A dangerous sorcerer named Felix Faust has come to Sunnydale, intent on raising an ancient demon to subjugate all of humankind. To succeed, he must perform a powerful curse to displace his enemies, transporting them from one time and place and exch...
Xander was still smiling and shaking his hands like a hyperactive child as he ran across the school quad toward the Batmobile. All the other Sunnydale High teens stopped to stare at the sleek black machine that had screeched to a halt in front of the school. Then several of them cast the same shocked look at Xander as he ran straight for it.
Batman also watched Xander running at him with an impish grin, the open Hawaiian shirt trailing on either side of his rumpled T-shirt. He shook his head, questioning his choices.
Xander leaped with surprising skill over the car door to plop himself into the passenger seat. His eyes bulged as he surveyed every inch of the Batmobile's interior, with its array of gauges, scanning equipment, and its various weapons and defense controls.
None of which Batman would allow him to touch, or even look at too intensely.
"Oh, man," Xander said. "Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man. This is absolutely, without a doubt, the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."
Batman soured at him. "Riding in a stranger's car? This is your highlight?"
"Yeah!" Xander burst. "I mean, sure, some other cool things have happened to me, too. There was that one time I – no, this is definitely the coolest."
"Fine," Batman said. "Let's move."
"Roger," Xander said, eagerly scanning the dashboard. "Okay, I got this. Batteries to power. Turbines to speed!" He flashed a cheesy smile.
Batman clenched his teeth. "It doesn't work that way anymore."
"Oh. Sorry."
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Batman jammed his foot on the accelerator, feeling the rumble and thrust as the Batmobile lurched forward, propelled by the rocket turbine in its rear shaft. The high schoolers who had ventured closer now jumped back, away from the squeal and smoke of the Batmobile's tires.
From the corner of his eye, Batman spied Xander gripping the passenger door's safety handles with a momentary panic, followed by a strangely satisfied smile as they tore through the downtown streets of Sunnydale.
Fanboys, Batman thought with an inner grumble.
"So," Xander said, resting his arm on the side door. "Let's talk shop. You hang out with bats. We help Buffy slay vampires. We're kind of in the same field, right?"
"No," Batman said. "I don't usually deal with vampires or other demonic creatures. The few I've encountered, I would have preferred to avoid."
"Not big on vampires, huh?"
"Contrary to popular belief – not my favorite."
Xander shrugged. "Yeah, we're not fans, either."
"The fact is, I rarely battle supernatural forces," Batman said. "When I do, I search for the human force behind it. Like Faust, the Scarecrow, and your friend, Ethan Rayne. We stop them, we stop the curse they're trying to invoke."
