Chapter 68

It was the night of Tuesday of the First Week of March when I got a call from Buffy. Willow had, apparently, constructed a ritual with Giles' help to track down any more of those Boxes of Dark Magic that the New Whirlwind was looking out for. Apparently, she'd gotten a hit that one of them was currently sitting in the back room of the Sunnydale Post Office. Buffy and Oz were headed that way now, while Giles, Willow, and Wesley tried tracking down the rest of the boxes. There was apparently some kind of interference they were getting when they tried to trace them. Unfortunately, I was alone due to an incident in Oxnard requiring me to send Xander, Amy, and Sheila out there.

"It's likely that Dave Gustafson is using some type of anti-scrying magic to put up interference. Non-detection is most likely since you're getting interference. If it were Mind Blank, you wouldn't be getting anything at all. I'd also be worried if it were Mind Blank, that's an eighth circle spell, if Dave could cast that, he'd be way too powerful for us to handle." I advised.

"Whatever, can you get here?" Demanded Buffy.

"I'll be alone. You caught my group in the middle of something else. Xander, Amy, and Sheila are dealing with an issue out in Oxnard. Some Moron decided it would be a great idea to bring a Sumatran Rat-Monkey into Oxnard as part of a traveling animal exhibit." I grumbled.

"So?" Questioned Buffy.

"So Sumatran Rat-Monkeys are carriers of a mystical parasite that turns people into Zombies with a bite. I've already notified the US Special Forces since I have the contact info of Captain Blade from a prior thing, but they're currently dealing with a Bioterrorism thing out on Alcatraz Island right now. It'll be at least another twelve hours before they can move in. I sent the others to deal with the Sumatran Rat-Monkey and the Zombie Animals in the meantime." I explained.

"Oh? How bad is this Sumatran Rat-Thingy compared to the Whirlwind?" Queried Buffy.

"Pretty bad, Buff. The last time someone brought one back to Civilization from the Jungles of Sumatra, they had to blow up a whole section of Wellington New Zealand to deal with it, and they got lucky given how long the plague had been going on. If I recall the others, Oxnard could be overrun by the time the Special Forces get there. It's not exactly a major metropolitan area. You don't want a town to get turned into Zombies, right?" I informed.

"No, no I don't. Just meet me at the post office, OK?" Intoned Buffy.

"On my way." I agreed.

With that call done, I tooled up for a fight. I grabbed my newly-made Boots, Belt, Vest, and Duster, the last of which I'd already transferred the stuff in my old duster's expanded pocket into the expanded pocket of, and headed out in my Camaro. When I arrived, I was gratified to see that Oz was wearing the Duster I'd made him, as well as the Dagger and Belt. Buffy, on the other hand, wasn't wearing any of the gear I'd made her.

I parked in the S-Mart Parking Lot across from the Post Office where Buffy and Oz were and got out of my Camaro whilst lighting up a Red Apple Cigarette and taking a drag. Buffy rolled her eyes at that, which was a sign that our relationship was improving, at least. If we were still at each others' throats like we'd been before, she'd have made a face and a comment. I breathed out a cloud of smoke and looked over at Buffy.

"You didn't wear any of the gear I made you?" I asked.

"It's not my sort of fashion." Shrugged Buffy.

"Give them back, then. I'll put a Glamour enchantment on them and you can make them look like anything you want." I offered.

"You can do that? Cause I have a whole closet full of out-of-style clothes that I could use that sort of magic on." Grinned Buffy.

"That's kind of a frivolous use of magic, isn't it?" Questioned Oz.

"It's fashion." Insisted Buffy, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. On the other hand, I could stand to further this sort of rapprochement we have going on between myself and Buffy.

"I'll do one outfit. Plus the magic items I made you." I tried.

"How about three outfits?" Tried Buffy.

"Two Outfits, plus the Magic Items. Final Offer." I countered.

"Done! You know, you may be good at a bunch of stuff, but Haggling so isn't one of them. I would've settled for one outfit plus a pair of shoes." Smirked Buffy.

