Self-Made Hero: The Infinity Mirror Prologue Part II

[madimpossibledreamer]

Whoops, technical difficulties.  Literally fell asleep at the keyboard.  Fixed now.
~Dreamer~

Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Avengers Crossover AU (Self-Made Hero: The Infinity Mirror)
Summary: Rupert Giles tries to determine the best way to stop a mad chaos sorceror.
Word Count: 380
Rating: Gen

              It takes research, years of it, but due to his use of magic he’s not exactly entirely human, anymore, and it’s worth it.  He doesn’t let himself think for a second that Ethan had not followed him.  He’s scheming and biding his time, preparing for the next confrontation, just as Giles is doing.  He discovers that more than one dimension has become unstable, likely as a result of Ethan’s meddling.  He finds what appears to be a nexus after a good deal of searching.  A young woman named Buffy Summers.
              The name is familiar.  It takes him a little while (and a memory recall spell) to discover that she was a Potential Slayer that had gone unnoticed by the Council.  Merrick had showed up and attempted to train her, but she’d been targeted by a wetworks team and Merrick had also died when he’d attempted to protect her.  Rupert had counted that as a loss; Merrick had been a friend, and it only proved that he couldn’t bear to condone such behavior.
              Perhaps his father had been right.  Perhaps it would’ve been better if he had become a Watcher, rather than Ethan, to try to correct the corruption, fix it from within rather than letting it be torn apart entirely, but hindsight wouldn’t fix the situation.
              Buffy (and who would do that to a child) is well-hidden.  Finding her involves beseeching a couple light goddesses he’s fairly sure are not on speaking terms with Ethan, so she’s protected for the moment.  She’s quote-unquote normal, placed in the insane asylum for being unable to tell the difference between her world and others.  It’s a gift, but no one she knows sees it that way.
              The problem is convincing her of the truth.  The problem is keeping her safe once he’s gotten her out, because he’s fairly sure it’s the banality of her situation that keeps her protected.  So he keeps looking, finds a few lesser nexūs that he can get to join his cause.  To save the world.  His world had fallen, a divided front.  Ripper can’t save the world on his own.  He’s a loner, but he’s not willing to just let Ethan have his way, and if teamwork is what saves the vast multiverse then that’s what he’ll do.