed of thought, the stranger cupped his hand, allowing a small dagger to fall from his sleeve. Giles’ only immediate, undead protection was nailed to the floor in seconds. "You always treat your guests like this?!?" With his free hand, the stranger revealed his sterling silver, black gripped, Glock machine pistol, pointing it directly at Giles’ now profusely sweating forehead!

"Didn’t your mother tell you never point guns at people, assuming you have a mother" Buffy’s sudden reverse wristlock had Cage’s weapon pointed at his own temple. Giles’ heart began to beat again at the sight of his slayer.

"Guns don’t kill people, vampires kill people" Allen slid the weapon carefully from Cage’s now slightly relaxed grip. Willow and Oz rushed the door.

"What’s going on?!?" Willow was confused by the commotion.

""Allow me to introduce Cage the latest undead addition to Sunnydale’s growing vampire population" Buffy slowly released the pressure on Cage’s wrist. "Cage here is a vampire with grudge against our kung fu, poison clan crew, in fact…he’s a toad."

"That is he’s the Toad style warrior" Allen corrected "he actually saved our butts early tonight. Allen placed his hand on Buffy’s and slowly released her grip on Cage, he couldn’t stop staring in her eyes.

"I was wondering when you were going to get to that part" Cage rubbed his wrist, rotating it to make sure it wasn’t broken. "So librarian, you gonna invite me in or what?"

Giles was still perplexed by the last 30 seconds "Well, I suppose…I mean…well...Buffy?"

Buffy could tell Giles needed the Reader’s Digest version of the last several hours. "Cage is on our side…for now. He’s a kung-fu vampire with some serious hardware for dusting vamps. For now, we can trust him…for now."

"I know this is going to sound very George Lucas, but he’s on the level" Allen spoke confidently "I can sense it."

"Obi Wan says he’s cool, I guess he’s okay" Xander bounced up the steps to Giles’ apartment fresh from his visit with Willie, but late to the present events . "What’s going on guys?"

"Please, come in" Giles stepped aside and allowed Cage to pass.

*****

Cage stood cautiously in a corner, assessing his very tentative new allies, while the rest of the Scooby Gang, huddled around the couch.

"So how come our vampire compadre over there isn’t all vamped out, you know demon face, etc" Xander let his curiosity get the better of him "All he’ s got are fangs. I mean he’s not like Angel…is he?"

"Angelus was a pussy. He didn’t own a monopoly on the soul filled vampire gig" Cage stepped slowly from his corner. Buffy’s head immediately turned at the mention of Angel’s evil alter ego, her expression was less than pleasant.

"Due to some very ancient magicks, I am a living vampire with a soul. I have their strengths and weakness, but not their need for blood, or their demon appearance, only fangs. I am not immortal, but I will long out live all of you. I was converted for one purpose, to find Sifu Chi’s student, the renewed phoenix, stop the Lin Qwue, and prevent the resurrection of Tien-Mu."

"Well technically, that’s three purposes" Willow sheepishly piped in. Cage simply stared in Willow’s direction. "Umm, sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt."

Cage now stepped into the middle of the Scooby circle. "You’ve only scratched the surface of evil. You slay vampires, megalomaniacal mayors, self proclaimed vampire masters, hunting the things that go bump in the night" Cage’s shiny, completely ebony eyes pierced the silence as he slowly removed his sunglasses "I hunt the thing that make them cower in fear."

"So why here, why now, where were you when evil was kicking our collective asses?!?" Buffy was growing angry, the thought of a would be ally sitting idly by on the side lines, while good people, Jenny Calendar, Kendra, died infuriated her.

"My reasons are my own. Suffice it to say, revealing myself now suits my… purposes" Cage carefully put his Tommy Hilfinger sunglasses back on to his face. "My timing is the least of your concerns or did you forget the lightening goddess…Tien-Mu."

Buffy resisted the urge to spring from her seat and pound Cage into dust. His smug, condescending tone seemingly made trite the deaths of her friends. Allen’s gentle rubbing of her arms and shoulders calmed her swelling rage.

"Lightening goddess?" Xander’s trademark perplexity covered his face "Did I miss another staff meeting?"

"Tien-Mu the Chinese lightening goddess banished to the realm of never ending screams for needlessly punishing the world of man to endless torture" Giles slowly rose to his feet, pointing Xander in the direction of Willow’s laptop.

"You’ve done your homework librarian" Cage stepped towards Willow’s graduation gift, Buffy quickly stepped in between. "There’s more. Tien-Mu can be resurrected, here…in Sunnydale."

"You know the rest of the warning?" Willow turned in anticipation of the Cage’s answer.

"When the chosen has fallen into the sleep of ends nights,

then will Tien-Mu rise through her demanding fear, commanding fright.

To purge the world of man, her evil light a piercing beacon,

cleansing the world of the undeserving man, women, or demon."

Cage recited the words, as if he were born to speak them.

"Doesn’t sound like Tien is very discriminating" Oz was in analytical mode "if she rises everybody gets it."

"So why are these Honk Kong Phoey rejects so jazzed about helping her?" Xander made a good point.

"The poison clan believes Tien-Mu will reward those who bring her back, making them lesser deities in her new kingdom" Cage paused "they’re wrong."

"When the chosen has fallen…" Giles was pondering out loud "you mean a slayer?!?"

"Your getting warmer librarian" Cage’s reply was stoic.

"The sleep of endless nights…a coma" Giles was frightened by his imminent conclusion.

"Faith" Buffy completed Giles’ thought.

"Exactly" Cage could sense the despair as it filled the room.

"Now it makes sense" Xander was thinking out loud again.

"What?" Allen put his arms around Buffy.

"Something Willie the Snitch told me. Faith’s body…" Xander’s heart skipped a beat "…its gone."

"Gone?!? Buffy was approaching scared again.

"Gone" Xander replied simply.