"Uh, guys? Looks like the Whirlwind's here." Interjected Oz.

I looked over at the post office. A Virtucon Shipping Truck had just pulled into the Post Office Parking Lot, Spike behind the wheel, before vanishing around the back of the building. As they pulled around back, the song I Wanna Be Your Dog by the Stooges was blaring over the radio.

"I'll say this at least, Spike's got decent taste in music." I muttered.

"Come on." Huffed Buffy, starting to head across the street.

I stubbed out my cigarette and Oz drained the last of his Chug-A-Cherry Cola before tossing the can away and we both followed Buffy. When we arrived, we found that the back door of the Post Office had just been broken into. Spike had made a Beeline for the last Box and we came on him and some Indian Vampiress crowding around another wooden box, this one was around the size of a person's leg, provided that person was eight feet tall. Meanwhile, Dave Gustafson was standing a few yards away looking at a different package that seemed to be full of material components for various spells. Unfortunately, they weren't alone.

A group of six, gray-skinned, red-eyed, Security Guards emerged from the racks of packages, each was wearing a Kevlar vest and had a revolver or nightstick. I knew exactly what these were thanks to my Downloaded Information. Juju Zombies, victims of necromantic spells that drained their life energy, they were tougher, stronger, and smarter than normal for Necromantic Zombies. These could actually use weapons and rudimentary tactics, though they still needed to be directed by a stronger mind for anything else.

"You made Juju Zombies? You belong on the Whirlwind!" I scowled at Dave Gustafson. He turned and nodded at me. Spike and the Indian Vampiress turned to spot us as well.

"After you dealt with my Hydra, I figured I might as well try something different." Shrugged Dave Gustafson.

"Looks like you lot are too late once again. We got the Package just before you showed up." Chuckled Spike.

"Looks like we have you cornered to me." Refuted Buffy.

"It does, does it?" Grinned Spike before looking over at Dave Gustafson. Dave tore himself away from the package of components before he began to move toward Spike. Time slowed down for me as I realized through my power of Analysis how this would play out if we didn't act now. Spike would draw Buffy's focus right up until Dave Teleported them out, leaving us without the Box and needing to fight the Zombies.

"Buffy! Get your head in the Game! Oz, use your dagger, the Zombies will shrug off your bullets, even the incendiaries!" I commanded as I charged for Dave Gustafson.

I pulled the Green Destiny out of my expanded pocket and slashed out at Dave in an attempt to interrupt his spellcasting. Unfortunately, I was blocked by the Indian Vampiress who produced a pair of Enchanted Scimitars from nowhere and moved to parry my slash before I could cut Dave and wreck his attempt at teleportation. Fortunately, Buffy tackled Dave, literally flinging herself at the Dark Sorcerer bodily. Buffy and Dave went down in a tangle of limbs as Spike looked at his teleportation going bye-bye.

"Right, then. Bugger this." Muttered Spike as he dashed past me for the door. I tried cutting out at him, only to be forced to back away from one of the Indian Vampiress' slashing magical scimitars. Oz tried to tackle Spike in a last-ditch attempt to stop his exit, only for Spike to smash him backward with a kick that slammed Oz into a rack filled with packages, where he was dogpiled by a bunch of Juju Zombies. Spike reached the doorway as I kicked the Indian Vampiress back into the wall, cracking the reinforced concrete.

I immediately pulled my Quigley Colt and snapped a shot off at Spike as he ran through the door, a blessed silver bullet burying itself in his shoulder. Spike hissed in pain and stumbled out into the parking lot, but before I could follow through, the Indian Vampiress cut out at me again and forced me to parry her blades with the Green Destiny. That gave Spike the opportunity to flee to his pilfered Virtucon truck.

"I am your opponent!" Hissed the Indian Vampiress.

"Damn it!" I swore.

"You need not concern yourself with Spike. You will be dead soon." Smirked the Indian Vampiress.

