'Spiral' Story Code '5ABB20' by Steven S. DeKnight

Faced with the threat of Glory, Buffy grabs Dawn and throws herself out into the hallway, while Willow casts a spell and pushes the Beast away. Buffy and Dawn runs across campus, but Glory catches up to them as they reach the roadside. Gloating to Buffy about having found the Key, Glory is promptly hit head-on by a truck; while Buffy and Dawn run off Ben comes to, unharmed. Later, Giles and the Scooby gang convene at Xander’s apartment; Buffy tells them that their only option is to leave Sunnydale, and they should gather anything they might need while she gets transportation. At Glory’s, one of the minions is trying to discover if Ben can remember anything; Ben wonders if he can use a combination of drugs to suppress Glory, as he is knows that if she gets the Key, he will then cease to be; however, if he can destroy the Key first, then Glory will be stopped. The gang are waiting on a street corner for Buffy when a large Winnebago pulls up; the door opens to reveal Spike driving, shielded from the sun by tin foil stuck onto the windows. Giles and Xander want to throw the vampire out, but Buffy tells them they need him; she retreats to the bedroom as Spike drives off. Meanwhile, the Knight of Byzantium whom Glory fed on is rescued by two comrades and taken into the woods, where he manages to tell his general that the Key is a girl. A huge platoon of Knights leaves the woods in search of the Slayer and the Key. Giles is now driving the Winnebago, but the vehicle is old and refuses o go fast. Dawn tries to get Buffy to join the others, but her sister is depressed that they had to run, and lists the setbacks she has suffered: Glory, Tara, Riley and the death of their mother. Suddenly, an arrow flies through the window, just missing Buffy; a dozen Knights on horseback are pursuing them, firing more arrows at the vehicle, and then, as they get closer, stabbing their swords into it as well. When one of the knights climbs onto the vehicle, Buffy gets onto the roof and manages to push him off, but then two more climb up to confront her. After Buffy manages to fight them off the battle seems to have been won - until Giles sees the last knight riding straight at them. When the knight throws his spear through the windscreen and deep into Giles’ shoulder, Giles looses control and the huge RV overturns. When the dust has settled, everyone else seemingly unharmed, they take shelter in an abandoned gas station. However, they are quickly surrounded by the knights, who fire flaming arrows at the building; General Gregor and some of the attackers manage to get into the building, but Buffy knocks them out while Willow casts a barrier spell around the gas station. One of the knights summons a cleric, who informs him that the barrier is very strong, but they can break through it. Willow thinks the barrier will last half-a-day, perhaps less if the clerics manage to break it down. As night falls, Buffy questions General Gregor, who tells her Dawn must be destroyed because God has ordained it. Arguing that Dawn is an innocent Buffy tries to suggest a truce, but the General refuses to listen. Giles is in a bad way with his injuries, and as he slips into unconsciousness he tells Buffy he is proud of her. Resolving to end the stalemate, Buffy asks Willow to make a doorway in the barrier so that she and Xander can talk to the Knights; Xander reminds the men of the code of honour in battle, and the knights allow them to get help for Giles. Willow activates a payphone inside the gas station and Buffy calls someone for help. Later, Ben arrives with a medical bag, and tends to Giles wound; Buffy apologises for calling him, but she does not know anyone else who could help Giles. Spike talks to Xander, suggesting they should use the General as a hostage to escape, even if they do not all survive; Buffy overhears and states that she will not sacrifice anybody. The General tells her that when Glory’s fellow Hell-Gods were scared of the Beast’s growing power they forced her into our dimension, making her share the body of a mortal man, which is her only weakness. Dawn interrupts and asks what the Key is. The General replies that the Key is almost as old as Glory but its origin is still a mystery; its purpose is to lower the barrier between our dimension and Glory’s, allowing her to return home - but it will also open all barriers between dimensions, leading to the destruction of everything that exists across all the multiverses. Dawn blames herself for Giles’ injuries. As Ben gives Giles an injection he suddenly begins to shake; he begs Buffy to let him out, but it is too late, and he transforms into Glory. The Beast kills General Gregor and then easily throws off Spike and Xander when they try to attack her. She pushes Buffy into Willow, grabs Dawn and runs outside, effortlessly punching a hole in the barrier, which then closes before Buffy can pass through it. By the time Willow has removed the barrier, Buffy and the others find that Glory has slaughtered every last one of the knights and then left without a trace. Spike sees Ben’s car, and suggests they take it; Willow calls to Buffy to get moving, but the Slayer merely stands stock still, looking dazed. She collapses to her knees, staring at the battlefield as her eyes glaze over with tears, finally succumbing to the numbness of shock...

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), James Marsters (Spike), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn), Clare Kramer (Glory), Charlie Webber (Ben), Wade Andrew Williams (General Gregor), Karim Prince (Knight), Amber Benson (Tara), Justin Gorence (Orlando), Lily Knight (Grodi), Todd Duffey (Murk), Jack Donner (Cleric #1), Bob Morrisey (Crazy #1), Paul Bates (Crazy #2), Carl J. Johnson (Crazy #3), Mary Shedon (Nurse)
Directed by James A. Contner

TX (US): 8th May 2001
TX (UK - Sky One): 18th May 2001

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, Anya, Tara and Dawn