Multiverse Networking

Deep within the crater that was all that remained of the Californian

city of Sunnydale, there was a surprisingly large amount of activity.



Most people who knew anything about the American city assumed it was

completely abandoned and that no one lived there. But that had not

been true for quite a while.



Imperious Industries personnel had set up tents and other

rudimentary structures since the company had begun operating in this

world. All located around the inter-dimensional portal more or less

near the center of the crater.



Along with the personnel doing construction, there were Imperious

Industries security people (who were company soldiers in all but

name) stationed near the portal. These men (and three women) were

well-trained professionals; nevertheless they had faced no action

since assuming this duty. Moreover they knew their position was

hidden by magic.



As a result, the company troops had let down their guard a little

since being stationed at the portal site.



Which was part of the reason why the Imperious Industries soldiers

could do so little to stop Chrissy Lera or Marian Casta when the

powerful necromancer and vampire emerged from the inter-dimensional

portal.



*****



As the ancient mutant witch Selene exited the New York City branch

of the law firm Wolfram & Hart, her companion and bodyguard looked

at her curiously. Wondering why the witch seemed to find the object

she was carrying so fascinating.



"What the hell is that thing anyway?" the bodyguard asked in

English. The barest trace of her native tongue flavoring her words.



Selene looked down at the tiny Japanese woman with a condescending

smile. The mutant witch still didn't know her bodyguard's real name

but she thought she understood the magic protecting the Japanese

woman's mind from her powers. As well as how to remove that magic

when (not if) necessary.



This combined with the bodyguard's recent ignorance allowed Selene

to regain her customary feeling of total superiority. Which she had

initially not had around her `keeper' due to the Japanese woman's

unusual ability to keep secrets from her.



"What's wrong Jasmine?…surely you know what this is…after all you

were there when I negotiated with James Stewart" Selene said with

false sweetness as her crimson eyes gleamed wickedly.



The woman currently known as Jasmine (a name she abhorred) scowled

at Selene's mocking words.



Imperious Dakar had selected Jasmine for this duty due to her deadly

accuracy with firearms, her ability to craft potent mental shields

to protect herself from psychic subversion, and her talent for

languages (thirty of which she spoke fluently).



Yet all of these qualities had meant little during Selene's

negotiations with the Wolfram & Hart lawyer. For most of the witch

and James Stewart's conversation had occurred in an obscure language

that had been dead on Jasmine's Earth for over a millennia, thus

Jasmine had learned little from the negotiations.



"You know I can't speak that language…so what is the damn thing?"

the Japanese woman asked irritably as she stared at the ornate

boxlike form in Selene's hands.



Ordinarily such disrespect from a woman she considered little more

than a minion would have angered Selene. But she was too happy

about her recent acquisition to be annoyed by something so trivial

at the moment.



"Child…this is the key to overcoming The Phoenix when she confronts

us…for it is only a matter of time now that Imperious has imprisoned

her comrade" Selene said with absolute confidence.



Imperious Dakar had told Jasmine everything he knew about The

Phoenix Force. Because he thought that Selene's watcher needed to

know about the one thing the ancient witch seemed to fear.



"Can something so small really stop a goddess?" Jasmine whispered in

her native Japanese.



"Such things have before" Selene replied in the same language with

an arrogant grin.



*****



On the surface, things appeared to be going well for Buffy Anne

Summers and her fellow Vampire Slayers.



Their group now seemed to have more people and money than they knew

what to do with, and thanks to Imperious Industries they would soon

have as many weapons as they ever wanted. Yet something about the

situation deeply troubled Buffy Summers.



And that something went by the name of Susan Zweller.



The fair skinned blonde woman was tiny, pretty, and fragile

looking. Susan's clothes were business casual, and her words were

always reasonable and polite when talking to members of the Slayers

group (at least so far).



But Buffy just didn't like the Imperious Industries representative.

Something about Susan Zweller set her on edge.



And this feeling seemed even stronger during Buffy and Susan's first

face-to-face meeting.



The meeting was taking place on a large Texas ranch that Rupert

Giles had recently purchased for the Slayer organization. Which was

already magically shielded from satellite and mystical

surveillance. Making it the perfect spot to conduct illegal arms

deals.



Buffy Summers was accompanied by her former Watcher and mentor

Rupert Giles, her old friend and advisor on the Mystic Arts Willow

Rosenberg, and twenty young Slayers under the command of a promising

young Japanese Slayer named Satsu.



Susan Zweller had what appeared to be fifteen humans in her

entourage. All of them carrying firearms and wearing uniforms (with

the Imperious Industries logos prominently displayed).



Buffy and the other Slayers were dressed far more casually, in jeans

and T-shirts, while Rupert Giles and Susan Zweller were wearing

unbuttoned business suits.



The witch Willow (who was wearing a long black flowing dress with

mystic symbols stitched into it) couldn't help wondering if the

clothes reflected some larger truth.



"Whatever this Imperious Industries organization really is their

people seem much more professional and organized than us…how the

heck did they find out about us in the first place anyway?" Willow

thought as she looked at the corporate people doubtfully.



The sun had recently set and the two groups were currently on an

open field on the ranch grounds. Where Susan Zweller had promised

to offer a demonstration on the utility of Imperious Industries

products.



"Come on Sue what's the hold up…we've been waiting for over ten

minutes" Buffy said impatiently to Zweller.



The blonde woman was standing directly in front of the Vampire

Slayer and looked away from Buffy to the watch on her wrist when the

Slayer spoke. Then she looked directly into Buffy's eyes and said

crisply "we are waiting for the rest of the demonstration equipment…

there is little point in showing you our weapons if you have nothing

to test it on."



As Buffy looked into Susan's icy blue eyes she felt a strong desire

to punch the woman in the face or run away from her as the Slayer's

fight or flight response kicked in.



"Why does this girl press all my buttons the wrong way?…and why is

she so well shielded mystically that even Will can't tell me what

the hell she is?" the senior Slayer wondered.



Buffy was about to finally reply to Susan's comment when she heard

the sound of a car in the distance. She turned around and saw two

beat up red pickup trucks approaching their position.



"They have the rest of the equipment…though they are a few minutes

late…I can punish them for it if you feel its necessary" Susan said

calmly as she watched the Slayer closely.



"No…that's all right…let's just do it" Buffy replied quickly. A bit

disturbed by the fact that Zweller would so eagerly offer up her

people for punishment.



The trucks came to a halt a few feet away from the group of Slayers

and Imperious Industries people, and the senior Slayer was happy to

note that Satsu and half the Slayers under her command immediately

walked over to the trucks and began to investigate.



"Miss Summers there are PEOPLE chained up over here!" the Japanese

Slayer reported in surprise.



"Satsu I have told you a thousand times not to call me Miss…" Buffy

started to reply before the Slayer's words fully registered. Then

she turned to glare at Susan Zweller.



"I wasn't aware that VAMPIRE SLAYERS considered VAMPIRES people,"

Susan said with the faintest trace of a smile.



"Why did you bring some of those damn blood suckers here?" Buffy

demanded to know.



"Target practice" Susan replied crisply, and this time she made no

attempt to hide her smirk.



As the Slayers and their friends watched the company troops began to

drag the vampires off the truck. The other truck was full of large

unmarked crates, which the Imperious Industries people opened under

the watchful eyes of Buffy and her group.



