Xander checked his watch as the automated lights switched off on the top floor of the high rise he was currently working on. He made his way to the edge and sat cross-legged facing the darkened horizon. He slipped the disc into his portable player and let dulcet tones of Enya take his mind away to another time and place. He breathed in and held his breath before releasing it, his hands pushing outwards as he cleansed his body of all the previous days memories.
Especially the memories that haunted him the most. That fateful day when he stopped his childhood friend from sending the world into a crashing freefall that would have meant the end of all living things still haunted his every waking moment. He felt the warmth of the new days sun on his face and he smiled, a new day had dawned and 'she' still lived in it.
He stopped the disc and unhooked the phones from his ears just as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. He saw the red hardhat and grinned. "Hey Red." The man smiled back at him and waived." Hey Xand, I see ya beat me again!
Pretty soon they'll be calling this "Harris Construction' instead of O'Hara." He held out his hand and Xander shook it. "Not in my lifetime Red to much paperwork for my liking." Red looked at the skyline and sighed. "You know when the Mayor ahh left I thought this town would shake off its dark shadow and begin to rejoin the rest of the state."
Xander shrugged. "Give it time Red." He told the older man as he inspected Xander's work. "Damn you do good work kid!" He turned to Xander and threw him the day's paper watching his face as he saw the front-page report about an 'Alligator attack' on a school outing. Xander shook his head as he whispered. "Well it's more original than a 'gang on PCP.'" He looked over at Red as he told Xander. "I'm taking the company back to L.A. and I want to take my best men when I do."
Xander looked disappointed and Red placed his hand on Xander's shoulder. "In case you didn't get it that meant you." Xander was shocked at this revelation.
"Jeez kid I didn't leave you the company I just offered you a better job in a much safer part of California." Xander shrugged. "I Know red it's just." He looked at the man and continued. "I've never been told I'm good at anything before."
"Well what can I say? Everybody else must be as blind as bats!" Red glanced at his watch then told him. "Look I just swung by to let you know and give you enough time to make up your mind before I tell the rest of the crew." Xander nods. "Oh I'm interested Red it's just that its all so sudden." Red walked into the elevator and told him. "I have to know before the end of the month so I can find another carpenter as good as you."
Xander was still in a state of shock, his body working on automatic the whole day until Frank shook his shoulder. "Hey Xand its Miller time dude!" Xander shook out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah thanks Frank, good days work today fella's." He entered the elevator and followed the others down to the ground and then to his car. He took the keys out of his pocket and then popped the trunk, unhooked his tool belt and placed it in the trunk along with his other 'tools'. He covered the cross and stakes with the blanket and looked around to make sure no one else saw it before slamming the trunk closed.
He drove home to his, now very empty, apartment and sighed as he shut the door behind him. He went straight to the bathroom and showered his day away. He was about to take yet another pre cooked meal from the freezer when he stopped and stated. "This is Friday!" He opened the freezer compartment and cursed when he saw it was almost empty except for a malomar bar and a frosty ice. "Shit! I forgot to stop off at Kroger's on the way home." It was as he shut the door that he noticed the red flashing light on his answering machine. He pressed the button and a robotic voice told him. "You have three messages." It beeped and Xander deleted it after the man asked if he was satisfied with his carrier. The next was the dealership reminding him that the service was due on his Jeep. Xander was reaching for an apple when he heard her voice and stopped. "Um I... I want.. No.. That's not right... Xander this is Buffy please call me as soon as you can...Uhh bye."
Xander took a bite of the apple then picked up the phone and walked over to his bedroom. He hit speed dial as he picked out some jeans and a top. Dawn's voice caught him unprepared and he had to chew the mouthful of apple quickly. "Okay if this is another of your freaky calls Spike I'm." Xander yelped. "No it's me! I just had... Wait a minute what freaky phone calls?" Dawn was suddenly stuck for words. "um I was... Just joking Hahaha!"
Xander knew she was trying to cover up and he would have to look into it later on. "Yeah right Dawnie! Is your sister there? She phoned me earlier on and I've only just got home." Dawn shouted. "BUFFY! Xander's on the phone!" He could hear the sound of feet pounding on the wooden stairs and then a curse."
God damn it!! The freaking rails come off again. "Dawn told her." This place is becoming more dangerous than it is outside at night! "He then grinned as he heard her whisper." We need to get him here quickly and not just on the weekends either! "" Hey Xand! How are you going? "Buffy's voice always made his heart a little lighter and his day a little brighter."
Okay Buffster no need to ask how yours is going. "Before she could reply Xander asked. "What's this about Spike making obscene phone calls? "Buffy sighed." Just his sick way of trying to ask me to forgive him. "Xander pulls on his jeans and told her." Well I'd forgive him... Right after I dusted the asshole! "Buffy blushed." Well I did kind of encourage. "Xander's angry voice interrupted her." Don't! Don't you ever say you encouraged him! No one deserves to be raped Buffy! No matter what you did before in your relationship with him, when you said no he should have damned well stopped!"
The silence as Buffy fought for words let Xander's imagination runs wild. "Look Buffy I'm sorry I know you loved him but no matter what spin he tries to put on it rape is rape. I know it's none of my business and I'm not going to say anything more on the subject. Whatever you decide is fine by me."
He heard her sigh then say. "It's in the past Xander, dead and gone, now what I did want to talk about was... I need your help." Xander grinned and said."
I'll bring my tool kit and I promise to charge below union rates. "Buffy cheered up." And I'll cook. "" Ahh! Are you trying to drive him away! "Dawn shouted." Tell him we'll spring for Chinese or something! "Before Buffy could answer he said." I'll pick up a couple of pizzas from Renaldo's on the way over. I'll see you in an hour."
