Death Cured

 

 

 

Feb. 14th, 2000, a small article in the Sunnydale newspaper

 

 

 

This week, Professor Maggie Walsh of the Sunnydale branch of the University of California announced a vaccination to prevent death. 

 

 

 

Professor Walsh was unable to go into exact details, but she did say that she has been working hand in hand with the United States government and the Army to produce this wonder drug. 

 

 

 

Local reactions varied from the pleased to the skeptical.

 

 

 

“I’m happy to see a science solution,” Jonathon Levinson, long time Sunnydale resident said.  “Other methods are so unreliable.”

 

 

 

“Bloody Nazis,” said another local, known only as Spike.  “Playin’ with nature.  There’ll be consequences.  There’s always consequences.

 

 

 

So, while many citizens have lined up to be inoculated there are still others who are apparently not interested in vanquishing death from their lives.  When asked, one of the persons not interested in the vaccine stated that she had known for years that she’d die young, and what was the point of changing that now.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

March 25th, 2000

 

 

 

Buffy shook her head.  “I’m not taking the shot, guys.”  She looked around the room at her friends.  “I just don’t trust Maggie Walsh and the Initiative enough.”

 

 

 

Riley glared at his girlfriend.  “What do you mean you don’t trust Dr. Walsh?  I took the shot, and there’s nothing wrong with me.”

 

 

 

Spike snorted from his spot in the kitchen.  “You say that now, Captain Cardboard, but when you start sproutin’ hair in weird places or growin’ horns, we’ll really start worryin’.”

 

 

 

“I told you that it’s perfectly safe, Hostile Seventeen,” Riley growled.  “What the fuck do you know, you stupid, worthless vampire?”

 

 

 

Spike gave a sniff of disdain before he peered through the opening separating the kitchen from the living area.  “You smell like a pile of rottin’ meat.  If it wasn’t for the Slayer’s delicious aroma makin’ the air worth breathin’, I’d be in here pukin’ my guts out.  Have you ever seen a vamp puke?  It’s disgustin’.”

 

 

 

“That’s gross, Spike,” Buffy grumbled.  “Did you have to be so graphic?  And he really smells like rotten meat to you?”  She looked at Riley, and she wrinkled her nose.  She knew that Spike didn’t like Riley, but the change in Riley’s scent was weird enough to take notice of.

 

 

 

“What does he know?  He’s just a vamp.”

 

 

 

“Just a vamp, he says,” Spike drawled while he strolled out of the kitchen with a cup of warmed blood in hand.  “Maybe I should introduce myself, all proper like.”

 

 

 

“Oh, please don’t,” Buffy groaned.  “This is so not the time to show off who has the biggest stones.”

 

 

 

Spike sneered.  “Are you worried lover boy here will lose?”

 

 

 

“Of course he’ll lose.  I’ve never met anyone with bigger ones than you.”  Buffy rolled her eyes.

 

 

 

Riley’s glared deepened.  “Well, then tell me who he is.”

 

 

 

“William the Bloody,” Xander piped up.

 

 

 

Giles removed his glasses, and he polished them with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.  “The youngest Master vampire in the history of the Council.”

 

 

 

“He’s killed two Slayers in single combat,” Anya said in a bored voice.  “Lothos lured more in, but he used magic and thrall.”

 

 

 

“So, you see, not just a vamp.”  Spike strolled over to one of the armchairs where he plopped himself down to continue watching the show being played out by the pulsers in front of him.

 

 

 

Riley turned his attention away from the vampire.  He knew he wasn’t going to win an argument against the creature at that time.   He took a step closer to Buffy.  “You still haven’t told me why you don’t trust Professor Walsh.  She has been nothing but nice to you.”

 

 

 

“Wow, really?”  Buffy narrowed her eyes.  “You seem to have conveniently forgotten she’s tried to kill me, she’s chipping vamps for some unknown reason, and she made Adam.  Isn’t that enough?”

 

 

 

“Buffy, you have to take the shot.  If you don’t, we can’t be together.”  Riley changed his tactics, and he gave Buffy a pleading look.   “I can’t be with someone who will eventually die.”

 

 

 

The Scoobies gasped in angry surprise at the soldier’s words.

 

 

 

“T-that’s j-just r-rude,” Tara spoke for the first time.