Unsurprisingly the crates were full of weapons.



There were a little less than thirty vampires, all with their hands

and feet bound together by heavy metal chains. However, these

vampires were uncharacteristically timid and fearful. Their clothes

were ragged and dirty, and their predatory manner was completely

gone. Many of them were pleading to be let go.



Buffy didn't have a problem killing vampires (in fact that was her

preferred method of dealing with them). But these vampires looked

like they had been tortured, and she definitely didn't approve of

that.



Her friend Willow seemed to verbalize her thoughts, as she came up

to Buffy's side and whispered in concern "Buffy what did they do to

these vampires?…they look like beaten dogs."



"Only what was necessary to control them" Susan replied callously.

Surprising Buffy and Willow with her excellent hearing.



Then Zweller directed the corporate security people to drive a metal

pole into the soft ground of the field and tie a vampire to it. As

they did so Susan went to the pickup that contained the weapons and

had one of the other Imperious Industries troops (most of which were

clustered around the weapons truck) hand her a gun.



It looked a lot like an assault rifle, but it was bulkier than such

a weapon and made out of some sort of gleaming plastic. It was also

surprisingly lightweight despite its size, so the diminutive Susan

had little trouble carrying the weapon.



"This is a 2nd generation Pulse Rifle…I'll let you test it out

yourself…but first I think that you and your people should see it in

action" Zweller said loudly to the senior Vampire Slayer.

Positioning herself in front of the vampire stuck to the pole and

aiming the large weapon at her as she did so.



The vampire in question had the appearance of a pretty teenage girl,

and she began to plead and sob as she realized what was about to be

done to her. Looking rather helpless and pitiful.



No one made a move to help the crying vampire. Though some of the

less experienced and more softhearted Slayers couldn't help feeling

a bit sorry for her.



Susan Zweller was standing at few feet away from the vampire at this

point, holding the Pulse Rifle firmly in her small pale hands. Then

after warning everyone to stand clear she pulled the trigger.



The large gun appeared to emit a beam of green light that moved

almost faster than the eye could follow to strike the female vampire

in the chest. Seeming to burn through her torso in the process.



The mortally wounded vampire had just enough time to screech in pain

and stare in horror at the gaping hole in her chest before crumpling

to dust.



The other vampires present (who were now sitting or laying down by

the truck they had arrived in) watched the death of their comrade in

dread. Knowing any one of them could be next.



Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Buffy Summers, and the other Slayers

were simply shocked by the destructive power of the weapon. As well

as being a little disturbed by the casual way that the Imperious

Industries people killed.



As for the Imperious Industries troops themselves, they had no

noticeable reaction. This was simply a job to them.



Susan Zweller gave everyone a moment to take in the destructive

display. Then the company representative began her sales pitch

again.



"As you can see the 2nd generation Pulse Rifle is quite effective

against the common breed of vampires…now who wants to try it out?"

Susan said with a winning smile as she held out the rifle.



*****



Less than a month ago Chrissy Lera had been the supreme and

undisputed ruler of her own country.



The drow ruler had been wealthy, powerful, respected, and feared.

Now she was on the run and forced to steal clothing and food.



Chrissy and her oldest lover and friend Marian Casta were in a tiny

farmhouse in rural California. They had ambushed the family of

three (a man, woman, and their baby) living there in order to secure

shelter for the coming day, and its lethal (to Marian) sunlight.



The vampire Marian had taken a little blood from the adult humans,

and Chrissy had eaten a bit of the meat and potatoes that the family

had been having for dinner when the vampire and necromancer barged

in (despite her disgust at being forced to eat such simple fare).

Then the virtually naked females had put on some of the wife's

clothes, which didn't really fit (for she was far more heavyset than

Chrissy and Marian).



After feeding and dressing themselves, the vampire and the

necromancer had used their powers to put the family into an

enchanted sleep, make them forget what they had just seen, and then

put the humans to bed.



Now Marian Casta and Chrissy Lera were in the house's small (and in

their opinion poorly furnished) living room, arguing over what to do

next.



"We have to go back Mary…we CANNOT leave those treacherous bastards

in charge of MY country" Chrissy said as she angrily paced the room.



Marian was sitting on a worn couch in the center of the room,

watching her friend and (until now) financier fume. Hoping that she

could get the often-irrational black skinned elf to see reason.



"With what Chrissy…its just you and me now" Marian replied

reasonably.



"The military is STILL loyal to me" Chrissy shot back. Her pretty

features twisted by anger (though most of that fury was at the

situation itself).



Marian wanted to believe it could be that simple. But despite her

snobbish tastes and hedonistic life style the vampire was more

realistic and pragmatic than Chrissy.

Moreover, Marian couldn't stand the thought of getting captured

again.



"The military was loyal to you when Rosenthrall was in charge…but

she's dead now…and if I know that squid faced bastard Archon he's

already replacing all the top military officials with people loyal

to him…that or simply CHANGING the minds of the people already in

charge" Marian speculated. Knowing just how ruthless and thorough

Security Minister Archon could be.



"The common soldiers are still loyal" Chrissy stated with

certainty. Knowing just how much indoctrination most of the young

Iberian soldiers had gone through.



"Probably…but most of them have never even seen you in person…if you

show up without official notice…without an entourage…without

security…they might think your just an imposter…and if I were that

bitch Selene or that bastard Dakar I would have warned everyone to

be on the lookout for an imposter as soon as you and I escaped"

Marian said grimly.



Chrissy simply glared at the master vampire. Unable to argue with

her logic but still unwilling to admit just how weak their position

was.



"The sad fact is Chrissy…most of the people in the government

probably don't even realize anything has happened to you yet" Marian

said sympathetically.



"No…I AM the government…there is no Lera government without me"

Chrissy Lera replied, and was horrified to hear a note of pleading

in her voice.



Marian heard it too, and couldn't help wondering what their former

captors had done to make her normally utterly self-confident friend

doubt herself so easily.



Chrissy simply stood in place.

Appearing on the verge of tears and looking much smaller and more

vulnerable than usual thanks to her expression and the oversized

sweater and jeans she was currently wearing. Reminding Marian of

the innocent girl the elf had been when they first met.



Casta stood up and walked over to her oldest friend, enfolding the

pretty dark elf in a comforting embrace and softly kissing the top

of her head. Chrissy laid her head on Marian's large bosom and

clutched the vampire to her own petite form. Trying to draw comfort

and strength from the younger female.



After what seemed like a long time she spoke. Whispering against

her lover's clothing covered breast.



"I CAN'T let them win Mary…my family's still there along with

everyone else I care about…what will those monsters do to them."



"I know how horrible it is Chrissy…but just answer one question for

me…if you fought Selene and Dakar again right now could you win?"

Marian asked softly, as she continued to hold the smaller female in

a comforting embrace.



Chrissy Lera was so self-confident it verged on (or sometimes even

exceeded) a form of madness. But that self-confidence had been

horribly shaken by her recent defeat and torment, and Chrissy was

anything but stupid.



Eventually Chrissy had to admit the awful truth to herself and her

best friend.



"No."



In response to her own words Chrissy began to sob brokenly, as she

finally admitted to herself just how much she had lost and just how

badly she had been beaten.



