Xander rested against the wall as another migraine hit him, his vision blurred and he reached into his pocket for a tube of Tylenol Rapid. Frank grimaced as he saw his boss chew the tablets like they were M&M's. " Jeez! You wanna be careful with those things Xand!"
Xander took a swig from the water bottle and washed them down before he answered. "Believe me Frank if I could I would but these things hit me like a brick wall!" He rolled up the plans for the new 'new' library and slipped them into the tube. "I got an early appointment with the doc to see if she can give me something a bit stronger than over the counter meds."
Frank nods. "You maybe should get her to check out the old noggin while she's poking around. Headaches are nature's way to tell you there's something cooking under the old bonnet." He tapped his head as the pair walked towards their respective cars. Xander slid behind the wheel of his 2002 Chrysler and shut the door, resting his head against the wheel. "Man these are getting...GAH!" He leant back, his face a mask of pain as another jolt ripped through his mind. He fumbled for the cell in his coat pocket and pressed the speed dial praying someone would be home.
Buffy glanced up at the clock and sighed. "Look I'm going to have to jet soon." She stood up and took out her cell. "If it's anything important call me, I've got to patrol."
Willow nodded, her eyes not moving from the door to the ER, she felt Kennedy's hand on her shoulder and she glanced up at her lover. "I'm sure he'll be fine Will's." She grinned. "Its Xander, nothing ever keeps him down for long." She stroked Willow's cheek. "Call me no matter what happens, I want to know why the Xandman's getting these sudden fainting attacks." Willow smiles and nods as Kennedy follows Buffy out of the hospital entrance.
The nurse moved around Xander's bed and tried to make her patient more comfortable as the doctor prepared to make her final examination. She saw the nervous gulp of air Xander took as he saw the needles. "This will be over before you know it Mr. Harris."
Xander grinned nervously at her." Don't call me that, every time someone says that name I look for my dad."* then duck from a punch I know is coming!* his mind adds." Everyone calls me Xander."
The nurse smiled at him. "Well 'Xander' the doc has scheduled you for a cat scan and an MRI."
Xander nods as the doctor walks towards him holding what looked like an injection for a horse. Xander sighed and held out his right arm. His eyes went wide as she shook her head." Wrong end Mr. Harris." Xander gulped as he turned over feeling the sudden draft as he posterior was exposed to the air-conditioned room. "GAH!" He cried out as she injected the contents of the needle into his butt." Can you explain how a needle in my ass is going to clear up what's in my head?"
He rolled back and saw a smile on her face." Give it time."
Xander shrugged then the world went into a sixties flashback. "Whoa!"
"And there it is." The nurse said." The orderlies will be along to take you down to the MRI room." She patted his arm." Have happy thoughts till you come back Xander."
Xander watched the overhead fluorescents as they moved by overhead and he felt himself begin to drift deeper into a black hole until his body felt like something had sent a thousand tiny needles along his mind's synapses. A vision flashed in his mind, a vision of a small room with a small man sized egg shaped device in front of a sealed room. He jerked again as he saw through another's eyes as the top of the device closed on him sealing him off from all sights and sounds.
A strange man looked in through the small observation glass and smiled at him." Begin Retrograde Program Alpha seven."
Xander could hear a familiar voice calling him from far away, he tried to concentrate on the voice and suddenly he could see again. He could see the shocked look on the face of the nurse and the doctor; he looked down to see his hands twisting the arm of one of the orderlies as he forced the man to the ground. He released the orderly and glanced around at the devastation in the MRI room." What the hell happened?"
Willow held her arms wide, her hands splayed showing she was unarmed." It's okay Xander, every things fine."
Xander could feel his heart pounding like an express train in his chest." Who did this?" He asked again as he saw the ruined scanner and the bloodied orderlies that lay strewn around the room.
The doctor hesitated as she saw the nurse take a syringe full of sedative from the small bottle and make her way towards Xander." You did Mr. Harris, you woke from the drugs, something quite impossible I might add, and then began demolishing my hospital!"
Willow was sure Xander couldn't see nor hear the nurse as she crept up behind him but just as she was about to inject him he moved like he was made of air! He was so swift the nurse didn't even have time to register the fact the needle she was about to inject into Xander was now empty and sticking out of her own arm.