 

 

 

“I think the Slayer’s bloody smart to wait to see what the consequences are,” Spike muttered.  “Besides, she couldn’t sneak up on the enemy smellin’ like a heap of rottin’ meat. “

 

 

 

“There are no consequences.  It’s all perfectly safe,” Riley said.  He shook his head.  “It’s obvious you don’t care about me, Buffy.  We’re through.”

 

 

 

“If that’s all it takes for you to abandon Buffy, we’re better off without you!”  Willow gripped Tara’s hand under the table they were sitting at.

 

 

 

Riley looked around the room at the various expressions.  Buffy’s face had a sad, yet determined look on her face while her friends Willow, Xander, and Giles were angry.  Xander’s girlfriend looked bored, and the girl next to Willow seemed concerned about everyone else.  Only the vampire looked amused, raising his cup of blood in a toast when Riley glanced at him.

 

 

 

“Whatever.”  Riley gathered his belongings.  On his way out the door, he paused.  “Don’t call me, Buffy.  We’re through.”

 

 

 

After a few minutes, Buffy crumpled to the sofa.  “I thought he really liked me.”

 

 

 

“It’s okay.”  Tara stood up to go to Buffy where she awkwardly patted the Slayer on the shoulder.  “I’m not getting the shot either.”

 

 

 

Willow shook her head.  “Me, either.”

 

 

 

Xander huffed.  “I guess I won’t either.  Anya?”

 

 

 

“Of course not.  Why would I want to spend eternity smelling nasty?”  Anya wasn’t like everyone else when it came to Spike.  She took what he said at full face value.

 

 

 

Buffy let out a sniff.  “Thanks, guys.”  She turned to Giles.  “What about you?”

 

 

 

“I do not trust Maggie Walsh any more than you do, my dear.  Of course I won’t be getting the shot.”  Giles put his glasses back on his face.  “What about your mother?”

 

 

 

Buffy shook her head.  “Mom decided against it already.  She says that it’s against the laws of nature for a human to cheat death.”

 

 

 

“Always knew Joyce was a smart woman,” Spike said.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

July 4th, 2000, biggest breaking news of the year

 

 

 

IT’S HERE!   THE FIRST MIRACLE CURE OF THE 21ST CENTURY IS HERE!

 

 

 

The first ever interview with the remarkable woman who made this amazing discovery, Professor Maggie Walsh.  An exclusive by C. Sullivan.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Professor Walsh, you and your team have changed the world as we know it with your new Stopper Death vaccination.  Was this what you and the government were initially researching?

 

 

 

Walsh:  Absolutely not.  The Stopper Death shot is simply a side effect of our real research.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Is there anything you can tell us?  Perhaps the circumstances that led to the discovery.

 

 

 

Walsh:  All I can really tell you is that during an incident someone or something did something that caused speculation among my team members and myself.  It was at that point that we realized that we might have an incredible discovery.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Is the vaccine safe for humans?

 

 

 

Walsh:  My team and the Army have done extensive research and experiments.  We are quite certain the vaccine is safe.  One dose and the only thing that will kill you will be a beheading for obvious reasons.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Has it been tested on humans?

 

 

 

Walsh:  We asked for volunteers.

 

 

 

Sullivan: Are the volunteers alive?

 

Walsh: Of course.  I volunteered personally when the vaccine was discovered.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  And you survived death?

 

 

 

Walsh:  I’ve been stabbed through the heart, shot, electrocuted, and several other lethal methods of death.  As you can see, I’m alive and perfectly healthy.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Really?  How was the beheading discovered?

 

 

 

Walsh:  That was during a separate incident where two of our male volunteers fought over a female volunteer.  It was a terrible tragedy that has prompted our next steps in research.

 

 

 

Sullivan: Those are?

 

 

 

Walsh:  Limb regeneration and body growth beyond the cloning process already in existence. 

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Is limb regeneration and the growing of bodies even possible?

 

 

 

Walsh:  That’s classified, I’m afraid.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  If no one can die, how long before the earth will be unable to support its population?

 

 

 

Walsh:  I’m afraid I don’t understand the question.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  With a zero death rate and a birth rate of approximately 490,000 babies per day, how long before the Earth’s population outstrips the resources available?

 

 

 

Walsh: I don’t foresee that as a problem.

 

 

 

Sullivan:  Why not?

 

 

 

Walsh:  That’s classified.  This interview is over.  Agent Finn, please escort Miss Sullivan to her car.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

August 2nd, 2000

 

 

 

Buffy scrunched up her nose when she saw the dead body.  “Ewww,” she muttered.

 

 

 

Spike sniffed the air.  “Odd.  I thought Walsh cured death.”

