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"Lend your voices only the sound of freedom.
No longer lend your strength
to that which you wish to be free from."
Jewel.
"Know yourself. Know your enemy and victory shall be yours."
Sun Tsu
The four girls stood there in silent shock, not knowing what to do next. Gwen was gone. Gwen was green magic dust in the air around them. Across the road Willow giggled to herself, red energy crackling about her body. The four watched in silence as the green mist sparkled in the morning light. It seemed to hang in the air, not being carried away by the winds but clinging to the spot.
Edele felt herself trembling, not sure what to do next. All she could do was watch the sparkling green. It seemed to move in patterns, circles and spirals forming. The more she looked the more it seemed that there was something to be seen, some hidden message to be found within the clouds which spun about them. Her eyes were open, not blinking, even as the mist seemed to sting them. The more she held her eyes open and the more she watched the green sparkling mist, the more she felt tired. She felt her eyelids drooping down slowly, the green light invading even her inner mind. Strangely she felt at peace, no remorse, no fear. She felt more relaxed now than she had been for several days. This green peace was a blissful state, one which she wished could stay forever.
`Edele`
"Yes." She replied, moving her lips without uttering a sound.
`I have to go now. Don't forget what I've taught you. Don't forget what you can do.`
"But.." Edele started to protest.
`Goodbye`
Edele blinked as a tear ran down her cheek. The green mist was gone, leaving only the suns light. She looked at her three friends, each coming out of the same trance she'd been in. They all looked the same
apart from one thing. Their blue denim was gone. It had been transformed into light green.
"Well now that the fairy has had her wings clipped I guess I can get back to my fun." The red woman laughed at them.
Edele turned to her with the same focused expression on her face as the other girls. When she spoke she spoke for all of them.
"You've had your fun."
Four magical assaults commenced in unison.
***
"She can't be totally indestructible." Uma threw a rock only to watch it stop just before hitting Calista, falling to the ground without momentum.
"Well she seems to be." Helen mused, not taking her eye off the continually approaching woman. Calista made no effort to follow them at a faster rate, merely content to walk slowly, knowing there was no way they could stop her.
"We can't hit her physically and we can't attack her mentally. I'm betting any physical contact will do something horrible like drain our strength." Helen ran her hands through her blonde hair which
was becoming matted in the morning heat. She suddenly realized that she needed a long hot shower and probably wanted one even more. "We might be able to suffocate or drown her but I don't think that would be too pleasant."
"And ethics aside she isn't just going to hop under water."
"Well she has to have a weak point. An Achilles heel."
"This is not mythology Helen."
"But part of it is. She's Famine she said."
"Which means there are three others out there, probably slaughtering the others. As far as Horsemen of the apocalypse go we probably got a tame one."
"But still indestructible."
"Okay. Lets think. Famine. What's famines weak point. There has to be a weak point."
But nothing came to mind and Famine kept stalking.
***
Winona was dying. She could feel her vision shutting down. Blackness engulfed her vision. She felt her limbs going numb, coldness running through her body. The icy grip about her neck drained the life from her heart beat by fading heart beat. She was scared. She would never have admitted it but now, so close to the end, death frightened her. Then she felt a sharp pain on the back of her head.
She groaned only to realize a second later that a groan meant she was still alive. Weakly she moved her arm to rub the sore spot where her head had collided with the floor. As her eyes adjusted she saw Neve rolling on the floor beside her, coughing.
Then she saw Death.
She saw Death flying through the air and crashing against a wall. Trying to stop her head from reeling Winona followed the trajectory arc back to it's source. Wearing nothing but pair of cotton briefs, Kate Winslett eyed her foe closely. The dark woman got to her feet, moving slowly and relentlessly towards the new comer. Kate simply stood, watching grimly as the specter approached.
Winona tried to shout out a warning but found her voice little more than a whisper. She watched as the pale hand reached out and wrapped itself around Kate’s throat. For a second neither woman moved. Kate’s eyes were locked firmly on those of her deathly attacker.
Then suddenly Death screamed.
Winona moved to cover her ears as the soul rending cry split through the air. It seemed to last forever, cutting to the depths of her soul. Only when it was finally over did Winona look up. The woman who had been death was lying on the ground. Kate looked at Winona and shrugged.
"I guess there are some things she didn't have a taste for."