Xander had spent several hours doing running repairs on the Summer's home and then Dawn came out of the kitchen and watched Buffy as she tried to help Xander as he reset the handrail of the stairs. She saw the looks that Buffy was giving Xander and she smiled when she saw her checking out Xander's ass. Dawn sneaked up to her and Buffy was too engrossed in watching his rear as he was bent over the railing. Buffy jumped as Dawn whispered. "Now do you see why I had ' the crush' on him?"
Buffy blushed as her helping hand ended up against Xander's butt when he suddenly stood up. She jumped back and began to stammer. "I was jjust trying to help." Dawn grinned as she lent in. "I think his ass is safe now so you can let go now." Now it was Xander's turn to be nervous.
He stood up and backed up the stairs. "I Uhh need to get some wood..." His blush deepened. "I mean a paling from the shed." Buffy nods as he passed and she asked quizzically. "We have a shed?" Xander walked outside into the night air and let out a heavy sigh. "Jeez what was that about?" He lent against the porch and shook his head in disbelief. "No way is she falling for me.. No way!" He straightened up and checked his belt for the right tools for the next job. He shook himself and cricked his neck. "She's probably just lonely and felt safe with someone that she's known for years." He grinned as he walked towards the shed. "So if that's right then why do I feel like I just won the lottery?" He entered the shed and chose a paling to replace the broken one. As he walked back his eye caught the glittering of something in the grass. He walked over to it and said. "Looks like a crystal from a chandelier!" He bent to pick it up. "Never knew they had a..." The back yard was lit up by the burst of light and the paling Xander had been carrying went flying through the kitchen window.
Buffy and Dawn raced into the kitchen and Dawn turned to Buffy as they both looked at the paling imbedded into the kitchen wall. "Spike?" Buffy's eyes widened as she ran outside. "Xander!" She scanned the back yard until she saw a blackened stain burnt into the green grass of her lawn. "XANDER!" She shouted into the night. Dawn stood by her side and then knelt and ran her finger across the scorched grass her fingers coming away with a thin veneer of oil. Her eyes narrowed and she asked Buffy. "Does this look like that gross stuff that was left behind when Anya transformed into Anyanka?"
Buffy took her eyes off of the yard to look at the gunk on Dawn's fingers and shrugged. "Go inside and get a spatula and one of those glass jars mom used to use to make Jam." Dawn started to leave then paused. "Do you think it was Spike?" Buffy sighed. "I hope not." Dawn closed her eyes then asked. "Why because you'd have to stake him?" Buffy looked at Dawn then shook her head. "No because Spike has a bug up his... nose about Xander for some reason and if he didn't lie about his not having a chip anymore." She let the rest of her answer hang in the air, not willing to even risk making it so by voicing her concern.
Buffy went to the shed and checked that Xander wasn't there hiding as some kind of warped practical joke but she found no sign of him. "It's the hellmouth pet." Buffy didn't need to ask who was there. "Spike!" She turned towards his voice telling him. "If I even begin to think you did something to him Double Meat Palace is going to have a new burger!" Spike let out a ring of smoke as he flicked some ash onto the ground. "Pet if I wanted to whack the bugger he'd have been having a nice long dirt nap by now."
He saw the blood rush to Buffy's face and heard her breathing speed up. "Hmm well now I know." He stubbed out his cigarette and sighed. "So when did it start and does the daft git even know?" Buffy felt her hands form fists as she ground her perfectly formed teeth before answering. "No he doesn't and when we find him, and we will, he's not to know till I tell him." She pushed past Spike then froze as she thought of something else. "Just how long have you been standing there anyway?" Spike grinned. "Oh me? I arrived in time for the great ass grabbing scandal of '02." He grinned at her as he saw her misplace her footing as the dig struck home. "I admit I was tempted to set droopy up, hell I had enough incentive he was steeling my woman even if he was too daft to know it."
Buffy turned and hissed through clenched teeth. "You are so damned close to a dusting it isn't funny! Help us find him and it might, just might, go someway to redeeming yourself! If not in my eyes then at least in Dawn's." Spike's head dropped and then he shrugged. "Yeah... I suppose the niblit is disappointed." He looked back up and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. "I'll see what the dark side of Sunnydale knows about it."
Buffy nods absentmindedly as she bit the corner of her lip. Dawn asked her sister. "So was it him?" A nervous look on her face as she waited for the answer. "Buffy shakes her head." He says he didn't but with Spike you never know when he's covering up for something. "Her eyes narrowed as she mentally crossed off names on her mental list." Willow's still in England with Giles, not that she would do anything like this ever again. "A grim look took over her." What creature has the power to transport someone away in the wink of an eye?"
Dawn look scared as a thought crossed her mind. "That is assuming they sent Xander anywhere! What if..." Buffy could see tears begin to form in Dawn's eyes. "What if whoever did this had a more permanent end in mind for Xand?" She began to fear for her best male friend even more. "It would be easier to just." Buffy held Dawn close and shook her head. "No way! Xander's to stubborn to just go without some warning to us" She grinned uneasily. "He doesn't do anything quietly especially if he thinks we're in danger as well!" Dawn reminds her.
Buffy grips Dawn tighter. "We'll find out who did this and then we'll make them bring him back!" Dawn holds the glass jar filled with the slime she had scooped up from the burn marks on the lawn and tells Buffy. "My science teacher owes me a favor so I'll get him to analyze just what this snotty looking crap is."