 

 

 

“Whatcha mean?”

 

 

 

Spike shrugged.  “Not only is he a pile of rottin’ meat, he smells like a pile of rottin’ meat.”

 

 

 

Buffy leaned down to look a little closer at the severed head lying next to the dead body.  “Hey, I think I know this guy.  He’s one of Riley’s buddies.”  Then she squatted.  “Miller, I think.”

 

 

 

Spike squatted next to Buffy.  “So, there is a way to kill the Stoppered ones.  Interesting little fact.”

 

 

 

“Why did they dump him instead of shipping him back to his family?” Buffy wondered aloud.

 

 

 

“Not sure, Slayer, but it might just catch us a break.  Fledges aren’t much particular about where their first meal comes from.  If we leave this next to the grave of a newbie, we might see if the blood is as tainted as the scent.”

 

 

 

“Ewww, Spike.”

 

 

 

“Well, I’m not stupid enough take a bite of this.”

 

 

 

“Fine, you sense any fledges waking up?”  Buffy stood up to look around for something to shove Miller’s body with because there was no way she was touching it.

 

 

 

Spike stood too.  He extended his senses, and much to his delight felt a fledge waking up about twenty feet away.  “That way.”  He squinted.  “A bloke named Warren Meers, I think.”

 

 

 

“Grab one of the branches, and we’ll push Miller over there.”

 

 

 

The Slayer and the vampire each grabbed a tree branch.  Together they easily pushed Miller to the grave.  Then, they waited.

 

 

 

Meers burst out of the ground.  He was hungrier than he’d ever been before in his life.  He grimaced when he smelled the odor of rotting meat, but his hunger was too great to care.  Meers fell to his knees, grasped the dead body’s arm, and he sank his fangs into the flesh.

 

 

 

“That’s just disgustin’,” Spike muttered.  “Vampires these days just don’t have any standards.”

 

 

 

Buffy was too busy watching Meers to listen to Spike’s commentary.  She studied the newly turned vampire closely while he siphoned the late Miller’s blood off.   Then she noticed something odd.  “What’s happening to Meers?” she whispered.

 

 

 

Spike stopped speaking, and he concentrated on the fledgling.  “Bloody hell.”  Then, he let out a gasp when Meers dusted in a quiet poof.  “Damned glad I didn’t volunteer to be your test bunny.”

 

 

 

“What the heck was in that blood?”

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

Feb, 14th, 2005, a Los Angeles newspaper article

 

 

 

It’s been five years since the introduction of the Stopper Death vaccination, named after the infamous first year speech of Severus Snape in the immortal Harry Potter series. 

 

 

 

Ninety-eight percent of the population has been inoculated within that time period.  Most of the population of the United States that remains unvaccinated has gravitated towards Sunnydale, California, where interestingly enough the Stopper Death vaccination’s discovery was originally announced, and Cleveland, Ohio.  There are several other cities of various sizes that seem to attract the unvaccinated.

 

 

 

In other news, officials have announced a sharp decline in the birth rate.  Only those women that have not yet received the vaccination can still get pregnant.  While this answers many worries brought up when the Stopper Death vaccination was introduced, it also raises more questions. 

 

 

 

While the leaders of several countries have expressed approval of this news, there are others, including the United States President, that have expressed concerns about other consequences brought on by the vaccine.  Many of these leaders are very interested in talking to Dr. Maggie Walsh and her research team, but extensive searches have proven futile.  Maggie Walsh has disappeared.

 

 

 

When questioned by reporters and officials, the Secretary of Defense and the Army denied having ever worked with Maggie Walsh or the Stopper Death vaccination.  Not only has Walsh disappeared without a trace, but many of those first vaccinated in Sunnydale, California have also disappeared.  Family members have expressed concern, but as with Walsh all searches are proving to be in vain.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

Feb. 25th, 2005

 

 

 

Buffy stretched before she crawled out of her bed.  She padded over to the closet to gather her clothes to change into after her shower.

 

 

 

“We patrollin’ tonight, luv?”  A sleepy voice asked from the bed.  Spike pushed his way out from under the blankets.

 

 

 

Buffy shrugged.  “Yeah, I think we have time before Angel and Cordy’s engagement party.”

 

 

 

“Are you ready to show our evidence to the Scoobies and Angel’s team of do-gooders?”  Spike sat up with the bed clothes gathered around his lean hips.