When her willowy dark skinned friend began to cry the pale vampire

rubbed Chrissy's back in a comforting way and pressed gentle kisses

against Lera's weeping face and long graceful ears. Whispering to

Chrissy that she loved her, that she wasn't alone, that it would be

okay.



After several long minutes Chrissy calmed down.



Marian gently caressed one of the female elf's black tear stained

cheeks before letting go of Chrissy and moving back from her a

little. Then she looked soulfully into Chrissy's beautiful crimson

eyes as she stated firmly

"We can't go back now…first we need to gather weapons and an army…

THEN we can go back and kill ALL those bastards."



Chrissy Lera took a moment to compose herself, and then the former

ruler of Iberia nodded slowly.



*****



Selene and Jasmine were about to use one of Selene's magic artifacts

to teleport to the Texas ranch where Susan Zweller was currently

meeting with the Vampire Slayers in order to sell Imperious

Industries weapons to their group.



This bothered Jasmine for a number of reasons.



For one thing the ancient mutant witch wasn't supposed to even know

about the meeting. Although she definitely knew that Imperious

Industries was pursuing a business relationship with the Slayers

group headed by Buffy Anne Summers (for she had been the one to

bring the group to Imperious Dakar's attention) the head of

Imperious Industries had tried to keep any specific details from

her. For Imperious Dakar still didn't fully trust the witch.



Moreover, regardless of whether or not the ancient witch knew about

the meeting, Jasmine was virtually certain that Imperious Dakar

would not want Selene interfering in it.



If there was one thing Imperious Dakar was utterly serious about it

was company revenue.



The two women were currently alone in a New York City restroom

(inside one of the nicer Department Stores), arguing about what

Selene could or could not do.



"You can't go Selene…this is company business…you have NO place

there," Jasmine said in a heated tone. Her Japanese accent getting

thicker as she became angrier.



"I decide where my place is child…not you…besides…your master

Imperious has already stated that he desires my input on the Slayers…

and how better to judge these girls than by meeting them in person?"

Selene answered with her customary arrogance.



"He's my boss…not my master" Jasmine replied in her native tongue.

As she grew increasingly angry at Selene's arrogant attitude.



"Regardless of what you call Imperious you still serve him…but

unlike you child I am his ally not his servant…and I go where I

like" Selene said icily as she coldly gazed upon her keeper.



Jasmine would have loved to have simply shot Selene at that point.

Venting her anger at the arrogant woman who called her nothing but a

servant in a hail of bullets.



But that would have gone against her orders; besides, Jasmine

strongly suspected that it would not work.



Jasmine gazed at Selene's pale voluptuous form, wondering if she

could take the youthful looking female in a fight. Because if she

could not…



"All right…we can go…but only if you tell me exactly what that box

is you took from Wolfram & Hart" Jasmine said firmly.



Selene gazed at the tiny Japanese woman's expression thoughtfully.



The witch had half hoped that Jasmine would not give in, for that

would give Selene an excuse to show the Japanese woman the full

extent of her power, to put Jasmine in (what Selene saw as) her

proper place.



Still, it was probably too early for such measures, and Selene knew

that Imperious Dakar would resent it if she damaged one of his

servants for no reason. Moreover, Jasmine's request was not

unreasonable.





Selene reached inside the pretty black dress she was wearing, and

pulled out the object in question. Which was square, made of a

metal that glimmered like gold, and had numerous tiny jewels set in

it that seemed to glow with an inner light.

The object was small enough to easily fit into one of Selene's

slender hands, and from a distance bore a resemblance to an

expensive jewelry box. However when Jasmine studied it more closely

it became apparent that the jewels were set in patterns. Forming

alien symbols that the Japanese woman found disturbing to look at

for long.



Selene let Jasmine simply gaze at the ancient artifact for a moment,

before explaining to her



"The true name of this artifact cannot be pronounced in any human

tongue…the closest translation is Containment Cube…the Containment

Cubes were created long ago to trap and contain the Old Ones…Which

is why I know it will work against The Phoenix Force."



"Old Ones?" Jasmine said curiously.

Not satisfied with such a vague answer.



"The Old Ones were demonic beings of tremendous evil and power…far

more potent than most of the so-called demons that inhabit this

world" Selene replied with a trace of disdain in her voice.



"And Wolfram & Hart somehow got its hands on one of these

Containment Cubes…and just gave you one?" Jasmine said doubtfully,

as she attempted to dig for more information.



Selene smiled wickedly at Jasmine's transparent (to her at least)

attempt to fish for more information. But she decided to indulge

the Japanese woman's curiosity anyway.



"There are very few unused Containment Cubes left…but the Wolf, Ram,

and Heart have at least two of those…and they have entrusted one to

me in exchange for the bounty I have offered them" Selene

explained. Knowing her words were vague enough that Jasmine would

not learn anything Selene did not want her to from them.



"That's probably all I can get out of the bitch" the Japanese woman

thought as she repressed a sigh of resignation.



"All right we can go…just remember you will be there as an observer

only…not a negotiator or independent agent" Jasmine said severely.

Hoping that the proud Selene would actually heed her words.



"Of course" the red-eyed witch replied in a self-assured tone, as

though no other outcome had been possible.





Jasmine looked at the object in Selene's hands critically;

disturbingly aware of how much faith the witch (and perhaps by

extension her boss Imperious) was putting in that thing.



"Even if you capture The Phoenix with that thing…are you sure that

Phoenix can't escape from the Cube?" Imperious's agent asked

doubtfully.



"Yes…no Old One has ever escaped from such a prison," Selene said

confidently. Completely unaware of the fact that the Old One known

as Illyria had recently escaped from hers.



*****



Captain Harry Ashcroft was very confused and frustrated.



Mere hours ago the virtually naked vampire Marian Casta and

necromancer Chrissy Lera had appeared in the portal he and his

troops were guarding. The Imperious Industries troops had been told

to plan for an attack upon the portal site, NOT an attack from the

portal.



It caught them completely off guard, and the powerful necromancer

and vampire were able to cut a bloody path through the company

troops before leaving the Sunnydale site.



Harry Ashcroft still couldn't get the image of the blood soaked

Marian literally ripping his men apart with her bare hands out of

his mind. The troops killed by Chrissy had simply fallen over dead

as she used her necromancy on them, but there had been nothing so

clean about what the vampire had done to the company soldiers.





Now over half of Captain Ashcroft's troops were dead, and most of

their heavy weapons were destroyed. Making the Imperious Industries

Security officer wonder how he was going to explain it to his

superiors.



"Why the hell was a drow bitch and a fucking vampire coming through

the portal guns blazing anyway…somebody on the other side screwed up

big time…but I was in command here which means what happened was my

responsibility damn it" Ashcroft muttered to himself as he paced

around the tents set up near the portal (inside the crater that was

all that remained of Sunnydale).



The remaining troops watched their leader nervously. Unnerved by

their ignorance and the recent carnage.

Wondering if the deadly duo would come back.



As for the construction crew that had been on site at the time, they

were busy trying to begin construction on fortifications facing the

portal. Doing their best to prevent another disaster like the one

that had occurred tonight.



Harry Ashcroft looked at the portal suspiciously as he

wondered, "where the hell is that boy?"



