Good Idea, Bad Idea

Starring:

Fred_icon.gif Wesley_icon.gif

Summary: Fred and Wesley go following demonic worm tracks through the sewers. It was a good idea in theory..

Date It Happened: December 1st, 2001

Log Title Good Idea, Bad Idea


LA Sewer and Metro Tunnels

Avoiding the mistakes he made the other day in broad daylight, Wesley is taking the sneaky route back to Hollywood. Armed with a map of the sewer system, flashlights, backup batteries, lights and a few weapons, he's navigating his way back. "If this map is still correct.. we should find ourselves at the same area where the worm came above ground." Minding his footing, he only checks the map, cross referencing it with markers on the walls, every so often. "Are you sure that you're alright with this?" The ex-Watcher isn't quite certain that his companion of choice was the wisest.

"Oh sure. I like underground. It's all nice and dark and kinda cozy." Only someone like Fred would like being in the sewers. "Not all crowded with the sun shining in your eyes all the time. I'd take the sewers everywhere if I knew I wouldn't get lost and then be wanderin' around here for ever." As for the hunting down the whole worm part. Well. That's something she'll handle when they get to it. "Why're we trying to find this place again? I don't know if I'd really like to come up against another one of those. 'Specially with just the two of us."

"Seeing as you put it that way," Wesley says, partially distracted as he double checks their location. Readjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder, he glances at Fred and offers her a reassuring smile. "This is strictly reconnaissance." Yet, he came prepared just in case. "I don't want to go up against it either. Not without more manpower." Facing front, he's leading onward once more. "As to why we're trying to find it.. the more details I have, the easier it is to narrow it down. Unfortunately all of the information I've been given points to species that are supposed to be extinct, or reside nowhere near Los Angeles."

"If it's extinct, why's it bursting out out of the sidewalks on people and tryin' to eat them? That doesn't seem too extinct to me." Which, obviously is the point. "Maybe this was the last one, then and now they really are extinct." There's a lot of possibilities, but if something's supposed to be extinct, Fred's going to want to think that it is. "So if we're trackin' it down, why don't we get more manpower to do it now? 'Cause, I mean, I'd be able to find our way back here but it'd be a long trek."

"That would be the question now wouldn't it?" Wesley asks, peering through his glasses in the light of the torch. Without looking back at Fred, he patiently answers her questions and basically keeps up a conversation with her. "Manpower is a bit of a problem for us. Gunn requested some time off and Angel has yet to return. Someone has to remain at the hotel to see to clients and answer the phones.. and well.. we're missing most of our muscle." Which is something he's trying terribly hard to not dwell on. "Aha. Here we are." The flashlight is shone upwards as he squints, "Right beneath the area our friend appeared above ground."

"I dunno. Can't you figure something out as to how we could whup it without the manpower?" Fred's a simple girl when it comes to times like this. "Why'd Gunn request time off?" Disappointed a little, but more curious as to anything else. While she locks herself up in her room, she doesn't really have any way to find out the new gossip. Tilting her head up, she sees the make-shift patch up job on the surface above them. "Well. Doesn't look all that scary from down here."

Around them are worm tracks and shed teeth. A few bones of animals small and large are scattered, but there's not much evidence that the worm used this place as more than just a traveling ground.

"I could see about borrowing an immense flamethrower." And by borrow Wesley probably means taking without permission since funds are tight for that sort of thing. "Gunn has a few things he needs to work out.. it's really his place to talk about it rather than mine." Since it seemed rather private. As he shines the light around and down towards the ground.. "Eureka! Here, hold these please?" The man is then handing over the light and maps to Fred so that his hands are free to bag up samples.

Bag samples? Fred doesn't seem to mind taking the flashlight or the map. She juggles them in her hands for a few moments until she can hold up the light high enough to cast about a wide beam in order for Wesley to work. "What d'ya want old teeth and bones for? All it seems to be able to tell me is that it ate here. If that's even what ate here. Who knows what all else is down here. I'd imagine if I was some big scary demon, I'd stay down here and just wait for curious people like you'n me to come down and just eat 'em."

The teeth are quickly bagged, and next Wesley is adjusting the flash on his camera. Pictures of the tracks are taken and for the most part, he's quiet, putting his focus on that task. Once done, everything is set into his bag. "Remarkable.. Well.. what this demon is eating can also help with identifying. For example, one species may feed entirely on plantlife. Another may exclusively eat rats… and you have a point, which is why I don't plan on lingering." He smiles at Fred and holds out a hand for her to take. Yes. He's planning on going just a little further through the tunnels.

"No, I get what you mean. So you think there's some other species of that old extinct one slinking about the sewers somewhere? Huh. Now that's a scary thought." Because one was really quite enough. "So, now that we've found where it was, what do we do now? Is it easy to track worm slithering's? I hop there's not just some trail of bones somewhere. That'd be just unnerving."

"Could very well be. Stranger things have happened in the world. Species thought to be extinct, only to surface once more. Like the coelacanth for instance. That was supposed to have been extinct since the Cretaceous period." Keeping the lead, Wesley's eyes are focused forward, hoping that he's not leading Fred to her death. "Just stay close to me… See those tracks here in the sludge and up on the walls?" He aims the beam of light from the flashlight to where he's indicating tracks. "It looks like it was heading this way." Towards the LA Metro line.

"Um, not to rain on anyone's tracking parade, but isn't tracking a large worm on a metro line gonna get us run over?" At least she's practical as well as crazy. Fred also hopes she's not being led to her death, but she also doesn't really think about that so much. "What kinda demon is a coelancan—-oh. That's right." She manages to answer her own question. Quickening her steps, she makes sure she's right behind Wesley, as he is the boss, after all.

