Veronica had been working over-time lately. Literally. She’d picked up some late shifts at the library, closing it most evenings, as an excuse to have access to books on reserve after hours. The man that had replaced Landry was somewhat… Petty. He didn’t like competition, so naturally he hated her. Add in what was going on with the Hearst Basketball team? The Barry family and Josh’s plea for her help? Yet more stakeouts… and she’d had to do this last one alone.
He father had been called away on a Bail Jumper and asked her to watch Mrs. Barry’s house to see if anything suspicious was going on. Buffy said she needed to get some stuff done around town that night, so Veronica has spent a boring evening in her car until Mrs. Barry herself took pity on her, having walked out to her car, and sent the young PI-in training home. Veronica figured since she was up anyways, and she knew Wallace would be pulling an all-nighter working on his mid-term project, she thought she’d drop in and watch him work for a bit – maybe bring him a Redbull. She was half way to the Architecture building when suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck started to become undeniably standing on end.
“What are you doing out so late?” finally came the voice from behind her. Veronica had felt the vibrations of his foot-steps just behind her for what felt like forever, or at least since she’d left her car in the parking lot, but every time she’d looked over her shoulder she had been alone. The campus was silent and dark and though she couldn’t hear the footfalls, she had known she was being followed, watched…
Glancing around she realized that she and this sudden stranger were standing on the walk in front of the Technical Engineering center, the vast deserted quad behind them. She’d glanced behind her just seconds ago – she’d been alone… where had this man come from? Glancing at his clothes she saw this thin, ropey man was wearing a Security uniform, but not for Hearst College. She knew those uniforms well - this looked like a cheap knock-off. Why would someone even want one?
“Miss? I asked you a question.” He pulled out a long MagLite from a belt loop serving as it’s holster and shined it into her face, hostel; his voice was full of false concern and temper. “Ma’am, have you been drinking this evening?” The hairs on the back of Veronica’s neck seemed to be screaming at her all the things that were wrong here, making answering the man a little hard. Her mind was trying to piece together all the clues that her instincts were pointing out but the answer just would come – like a stalled engine, she stood there. And she could feel the man’s agitation growing, making her body all the more anxious as she raised a hand and blinked away from the light.
Through the glare of the bulb she could just make out a corner of his mouth turned up in a grin.
His large, yellowing teeth reminded her of the wolf in Little Red Ridding Hood and it was then her heart started pounding. This was a nightmare, her mind decided, something was happening here that was too off to be real. She was still in her car outside Josh Barry’s house having accidentally fallen asleep… it had to be -
“Veronica get inside.”
Whipping around, there on the bottom step to the Engineering labs stood Buffy. She too seemed to have come out of nowhere – just appearing, silent and unseen. Veronica stared hard at her but Buffy’s eyes never left the lanky man. She dashed over to the blonde and only when she was at the older girl’s side did she glance back at the stranger. Veronica was surprised to see he looked about as ready to make a run for it as she was. Clicking off the light and changing his grip, he held it at his hip like he was going to have to hit someone with it.
“Veronica!” Buffy almost barked at her, eyes still fixed but attention divided. “Go, get inside – far inside – and don’t turn around. Follow the lit walks until you make it to Wallace’s or Mac and Parker’s. Don’t stop running.” Veronica nodded and glanced between the two locked gazes. “Now, Mars.”
Her body wouldn’t wait to be told one more time. She’d been held at gunpoint, repeatedly drugged, tazed, purposefully crashed her own car, and set on fire. By far what scared her most about the whole thing was Buffy’s tension. It was one thing to have moments of illegitimate, paranoid fear – but the woman’s appearing from seemingly nowhere and reacting the way she had…?
This thought made Veronica stop. As soon as she was through the doors she pressed herself back against the inside wall, all thoughts of seeking out Wallace as she’d originally intended now gone. She watched through the small glass panes in the doors as Buffy approached the guy and he backed away, raising the MagLite. They circled briefly, speaking in hushed voice that Veronica would have had no hope of hearing from this far. Then like lighting they were exchanging blows, Buffy armed only with a nightstick or billyclub. It was very fast and extremely violent.
Veronica dove into her bag, retrieving her camera once again. Using the zoom and focus to try and see better, she was shocked when Buffy suddenly seemed to spin on a pivot and her foot hit the man in the side of the head with such force he landed face-down on the ground. She saw him climb back to his feet quickly, as his face appeared once again within the plain of focus on her viewfinder - she was shocked to see his face had contorted monstrously after hitting the ground.
About half as shocked as she was when Buffy shoved her nightstick right through his chest until the tip was poking out the other side. So shocked, in fact, she’d pressed down on the capture button. As the clicking of the electronic shutter sounded loud in the empty hall, she looked up in time to see what used to me a man blowing away in the wind as his body never quite made it to the ground.
It was about a moment later that she realized Buffy was turned towards her, as though she could tell Veronica had seen. Tucking the weapon into an inside pocket of her coat as though it were nothing more than her wallet, she started walking slowly towards Veronica’s hiding place. Throwing the strap of her bag over her head, turning around Veronica ran blindly, finally following through on the second half of Buffy’s instructions. Staying on the lit paths she booked it all the way to Mac’s, never stopping to look behind her, nor slowing down to see if the older woman followed.