Captain Ashcroft had sent one of his troops through the portal to

see what was going on at the other portal site and (if possible) to

report to Ashcroft's superiors about the attack on the base site.

But the man still hadn't returned, making Ashcroft worry that things

were even worse than he thought.



"Angelus himself is supposed to be in Iberia…what if that murderous

cyborg wants a report personally…or the portal facility itself might

have been captured by enemy forces" Ashcroft worried as he began to

walk back to his tent to review the lists of weapons and other

equipment his troops had brought here.

Hoping that they were better armed than he thought.



Ashcroft was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the commotion

behind him at first as he walked to his tent. Then he heard one of

his soldiers screaming in pain and whirled around.



"My God" Ashcroft whispered in shock.

Everything seemed to be on fire.



And at the center of it all was a beautiful redheaded woman.

Floating in mid air and surrounded by flames that seemed to move

like living serpents. Moving back and forth to engulf everything

around them in fiery destruction.



Harry Ashcroft reacted instinctively.

Calling on his remaining troops to follow his example the soldier

drew his gun and fired. Hitting the floating redhead directly in

the back.



The bullet seemed to vaporize on contact. But Ashcroft did succeed

in getting her attention.



As she turned to look at him Captain Ashcroft saw that she was

holding a naked man in her arms and that her eyes were literally

glowing with anger.



"Oh fuck" Captain Harry Ashcroft murmured just before Phoenix fire

engulfed and consumed him.



*****



Over the course of several hours Buffy Summers and her friends and

followers watched as Susan Zweller demonstrated a large variety of

weapons on the captive vampires. Burning, blowing up, shattering,

and even freezing the helpless blood suckers to death.



Susan Zweller allowed many of the young Slayers to try out the

weapons themselves, and Buffy was a little unnerved at the obvious

pleasure that some of `her' girls took at using such incredible fire

power. Shooting the helpless vampires down as though it were all

some sort of game.



However a little less than half of the Vampire Slayers present were

clearly bothered by the proceedings, disturbed by the casual and

callous way that their traditional enemies were being disposed of.



As for Susan Zweller, the saleswoman remained cheerful and friendly

throughout the killings. Explaining and demonstrating the killing

power of her products as though such carnage were no big deal (or

perhaps even normal).



Just as one of the young Slayers was about to kill the last

remaining vampire, two women seemed to appear in the distance.



They were both wearing stylish black dresses and high-heeled shoes.

One was even smaller than the frail looking Susan Zweller and had

Asian features, while the other was voluptuous and unnaturally pale.



For some reason the pale one was wearing black sunglasses even

though it was dark outside, making Buffy and her friends wonder if

she were trying to hide her eyes for some reason.



Susan Zweller seemed to recognize the two women and walked off from

the main group to confer with them. As she did so Buffy huddled

together with her friends Willow Rosenberg and Rupert Giles and the

young Slayer Satsu.



"All right I admit it…their hardware is awesome…but that woman gives

me the creeps…I'm getting so many bad vibes off her I feel like I

need to clean out my aura" Buffy whispered.



"She's shielded somehow so I can't get a good reading off Susan…but

I can still get surface impressions of her aura…and whatever she is

it ISN'T normal human and it's definitely evil" the witch Willow

said with conviction.



Rupert Giles sighed and took off his glasses, a nervous tick he had

acquired over his long years as a Watcher. Then he spoke in

measured tones.



"While I lack Willow and your mystic senses Buffy…I have been a

study of human character for a very long time…and my experience is

telling me that Miss Zweller is hiding something important from us."



Buffy simply nodded in response to her former teacher's words.

Looking troubled as she thought about everything Willow and Giles

had told her. Then she turned to the other Slayer there and said

seriously "what do you think Satsu?"



Satsu blushed and looked away, in truth she had a major crush on the

elder Vampire Slayer, and had been thinking some rather naughty

thoughts while watching Buffy speak. But hearing her name had

reminded her of just how serious the situation was.



"Well…I don't like Miss Zweller and her people either…but those

weapons could really improve the survival rate of me and the other

Slayers when going up against vampires and other monsters…and I

think that's a lot more important than whether or not we like the

people selling the stuff to us" Satsu stated calmly as she looked

the Summers Slayer straight in the eyes.



Buffy felt a bit ashamed that the welfare of the other Slayers had

not been her first concern. Hoping that she wasn't getting into the

common failing (among leaders) of seeing her followers as numbers

instead of people.



Nevertheless…



"Were not a military organization Satsu…I don't want us acting like

one" Buffy replied firmly.



"With all due respect ma'am…a lot of people inside and outside our

group have started calling us the Slayer Army…and if were not

military what are we?" Satsu disagreed respectfully yet firmly.



Buffy looked flustered, and was about to reply with some heat when

Giles came to Satsu's defense. Saying calmly



"She has a point Buffy…the Vampire Slayers no longer consist of one

lone…"



But an explosion of light and sound cut off Rupert Giles words, and

something appeared above the area of the Texas ranch where the

potential buyers and sellers were standing.



It was a man and woman floating in mid air.

The man was short, muscular, hairy, and wearing nothing but plain

black shorts. The woman was casually dressed, though enough of her

form was visible through her clothes for the on lookers to see that

she was beautiful and voluptuous.



But they barely noticed her features; for a bird of flame that

seemed to outline her form (giving her an otherworldly and

frightening appearance) caught their attention.



"Selene" The Phoenix murmured as she looked down upon the shocked

faces of the ancient mutant witch and her bodyguard.



*****



Selene had known that she would have to confront the godlike Phoenix

Force and its host at some point in the near future, but she had

thought that she would have more time to prepare.



The normally utterly confident witch felt unfamiliar doubt and fear

as she looked upon the one being she knew could truly destroy her if

it wanted.



"Can even a Cube stop The Phoenix?" Selene found herself wondering.

Hoping that she had not made a terrible error.



As Jean Grey used her telekinesis to gracefully land before Jasmine,

Susan Zweller, and Selene, Susan gave a yelp of fright and ran back

towards her security people. At that same moment Wolverine landed a

few feet away.



The male mutant's regenerating body had already purged itself of the

drugs Imperious Industries Research and Development personnel had

pumped into him to make him passive. Now the only thing clouding

Logan's mind was fury at those who had imprisoned and abused him.



Upon seeing the Imperious Industries security personnel with the

company logo prominently displayed on their uniforms Wolverine

reacted instinctively. Screaming in rage and charging towards Susan

Zweller's guards.



Jean Grey observed Logan for a moment, and then she focused her

attention back on Selene. The avatar of the Phoenix wasted no time

on words and simply hit the ancient witch with a mighty telekinetic

shove. Throwing Selene back several feet and crushing many of her

internal organs in the process.



Jasmine reacted to the attack as her training and experience had

taught her to. Reaching into her dress to pull out the small

pistols strapped to her thighs and aiming and firing them at Jean

Grey all in one rapid movement.



Jasmine was an excellent shot, and Jean was standing right in front

of her, an easy target.



But it didn't matter, the bullets stopped in mid air inches away

from the flesh of the Phoenix. Then Jean used her vast power to

throw them back with enough force to rip through Jasmine's stomach

and spine in an explosion of blood and gore.



Under other circumstances the Imperious Industries security

personnel would have leapt to the aid of their fellow employee. But

they were too preoccupied by the savage Wolverine.