As she smiled her fangs gleamed white.
***
As the world around them was filled with chaos the two hid. They had awoke to the sound of explosions and since then had hugged each other tight, fearing the worst. Every second seemed to make their fear grow more and more. Both wished the nightmare would end.
***
"Chris!" Billy yelled one more time and put down the radio.
He knew he had to help. But he also knew he couldn't until he was finished here. He moved over to the bed on which Claire Danes lay. Her exposed chest rose and fell evenly, the faint twitch of her pulse visible from time to time. Her face was serenely blank, staring directly into oblivion.
"Can you hear me?" Billy asked carefully.
"Yes." came the soft reply.
"How do you feel?"
"Good."
"Why are you resisting the treatment."
There was no reply.
"You can't lie to me. Why are you resisting?"
"Because I do not need to know it all."
Billy raised his eyebrows in surprise. There was no way she should be conscious enough to make that decision. Something was very wrong here.
"You have to obey me. You have to accept what I tell you."
"What you tell me is superfluous."
"You cannot disobey me."
There was no reply. Billy shook his head and turned a dial beside him. As he did the girls body began to twitch, trying to resist the sensations it was receiving.
"You cannot disobey me."
"Stop."
Billy shivered. The statement was so totally emotionless it could be taken as anything from a warning to a desperate plea. He turned the dial further and Claire responded.
"Do not attempt to control me."
"Answer my questions." He said evenly, "Listen to my voice."
There was no reply which he decided was a good sign.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel nice."
"Do you like feeling like this?"
"Yes."
"Do you want me to make you feel better?"
"No."
"Why not?"
He watched as the thin arms and legs started to tug at the straps which held them down, pulling as the small body trembled with stress.
"If you make me feel better I may lose control."
"Don't you want to lose control?"
"No."
Her body was shaking so much that Billy resisted the urge to raise the treatment setting. He knew how delicate the human mind could be and the last thing he wanted to do was incapacitate someone they needed to help them.
"Everyone want's to lose control to something that feels so good."
Claire began to buck up and down on the bed, her face beginning to lose it's calm composure. Billy couldn't interpret what expression was forming but he wanted to stop it before it got out of hand.
"I Am Not Everybody!" she yelled for the first time.
"Who are you?" Billy asked, tossing his set questions out the window.
"I am Nemesis."
Billy felt a cold chill shoot through his body as he took a step backwards.
"Oh shit." He whispered to himself.
Then she broke the straps of the table.
***
Had it been night it might have been like a spectacular fireworks display. As it was the street was erupting with magical energy at every level. Fire water rocks and wind collided with bolts of red force, exploding and showering the buildings nearby. Four forces of nature clashed against the unnatural force and despite their resolves the four girls were losing to the one.
"How can she be winning?" Sinead asked as she sent a whirlwind spinning across the street.
Lindsay sheltered behind a rock wall as a wave of red fire burst towards her. "She's using some sort of unnatural magic. I can't figure it out."
"Just keep throwing it at her." Edele wiped sweat from her brow and unleashed a jet of fire at their opponent.
"Sis, I don't think we can."
"Well we have to keep trying. Blow open another pipe or something. We should keep on the offensive."
"Even if we can't win?"
"Keavs what are you saying? Of course we can win."
Lindsay stopped enforcing the rock wall in front of her as a realization hit her.
"Guys." She said calmly attracting the attention of her friends. "We can't win."
"What?" Edele growled. "Don't tell me all this..."
"Listen to me. We can't win this fight. War, Willow is to powerful a mage for us to handle."
"Please tell me there's a but here somewhere Linds."
Sinead said as she blew away a pile of missiles.
"Willow is to strong a mage but Alyson Hannigan isn't! We have to get her back then we win."
"Just like that? I think someone's already done some pretty serious tinkering with her head you know."
"Well we can set it right. Sinead, give me some decent voice amplification in that wind."
"Can do."
Lindsay stood up. "Alyson!"
The name resonated through the entire street like the roar of the wind.
"Alyson Hannigan?"
"NO!" the girl in red covered her ears, seeming to double over in pain. A second later she shot a red wave crackling across the street, missing them totally.
"Did you see that?" Lindsay turned to her friends who nodded grimly. "It's like she's been made to hate her own name... Alyson. You don't have to do this. Someone's making you do this."