She collapsed bonelessly to the floor and Xander paused long enough to grab a jacket from one of the chairs as a security guard barged in gun drawn. Willow held up her hand as she saw him point the pistol at Xander. "NO!"
Xander was a blur as he moved under the mans outstretched arm and twisted the gun from his grip, as his other hand chopped at the man's throat before moving away. His hands moved swiftly and separated the slide from the firearm dropping the now useless pieces to the floor before making his escape.
Buffy pulled up in Giles's car and stepped out of the passenger side to be greeted by Dawn." Any sign of him?" She didn't need to be told who the 'him' was and she shook her head." We searched within a seven mile radius of the hospital, no reports of stolen cars so Giles says he couldn't have walked any further than that in the ten minutes it took us to get to the hospital."
"Willow thinks he's been possessed." Dawn tells her.
"That'd make sense, I mean I saw the damage he did and the people he took down." She sighed." And my guess is it'd have to be something not of the good." She saw Willow waving at her and the pair raced into the waiting lounge of the hospital." This came on before and their about to replay it." The Wicca told her as the News Update flashed on.
"This just in." The reporter looked up from the sheet of paper. "Our news crew was on site to film the dramatic rescue of a woman and her two children from the raging inferno you can see on your screens."
Vision of a three story tenement building blazing in the background as a reporter began his transmission." This building on Fourth and Main literally exploded into the inferno you can see raging behind me approximately fifteen minutes ago. Fire and EMT's were on site as we arrived but we've been told that there were still people trapped inside." He looked at the building then turned back to them." In fact reports we have seen say a young man ran into the blaze as soon as he saw the woman scream for help from the third story window."
They all jerk in reaction to the massive fireball as it erupts from the centre of the building, but before the reporter can comment people begin shouting and pointing to three figures as they hurry from the rapidly burning tenement. The woman is clutching a baby while the man is helping a seven year old to the ground. He shrugs off any help then casually turns to go, the film freezing on a close up of his face.
"XANDER!" Dawn exclaims.
The room looks like the control centre at NASA, row after row of computers line the room from one end to the other; all dominated by one central screen and upon it is being played the same footage. A man points to the news footage and demands." How the hell did this happen? What part of Sleeper agent did this subjects handlers not understand?"
He points to a man in a white coat." Get me the file on the X-1 we have in Sunnydale! And bring me his controller now!"
"If Manticore gets hold of this footage and sees the power his aura is emanating, not to mention his fucking eyes then they will get their grubby hands on the Phoenix Project." He slams a clipboard onto the counter." And that ladies will not happen am I clear?" He stormed off into his private rooms and immediately dialed a number." Give me Greaves..."He fumed in silence then." Greaves? We have a code Alpha...A shithole called Sunnydale, it appears one of our sleepers has awakened!"
The man's voice could be heard coming from the phone over the others cursing." I told you it was foolish to allow your subjects to interact with the human population! Mind shackles bah! Another useless piece of mumbo jumbo conceived by fools with more money than sense!"
The man blanched." But how else were we to test them for human interaction? We could hardly wait until we had to place them in earnest."
"You knew the X1's were twitchy and yet you persevered with your plans! I'm beginning to think Manticore is the way to go with Project Phoenix, Callahan. At least they now how to handle their prototypes!"
Callahan gripped the phone so hard his knuckled whitened." We will take care of this minor glitch sir, besides it was your idea for us to 'road test' several subjects as I recall."
"You assured me the implants would control the subjects until we needed them...Recall them all, especially the XR in Sunnydale!"
Callahan hung up then snapped an order at his assistant." Recall the other X1's and reprogram them to track and capture the rogue XR."
Callahan glowered at the picture on his screen. "If this causes us to lose this project you will rue the day I created you!" The phone rang and he answered it." What?" He smiled." Ahh! I've been waiting for you to call." He stubbed the cigarette out on picture of Xander on the monitor." I need a little 'wet work' done in a hick town in California. Two adults, Mr. Anthony Harris and Mrs. Darlene Harris of 225 Rosedale Drive Sunnydale. Their details will be in the package along with another who will only be terminated on my order."
He hung up." I will not tolerate failure."