The short man made no effort to evade their fire, simply charging at

them screaming, his six metallic claws fully extended. Bullets,

flames, and energy beams scorched and tore through his flesh, the

wounds healing almost as fast as they were inflicted, but Logan was

so consumed by rage he barely noticed.



"I'M NO ONE'S FUCKING GINEA PIG" Wolverine roared just before he

reached the first company soldier.



Then the maddened mutant was among the nervous troops, his metal

claws slicing through flesh and bone as limbs and heads went

flying. Ignoring their continuing fire with superhuman ease as he

literally took them apart.



The Imperious Industries soldiers were experienced and disciplined,

but they had never fought something like Wolverine. The survivors

lost their nerve and ran in terror from the seemingly immortal

mutant.

Selene had hoped that The Phoenix would be distracted by her

comrade's battle but Jean Grey had never taken her attention off the

ageless witch. Standing before Selene as she gazed hatefully upon

the psychic vampire.



Selene tried reasoning with the avatar of the Phoenix Force, saying

in an uncharacteristically nervous voice "Jean Grey…surely there is

no need for this…we are both reasonable women…"



"YOU ARE NOT A WOMAN…YOU'RE A PARASITE" The Phoenix replied in a

voice like thunder.



"Jean I only feed off others to survive…I don't do it because I want

to prey off our own kind…but you could help me with that…" Selene

tried to reply.



But The Phoenix interrupted her again, saying in her mighty voice as

her eyes blazed like miniature suns "NO MORE LIES…NO MORE

MANIPULATIONS…A CREATURE LIKE YOU DOESN'T DESERVE TO LIVE."



An expression of despair briefly crossed the youthful face of the

ancient witch, as Selene realized that she had no choice but to

fight the virtually all-powerful Phoenix.



Then, ignoring her wounds and calling upon all of her will power and

pride Selene took off her sunglasses and met Jean Grey's blazing

gaze. Her own crimson eyes filled with anger and resolve.



"So be it," Selene said grimly before reaching into her clothing and

pulling out the Containment Cube. Opening it and holding it out to

The Phoenix as she did so.



Its ancient power reached out to engulf Jean Grey.



*****



Susan Zweller was getting angry and scared, and that was not good

for anyone around her.



Zweller was a mentally fragmented woman that had four distinct

personalities. Unfortunately the two most selfish and ruthless

personalities were the most dominant.



Lex was the strongest, and she was intellectual, cunning, and

pragmatic. Cain was a creature of passion and rage, and he was

generally weaker, but primitive emotions like lust, fear, and anger

could sometimes give him enough strength to overcome Lex and

resurface.



Lex was trying to rein in her anger and fear and maintain control as

she observed the deteriorating situation around her.



The Vampire Slayers had attacked Wolverine as they tried to protect

their fellow humans (the Imperious Industries security people) from

the enraged male mutant. A man the Slayers all assumed was some

sort of monstrously tough demon.



Now Logan was fighting the male Imperious Industries soldiers and

the female Slayers. The Vampire Slayers hit him repeatedly with

swords, axes, stakes, and other melee weapons. While the male

troops continued to use their guns on him.



"What the hell does it take to take down this thing?" the Slayer

Satsu thought as she saw one of her fellow Slayers shove a spear

deeply between his ribs and into his heart. But instead of falling

he simply roared in fury and pulled the spear out in a shower of

blood. Throwing it back at the Vampire Slayer who wounded him with

enough force to send it all the way through her skull.



Another Slayer responded by stabbing the regenerating mutant in the

eye with her sword. But it did no good.



No matter how many times they shot, stabbed, cut or burned him,

Wolverine simply healed himself and kept attacking. Nothing the

Slayers and soldiers did to him was enough to take Wolverine down.



All it really did was cause Logan pain and make him angrier.



Lex turned her attention away from that (apparently lost) battle to

search for Selene and The Phoenix. She saw them a few feet away

from the unmoving corpse of Jasmine.



The immortal witch stood in front of Jean Grey, holding out a

jeweled box towards the host of the Phoenix. Pulsing tendrils of

multicolored light emerged from inside the box and reached for Jean,

but the tendrils were met and blocked by Phoenix fire.



Jean Grey appeared surprised but not shocked or frightened by the

phenomenon. It seemed not even a Containment Cube was enough to

overcome the Phoenix Force.



"No…this is getting out of hand…the stupid mutant I can handle…but

how the hell are we supposed to stop a freak like her" the worried

Lex thought.



Susan Zweller had taken shelter inside the bed of the pick up truck

(that brought the Imperious Industries weapons), along with Rupert

Giles and three of the surviving security personnel. Now the

Englishman Giles was looking at Susan with concern.



She was visibly trembling and had a frightened look on her face.

Struggling to suppress her own inner beast.





"Are you all Miss Zweller?" Giles asked in concern.



The former Watcher was actually somewhat disgusted and disappointed

(though not that surprised) to discover that while Susan Zweller was

perfectly willing to inflict suffering and death on helpless

captives, she seemed to have no stomach for enduring danger or

suffering herself.



"It appears that like most bullies Susan is actually a coward at

heart," Giles thought as he watched Zweller visibly try to compose

herself.



The attention of all five people in the truck was caught by the

explosion of light and sounds that occurred when Jean Grey wrestled

the Containment Cube away from Selene and tossed it aside. Leaving

the ancient witch vulnerable before The Phoenix's awesome power.



Lex knew that she could no longer avoid fighting at that point, so

she stopped trying to keep Cain dormant, and released her hold on

their body.



"Kill them Cain…destroy those two utterly" Lex told her `brother'

persona.



Giles became even more concerned about the Imperious Industries

saleswoman as she went utterly still and a blank expression crossed

her face for a moment.



"Miss Zweller…are you ill?"



Cain looked at the Englishman hungrily as he became aware of his

surroundings. Replying with an evil leer "never better."



Just before Susan Zweller's flesh began to visibly morph, and the

werewolf's transformation began.



*****



Rupert Giles watched in surprise and horror as Susan Zweller burst

out of her clothes as she more than doubled in size. Growing gray

fur all over her body in the process.



The guards with Giles were equally unnerved even though they had

known Susan Zweller was a werewolf. For they had heard rumors of

just how murderous and bloodthirsty she could be in this form.



Besides, actually seeing her turn into a giant wolfwoman with

dangerous looking fangs and claws was far different from simply

knowing that she was a werewolf.



Everyone on the ranch grounds was so distracted by Susan's

transformation and the two ongoing battles that no one noticed the

last surviving vampire (brought for target practice) wriggle out of

her bonds.



Or saw what she took with her before fleeing.



*****



The last of the Imperious Industries soldiers facing Wolverine fell

to Logan just before two new opponents attacked him.



The Vampire Slayer Buffy Summers and the witch Willow Rosenberg.



The redheaded witch used her magic to strike the regenerating mutant

with massive bolts of lightning. Her hands blazing with bluish

energy each time she struck.



The lightning bolts knocked Logan off his feet and severely scorched

his flesh. But he kept getting up and trying to attack each time

Willow knocked him down.



"Die already" Buffy screamed in frustration as Wolverine got up only

to be hit with another bolt of magic energy from Willow, and then

simply got up again.