"I was about to say the same for you." I growled.

"Please. I have faced down Chi Adepts and Sorcerers before. I have seen empires come and go, the Marathas, the British, the French, the Modern States of India and Pakistan. Through it all, I remain constant, the Queen of the Shadows. I am Jyoti Singh, and I will be here long after you are dust, Mortal." Snarled the Indian Vampiress.

"Talk, Talk, Talk, no action! You aren't going to talk me to death!" I retorted.

Snarling, the Indian Vampiress, Jyoti Singh, slashed out rapidly at both my throat and stomach with her enchanted Scimitars. Fortunately, my vest stopped the cut to my gut from doing anything while I parried the cut at my throat with the Green Destiny. I channeled mystic energy into an Ahaooh Castiga, the ball of flame flying out of my mouth toward Jyoti, only for the ruby on her necklace to flash once and snuff the magical flame. She kicked me back and I actually felt the force of it through my defenses as my ribs creaked in protest. I slammed back into the reinforced concrete wall of the Post Office, once more cracking the masonry.

"You do not live as long as I do as a Vampire and remain at the top of the Underworld without learning to cover your weaknesses. You will have to do better than that." Sneered Jyoti Singh.

As I took up my stance once more, I could see that Buffy had managed to grapple onto Dave Gustafson and was pounding him from a mount position every time he tried to cast a spell like some sort of Mixed Martial Artist. That was certainly one way to keep a powerful sorcerer from casting. At least if they never trained for such a thing, but then, you only usually saw that sort of training practiced by Sorcerers who also were Chi Adepts, like I was. That sort of thing was rare in most Western Traditions, and also in many of the Planar Traditions, apparently including the one that Dave had picked up under Rack.

Meanwhile, Oz had gone full wolfman and was attacking the Juju Zombies with dagger and claw. Already two of them lay torn into pieces while a third had found that bullets don't really work on werewolves unless they're specific kinds. The random security guards that Dave had drained with Necromancy weren't issued blessed silver, after all. That was about all I had time to take in before Jyoti charged me, Scimitars flashing out in a pair of cuts.

I parried one while the other failed to cleave the front of my chest open thanks to my vest and duster. I returned the favor with a cut of the Green Destiny, forcing her to lean back out of the way of the cut. That gave me the opening to launch her into the air with a Ressenkyaku. The Thousand Violent Kicks of Master Tung Fu Rue kicked her upward with each hit. When the last kick smashed her into the ceiling, it literally embedded her into the concrete. That in turn meant it took a moment for her to extricate herself, which gave me the time I needed to land and launch into a Shoryuken of the Ansatsuken.

This time, when I smashed into her with the Chi-powered, jumping, uppercut, we blasted through the concrete of the ceiling of the Post Office's Package Warehouse and wound up on the roof. Jyoti lost one of her scimitars over the edge of the roof and found herself sprawled out on top of the building. That left her open for me to hit her with a Dragon Stomp from the Great Kung Lao's book. My foot, wreathed in flame, slammed down onto Jyoti Singh, even as her ruby pendant flashed to extinguish the flame. I felt a rib give from the attack, but it wasn't fatal. Jyoti kicked me off her with both legs and my creaking ribs finally gave way as I was kicked away from her. The Green Destiny went flying over the side of the building as I just barely managed to latch onto the edge of the roof.

I clambered to my feet, pulling myself up over the edge of the roof, and found Jyoti Singh standing up, taking a stance with her remaining Scimitar. She hissed at me like some sort of viper or an angry cat as she held her rib with her other hand. I felt a bit of satisfaction about that, even as I ignored my own broken rib.

"In almost three hundred years of Undeath and you are the first mortal to damage me this much. I was going to turn you once I defeated you, but now I think you're too dangerous to be allowed that." She spat.