"We aren't going too much farther." Wesley tries to assure, even as he's far too fascinated in the tracks, what's been left behind (ew) and the possibilities. The map is hastily tucked into his bag, which frees up his hand.. and is thrust back behind him for Fred to take. "As for being run over.. not necessarily. Walking along the tracks doesn't strike me as a very bright idea."

"Oh. Alright then." That makes sense. Wesley's smart and naturally would have figured that out already. "I trust you." He's part of the team that rescued her from Pylea. How could she not? Taking Wesley's hand she follows closely behind him. "I guess we just make sure we're not going toward any bright shining lights. Otherwise we'd be going up and rushing toward some bright shining lights ourselves."

Wesley smiles over his shoulder at Fred when she says she trusts him. His hand tightens over hers for a brief moment, but not so long that it could be thought of as improper. "Precisely. Don't walk into the light." With that, he continues on in silence, just trying to get an idea about the directional patterns in which the creature is moving around in.

"I'll try and all." Not that she's gonna try to do that or anything. Fred's got that survival instinct and doesn't want to meet her end in a metro tunnel. Walking along the subway line it seems like an uneventful walk until there's the bright and fast moving lights of a train coming by and the loud horn beeping at the two people stupid enough to be in it's way.

"Now would be a good time to be moving," Wesley says in that restrained calm manner of his that really means, 'FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S SACRED, RUN!' Tightening his grip on Fred's hand, he takes a running lead.. right into a side sewer access tunnel. Not.. a glamorous place to duck and hide in.. but.. it keeps them from being flattened.

Not being flattened is very fine by Fred. Tightening her own grip on Wesley's hand, she picks up her pace as to not get flattened by a train. Ducking in, the only thing she really cares about is that they're not crushed as opposed to greasy spots on the tracks. The train streams by with the loud noise and the clacking of the wheels on the tracks. In seconds, it's passed them. "My. That was really close."

"Too close.." Wesley says as he tries to breathe again in a normal pattern. It takes a moment, but when he notices he's holding Fred's hand a little too tightly, he lets go. "Sorry.. I didn't realize.. You were right about following the tracks." Frowning some, his moment of embarrassment is over as he shines the light around. "Although.. I can't imagine that the worm stayed along the train tunnels. Commuters would have noticed."

"But not bad close." Fred gives Wesley a grin. Something a little more like what she must have smiled like before she was in Pylea. "No, we're fine. We're never gonna figure out about this if we just dismiss stuff. Where was all that before where we gotta find this thing and figure out about it!" Her fire and grit is coming back. "So, let's find this thing and figure out if it's really extinct!" Pause. "Of course if it's really extinct we're not gonna find much, I guess."

The grin that forms on Wesley's face is gone as soon as he realizes he must be smiling like the village idiot at Fred. Softly, he clears his throat before taking the lead again. This time, sticking closer to the walls and not so much with the tracks. "This way.."

It would appear safe wouldn't it? After the adrenaline of the train passing by so close, nothing else bad could happen, right? It's just when the two are starting to get calm again, breathing returning to normal when something comes flying out of the shadows, jumping at Wesley and Fred. It seems to be all teeth and claws and shrieking, hard to get a good look at in the dark shadows of the tunnels.

With the only thing in his hand being a flashlight, Wesley swings at whatever it is that leaps out at them! (Don't laugh, said flashlight is a maglite. They /hurt/. He also does not yelp like a girl in fear.) Reaching into his bag for an actual weapon would take more time than he would like to react, "Stay behind me Fred!"

The person who does yelp is Fred, who makes a strange surprised sound at the demon that jumps out at them. She thought that after the train they wouldn't have to worry about anything else other than a large wormy demon. This thing is much different. Small and fierce. It claws and hisses at the attempt to attack it with a maglite, deflecting and bouncing off Wesley. Dashing one way and then rebounding off the wall, it launches at Fred. The girl shrieks and ducks out of the way, scrambling to pick up some sort of rock or heavy object to defend herself with.

Wesley keeps maneuvering himself to be in front of Fred.. even if their attacker is small and fierce. (You can never tell by size alone you know.) "Back! Shoo! Away with you fiend!" He ducks once more, then grabs for Fred's arm, "Right, we have a new plan. We return with reinforcements and .. ah.. better preparedness.. SCAT!" He actually hisses at it as he takes a wild swing to try and hit the thing that's probably just a bat.. but one just can't tell. This isn't running away, it's a strategic retreat. One he'll feel silly about later and refuse to talk about.

Even if she's shrieked and weirded out, Fred isn't about to leave Wesley to his scatting. The demon doesn't seem to be listening and it keeps bouncing off of walls and attacking them. Having secured a large rock, she swings it with most of her might at it and while she keeps missing, she's keeping it from attaching itself to her. "Wesley! What d'we do about it?!"

"Do? What? Well.. RUN." Wesley is a bit out of ideas at the moment, not that he's really started thinking things through. When they come back later. They'll bring a net. For now? "We've probably disturbed it, so we best leave and it will stop bothering us!" With that? He's leading Fred out of here!

Not letting go of her big piece of rock, Fred allows herself to be led out of the way of the bouncing, nail and teeth demon. "But what about the worm! And finding out if there're more of 'em!" That's still important to Fred for some reason. Even as they run.

"Ah.. we'll regroup, come back later! I have what I need to do some more research with my books!" And that.. is Wesley's story and he's sticking to it. So there.

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