Each time that Logan got knocked to the ground the senior Slayer

stabbed him with the large steel sword she was currently wielding.

Stepping back once he got up and allowing Willow to hit him with

another blast.



Wolverine looked terrible.

He was covered in blood from head to foot (both his own and that of

his enemies), his shorts had been utterly destroyed by the numerous

attacks upon him, and his features seemed twisted into a permanent

snarl. These things all gave him the aspect of a savage beast,

rather than the somewhat civilized being he normally was (or at

least tried to be).



"This isn't working Will" Buffy screamed as she tried to use her

superhuman strength to drive her sword through Wolverine's skull

only to have the metal coated bone easily hold her back. Logan was

lying on his back again, and the Summers Slayer didn't realize just

how close her legs were to his arms.



"There is definitely somethiAAAAAAHHHHHH" Buffy screamed in shock

and agony as the claws on Logan's right hand slashed through her

left leg. Severing it just below the knee.



Willow Rosenberg screamed in fury when she saw what the mutant had

done to her friend, channeling her power into a massive blast of

destructive magic that hit Wolverine just as he was trying to get up

again. Knocking the X-Men several feet into the air and burning

away most of his skin.



Willow used her magic to freeze the mutant while he was still in the

air. Then she cast a spell to turn the ice to acid just as he hit

the ground.



The body of Wolverine lay unmoving on the ground, its skin gone and

muscle and bone exposed. The visible bone shining with metallic

brilliance, and most of the flesh torn and scorched by magical

malice.



"Make sure that thing is DEAD…I'm going to heal Buffy and the

others" Willow told the few Vampire Slayers still on their feet as

she turned towards Buffy and the other wounded Slayers.



The witch was leaning over her wounded friend (who had her hands

pressed over the amputated leg to stem the blood flow) trying to

think of what healing spell to use when she heard girlish screams

behind her. Then Willow turned around and gazed upon the horrifying

sight.



The Slayers who had been checking to see if Wolverine was alive were

all dead, their bodies sliced and diced by his claws. Now the

regenerating mutant was charging towards her, his mutilated flesh

healing as she watched and a mad, murderous gleam in his eyes.



The redhead tried to summon her magic, but as she saw his metallic

claws reach for her she knew that even if she stuck him again it

wouldn't be fast enough to prevent the mutant from striking her.



"NO!…NOT LIKE THIS" Willow thought in anger and denial as

Wolverine's claws struck out at her chest.



*****





The mutant known as Wolverine was beyond reason now.



Since being captured by the Iberian Ministry of Security he had been

beaten, humiliated, drugged, cut up, and tortured. Logan had

nothing but hate in his heart for those that had hurt him this way

and he intended to make them pay.



And now the Vampire Slayers were standing between him and the

objects of his vengeance.



Under other circumstances Logan probably would have felt sympathy

for and empathized with girls that were blessed (or perhaps cursed)

with the power of a demon that used that power to fight the forces

of evil. But he was beyond all such considerations now.



Wolverine had been pushed too far, his veneer of civilization had

been stripped away, and the feral mutant was consumed almost

entirely by his rage and predatory instincts.



He was going to make everyone here who had hurt him pay dearly.



Starting with the redheaded witch who kept searing away his flesh in

painful explosions of energy and light.



"What the hell" Wolverine thought as a massive fist covered in gray

fur seemed to appear out of nowhere and knock him on his back.



"Take care of the wounded girls and Selene…this one's MINE" Logan

heard a bestial voice cry out just as a large clawed foot kicked him

in the stomach.



*****



The creature that had saved Willow was basically human shaped, but

incredibly tall and muscular, her body covered in thick gray fur and

with clawed hands and feet. But her head best illustrated her

freakishness, for it was wolf shaped yet the eyes gleamed with human

hatred.



Willow Rosenberg saw to her surprise that the werewolf appeared to

be fighting on equal terms with the mutant that had severely wounded

or killed all the Vampire Slayers here. So she turned her attention

back to the hurt Slayers and the woman she assumed was Selene.



The formerly youthful looking red-eyed witch appeared ANCIENT. Her

skin was sagging and wrinkled and her hair was ragged and white.

While her features were twisted into an uncharacteristic expression

of pain and fear.



But Selene's opponent looked very different.



Jean Grey remained confident and beautiful, Phoenix fire surrounding

her form as she almost leisurely stalked her prey.



Selene was trying to use her magic to flee but the power of The

Phoenix prevented her from doing so. Employing raw power to hold

her in this plane of existence and general area.



The ancient psychic vampire used her magic to strike Jean Grey with

fire, ice, lightning, telepathic attacks, and even stones littered

across the ground. But the avatar of the Phoenix shrugged off all

these attacks with contemptuous ease. All of her answering attacks

visibly hurting the mutant witch.



Selene frantically expended her reserves of stolen life force.

Using all of her ancient cunning and magical skill to do something,

ANYTHING, to hurt or escape the seemingly invincible Jean Grey.

Almost wishing she had a goddess other than herself to pray to.



A large red form began to take shape in the air before Selene as the

ancient witch tried to summon a demon lord that owed her a favor,

the Abyssal lord's massive body becoming more detailed and distinct

as he gained a firmer presence on this Plane. The Phoenix watched

the process with interest.



"This will work" Selene whispered to herself as she kneeled on the

ground with one hand extended towards the half formed creature.

Desperately channeling almost all her remaining energy into the task

of giving the demon lord a physical body in this world.



Hoping that the demon lord would keep his promise, and that it would

make a difference if he did.



Then Jean Grey waved her hand, and the almost solid body of the

mighty demon lord simply faded away.



Selene stared at Jean Grey in horror.

Shocked that even The Phoenix could simply dismiss Lord Malefic The

Destroyer like that.



A wave of Phoenix fire engulfed Selene, and the exhausted witch was

too weak to even try to protect herself from it.



"Help me" the wounded and desperate psychic vampire mentally called

out to the watching redheaded witch.



*****



Jean Grey had given in almost entirely to the destructive passions

of the Phoenix Force.



Selene was a being of ancient magics, guile, dangerous powers, and

profound deception and cunning. Capable of attacks that Jean Grey

alone could never have withstood.



But she was NOT alone.



With the Phoenix Force Jean could simply ignore attacks from the

powerful witch that would have once instantly destroyed her, and

hurt the mighty Selene with ease that surprised even Jean.



Now Selene lay at her feet, engulfed in towering flames as the power

of the Phoenix literally consumed the witch.



Jean Grey was so focused on Selene and her own thoughts that she

didn't notice the witch Willow heal the surviving Slayers. Or see

the witch start to cast a spell against her.



Jean had no warning before Willow used her magic to fling the

unoccupied truck through the air at her. It hit The Phoenix with a

tremendous crashing sound.



This ended the attack upon Selene, and Willow rushed over to the

wounded witch. Gaping in horror at the sight of Selene.



The ancient witch looked dead, virtually all her flesh had been

burned away by the destructive power of the Phoenix and her very

bones were blackened and scarred by that awesome power. Yet when

Willow looked into her lidless red eyes she saw a woman desperately

clinging to life with all her will and remaining power.



"How can she still be alive?" Willow whispered as she kneeled by

Selene and started to perform a healing spell on her.



The healing magic restored most of Selene's flesh and made her look

like a living human again, though she remained old looking and

retained many of her scars.