Buffy has hit every demon haunt she knew but drew a blank and was about to try and beat an answer out of a Chaos Demon when her cell phone rang. She dropped the demon to his feet and flipped open the phone. "Speak to me." Dawn blurted out to Buffy. "You may be getting call from Principle Skinner. That gunk we found just fried the electron microscope in the science lab! Before it went kamikaze on us though Mr. Weldon said it had almost finished."
Buffy blew a loose strand of hair from her eyes and demanded. "Dawn I don't have time for a round of double jeopardy!" Her sister nodded and told her. "The scope said it was made up of human DNA, male, and a substance it could not identify!" Buffy sighed. "Man it would have been easier if it had been Anyanka!" She sees the name make the Demon jump and she tells Dawn. "Hang on for a sec I think we just may have an answer!" She glared at the demon. "If you don't tell me what I want to know I am going to kick your ass so hard you're going to have to undo your top button to take a dump!"
The green skinned demon went a shade darker and yelped out. "Anayanka's back! She was telling Haflek that she was in the mood for a little revenge!" Buffy motioned with the flick of her head and the demon took off like a scalded cat. "Dawn? And the Survey said... Anyanka!"
".... Chandelier." Xander jerked and looked around as he realized it was broad daylight. "Oh great! Just as my life gets to being good Scotty beams me to frigging Fantasy Island!" Xander takes a deep breath and grimaces. "Man either I've got way too used to pollution or this air stinks!"
Xander can hear the crashing of the waves from beyond the tree line and he makes his way towards the shore. As he walks past the trees he looks them up and down. "No way these are palms.. I've been to Oxnard and these look nothing like palm trees." He can smell the tangy freshness of the sea and stumbles onto the beach. His left eye begins to twitch as he stares at the sea. "Mr. Wizard...Mr. Wizard! Time for this one to go home!!!!!" He scanned the sea.... the deep purple sea before shading his eyes from the glare of the red sun. "Man and not a FedEx plane in sight!"
Spike flicked the ash from the tip of his cigarette as he spoke to his guest. "Well love you had better be telling the truth because Buffy's out for blood and she's not to choosy who's it is at this point in time." Anyanka smiles and she tells him. "Frankly dead boy Jnr I could give a damn!" She tilted her head to one side as a thought struck her. "Not that I care but why has she got her heart set on skinning me this time?"
Spike grins. "Oh you're going to love this... It seems she's discovered she has feelings for droopy." Anyanka grinds her teeth. "How cute a slayer and the bricklayer." She pouts. "Hope she's freaking well happy now!"
Spike grins, flashing his pearly whites. "Yeah well it turns out the wanker vanished before she could tell the poor sod she likes him and wants to find out just how much of a Viking he is in the sack."
Anyanka grins. "So he finally grew a pair and left her ha! Now she knows what an unreliable asshole he truly is!" Spike smirks then takes a drag on his cigarette before telling her. "No pet you don't get it.."
The door crashes open bathing the crypt in sunlight and causing Spike to yelp in pain. "Bloody hell Slayer! You ever heard of knocking?" She grabs his head and hits it against the marble pillar. "Knock, knock Spike!" She holds him close to her and her glare makes the ex-big bad grimace. "I told you to find her not warn her!" She releases him and stalks towards Anyanka. "Okay bitch you one chance to leave this place with your face in one piece." Buffy pushes Anyanka against the wall of the crypt. "Bring him back from whatever hell you sent him to! Do it now before.."
Spike shakes the pain from his head and tells Buffy. "She doesn't know about it ya crazy bint!" Anyanka looks from Spike to Buffy and back again. "What the hell are you two crazies talking about?" Buffy relaxes her grip on Anyanka’s throat. "Like you don't know!" She glares at Xander's ex then tells her. "One minute he was fixing the hand rail on the staircase then poof he's gone." She leans into Anyanka. "I know you did so why don't you just bring him back while you can still draw a breath?"
Anyanka looks to Spike and he shrugs. "Best do as she says pet, bring droopy back before she does something we'll both regret." The demon shakes her head. "I can't undo someone else’s magic..." Buffy sees the look of fear in Anyanka's eyes and she knows it's not for herself that she's afraid for. "Xander's really gone? He didn't just dump your ass like he did me?"
Buffy releases her and begins to walk away, her shoulder's slump as she realizes her last hope of getting Xander back was gone. "Why? Why would someone just take him from us, from me?" She turns as she gets to the door. "You were my last hope, I thought you did this and I could force you to bring him back, but now." She flaps her arms in surrender. "I don't know what else to do."
Anyanka rubs her throat then says. "Wait." She looks again at Spike. "She loves him? Does he still love her?" Spike shrugs. "He didn't get the chance to find out she cared for him but yeah I think the bricklayer still loved her." Anya tells her. "I'll see what I can find out on the other side, he may have pissed off some other demon besides me." She walks over to Buffy and grips her hand. "If anyone knows I'll make him or her tell." Buffy nods and gives her a weak. "Thanks." Buffy looked into Anyanka's eyes and asks. "You still love him don't you." Anya shrugs. "The little bugger got under my skin." Buffy nods and a small smile appears on her features. "Yeah he's kinda good at that, I guess it's his magic power."
Anya hugs Buffy and Spike joins in until Anya tells him. "If you don't take your hand off my ass Dead boy they're going to be naming a disease after you!"
Xander had finished putting the makeshift roof on the lean too and stood back to admire his work. "Not bad." He shook the structure and it held firm. "Not bad at all even if it is only temporary...I hope!" He hears a roar like a cross between the screech of an eagle and the scream of a hyena and takes out the hammer from his tool belt. "Oh great! Who let Stephen King design this place?"