In response, I redrew my Quigley Colt and began firing at her. Jyoti bulled ahead, though, parrying bullets out of the air with undead super reflexes and her magical blade. As the Quigley Colt clicked empty, Jyoti Singh launched herself at me, flying forward in a lunging cut. In response, I launched an Ansatsuken-style Hadouken at her. The Chi Ball notably was not affected by her Magical Ruby Pendant, nor were the thorny brambles I conjured to trap her in place. She cut those apart with her remaining scimitar, but it took a moment for her to do so.

In that time, I powered up further using the Geki Hou, the heavy Chi empowering my body further and bulking me out to the point where the resizing enchantments on my gear came into play. I still split my jeans apart at the seams, tattering the denim into shorts from pants as I did so. I paid that no mind, instead charging forth and hitting Jyoti Singh with the Hyakurenko of Master Gen. The technique was mainly there to hit a dozen or so vital points or Chi points all at once to disrupt an enemy's capability to fight back. Vampires didn't have either of those, but that didn't matter so much when the Geki Hou allowed me to physically impale my opponent with my fingers.

The Hundred Chained Hooks of Master Gen gouged out both of Jyoti Singh's eyes and left another ten bloody holes in her torso to boot. She was sent stumbling back to the edge of the roof and she cut out blindly with her scimitar, catching my withdrawing arm in a graze that cut open the back of my wrist, but didn't do much more than that. Pushing aside the pain from that and my broken ribs, I backpedaled, incanted a mystic Syllable, and made a mystic gesture, conjuring Ice to stick her to the edge of the roof.

She began chipping away at the block of ice I'd encased her feet to the roof in, but that gave me time to pull out my next big gambit to end the fight. I cupped my hands together at my side and began channeling Chi, compressing it down further and further in a process that took long enough for Jyoti Singh to free herself of the ice. She finally freed herself from the block of ice just in time for me to shove my hands forward and unleash the Chou Shou Ha. It was the ultimate technique of Master Tung Fu Rue, a Chi Blast that was so powerful that it unleashed a veritable torrent of energy at the opponent in a gigantic beam.

The look on Jyoti Singh's face as she freed herself from the block of Ice only to be hit by a finishing move of that level was comical enough to make me chuckle. For a brief moment, the night sky around the Post Office Roof was lit up. When the light faded, all that was left of Jyoti Singh was a ruby pendant, two scimitars, and a pile of dust. I grinned at that. It looked like I was closing in on the three-hundred-year mark in terms of Master Vampires who I could kill. That was good news. I collected Jyoti Singh's pendant and scimitar, leaped down from the roof, collected Jyoti Singh's fallen scimitar and the Green Destiny, put it all into my expanded pocket, and headed inside.

When I arrived, I spotted that Oz had finished off the Remaining Juju Zombies and that Buffy had been blasted away from Dave Gustafson with a low-level spell, a lightning bolt if the smell of Ozone was anything to go by, before being hit with a Hold Person spell to stick her in place. Dave was currently facing off with Oz, using various evocations for offense and conjuring shields or armor to avoid his attacks. As I arrived, Dave launched a shout spell at Oz that slammed into the Werewolf with Sonic Force, bursting Oz's eardrums and sending him through the battered reinforced concrete wall.

Oz would be out until he could regenerate, in the meantime, I channeled mystic power into a dispelling beam that freed Buffy from the Hold Spell. Dave Gustafson snapped his gaze over to me in shock. That proved to be a big mistake as Buffy hit him with the force of a Mack truck, even as he got off a delayed-blast fireball at me. I reached into my expanded pocket and pulled out Jyoti Singh's Ruby Pendant as the delayed blast fireball exploded. A lick of flame washed over my head, burning my hair off and singing my scalp a bit before the pendant snuffed every flame out. Fortunately, I was still empowered by the Geki Hou enough for the damage to be fairly minimal. I had second-degree burns on my scalp, but my natural regeneration would take care of those.