 

 

 

Buffy stopped in her tracks.  “Yeah, I just hope they don’t get all out of joint when they hear about the research we’ve been doing.”

 

 

 

Unmindful of his nudity, Spike rose to his feet, and he padded across the room to Buffy.  He placed his hands on her shoulders.  “There’s nothing wrong with what we’ve been doin’, Slayer.  Stoppereds can’t be bitten, and you rescued hundreds of normal humans who otherwise would be still be hostages to the more powerful vamps out there.”

 

 

 

Buffy stiffened.  “If you hadn’t gotten the chip, would you be one of those vamps?”

 

 

 

“Maybe.  I don’t know.”  Spike whirled Buffy around.  “But don’t think for a second, Slayer, that I’d change the past concernin’ the chip.  Without it, you would have never given me a chance to win your heart.”

 

 

 

Buffy let out a chuckle.  “You sure that wasn’t Mom and Dawn’s hearts instead?  Sometimes I think you’re only with me for my mother and sister.”

 

 

 

“What can I say, luv?” Spike said with a smirk.  “I’m a sucker for Summers women.”  Then, he waggled his eyebrows.  “Last one in the shower has to be on the bottom later.”

 

 

 

Buffy giggled.  She pushed Spike towards the bed, and she whirled around to race towards the bathroom.  It was a close race, but Buffy won by a millisecond.

 

 

 

Later, after patrol and a pleasant time at Angel and Cordelia’s engagement party, Buffy was feeling good from little bit of alcohol that she had consumed.  The Scoobies, Angel’s Los Angeles crew, and a few close, personal friends were sprawled around the lounge.  “Hey, guys, Spike and I have something to talk to you all about.”

 

 

 

“Are you getting engaged too?” Dawn said enthusiastically.  “That is so cool.”

 

 

 

Buffy rolled her eyes.  “We’ve been engaged for years, Dawnie.  No, this is something to do with the Stopper Death crap.”

 

 

 

“Does this have something to do with your trips to Los Angeles?” Joyce asked gently.

 

 

 

“Yeah.  As you all probably know, the Stoppereds smell nasty to vamps.”

 

 

 

Both Spike and Angel scrunched their noses up in disgust while the others nodded their agreement to Buffy’s words.

 

 

 

“About five years ago we found one of the Stoppereds dead here in Sunnydale.”  Buffy turned to Willow.  “You remember Riley’s friend Graham Miller, Wills?”

 

 

 

“Yeah, vaguely.  The other one was Forrest something, right?”  The redhead rubbed her chin while she tried to remember.  “But I thought they couldn’t die?”

 

 

 

Spike let out a snort.  “It’s like those Immortals on that one show on the telly.  Not many things can survive a beheadin’.”

 

 

 

“At the time Spike and I were curious about the blood.”  Buffy let out a huff of air before took a swallow of her drink.  “I mean they were stinky to vamps, but that didn’t mean much and he was already dead.  Besides, it wasn’t like we were killing him or letting him get vamped.”

 

 

 

“What the Slayer is trying to say is we put Miller’s body next to the grave of a fledge,” Spike interrupted.  “We both knew the newbie wouldn’t care about anything but getting a free meal.”

 

 

 

Buffy nodded.  “Sucking on a dead Stoppered dusted the fledge really fast.”

 

 

 

“What?”  Several different voices overlaid each other asking the question.

 

 

 

“We thought it might be a fluke.  You know, the Initiative messing with the body before they dumped him, but there wasn’t any kind of tampering with it,” Buffy replied.  “Then, Spike suggested it was dead Stoppered blood that killed Meers.  That’s the fledge’s name by the way.”

 

 

 

“Hold on, I want to start writing this all down,” Wesley said.  He went to find some paper and pens.  “How about you, Rupert?”

 

 

 

“I have confidence in your note taking ability, Wesley,” Giles answered.  He turned to Spike and Buffy with concern in his face.  “You didn’t kill a Stoppered to check, did you?”  He was concerned about the vampire’s influence on the Slayer.

 

 

 

“No.”  Buffy shook her head.  “That’s when we took our first trip to Los Angeles.  There weren’t any Stoppereds here in Sunnydale to study.”

 

 

 

“What did you learn?” Cordelia asked.   Angel Investigations had fled Los Angeles when the smells became too much for the souled vampire.  While none of them, herself, Angel, or Wesley, had been too happy about their return to Sunnydale, they had dealt with the circumstances the best they could.