He heard a whine, like the sound of one of those blasters the Initiative used and then he heard it fired again and again. "Man where's Buffy when I need her?" He gulped and then steeled himself as he made his way towards the sounds of something in great pain. He pushed the overgrown jungle aside as he grew closer to the noises and then all went quiet. His left hand picked the metal tri square from his tool belt and hefted it along with the hammer. "With any luck they'll need a carpenter more than they need a meal."
He came upon a clearing in the vegetation and the sight that greeted him shocked him. "Good God!" There were four creatures that looked like a cross between a tiger and a wolf sprawled on the ground. Xander took a step back in the hope they didn't see him but when they didn't move or breathe he stepped forward to examine them. He placed the tri-square back in its holder and placed a trembling hand upon the breast of one of the creatures. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Dead as a do-do." He looked at the pelt and saw several small holes ringed with blue blood. The skin had been burnt around the wounds and he saw blood around all but one hole.
He was no scientist but from what he had learnt from six years of battle he knew some creature had used these poor animals as target practice. His finger touched the unbloodied hole and he whispered. "This was the kill shot. Bastards!" Even though the very thought of coming up against one of these animals scared him silly he still thought they deserved better than this. He jumped as one of the beasts moved. "GAH!" He stepped back then looked closer as the creature mewled in pain.
It took Xander a while but he managed to make a primitive travois and dragged the still moving creature back to his hovel. He spent hours going over the creature’s wounds using all the knowledge he had taken in from the lessons Giles had given them whilst he was still Buffy's watcher. Xander ran a hand over the trembling body of the beast. "Sorry fella, I hope I did good and not caused you even more pain." He looked around and tried to think what the beast could possible eat. "Well with teeth like those my guess is you're not a vegan huh?"
Xander went outside and searched for anything that even remotely looked edible and in his search he found... "Hey that's my trunk!" He cleared the bushes from it and he found his other things from the apartment. "What the hell is going on here?" He flipped open the small white chest and he found his usual supply of Hungry man meals and. "Twinkies!" He ripped open the wrapper and smiled. "Well at least she doesn't want me dead!" He stopped chewing and swallowed hard as a thought come forward. "Sunday!" He wiped his mouth of missed Hostess goodness and continued. "That twisted vampire Buffy dusted when she first went to college, she used to take all the stuff from her victims rooms to make it look like they went back home." He looked around the land and then shook his head. "She's dust but just maybe something else thought it was a good idea?"
He broke the meals out of their boxes and took out the meat. "I hope you can stomach this fella, not that I ever could." He placed the meat on a rock and ground it into a paste then fed it to the beast using the flat of the rule from his tool belt. The creature snuffled it the lapped up the meal with a gusto. "Well it's good to see something likes these meals." He ruffled the large tussle of blonde hair on the top of the creatures head. "Now if you could only tell me what did this to you I'd be a very happy man."
Xander suddenly remembered something that Anya had left behind and he prayed what ever had sent him to Fantasy Island had brought that along too. He delved into the trunk and he smiled as his hand felt something familiar. "Please don't let it be one of Anya's 'Toys'." He pulled his hand out and his smile grew wider as he held the snub nosed revolver up and swung out the cylinder. He snapped the cylinder shut and then rummaged for the box of shells he knew should be close. He grinned and kissed the box. "God love ya Mr. Federal!" He opened both the box and the cylinder and fed in six rounds then snapped the gun shut. "Now I feel a little safer, not much but a little."
Xander tied a hefty nylon rope he found with his things around the neck of the creature and secured it to a tree then he placed several items of clothing over it so it would be warm as the cool night air began to chill. He noticed the blonde hair begin to darken at the roots and he smiled. "Kind of reminds me of someone back home..." His smile deepened. "Yeah that's what I'll call you." He ruffled its hair and placed a hollowed out nut the size of an earth cocoanut, filled with water at the beast head. "So what do you think Buffy is this the coolest place or what?"
Buffy watched the sun come up from her front steps but it no longer filled her with joy. So the world lived through another night, so she had saved countless lives? Who gave a damn? Not her, not now Xander wasn't here to share the sights and sounds of a new day's dawning. Dawn opened the door and handed her a mug of coffee. "Hey sis, how did it go?" Buffy shrugged. "Same old same old. See an undead freak, dust an undead freak." Her eyes took in the picture on the mantelpiece and she sighed. "He's never coming back is he?" She looked at Dawn and her sister told her. "While there's life there's hope Buff." She held out a piece of paper. "Giles knows about Xand, he and Willow are taking the first flight back home."
Buffy shakes her head and looks angry. "Yeah like that'll help! It's been over a week Dawn and now they come!" Dawn shrugs. "They had a lot to deal with Buff, what with Willows...Problem and all, they came as soon as they could."
Buffy took a sip and then sighed. "A week late and a dollar short, isn't that just the way his luck ran in this place?" Dawn gripped her sisters arm in a comforting way and told her. "If I know Xander he's doing all he can to come back to us Buffy and we're doing all we can to find out where he is." She shrugged. "I figure between us he should be back in time for the wedding you had planned." Dawn sipped her coffee and took in Buffy's quizzical look as she stood up. "Someone talks in their sleep Buffy, a habit I suggest you try to break if you ever want to keep anything from him."
Buffy smiles for the first time in a while and tells Dawn. "Knowing Xander he's probably found the only female and is at this moment making wild passionate love to her, lucky bitca!"
Xander is running through the empty streets of a long deserted city, he pauses at a street corner to catch his breath and takes out the recorder he found amongst his things. He looks up at the sign and his mind is filled with two names. "And Harris breaks the long-standing time for the quarter mile as he reaches the corner of Ziblig and Grogney. Man didn't these people know any English?"