"This isn't good enough…I need more energy to regain my true power"

Selene thought as she tried to move her wounded body.



But the only one close enough for Selene to drain their life force

from was Willow, and Selene knew that she would need the witch to

fight The Phoenix.



Almost as though she were responding to Selene's thoughts, The

Phoenix used her vast power to rip apart the truck that had struck

her and hurl its pieces at Selene and Willow. Only the young

witch's quick erection of a magic force shield prevented them both

from being shredded by the flying debris.



Then the mighty avatar of the Phoenix Force stood revealed before

the two witches.

Jean Grey looked beautiful and untouched, as though nothing had

happened to her. Staring at the witches with eyes that blazed with

anger and power.



"I hit her hard enough to knock over a building" Willow murmured in

disbelief as she gazed upon the furious Phoenix.



"It will take more than a flying truck to hurt the avatar of The

Phoenix" Selene said grimly.



Then she turned to the much younger witch and said in an intense

tone "I will distract her…but you must use the box against her while

I do."



Willow looked at the psychic vampire in confusion as she babbled

like she hadn't in years "You mean the jewelry box you were holding…

that box…I have nothing against magic boxes but I don't know how to

use that one and…"



"Yes…and you will know how to use it once you hold it" Selene said

distractedly.



Then she used her magic to fly towards The Phoenix.



Jean Grey automatically struck out at her with a blast of raw

psychic power. To her surprise Selene made no attempt to dodge or

block it but simply let it hit her. Gasping in pain as it blew a

massive bloody hole in her chest.



Jean was so surprised that she didn't react in time to stop the

flying form of Selene from crashing into her. The impact wasn't

enough to actually hurt Grey (for she was protected by the vast

power and strength of The Phoenix Force) but it did allow the

weakened Selene to wrap her arms around Jean's waist.



"What is this…this is impossible" Jean Grey thought as she felt

herself inexplicably becoming weaker. Then she looked down at

Selene, the ancient witch worn a strained smile, as she desperately

tried to consume the power of The Phoenix.



Consuming the cosmic power of The Phoenix came far less naturally to

the psychic vampire than feeding off life energy, and Selene knew

that if she even tried to bring all the vast power of the Phoenix

Force inside herself she would destroy her own mind and body.



But Selene wasn't really trying to kill The Phoenix anyway.



"Use the box girl…USE THE BOX."



Jean Grey didn't know what Selene was talking about and she didn't

care. She had never felt so angry or violated before in her life.

It felt as though Selene had stuck dirty fingers into her very soul.



The Phoenix Force itself was furious and offended by what Selene had

done. Its power belonged to the host; the one The Phoenix had

chosen to bestow its gifts upon.



NOT this greedy and grasping…creature.



Selene's body healed (her youthful face and figure restored) and

started to literally glow with power as she channeled more and more

of The Phoenix's energy into herself to block the Phoenix Force's

own attacks.



The very air around the two women began to crackle with power as

Jean Grey started to strike Selene with stronger and stronger

attacks, only to have the dark haired witch drain ever more energy

from her to block those strikes. While the ground beneath their

feet started to burn away as the excess power Selene and Jean were

leaking began to destroy the very earth under them.



The figures of Jean Grey and the witch Selene looked as though they

were composed of unearthly flames. Their corporeal bodies virtually

invisible beneath the power of the Phoenix Force they were

channeling against each other.



Willow Rosenberg simply stared at the awesome sight for a moment.

Despite all she had been through the young witch had never seen such

a great display of power before.



"My god...dess…if they were channeling all that power at the world

around them instead of each other they could destroy half the planet

right now" Willow thought in shock as she sensed just how much

destructive force the two women were really employing against each

other.



"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR GIRL…DO IT NOW."



Selene's desperate, screaming voice shook Willow out of her mental

daze. Then the witch used her magic to telekinetically bring the

Containment Cube (which was lying in the grass a few feet away) into

her hands.



As soon as the jeweled box was in her hands the powerful witch felt

as though it was telling her what it was for.



It was built to imprison the Old Ones and other powerful monsters.

Binding their bodies and power to render them helpless.



"Yep…that's the monster," Willow thought as she looked at the

luminous form of Jean Grey.



Then the young and seriously ticked off witch walked over to the

struggling forms of The Phoenix and Selene and opened the box.



*****



Selene had been right about one thing.



The Containment Cubes had been created to imprison the Old Ones.

Some of whom had power comparable to The Phoenix Force itself.



However, Selene had not known that the Containment Cubes only worked

against Old Ones that were near death or at least severely

weakened. The Cubes could not trap and imprison Old Ones at their

full strength and power (which was why Selene couldn't use it to

trap The Phoenix before).



But now The Phoenix was weakened and distracted by Selene's attempt

to drain her power. Making Selene hope that The Phoenix was

currently too weak to overcome the strength of the Cube.



*****



"NOOOO…TOO MUCH TOO MUCH TOO MUCH!" Selene mentally screamed. For

the first time in her long life feeling as though she were so gorged

on power that she was about to explode.



Jean Grey smiled maliciously as she sensed this. The Phoenix was no

longer attacking Selene in the conventional sense, simply channeling

energy into her.



Intent on seeing how much power the psychic vampire could absorb

before she popped like an overfilled balloon.



"You want my power witch…then choke on it," Jean thought venomously

as her eyes blazed with godlike fury.



"What…no…NO!" The Phoenix thought as she felt something other than

the ancient witch starting to drain her power. She turned her

attention to her surroundings and then saw the dark tendrils of the

Containment Cube reaching for her once more.



*****



Wolverine felt like he was fighting his archenemy Sabretooth again.



Like Sabretooth, in her wolfwoman form Susan Zweller was

significantly bigger and stronger than Logan. Much like Sabretooth

Susan also possessed regeneration and healing ability similar to

Wolverine, and had enhanced physical senses that gave her an

awareness of her surroundings usually only exceeded by powerful

telepaths.



Moreover, Cain had a bestial rage and savagery that reminded Logan

of the feral Sabretooth.



Buffy Summers and the other surviving Slayers watched in amazement

as the two savage, naked fighters tore into each other with their

claws. Brutally cutting and slicing into each other's flesh and

then healing the wounds almost as quickly.



Growling and snarling like beasts as the savage alpha male and

female tried to establish dominance.



As Buffy looked at the giant hairy form of Susan and the smaller but

equally fierce body of Wolverine she couldn't help thinking "Are we

even in the same league as these people?"



"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."



For one absurd moment Buffy thought that the incredibly loud voice

she heard with both her mind and her ears was replying to her

unspoken question. Then she looked around and realized everyone

else had heard it too.



Wolverine and Cain both stopped fighting when they heard the cry of

denial and looked for the source. It didn't take them long to find

it.



"Jean" the savage looking naked mutant murmured as he saw his

teammate bound by Selene and the Containment Cube.



His fight with the werewolf forgotten, Logan ran off to save the

girl of his dreams.



*****



Jean Grey screamed in denial as she felt her power being sucked up

by the Containment Cube. Struggling futilely against Selene's hold

on her and the magic of the Cube.



The ancient mutant witch was desperately draining power from The

Phoenix just to hold on to Jean Grey and keep the Phoenix avatar

from annihilating her. Hoping she could ignore the pain of energy

overload long enough to subdue The Phoenix.