Buffy, meanwhile had shoulder-checked Dave into the wall, smashing him through the battered reinforced concrete. With holes in two walls and the ceiling, the structural integrity of the Post Office's Package Warehouse was compromised, and the building began to shake. Oz had been knocked outside as had Dave, which left only Buffy and I inside. We looked at each other and both of us rushed out into the parking lot as the building started to collapse. Dave Fired off a Forceful Hand Spell, trying to shove me back into the building so it would collapse on top of me, but I managed to just barely use the Flying Dragon Kick of the Great Kung Lao to sail over the glowing hand and attack dave, who conjured a wall of force to block. I rebounded off the wall of force and landed on my feet in the parking lot as the Package Warehouse caved in.

Immediately, I pit my magic against the Force Wall, tearing into it and dispelling it. In response, Dave fired off a Conjure Animals Spell and suddenly a Sabre-Toothed Tiger was on the field and Leaping for me. Buffy intercepted it with a lunging punch to the face that knocked it away. She nodded at me and I nodded back.

"I'll take care of Sylvester here. You handle Dave!" Demanded Buffy.

There wasn't time to argue, or even ask what she meant by Sylvester. Instead, I charged at Dave, flinging a Lightning Bolt at him, that he was forced to conjure a shield to block. My charge immediately turned into an attack, as I channeled my Chi into a Senshippou Kai, the Chi-enhanced Punch and Kick Combo had me blurring forward fast enough to leave afterimages in the sight of those who weren't suitably enhanced. Dave was blasted away and I felt a couple of his ribs snap from the blow. He landed on his ass ten yards away as I stepped out of my technique.

With a groan, Dave got to his feet and shot out a bunch of Minute Meteors at me that I deflected with a Telekinetic Barrier before charging once again, firing an Ansatsuken-style Hadouken at Dave. Another shout spell from Dave burst the Hadouken before it could reach him and I charged him, tumbling into a shoulder roll and funneling my Chi into a Jyasen from Master Gen. I tumbled forward in a roll and struck out with my fingers toward one of Dave's main Chi Points as Master Gen's Book showed, but he avoided drilling, tumbling, blow with a last-minute casting of Dimension door. I got to my feet just in time to take a lightning bolt spell to the side that scorched into me and made my Chi go haywire.

As I stood, I realized that I'd be reliant on my Magic for a bit until I could shake off the effects of Dave's Lightning Bolt. That wasn't good because Dave was a better Sorcerer than I was. Still, he'd drained most of his magic dealing with us, which meant I might have a shot to put him down. I conjured my strongest offensive spells, Summoning a deadly wind with a Tornado Spell to rip and tear at Dave, using the Shougetsu spell to conjure blades of hyper-compressed water to cut him in half, and casting Cone of Cold to try and freeze him to death. I even tried using some of Amy's custom spells like Amy's Friction Curse or Amy's Plasma Torch.

Unfortunately, Dave managed to counter each spell. The Tornado was countered with a wall of stone, and though the Shougetsu Spell blew through the stone wall, it found itself on the receiving end of a Wall of Fire that quenched the blades and shrouded the field in a steam cloud. That cloud sapped power from my Cone of Cold, countering the icy chill with hot steam, while Amy's Friction Curse was hit with a Dispelling Abjuration and the Plasma Torch was dodged thanks to a casting of Haste.

In response, a pair of Acid Arrows struck out for me that I just barely managed to put up a shield in front of, the sizzling mystic projectiles eating through it in time for a ray of enfeeblement and a spectral hand to come flying through the hole in my shield. I was able to dodge both by throwing myself to the ground, dropping Jyoti's Ruby Pendant in the Process, only to be hit as I tried to stand by a flame arrow that burned into my thigh with sizzling force. With a shout, I collapsed to one knee, just barely able to get a shield in the way of a group of Magic Missiles which shattered my shield. I tried to rise to my feet, finding my Chi starting to settle only to be smashed into by Dave, whose slap was enhanced with a casting of Shocking Grasp, electricity coursing through my body and scattering what Chi I had been able to infuse into my body.