He feels something wet and cold touch his ass and he jumps out of his skin. "AGHH!" He turns to see the creature he saved grinning a toothy grin up at him. "Jesus Buffy! Would you please not do that?" Buffy drops a large rodent at his feet and Xander picks it up and grimaces. "I see rat is back on the menu for tonight’s feast." He drops it into his backpack and pats the large carnivore on the head. "Good puppy, now can you find daddy a nice steak about this big?" He held his hands apart and the creature snorted then sneezed. "Yeah didn't think so."
Xander notices a building on the corner of the two streets and begins to walk towards it. There are mesh grids about three Feet Square placed along the front and behind them are square flat metal like objects. He looks around the front of the building and then examines the square objects closer. "You don't think this was their version of a TV station do ya Buff?" Xander had been treating the creature more and more like it was human instead of the deadly carnivore it was. The wild beast had woken from its self-imposed rest fully healed and refreshed yet it made no move to attack Xander. In fact it did the exact opposite and treated him like it was it's own personal god.
Xander leaned in towards the square searching for any signs of controls when the plate rippled and a face appeared and began speaking in what he assumed was the native tongue of this planet. "Man I wish Giles was here, he'd be able to make sense..." He looked puzzled as the woman stopped speaking and a line of red dots appeared that lead to a hollow that had formed next to the plate. The woman bowed and motioned to the hollow, placing her hands over her face. "Ah you want me to put my head in there? Yeah right and then some creature will probably rip it off!" He tapped his fingers against the wall until his curiosity got the better of him and he, hesitantly, placed his face against the hollow. He felt his skin tingle and was about to say this wasn't so bad when he felt the prick of a large needle just under his right ear and his right eye.
His scream echoed through the deserted streets and the beast snarled and growled at the building, it stood on its back legs and tried to attack the thing causing Xander so much pain.
Dawn opened the front door and ushered Giles in but when Willow stood at the entrance to Casa del Summers Dawn couldn't bring herself to ask her in. The memories of what she had done and what she had tried to do were still too fresh in her mind. She turned and walked in after Giles, leaving Willow to come in on her own.
Giles saw Buffy sitting at the kitchen table that was covered with books and pieces of discarded paper. She was deep in concentration and failed to hear Giles come in. "Who was it Dawn?" She finally looked up when Giles told her. "It's only me." Her breath caught in her throat and she jumped up and hugged Giles. "Oh God Giles, what are we going to do?" Giles patted her back and told her. "Willow has some ideas and I think we should try them out." He held her chin in his hand and wiped away a tear with the other as Willow walked into the kitchen.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and stared at the floor as nervous as she had ever been when she was the school nerd. "Hello...Buffy." Buffy turned to her and she wanted to hold her but her mind froze at that action. Instead she just said. "Hello Wills, I hope you're feeling better." Willow nodded and looked at the books Buffy had been studying. "Wow I'm impressed." The ex witch told her.
Buffy sighed and held out her hand. "I know what you went through Willow, and if I had half the power you did then I would have probably done the same thing when Xander was taken." Willow nods and her hand touches the cover of one of the many books scattered across the table. "UFO's and abductions." She looks at Buffy and asks. "Was there a sighting that night?"
Buffy shakes her head. "Nope, only your friendly neighborhood dragon was seen that night and that was seven blocks from here anyway." She shrugs. "I've just about run out of options and I'm grasping at straws now." She closed the book and sat down as Dawn put the kettle on for a cup of coffee. Willow tells her. "Giles had that slime examined by the watchers coven and they say it's not mystical so we can rule out any of the known magic’s." Willow sits down and re-opens the book on UFO's. "Which just leaves technological witchcraft."
Dawn crosses her arms and shakes her head. "So you're saying little green men from Mars took Xand away like they did Mulder?"
Willow shrugs. "Is it any stranger than vampires and witchcraft?" Dawn turns to Buffy. "You're not buying this reject script from the Twilight zone bullshit are you sis?"
Buffy rubs the bridge of her nose then notices a smirk forming on Giles's face, she stops and tells Dawn. "Well we've tried everything else and drawn a blank." She turns to Willow and asks. "Do you think you're up to hacking into some Government records Will?" Willow smiles meekly and nods. "I'll get my laptop and see if Sandy is still there."
Dawn looks at Buffy as Willow goes upstairs. "Sandy?" Buffy gives her a small smile. "It's the name Xander gave her wyrm program." Dawn still looked confused. "He called it Sand 'cuz it got in places nothing else could and then annoyed the bejesus out of people."
Giles smiles at the memory. "Ah yes I'd quiet forgotten about those days. Just the four of us..." He saw the memory caste a dark shadow over Buffy’s looks and he held her close. "No matter what we will get him back Buffy. No matter where he is."
Xander struggled to his feet clutching his head as he did while Buffy lapped at his cheek with its prickly tongue. "Man I'd give a million bucks for a Tylenol!" He gently pushed the beast's head away from his. "Okay Buff I'm awake already." The animal turned and growled at the hologram that materialized before them.
She pressed the palms of her hands together and bowed to Xander. "Greetings Hu-man from the planet Eearth and welcome to Kreedo home planet of the Krall and the capitol of the Krall Federation." Xander moved his jaw and rubbed the back of his neck as he stood. "Yeah, great to see ya.. Look do you greet everyone by poking them with huge freaking needles 'cuz if you do I think I can see a flaw in your welcoming committee."
She tilted her head to one side and seemed to think for a second before continuing. "That is our standard com-link deployment system; it aids us in acquiring information about uninvited guests and implants a device that will enable you to understand our language. It will also decipher all the known written and spoken languages of the known systems and after several samples will also translate any unknown language. It comes in three types..."
