Four

"One example of...ahem, 'modern' sculpture."

"Check."

"Hanson music."

"Check."

"One full copy of a Microsoft Windows 95 OS."

"Check."

"One six pack of bottled cappucino."

*SLURP* "Sorry, Brain, but I think we'll need to buy some

more."

Brain sighed, but there was still more than enough time

left to replace everything if need be. "No matter," he

told his assistants. "We have plenty of time. The

ceremony must performed at midnight, and it is not even

sunset yet."

"But why cappucino?" Amy asked. "I don't ever recall it

being called a hellish item."

"It's not," Brain replied, "but taking over the world is

thirsty work."

"So, Brain," Pinky piped up, "have we got everything? Amy

was going to, narf, show me the sights of Sunnydale if

y'know what I mean."

Amy giggled.

Brain sighed again. Those two were so juvenile. Best to

let it run its course, though. "Actually, there is just

one more item that we need to aquire," Brain replied.

"Twenty cc's of vampire blood."

"You also need more thing, you annoying little creature,"

CARR sneered before Pinky or Amy could respond.

"Oh, and what is that?" Brain asked annoyed. Since they

had started running their errands, Carr had been totally

silent, obediantly taking them wherever they wanted to

go.

"Gas," Carr replied as the U-Haul that was his current

body ground to a stop in the middle of downtown traffic.

*****

"No, really, you don't have to come," Max told his two

tag-alongs as they strolled down the Paris street.

"Right," Bea snorted. "I want to make sure that you

actually leave."

"And I want to make sure you don't do anything to Bea,

here," Adam added. "The combination of you stalking her

and wanting to borrow one of my swords leaves me with no

great confidence in your sanity."

"Oh, fer crying out loud!" Max exclaimed. He glanced at

the note Virgil had sent him and turned down an alley. "I

was NOT stalking Bea. And speaking of sanity, who the

hell collects swords and then just stuffs them into their

closet?"

But Adam wasn't listening. He seemed distracted by

something, turning his head this way and that looking for

something.

"Adam?" Bea asked, noticing his distraction. "What's

wrong?"

"Uh, nothing love," Adam replied. "Just the...WHAT IN THE

GODS' NAME IS THAT?" He pointed to the whirling yellow

disc that had suddenly appeared in front of Max. Only

incidently did he notice that Max's cap was glowing as

well.

"Oh, that?" Max said nonchalantly, enjoying the other

man's surprise. "It's just a portal to...somewhere. Hey,

Bea, why don't you fill your boyfriend in on it?" Without

waiting for a reply, Max jumped into the portal and vanished.

At that moment, another man came around the corner,

waving a really big sword like it was a feather light.

"I am Kro...WHAT THE HELL?!"

Making a split second descision, Adam grabbed Bea and

jumped the both of them into the rapidly closing portal.

*****

"We better start searching for that dragon now," the

blond vamp mused.

"But it's still daylight out!" the unkempt vampire

protested.

"Reah! Rayright!" echoed the four-legged whatsit.

"And I'm hungry, too!"

"Rungry!"

"Can an'one unnershtand whash tha' t'ing ish shayin'?"

Zoot...er, Zeus asked, pausing in his drinking. The Death

Mage had managed to find a supply of an ale-like drink in

a shop across the street. Enough to keep the god happy

for a while.

"But we just ate!" put in the red head vamp.

The shopkeeper was a plus.

"Hey, you can find someone to eat while we look for this

dragon," the glasses vamp told the unkempt vampire. She

turned to the blond and asked, "So, what's the plan as if

I couldn't guess?"

"Okay, we split up. You come with me," the blond said,

wrapping an arm possessively around the red head and

grinned toothily. "We'll search the UC Sunnydale campus.

You," he pointed to glasses, "take those two," he

indicated unkempt and four legger, "and look around the

parks."

There was a slight pause.

"That's it?" the Death Mage finally asked. "That's your

whole plan?"

"Uh, is there something wrong with it, boss?" the blond

asked.

"Like what are you going to do when you run into the

dragon?" the Death Mage pointed out.

"Oh, we run away and build a trap for it," the red head

answered.

"You run away?" the Death Mage asked, baffled. From the

information provided by Willy the bartender, he had

gathered this wasn't standard vampire behavior.

"And build a trap," the blond replied. "We even have

something that'll be perfect to use on the dragon. Him."

He pointed to Zeus.

The god was snoring away, having passed out.

*****

"So what have we got so far?" Willow asked.

The whole Scooby gang had gathered at the downtown

expresso shop to compare notes. Which currently amounted

to...

"Absolutely zilch," Xander replied. "We spent all day

looking and there isn't the least sign of a dragon

anywhere."

"Not exactly," Giles said, sipping a cup of tea. "We know

that a supernatural entity of unknown type hired a gang

of vampires, presumably to battle a dragon. The entity in

question matches the description given to us by Angel on

the survivor of a band that had attacked him and the

dragon the other night. I believe he called it a Death

Mage."

"Vampires against a fire breathing dragon?" Buffy mused

aloud. "This 'Death Mage' must not be very smart."

"Quite."

"What about the haunted U-Haul?" Oz asked.

"I'm afraid that without knowing its current location,

that it must take a lower priority," Giles said.

"I know where it is," Oz said.

"Really? Where?" Willow asked surprised.

Oz pointed outside at the rapidly growing traffic jam. At

its center was the U-Haul in question.

"Hmm, no cops in sight," Buffy said, studying the

situation. She sighed and got up. "C'mon guys, let's

check it out."

*****