"No!" Another burning blast was met with a wall of water, fizzing away before it reached them.
"You don't have to obey them!"
War seemed to stagger slightly. "Willow will obey." She said. "Willow will obey."
"It sounds like she's repeating a mantra or something."
Edele considered, holding a ball of fire in her hand just in case.
"You are not Willow!"
The girl in red fell to her knees, forcing her hands over her ears. Even so the booming voice in the wind was impossible to avoid. "You are Alyson. Alyson Hannigan."
"No.." the girl whimpered. "I'm Willow. Willow will obey.."
Lindsay stepped out from behind her stonewall and walked cautiously towards the girl in red.
"You don't have to obey. You're not Willow."
"I am. I am. I am Willow. I'm can't be Alyson."
"Why? Why can't you be?"
"Alyson is weak!" she screamed angrily. For a second Lindsay took a step back, ready to raise a defense if
necessary. The burst of anger abated quickly leaving the girl crying. "Alyson hurts. I'm Willow."
"You're not Willow."
"Yes. I am I have to be. Willow will obey. Willow feels good."
"You don't have to obey anybody." Lindsay reached the girl who now seemed so much smaller with her read aura faded away. She reached out her hand and put it on the red heads shoulder. "Just obey yourself."
The girl looked up to her through tear filled eyes.
"Who am I?" she asked weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
"Only you know." Lindsay shook her head.
She whispered something so soft that even Lindsay couldn't hear it.
An explosion of red light engulfed them both. The three girls across the road leapt out from their defense and sprinted across the street. The red flash had cleared by the time they got there. Lindsay took of her green denim jacket and wrapped it about the weeping, naked girl who looked up at the others.
"Alyson." She sniffed. "I'm Alyson Hannigan."
***
Chris snarled and launched herself at Britney, savagely beating her ribs with her knee. Her opponent replied with equal viciousness, punching her attacker in the arms. Chris flipped her over her shoulder, crashing her to the ground. She smiled happily. She was really getting the hang of beating up the wild girl. There was an excitement to it, something exhilarating, even sexual about her attacks.
Every hit she struck against her foe seemed to give her rush of pleasure. She wanted to make her hurt, to suffer. In the end she wanted to kill Britney Spears but she wanted it to be slow and agonizing. Her eyes were wild with fury as she launched herself at the blonde. This time she was ready, shrugging Chris off onto the ground. At first Christina had been careful and selective but the more she fought the more she wanted to count on pure adrenaline to defeat the other girl.
"Chris!" she turned to see Billy running down the street fast.
Billy could help her. Together they could rip her to shreds.
"Billy! Give me a hand. We can kill her together."
"Yes Chris." He puffed. "Here. This will make you stronger."
"Strong enough to beat her?"
"Easily." He brought forth a syringe and quickly injected its contents into her arm.
"Yeah!" Christina Ricci yelled to the sky. "Now I'll kill her!
And she promptly dropped like a stone to the ground.
Billy looked down at her, making sure she was still breathing. Then Britney hit him. She collided with him, rolling across the hard road. He almost began to defend himself but rationally he knew it would be a mistake. There was no way he could defeat her physically.
Instead he took a vicious blow to the chest as he reached into a pocket. Before she could strike him again he slapped the skin of her neck. She whipped her fist towards him, missed totally and began to roll on the floor, moaning and holding her head. Billy shuffled back across the road.
"What's going on?" Christina asked through bleary eyes as she got to her knees.
"Long story Chris. To be brief, you were affected by the drug she was emitting. I gave you a powerful antidote and used a mental isolator on Britney."
"Why?"
"I took a guess that her state wasn't a natural one. Someone has been messing with her head and to keep her a little in line was probably still doing it. Without that control I figured shed be incapable of functioning."
Chris looked at the writhing figure.
"I guess you succeeded. What now?"
"Her poisoning is more serious than yours. I can't giver her the antidote and not have her entire system shut down. Which means at best I can sedate her heavily and hope for the best."
"Hmmm. Well I guess that's all we can do for her then...
Hey Billy? Where's the van?"
"That," he said, shaking out a piece of his windscreen from his boot, "is an even longer story."
***
"So I guess I'm not you're ordinary type of vampire then?"