Xander holds a hand up and tells her. "Okay enough with the sales pitch already, I get it!" He rubbed his temples and said. "In fact I've got it." He suddenly stopped and looked at the shimmering hologram. "Wait a minute, what do you mean by uninvited? You zapped me from my home and brought me here to this.." He waived his hands around. "Museum with out my consent!"
She did the head tilting thing and Xander swore he could see her lips move as if she were communicating with something else. "Look lady obviously your low on the totem pole so could I speak to your supervisor? You know the guy/gal that pulls your strings?"
She smiles inanely at him. "I'm sorry but there has been no supervisor for over a thousand of your years, not since the Shinti invasion." Xander just stared at the image for a second before asking. "So who the heck dragged my butt here the fairies?" She tilted her head and then told him. "We know of now race called 'Farie' there is a race called Fandal and another that calls itself the Goa'uld that seems to run through your genetic memory."
"The Ga'whosawhatsits?" Xander asked in confusion.
"The Goa'uld. A parasitic race that encountered your species 8,000 years ago and began to harvest them for slaves and, incubators and hosts." She smiled. "A troublesome race to some but we knew their faults and they knew to leave us well alone or risk annihilation."
Xander looked unaffected by the news. "Right... So if you guys were so powerful how come this." He motioned to the lack of anything living in the area. "Happened?"
The hologram shuddered as if he had woken a long buried memory. "The Ancient ones, those that claimed to be the protectors of the civilized worlds stood by whilst the Shinti invaded and devoured our Federation. Our outer planets were mined to extinction while the home world was left as a monument to those who dared oppose the Shinti in any way. Our people, those that survived, were taken back to the Shinti home worlds as a self replenishing source of food for their warrior class."
Xander shook his head in disbelief. "As what?" She repeated her words. "A self replicating source of food, I believe you call them cattle." Xander felt his throat constrict and his lips felt dry. "Uhh these Shintaroes... They'd be dead after all this time right?"
The image shimmered and then told him. "Unfortunately no, they have grown beyond this system and are now beginning to receive evidence of sentient life emanating from the galaxy you call home."
Xander paled. "Dear god!" He looked her in the eyes. "This protector of the civilized worlds they wouldn't let these things reach earth would they?"
The woman shrugged, her image incorporating human responses to Xander's interaction with it. "They let this civilization fall, this and many more rather than battle the Shinti and risk defeat."
Suddenly an alarm blared throughout the streets and her image glowed red in time with the sirens. "A Shinti craft has entered our system and fast approaches this planet." She looks at him. "They come here to hunt the SAtai for sport." She points to the creature that Xander had befriended. "You must hide in the redoubt until they leave."
She motioned for him to follow her and as he did two creatures shimmered into existence and watched Xander leave. They were humanoid in appearance but they lacked mouths large enough to speak, instead they communicated by mental telepathy. "This one seems very timid Protector Krang are you sure he is a wise choice?"
Krang turned to it's associate and bowed. "He is the only one deemed worthy by our Lord Protector Jang and I question not his wisdom." He watches as Xander runs into a building followed closely by the Satai. "You observed how he cared for the lesser creature when it was injured? Even at risk to his own well-being he still could not see an animal in pain."
Jang huffed. "A weakness we have thankfully evolved away from!" Krang nodded. "Maybe to our own detriment Jang, had we still had this gene we may have stopped the ravages of the Shinti and have no need to find adequate successors to our role as Protectors?"
"You think too much Krang. We were old before even the oldest of these races walked on dry land; we have reached the end of our time and nothing else. We did what we had to in order to survive this long."
"It has been my thoughts that had we at least attempted to stop the Shinti the Krall would have taken our place as Protectors in the fullness of time. Instead we take 'test subjects' from primitive races to see if they have the will and the conscience to fill our place."
Jang looked at him as the Shinti Cruiser warped into orbit around the planet. "You doubt the wisdom of our Lord Protector?" Jang moved his hand to the transport control at his wrist. "No." Krang told him. "Only his timing, we should have been this forthright with the Krall and maybe we would know some peace when we go to meet the great maker."
The two shimmered out of existence just as the shuttle from the Shinti cruiser landed in the center of the long deserted capitol city.
Xander gulped and gripped his stomach. "Man that'd put some roller coaster rides to shame." The Satai mewled at his side and Xander scratched it behind its ear. "Yeah Buff, I know." He turned to the hologram. "So just how deep down are we anyway?" She turned to him as the automated lighting system kicked in. "25 of your earth miles. Deep enough to avoid being detected by the Shinti even if they thought you were here." She Xander curse. "What?" She asked.
"I need to go back up." He told her. "In the Great Makers name why?" Xander shrugged. "My stuff is up there, along with the shelter I built Uhh and I kind of buried the other creatures.” The hologram pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head." Where is it? "A map sprang to life in front of him and Xander traced the trail he had taken from the camp and then touched the screen." I think it's here. "The spot rippled from where he touched and the hologram nods." Yes we believe you will have to return there before the Shinti see your handiwork. "She motioned for him to follow and she led him to another elevator." Once you leave the transport keep the suns to your left and you should reach your encampment after a brief walk."
Xander made to enter the elevator and the hologram stopped. "Please come back to us in one piece if you can."
Xander ran as fast as he could to his camp and then demolished it, spreading the debris over a large area and then he put as much as he could into the trunk, burying what he couldn't carry. He dragged the trunk to the elevator and then went back and used a palm frond to remove any trace of his presence before making his way back to the elevator.
Krang and Jang appeared and Krang watched Xander as he disappeared behind the closing doors. "The human thinks on his feet, always a good sign." Jang nodded his approval then said. "Yes a shame the council has ordered another capture device dispatches to Terra. This time it has been keyed to the aura of its intended target." He moved to view Krang's reaction. "We cannot let another mistake delay our experiment." Krang bows his head. "To which one did they send it to this time?" Jang smiled as he thought to his partner. "Both."
