REMNANT : Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider

REMNANT: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider - Chapter 28.

Giles flinched as Oz slammed his fist on the table beside the computer. For the normally morose boy, it was a startling outburst.

"Sorry," Oz apologized in a drone, resuming his usual detached demeanor. "I can't find anything on the net. Nothing about Kalderon, how to stop him from rising, or how to keep him from flooding the planet with his demons. And nothing to help bring Willow and the others back." He frowned down at the tabletop, picturing Willow's gentle smile, wondering if he would ever see her again.

Giles put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find a way," he assured him.

Oz dropped his hands in his lap, nodding in silence.

Giles resumed his pacing as their guests from the past puzzled over what Oz had been doing for the last hour. They seemed to have trouble understanding even the tapping motion of his fingers, as though Oz were playing a piano. Let alone the printed words appearing on the black monitor screen before him.

The young boy, Pierre, leaned in close, entranced by the dark screen. "Is this box ... some sort of witchcraft?"

Giles sighed. "That's largely a matter of opinion," he said. He had never been fond of computers personally, but in this instance, it was worth an attempt. Though, as he had suspected, their chances of finding the information they needed, even on the net, were slim.

"I searched every way I could think of," Oz stated, still staring at the table. "Different chat groups. Keyword searches. I can't find anything out there."

"Because there isn't anything out there," Ethan broke in. He turned on Giles. "You know as well as I do this is a waste of time. We've been searching for information on Kalderon and the Remnant curse for twenty years. If it was written down anywhere, one of us would have at least found a hint of it."

"Yet it is out there, somewhere," Giles argued, keeping his voice as calm as he could.

"Of course it is," Ethan agreed. "But it's not the sort of information demons are keen on sharing. 'News Flash, humans. That curse we plan to use on you one day, to displace you all and overrun your world with demonkind? Here's the way to stop it in 10 easy steps.'"

"All right, you've made your point," Giles grumbled, turning aside to meet the gaze of Simonet, the Lycanthru leader, who eyed him with amusement from across the room. Three standing Lycanthru wolves flanked him, while the other four wolves stood guard outside around the school's perimeter. Giles turned away from him, continuing to pace. "We have to determine how to uncover this information, somehow, in order to bring Buffy and the others back. And stop Kalderon from resuming power, once and for all."

Ethan clucked his tongue. "Yes, that would be ideal. I usually prefer escape, when dealing with demons that have gotten out of control. But seeing as how it's difficult to escape Earth ... we'll go with your plan, Rupert. Assuming, of course ... you have a plan."

Giles glared at him. Then noticed the others staring at him with a hopeful look. Especially the Leóne family and Marceau, strangers to this time, entrusting their lives to his care. "I'm working on it," Giles replied coolly, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he resumed pacing.

"Well, work on it a bit faster, if it's not too much trouble," Ethan chided. "I don't suppose I need to remind you, but we're running out of time."

"Yes, in more ways than one," Giles agreed, still pacing. "It seems minor on the face of everything else, but there's also a full moon tomorrow night."

Oz exhaled, slow and even. "Yeah," he said. "Been thinking about that."

"Why does that matter?" Mister Leóne asked. "The Lycanthru have already assumed their wolf forms, except for Simonet. They can maintain it as long as they wish to now, with little exposure to moonlight."