"Gah!" I shouted, no longer able to push past the pain as I flopped to the ground. I was breathing heavily, my everything hurt, and I was out of Chi and Magic. As Dave reached into his coat and pulled out some sort of dagger, I tried to will myself to move.

Come on damnit! Don't go out like this to a punk! Do something! I blinked as I flopped over onto my front, trying to push myself to my hands and knees. The effort caused spots to appear in my vision. Come on! Power through, focus! In desperation, I tried something I hadn't had to use in a long time. Reaching inside myself for the Overcharge Ability I hadn't used since my first year, I pulled that lever and surged up, punching with everything I had at Dave. My fist struck his mouth and knocked out three of his teeth, dislocating his jaw and sending him to the pavement.

I collapsed on myself as I did so, muscles torn, utterly spent, blackness closing in on the edges of my vision. Dave, meanwhile, did something I didn't expect. He pushed himself up and cast a single, spell, summoning a pair of giant bats, before draining them with a Vampiric Touch Spell to heal his broken teeth and jaw.

"You know, before this, I was using this dagger out of a sense of synchronicity. An opponent like you deserves to be slain up close and personal. Now? You've actually managed to run me out of magic for the time being. Now it's more practical." Spat Dave as he approached my downed form with his blade. I couldn't respond, I was losing the battle against the blackness crowding out my vision as it was.

"I suppose you can be proud of the fact that you were the toughest guy I've faced yet. Or not, it won't matter soon anyway." Shrugged Dave as he raised his dagger up to plunge it into my neck.

Suddenly, there was a blur of designer clothing and blonde hair as Buffy arrived after killing the Sabre-Toothed Tiger to smash into Dave from the side. Dave fell to the ground in a heap with a pained gasp as Buffy clambered to her feet, a smirk on her face.

The last thing I saw before the blackness finally took me was that Dave Gustafson had landed on his knife, killing him. . .

XXXX

In my dreams, I found myself in a mist-shrouded alleyway, my patrons looking at me. Janus had a grin on both his faces, Raiden was as inscrutable as ever, while Oma Desala had a fond smile on her face. I had no idea what was going on, that had been enough damage to knock me out, but my regeneration should heal me. I couldn't be dead, could I? Best to ask.

"So am I dead or is this just a regular Divine Visitation?" I queried.

"You're not dead, despite your opponent's best efforts." Intoned Raiden.

"Not yet, anyway. Of course, if you don't stop what's coming, all of you might as well be dead." Chorused both of Janus' heads.

"Right, can we not do guessing games? I just got my ass handed to me, after all." I pleaded.

"In the next two months, you will be facing a pair of serious threats. The Whirlwind is not as unified as it might seem. Spike has his plan and Angelus has his own, with Drusilla teetering between both of them. You will face Spike's first." Began Oma Desala.

"Spike has been collecting pieces of the Judge. I know you're familiar with the name from what the Black Dragon downloaded into your brain. Spike is planning to unleash him on the Sunnydale Shopping Plaza." Offered Janus' Right Head.

"What you may not be familiar with is that Spike requires a ritual to piece the Big Blue Bastard back together again. That Ritual needs a new moon, so you'll have till the start of April to heal and prepare." Added Janus' Left Head.

"Then there is Angelus' Plan. I am unsure of what, if anything, you know about the Demon Acathla. It is a Demon that can, through means of shouting, open portals to various Hell Dimensions. Usually, it does this to its native Hell Dimension, the energies of which allow the portals to become self-sustaining and eventually, grow to encompass the entire plane. It will bring about a literal Hell on Earth." Informed Raiden.

"Acathla was rendered dormant with a magical weapon enchanted specifically for that purpose. It was rendered such by a Wandering Knight-Errant in the Service of the Byzantine Governor of the City of Nicomedia, who had the sword commissioned for the Knight to use in order to save the City in the year Eleven-twelve. That knight would be given lands on which to found a knightly order dedicated to the defense of Byzantium against mystical threats. That order still exists today, though smaller and narrower in scope." Continued Oma Desala.