 

 

 

“Vamps dust when they try to bite living Stoppereds too,” Buffy said.  “We learned some of the older, more in control vamps, were capturing unvaccinated people to keep as blood harems.  We’ve been trying to stop that, but it’s more than two people can handle.”

 

 

 

“Spike and Buffy rescued Jay-Jay and I from an old vamp,” Madam Inga spoke up.  She gestured towards the man sitting at her side.  “The carnival we belonged to was attacked by a group of vampires.  Thankfully, Jay-Jay here was able to convince them we were worth more to them alive.”

 

 

 

“That means the other non-vaccinated communities like Cleveland and the coven in England need to be informed,” Wesley said.

 

 

 

“There’s something else,” Spike said.  “Something I haven’t mentioned to the Slayer yet, because it’s not good either.  Finn showed up here in Sunnyhell a few weeks ago.”

 

 

 

“Riley’s here?”  Buffy had a confused look on her face.

 

 

 

“Yeah, dogboy and I were patrollin’ a few weeks ago when we found him hold up in a crypt over in Wilkins Memorial.”  Spike shook his head.  “The git is barely human these days.”

 

 

 

“Human enough to speak, though,” Oz grunted.

 

 

 

Spike tilted his head in agreement.  “True enough.  It appears the people that were vaccinated first here in Sunnydale are mutatin’.  Whatever is in the Stopper Death does more than stop death and stop birthin’.”

 

 

 

“He’s aggressive,” Oz stated.

 

 

 

“And uncooperative.”  Spike swallowed the last of his whiskey.

 

 

 

“We need to learn more about the vaccination,” Giles said.  “We need to get the other people not vaccinated informed about the problems.”

 

 

 

“Should we say anything to the Stoppereds?” Joyce asked.

 

 

 

Buffy shook her head.  She looked at Spike while she formulated her words.  “Even though people are concerned, they like their immortality too much.  When Spike and I talked to some people in Los Angeles about things, they got all bad-moody.”

 

 

 

“Looks like we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Cordelia announced.  “Angel and I will go to Cleveland to talk to Faith.”

 

 

 

Wesley nodded his head.  “Gunn and I will go to Kostoma, Russia.  It’s where the other Council members that refused the vaccination gathered.  We’ll work on getting the message out.”

 

 

 

“I’ll visit the coven in England,” Giles said.

 

 

 

“Jay-Jay and I wish to be of help,” Madam Inga announced.  “We still have hope that our other carnival friends will be found.  I may look old, but I feel young.”

 

 

 

“Hmmm,” Willow hummed.  “How about you work with Tara and me?  We’ll try to scry for pockets of humans not in the safety of the communities.”

 

 

 

“Spike and I will work on the people living here in Sunnydale.”  Buffy was relieved that everyone took the information she had gathered with Spike so readily.  “There’re plenty of demons that we can start with.”

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

June 18th, 2010, Los Angeles, California

 

 

 

Tamara Howery, owner of Howery Crystal Shop in the Third Street Mall, reported strange goings on at her Culver City home.  Ms. Howery told police officers she sighted strange creatures loping through her yard.  While officers could not find those responsible, they did find evidence of an attempted break-in.  There were long gashes in the back door of Ms. Howery’s home.

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

 

 

 

July 4th, 2012

 

 

 

“Angel called,” Buffy said when Spike strolled in the back door of the Revello Drive house.  She had a scared look on her face that made the vampire drop his bag of blood on the counter and take the Slayer into his arms.  “Cleveland was attacked by mutated Stoppereds.”

 

 

 

“Is everyone okay?”  Spike hugged Buffy closer.

 

 

 

“Yeah, everyone is fine.”  Buffy sighed.  “It’s just getting harder and harder.  All the Stoppereds are mutating so fast.  I’m worried that we won’t find a solution before they overwhelm us.”

 

 

 

“The Doc is working as fast as he can,” Spike replied. 

 

 

 

Buffy laid her head over Spike’s heart.  “I know he is.  I’m just worried.  This might be the end of mankind as we know it, and I can’t do a thing about it.  Makes me wish we were fighting Angelus or the Mayor again, you know.”

 

 

 

“I’ll protect you and yours till the end of the world, Slayer,” Spike vowed.  “Even if it’s tonight.”

 

 

 

“Just might be,” Buffy answered, “If the Stoppereds decide to attack Sunnydale.”  She tightened her arms around Spike.  She knew he was good to his word, and it lessened her anxiety a bit.  At least she wouldn’t be alone.

 

 

 

The End.