Kate shuffled on the couch, running her tongue over the fangs in her mouth carefully.
"That would be a pretty safe assumption." Winona considered.
Neve had returned to check on Jennifer, having found an ice pack for her own head. "You're fine being exposed to sunlight and.. catch this."
She flicked a knife across the room, which Kate grabbed easily.
"You have no reaction to silver. Are you hungry?"
"Yeah. To tell you the truth I could pig out on cream buns right now."
"Which means you have a normal human appetite rather than a blood lust. If it wasn't for the teeth and the fact that even the incarnation of Death thought you were dead.. well I'd say you were still human."
"I feel human. Last thing I remember was you and that woman squaring off. After that it's a blank."
Winona nodded. "Most vampires can't recall being turned. I guess I got to you fast enough to block out the worst of it but you still ended up with some of the power. You might want to retract those teeth before you cut yourself."
"Ghoo hlate." She lisped wiping some blood from her lips.
"You don't like the taste of that do you?"
"Ah you kidding. It ngakes nge hwanna hurl. Schuse nge."
She exited the room, pressing her hand to her tongue that she'd managed to impale on her new fangs. She watched her for a second and then was surprised by the sound of people entering. She turned to see Billy and Christina entering, looking worse for wear. Over her shoulder the dark haired girl carried a decidedly sick looking blonde girl. Only when she dumped her onto the couch did she realize it was Britney Spears.
"She was the back up you went to get?" Winona asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No." Billy began, "She was just a very crazy sick girl we met along the way.. Is that Laura San Giacomo tied up there?"
"Oh yeah.. I didn't know her name. She was creepy. It was like she was Death. I mean literally the Grim Reaper. She tried to drain the life from me and Neve."
"And what happened?"
"Kate stopped her."
"Kate Winslett? She'd back on her feet?"
"And how." Kate skipped into the room happily, her teeth now normal. "You know Win I could really get used to this fast healing thing. I'm not even bleeding anymore."
Billy and Chris both looked at her in confusion.
"Oh I'm a half vampire now." she said casually.
"Naturally." Chris shrugged without missing a beat.
"How did the others fair in their investigations?"
"That sounds like an entrance line to me sis."
As the four turned five girls floated in the door. Four were wearing green and the fifth a simple white tee shirt and jeans. She seemed to hide behind the others, dead silent and cowering.
"And just how did you young Irish lasses fair out there?"
Kate asked, seeming to have gained a new zest for life having technically lost it.
"Well we had to fight the embodiment of War so all things considered we did pretty well."
"Where's the imp?"
The four seemed tripped up by the question.
"Gone." Lindsay finally replied.
Billy nodded, not wanting to press the subject. "So you fought War, Laura here was Death... I think it's a pretty safe bet that Britney was Pestilence. That would leave..."
"Famine." Helen finished as she and Uma walked through the door, the latter carrying Calista over her shoulder awkwardly.
"Makes sense I guess. And what did she do?"
"Her skin could absorb kinetic energy." Uma replied casually as she dumped the unconscious woman on one of the foyer seats.
"A few days ago that might have surprised me." Billy sighed.
"And how did you stop her?"
"We found her Achilles heel. One place where she wasn't
invulnerable." Helen almost smiled.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I punched her in the mouth." Uma replied. "I can't exactly figure out why but for some reason it was as vulnerable there as anyone else. Dropped like a stone."
"Works for me." Chris shrugged. "So what, we just beat the four horse women of the apocalypse. Does that mean we win?"
"I doubt it." Uma slumped down onto a couch. "Someone made them all like this, twisted their minds into incarnations of disaster. No easy feat if you ask me. I think it would take a serious band of experienced mind benders to pull that off, not even considering the physical alterations.
"So how many are there?" Winona asked.
"One." came a shy response.
All eyes turned to the red head curled up in a fetal position on one of the chairs. "There's only one."
"Who is it?" Uma leant forward, peering at the frightened girl.
"She's lots of people. She was Hel in Norse mythology, Anansi in Africa and Jezebel in Babylon."
"Alyson?" Helen asked after a painful silence. "How old is she?"
Alyson didn't even seem to hear the question wrapped up in her own thought.
"Before that.. long before everything else she was Lilith, The first seductress in the garden of Eden..."
Suddenly most of the occupants of the room felt just as scared as Alyson.
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