"More Importantly, Acathla was turned into a statue in its dormant state. That statue was plundered during the Fourth Crusade and taken back to Venice, where it was seized by the Austrians a couple hundred years later and eventually put in a museum exhibit dedicated to the Near East. Now it's on Loan to the Sunnydale History Museum for an exhibit on the Crusades. It's supposed to arrive in late April, just before the Exhibit starts on the third of May." Explained Janus' Left Head.

"Angelus plans to steal it and remove the sword, dragging everything into Hell if Spike's Plan with the Judge goes wrong. Since you're going to ensure Spike's Plan with the Judge goes wrong, that means that you'll need to deal with Acathla." Pressed Janus' Right Head.

"All of our divination points to May Second as the Day that Angelus Removes the Sword and attempts to create Hell on Earth with Acathla. Do not let him." Finished Raiden.

"Right, so I'll just keep an eye on the Sunnydale History Museum, shall I?" I asked.

"That would be prudent, yes." Nodded Oma Desala.

Before I could ask any follow-up questions, however, the mist began fading and I started to wake up. My patrons faded from view and there was a bright light, and the smell of something acrid being practically shoved up my nose.

Then I was jolted back into the land of the living. . .

XXXX

I bolted upright, taking a deep breath in. I found myself in my own bed, wrapped in bandages like a Mummy with no clue how much time it had taken to swim back to consciousness, nor any idea where my clothes and equipment were.

Looking around my room, I spotted Cordy of all people asleep in a chair that had been dragged up from downstairs. Importantly, my everything still hurt. I could tell that my muscles and ribs were still torn and broken, and the burns on my thigh and head were still in the middle of healing. With a groan, I realized that this was one of those times when I'd taken so many wounds of a high enough severity that my Regeneration couldn't effectively prioritize and was spreading itself thin trying to heal everything at once. The last time this had happened I'd been in New York City after the Shredder blew himself up.

As I tried to sit up, I realized that this wasn't nearly as bad. I could be out of action for a couple of weeks, but it wouldn't take months to heal from being practically dead like that time. As I tried to sit up, something twinged in my torso as my broken ribs and torn muscles protested at the movement and I let out a muffled cry of pain. If only I hadn't sent all my healing potions with Xander, Amy, and Sheila to cure Zombie Bites, this wouldn't be an issue. Alas, the fact that my potions could heal wounds, burns, aches, blindness, disease, deafness, feeblemindedness, insanity, infection, infestation, poisoning, and rot meant that they were ideal cures as far as outbreaks of Mystic Zombie Plague from Sumatran Rat-Monkeys were concerned.

My pathetic cry of pain seemed to have woken up Cordy, though, as she jolted awake, blinking at me in surprise as I tried to sit up. She moved to help me with a fond smile.

"Don't try to do this by yourself, doofus! You got really badly hurt!" She chided, but there wasn't really any heat to it.

I tried to say something, but it wound up coming out as a muffled, "Mph!"

"Sorry, my first aid skills need a bit of work. Here." Sighed Cordy as she tore open the bandages over my mouth.

"Thanks. How long was I out?" I Questioned.

"It's been a full day. You scared me, you know. When Buffy told me what happened I was scared." Frowned Cordy.

"Sorry. I should be ok in a couple of weeks." I apologized.

"You're really badly hurt, I don't know if a couple of weeks is going to cut it." Huffed Cordy.

"I heal on my own. Xander calls it a healing factor, like somebody named Wolverine. Usually, it takes a couple of days of rest if I'm hurt bad, but this is a bit more serious. It's not nearly as bad as the last time I wound up like this, though. That took months." I shrugged, wincing as my torn muscles protested the motion.

"Idiot." Muttered Cordy, then she asked, "You're sure you'll be ok?"

"I've come back from worse. So, Xander, Sheila, and Amy. If it's been a day, they should have called to check-in. What happened with them?" I queried.