Willow stared in amazement as the multicolored tendrils of the

Containment Cube's magic pulled The Phoenix and Selene toward it.

The two women were floating off the ground, their skin literally

glowing with power as they struggled.



"Right…like that" Willow muttered to herself as she stared at the

Containment Cube she was holding in her hands, as the witch finally

realized just how to make the Cube work faster.



"Its fueled by magic" Willow thought to herself as she began to

funnel her own mystic energy into the Cube. Making it pull even

harder on The Phoenix.



*****



Jean Grey was only a few feet from the Containment Cube now, feeling

the body of Selene behind her as the mutant witch refused to unwrap

her arms from around Jean's waist. Seeing nothing but the magic of

the Cube as its magic engulfed her.



The avatar of the Phoenix Force couldn't believe this was

happening.



Almost everyone who knew of the Phoenix Force considered it

virtually all-powerful.

How could a magical trinket overcome it?

Overcome HER?

The Phoenix thought in disbelief.



Thanks to their current connection Selene heard this thought.

Despite the horrible pain she was enduring the witch found the

strength to say hatefully "virtually is not the same as absolutely

child…you are not a true goddess like me…merely a powerful

pretender."



They were only a few inches away from the Containment Cube and

Willow now, and Selene saw the flames of the Phoenix's power get

weaker and then extinguish as they approached the Cube. Visibly

draining away the energy and power of The Phoenix.



"NOOOO…I AM THE PHOENIX…YOU CANNOT DO THIS TO ME" Jean Grey roared

as she struggled more fiercely than ever. Selene noticeably wincing

as she tried to maintain her grip on The Phoenix.



Then the psychic vampire saw the running figure of Wolverine in the

distance (an angry looking Susan Zweller chasing after him).

Quickly closing the distance between himself and the three women.



Selene knew that she and Willow couldn't defend themselves from the

deadly Wolverine if they were occupied by The Phoenix. Moreover she

was afraid that if she didn't let go of Jean Grey soon she would be

drawn into the Containment Cube too.



So Selene let the avatar of the Phoenix Force go.



*****



For one brief wonderful moment Jean Grey thought she could escape.

But it was too late; the Containment Cube had a firm grip on her

very essence at this point.



The body of The Phoenix turned transparent and smoky, and the

Containment Cube sucked down her form as though it were a vacuum and

she were nothing more than gas. Jean could do little more than wail

in fear and despair before being pulled into the depths of the Cube.



Selene was only inches from The Phoenix when it happened, and she

felt herself being pulled in. Knowing that she would soon join Jean

Grey in her mystical prison.



Then (with an audible `snap' and flash of light) Willow Rosenberg

shut the box, so Selene merely collided with the younger witch. The

impact knocking them both to the ground.



Selene landed on Willow face first, and the psychic vampire was

trying to get her bearings when she felt a sharp pain in her back.



Both witches screamed in agony as Wolverine withdrew the bloody

claws on his right arm, an expression of absolute hatred twisting

his features.



As she tried to move Selene realized that Logan's claws had gone all

the way through her to cut deeply into Willow's stomach.



"YOU BITCHES KILLED HER" Wolverine snarled just before Susan caught

up with him and knocked him down with a roundhouse kick to the

head. But as he was getting up the feral mutant sliced through both

her thighs with his metallic claws, head butting Susan away just as

the werewolf was falling down.



Then Wolverine turned away from the temporarily crippled werewolf

and back to the witches. And somehow both Willow and Selene KNEW

just from the ugly expression on his face that he intended to cut

them to pieces.



Willow heard Buffy and the other surviving Vampire Slayers running

towards them but she knew that the Slayers couldn't get there in

time to save her and the older witch. Then Selene pushed her aside

and stood up just as Logan was leaning down to slash at the two

wounded witches.



The ancient witch moved so fast that she seemed to simply appear in

front of Wolverine. Then she gently touched his snarling face with

the palm of one hand.



"Animal…you think to kill us…you are not worthy of worshipping at

our feet."



Selene said contemptuously as she pumped all of the remaining

Phoenix energy she had stored within her body into Logan's form,

just as she began to pull at his very life force and soul. Flooding

his body with destructive energy down to the atomic level while

stripping away his very spirit.



"I'm sorry Jean…I couldn't do it" Logan thought just before Selene

stole his very essence.



The regenerating mutant's flesh seemed to burn away in Phoenix

fire. For a moment his gleaming adamantium skeleton remained,

engulfed in flames. Then even his supposedly indestructible bones

burned away, so that all that remained of the once seemingly

immortal Wolverine was ash.



*****



Willow Rosenberg woke up to the feeling of an unfamiliar set of lips

kissing her on the mouth. Then she looked into knowing red eyes,

which were gazing into her own from only inches away.



As the beautiful Selene pulled away and stood up, all Willow could

think to say was "huh?"



"You lost consciousness from blood loss Willow…I was healing you"

Selene said softly.



Willow slowly got to her feet, as she stood up the witch realized

that a small crowd of people was gathered around her and Selene.



Rupert Giles, the three surviving Imperious Industries security

personnel, Buffy Summers, Susan Zweller, Satsu, and the other two

surviving Vampire Slayers all crowded around the two witches. Their

expressions ranging from happy to extremely suspicious.



"Who were those two?" Buffy demanded, wanting to know who had killed

most of the Slayers that she brought along.



"That was the demon goddess known as The Lady Grey…the savage male

was her favorite executioner who was called The Wolverine" Selene

replied solemnly.



"Do you have any idea why The Lady Grey attacked us?" Rupert Giles

asked Susan Zweller (who was now in her human form) as he intently

watched the small blonde woman.



"Not really…Selene is far more familiar with her than me" Susan

replied calmly. Absentmindedly trying to wipe some of the blood off

her petite nude form (with a rag) as she did so.



"The Lady Grey is a goddess of chaos and evil…she has been our enemy

for a long time and was undoubtedly opposed to any effort on our

part to help you cleanse this world of the demonic scum" Selene said

confidently.



"She's good…that's actually somewhat believable," Lex (the currently

dominant part of Susan Zweller) thought. Uncharacteristically

impressed by someone else's talent for deception.



"Don't you mean was…the bitch is dead right?" Buffy asked, though

she suspected it couldn't be that easy.



"No…it is not that easy to kill a goddess…she is merely imprisoned

inside this" Selene said as she held up the jeweled Containment Cube

in one hand, making Willow realize that Selene must have picked it

up since they had killed Wolverine and stopped the so called demon

goddess.



"So now what?" Buffy asked. As she wondered where the hell Selene

had gotten the new black leather outfit she was wearing now from.



"Now I must take this box to those who can make sure this wicked

being stays imprisoned" Selene said while she thought "Wolfram &

Hart…and in exchange for the unenviable task of keeping The Phoenix

imprisoned and controlled they shall give me the keys to the

multiverse."



Selene was so lost in contemplating her own future glory that she

did not hear the next few words Buffy Summers, Rupert Giles, and

Susan Zweller exchanged.



"Then its clear we will need these more powerful weapons of yours"

Giles said grimly. Not liking the changes he saw ahead.



"We can begin shipments within a week," Susan Zweller said with a

triumphant smile.