Part 16 So they trekked. The city rose in the foreground. It looked like it would be an alien city. All the buildings looked like something off of Tatooine in star Wars. The buildings were of pale dusty stone. "I'd rather be in the night. I don't like this day deal." Spike said. "Hey. I feel something." Max paused. "Feel something like what?" they turned to him. "I don't know. It's like a new vibration. Like when I feel your feelings. Only it is a buzzing." "Do you think it's the stone?" Buffy suggested. They all looked at each other. "It would make sense. He is the one. He's the King Arthur of the Universe or The Slayer of the Universe." Spike nodded. "Wait. I think it's wishful thinking." Nessido interrupted them. "I want to check it out. As we walk it seems to be getting stronger." Max said. "So do we split up?" Isabel murmured. "I think it might be a good idea." Nessido ventured. "So who comes with me?" Max looked at the others. "Take Isabel and Liz and Spike. The rest of us will continue on to the capital. Maybe we can stop them long enough for you to come back. It this works right we might be able to stop them." The groups shifted apart and headed in their separate directions. "So is there a leader of all these nasty aliens?" Buffy asked Nessido. "Most probably." He said looking around. "So do we take him out and the rest of them crumble? They run around like drones without a queen bee?" "Something along those lines." She dropped back to walk with Michael and Maria. "You guys tired?" She asked. They shrugged. "These bodies are a lot better than ours for this kind of stuff." Michael observed. "One good thing is that we will be harder to kill in this form. But then again so will they." "We have experience. I mean we got some of the Backstreet Boys." "Yeah some. We didn't get them all." Michael reminded her. "We'll deal with them later." They went onward with Afara. Deeper into the capital city. As they went on they got more and more suspicious looks. But strange things were happening. The little aliens that scurried along with chains on their wrists stopped and smiled or bowed. They knew something that their captors didn't. ************************************************************************************ "Is the feeling still getting stronger Max?" Isabel asked her brother worried. She shifted the weapon that was resting on her shoulder. "Yes. I think we are close." Liz looked at Spike. Judging him with her scientific mind. "Are you an alien?" She piped up. "An alien?" He peered at her and smiled. "Why would you think that?" "I have my reasons." "I"m a vampire. I suck blood. That bit." "I don't believe in vampires. Shouldn't you be burning in the sun now?" "I should but I'm not. You should believe in them. Evil creatures of the night we are." "So why aren't you sucking my blood? You probably are hungry." "And I probably bloody would be but I have a chip in my head thanks to some government do-gooders." He grunted. "Oh." Liz was quiet for a moment. "This makes no sense. You don't have any blood pumping. Because you are dead. Yet you live." "Don't think about it. It will just make your head spin." Spike shrugged. Then vamped despite his alien face. It made him look extremely weird. "Hey. That's yucky." Liz complained. "And your breath smells." "Well yours isn't minty fresh either." Spike growled. "Why couldn't I be in Buffers group?" he complained loudly. "You like Buffy!" Liz laughed. "No I don't you damn git!" "Shut up." Max hissed. He looked around and headed to a house. He knocked on the door. "Who's there?" a guard moseyed to the door. "We were sent from the capital to relieve you." "At my house?" He growled at them. "The master thinks you are a traitor. You best let us check out the house." "I am not a traitor." He growled. "Let us determine that." Max made sure he stepped aside and looked around trying to feel the humming. It was so loud inside him that he was almost vibrating. Max made his way to a dark corner and started digging in the dirt. "What are you doing?" The alien screamed. "You are ruining my house!" Max didn't answer but kept on digging. "Spike help me." Max motioned over the other male and Spike started grabbing handfuls of dirt. Together they dug about a foot into the ground. As soon as Max's hand brushed across it, he knew he had found it. A brilliant, harsh light began radiating from the hole. "Oh no!" the alien shrieked. "I'm doomed." ************************************************************************************ "Why do I get the feeling we aren't in Kansas anymore." Michael whispered to Buffy. Buffy glanced at Maria. She had noticed how Maria was reacting to the attention that Michael was giving her. She felt a little guilty. "Excuse me." An important looking alien stopped them at the gate. "You are supposed to be led to the Master and Lord right away. "Uh oh. We were discovered." Maria muttered. Guards seized them and Afara was lead away. "Don't you dare." Buffy shouted grabbing her weapon back and blasting the alien that had grabbed her arm. It screamed in pain and ran off. But more were converging on them. She blasted as many as she could until she was overwhelmed. The group was brought inside with quite a struggle. Nessido looked nervous. This wasn't the prophecy. If they survived Earth they were supposed to survive and free the people. "I have a feeling we are not going to The Master." Tess muttered fearfully. "Nope. You are going to the chambers." "Is that anything like a dungeon?" Buffy grimaced. She had dealt with this kind of thing before. They were led down into a dark room where they saw a strange looking device. "Lord they're going torture us." Maria moaned. "This is a suspension machine. No doubt the more primitive races of Earth have one like it." One of the evil aliens said. "Lord I think it's a rack with out the metal things to hold you." Buffy realized. "I am their leader. Take me." Nessido spoke up. They looked at him and grinned. "So be it lower race. "They put him in up and ti was all the others could do to keep from barfing. The alien body was suspended in mid air and slowly it began to lengthen. The screams were muffled by a sound barrier.