"They called. You were right about the outbreak, the idiot who brought the Rat-Monkey into Oxnard couldn't keep it under control. It bit a bunch of animals and people at the first show that wound up turning into Zombies. Can I just say how gross it is that something like that is real, by the way?" Groused Cordy.

"So what wound up happening?" I asked.

"Well, Amy used magic to contain the Outbreak while Xander and Sheila hunted down any Zombies that managed to slip out of the fairgrounds before Amy could put her wards up. The Special Forces arrived earlier this afternoon and they helped with the assault on Amy's Quarantine Zone. Xander figures they'll be done with everything, including the red tape, by tomorrow night. They'll be back the day after." Summed Up Cordy.

"Good. Were the potions helpful, at least?" I questioned.

Extremely. The special forces sent a platoon, but they got split up in the quarantine zone and mobbed by surprise attacks. Your potions saved the Special Forces Platoon from turning, their Commander apparently said so herself. I have to ask, just how well do you know this Captain Blade person?" Demanded Cordy.

"Is that a hint of Jealousy?" I grinned before wincing as the motion tugged at the burn on my scalp.

"Should I be jealous?" Shot back Cordy.

"Hell no, I only need you. Besides, Captain Blade isn't in the cards for me to date even if I didn't have you. She's married to her job and you're amazing." I insisted.

"I am amazing, aren't I." Beamed Cordy.

"Seriously, though. We need to have a major meeting about what the New Whirlwind has been planning with those boxes. Wake me up when the others get here because it's big." I intoned.

"I will just rest for now." Nodded Cordy.

"I plan to. And Cordy? Thanks for being here for me." I offered.

"Why have an amazing girlfriend if you can't count on her? Just rest." Grinned Cordy before she bent down to kiss me on my bandaged forehead.

With that I laid back down, Cordy helping to ensure I didn't pull anything to do so. My bandaged head was practically lowered down onto the pillow as if by a crane.

Then I was out like a light. . .

XXXX

AN: So yeah, that's Jyoti Singh dusted and Dave Gustafson dead, though this could have gone very badly if Buffy and Oz hadn't been around to help out. Notably, Xander, Sheila, and Amy being sent to Oxnard to stop a Zombie Apocalypse actually shows how much things have changed from Canon just with Ulysses having been here. Not only are there more Hunters trained than usual, but they're starting to think about neighboring areas.

That's going to serve everyone in good stead in the future, especially if Shao Khan still throws his hissy fit of an invasion of Earthrealm using Sindel.

Now, not only is the Whirlwind down to its remaining three original members, but Ulysses now knows about both the plans that Spike has for the Judge and Angelus has for Acathla. Things are heading for a showdown on both fronts and then Ulysses will be free to leave Sunnydale and deal with other parts of the crossover for a while.

Other nineties stuff in this chapter includes mentions of the Sumatran Monkey-Rat and Zombies from Braindead, The Chi Techniques of Master Gen, the Anstsuken, Great Kung Lao, and Master Tung Fu Rue from Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and King of Fighters respectively, Captain Sonya Blade and the Special Forces are from Mortal Kombat, while the Bioterrorism thing at Alcatraz that they had to deal with before heading to Oxnard was the Plot of the movie the Rock with Nick Cage and Sean Connery, the Ahaooah Castiga and Shougetsu spells are moves from Samurai Shodown, while the Tornado Spell is from Koudelka. All of the other crossover spells, Juju Zombies, and all of Dave Gustafson's Magic are from Second Edition Dungeons and Dragons. Red Apple Cigarettes are from various Quentin Tarantino Films, while Chug-A-Cherry Cola is from the Energizer Bunny Commercials, the Quigley Colt is from Quigley Down Under, and finally, the Green Destiny is from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Next up will be the rest of April, including the confrontation with the Judge, after that will be two more chapters before we leave the Buffy Stuff behind to do other Crossover Stuff for a while.

Stay tuned. . .