Faith tapped her foot to the tune coming from the radio and she tried to remember when she had first heard it. Then she smiled as she remembered the last time she had heard it. "Oh yeah! Good old Sunnydale room 315 of that flea bitten dump." She tapped a nail against her teeth as she remembered the night and the company she was in then threw the magazine to one side. "Yeah me and the Xandman doin' the horizontal Mambo. God that kid was hung!" Her smile vanished as she looked around her cell. "Now the closest thing to a guy is Crazy Mary in cell block 6!" She sighed as the power was cut to her cell. "Jeez night comes around fast here, almost as fast as it used to in good old Sunny D." She stripped down and put on her top and shorts before climbing under the sheets. She wrapped the thin blanket around her shoulders and grinned. "At least I have something to remember tonight." Her hand makes its way to its usual site and she goes into her nightly ritual of release. "No kills makes a girl horny as hell!"
She closed her eyes and imagined a dark haired teenager as her hand worked its magic. "Hmmm Xander you naughty boy!" As the cell echoed to her moans a small crystal shimmered into existence in the corner and began to glow.
Buffy sighed as she dressed in her usual nighttime attire. She slipped an extra stake into her specially modified jacket and made her way downstairs. She walked into the lounge and saw Giles and Willow deep in concentration. "So I take it ET is still the number one suspect?" Giles shrugged. "The more we look into these abductions the more we're realizing that the Uhh 'Abductees' are..." Giles struggled for a word and Dawn looks up from her book. "Freaking loonies?" Giles ponders her words and then says. "Misdirected would be more appropriate I believe."
Buffy sighs. "Well I still say it was Anya, or if not her then one of whack jobs she hangs with." Buffy goes to leave then says. "Remember 9.30 is bedtime Dawn." Buffy left via the backdoor and ran off into the night to find some demon to take her frustrations out on. Five minutes after she left another crystal appeared beside the circle of dead grass that marked the spot where Xander had vanished. This crystal remained inactive even when Willow came close to see what was making the next-door neighbors dog bark.
Xander dragged the trunk into the main hall, fighting off his pet Satai as he did. "Hey Buff, not while I'm busy okay?" He grinned at the Satai as it behaved like a puppy glad to see its master returned home. He placed the trunk by the cot that had suddenly arrived whilst he was away. Xander looked at it then decided it must have been there all along and he just never noticed it. He sat down on it and even the small mattress felt good after the nights he had spent sleeping on palm fronds. The hologram reappeared and she looked relieved. "We are glad you made it back safely." Xander shrugs. "I'm really glad I could make you glad. THE NAMES Xander. Uhh." He offered his hand to her. "What do I call you anyway?" She smiled and told him. "My designation is information and retrieval hologram 916." Xander sits on the bed a yawns. "Well that's quiet a mouthful, I'd hate to call out for help. By the time I finished it would be too late." He briefly closed his eyes then told her. "How about Holly?"
The hologram froze for a brief moment and then told him. "I have adjusted my receptors to answer to that name Xander." Xander yawned once more then, grogily, told her. "Cool. Is it bedtime yet Holly? 'Cuz I am beat!" Holly told him. "You may rest whenever you wish, my sensors will alert us if the Shinti get close."
An hour later Xander began to dream and the hologram suddenly appeared at his side. "Subject has entered REM sleep." She blinked rapidly as her mainframe accepted new orders. A small liquid screen popped up from the center of the desk and strange writings appeared. "Primary and secondary units on line and hot. Preparing for information dump." She blinked. "Transferring at 5 Terabytes a second."
Xander's eyes began to move about under his lids as if they were possessed. "Enhancements active... Procedure commencing." Xander's back arched and relaxed in time with the flashing screen. "Subcutaneous implants at maximum effective levels. All systems within tolerance range." She opened her eyes. "Subject excepting genetic procedures... Mind absorbing and storing Krill science library moving on to military and civilian libraries." The screen beeped. "Physical enhancements commenced...."
The next morning Xander awoke to the pushing snout of the Satai and then the rough tongue of the beast lapped at his face. "All right...All right! I'm awake all ready...Jeez worse than Anya!" Xander went to sit up and grimaced at the sudden cramp he felt in his legs. "Man I am going to have to go for a run!" He placed his feet on the cold floor and noticed 'little Xander' had risen with him. "He patted it and sighed." Sorry pal no wake up call for you this morning. Unless you fancy your chances with a hologram or a creature with very sharp teeth and claws?"
The hologram appeared and Xander quickly placed his trousers over his embarrassment. "Jeez couldn’t you knock or something?" She paid him no attention but merely told him. "A training track is available should you wish to run Xander." Xander turned away from her and began to dress. "Thanks Holly I think I will if you could manage to have some breakfast cooking for my return?" She nods. "The track is five miles long and encircles this facility. Beam markers will guide you back to here when you are done."
Xander slipped on his boots and told her. "Oh I doubt I'll run that far Holly."
Xander started to run at a steady pace and for a while 'Buffy' kept up with him. "Man I haven’t felt this good since... Well ever actually!" Xander stepped up the pace and ran until he began to get out of breath then he made his way back to the main room. Xander smiled as he sat down at the desk. "Man that felt good!" He placed his hand on his forehead. "And I didn't even break into a sweat!" He jumped when a plate shimmered into existence before him. "Cool!" He said and then picked up what looked like a spoon. He dipped it into the liquid and then blanched. "Not to appear ungrateful but Uhh this kinda looks like snot!"
Holly told him. "It is re-sequenced DNA with chameleon enhanced coding." Xander grimaced but his stomach growled.” Great... Still not liking the look of it though. "Holly smiled." It can be whatever you would like. "Xander looked disbelievingly at the semi-transparent liquid." Yeah right! So if I wanted say... Steak and chips WHOA! "He pushed his chair back as a plate of steaming hot chips beside a tender sirloin steak appeared before his eyes. He smelled it, poked it with the utensil and then finally took a bite his eyes lighting up as he did." Man this is good steak!"
Xander had almost finished his meal when he asked. "Say Holly, did you keep track of how far I ran this morning?" Holly nodded as she read off numbers on her screen, however she moved the decimal point to the left. "You ran 1.35 miles in six minutes and 25 seconds."
Xander grinned. "Well that's an improvement!" Holly simply smiled as she recorded the true data to the mainframe.13.5 miles in 6.25 seconds. Xander looked at the ceiling and asked. "Are our guests still here?" Holly nodded. "Yes they normally stay for seven days then move away. We believe they send their young warriors here to show them how they dealt with their greatest enemies." She sighs. "We had hoped the First Ones would have freed the Krill people from their enslavement."
Xander looked sadly at the computer generated image. "Some day a race will rise and they will surely deal with the terror that is the Shinti." She looked at Xander and told him. "The First Ones are always searching and one day we hope they will find race worthy to be called Protectors."
Xander nods. "When they do and they have finished with the Shinti they could always swing by my planet. We have a problem with Uhh rats." He held his hands apart. "Big honking night crawling, bloodsucking, two legged rats." Xander felt very drowsy and yawned. "Must be that goop I ate." He yawned again. "Jeez it works quicker than researching with Giles." Xander grinned as the Satai came panting into the room, it growled at him and Xander sat on his bunk. "Hey Buff, you need to exorcize more if it get winded running a measly 1 and a half miles."
Holly appeared worried as Xander collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. "Computer subject has collapsed!" She tilted her head and then nodded. "Understood, will observe and record." Her eyes turned silver. "Muscle tone and development have reached maximum capacity. Cranial capacity has reached optimal levels however Krill libraries are now empty." The Satai growled at her then looked at Xander. The hologram looked at the beast and told it. "He is our only hope of revenge! And for the liberation of the Krill peoples!"
The lights snapped on above her bed and Faith woke with a grin on her face as she sat up. "Well another night down, just 1,376 left." She stretched and licked her lips. "Thanks for a great night Xand!" She made her way to the small toilet in the corner of her cell and as she sat she saw the crystal as it pulsed with life. She stood and flushed then washed her hands and bent down to examine the strange object. "Probably some Council trick to make me little miss prime and proper." She ran her fingers around the crystal, avoiding touching it until. "Ah what the hell! What can they do that's worse than this?"
Her fingers briefly touched it and she was enveloped in an energy wave that blew out the main buss for the prison sending it into darkness as alarms began to blare."
Buffy made her way into the kitchen and sighed as she saw the coffee pot was empty. She shook it and said. "Great! A girls goes out all night fighting the good fight and some slack ass drinks all the coffee!" She turns as Dawn walks in. "Oh! I was just coming down to make you a fresh pot Buff." She sat at the table and asked. "So how goes the good fight?" Buffy shrugged as she spooned in the coffee. "It would go a lot better if I wasn't so worried about Xander." She turned to her sister as she poured in the water and switched the coffee maker on. "So did the Thomson Twins get any further after I left?"
"Personally I don't think they have the faintest idea!" Dawn told her. "We'd have better luck reporting him missing, after all his stuff is missing from the apartment and I've never heard of aliens abducting clothing and stuff. They never even had it on a single episode of X-Files." Buffy rests her head in her hands and suddenly the fact she may never see Xander again hits her. "I keep expecting him to come through that door with that stupid shit eating grin on his face.."
Dawn sees her eyes begin to moisten and the tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes. She grips Buffy's hands and she tells her. "When we get him back.." Buffy sniffs back her tears and she has her resolve face on. "I am going to weld myself to him! He's never leaving my sight again!" Dawn smiles. "Might be kind of embarrassing when he wants to have a shower." She gets an evil look. "Or exciting!"
"Dawn You're only thirteen!" Buffy exclaims and Dawn raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, like three years ago maybe!" Buffy pouts. "You're sixteen?" Dawn nods and she tells her older sister. "I told him... I told him you were stupid. Stupid and blind not to see what was right in front of your face and." She blushed. "If he would wait two more years I would make him love me." She saw Buffy smile and she continued. "He smiled and kissed me on the cheek and says...' How could I not love my little sister? And he stroked my hair then said.' But I've resigned myself to the fact love is a one way street and it'll always run in the wrong direction."
Buffy shakes her head. "Must be the Harris luck rubbing off, I finally realize what true love really is, only to lose it in the blink of an eye." Dawn shakes her. "If I know Xander he'll shake off whatever spell he's under and come running back here before we even know it. If ever anybody deserved each other it's you two."
Willow walks in and heads for the fresh coffee. "Ahh! The elixir of life!" She poured herself a mug as Giles walks in. "Somebody mention tea?" He sees Buffy and stumbles. "Ahh Buffy just the person I wanted to see!" He takes out a folded sheaf of A4 paper. "We, Willow and I, were searching through Devorski's Prophecies and Permutations of the Codex we found this." He placed his glasses on his nose and began to read. "And in the age of miracles the breaker of prophecies and unsung hero shall be taken from this world..."
Buffy shakes her head. "NO!" But Giles holds up his hand. "And only the Slayer and the chosen one will find him and the five of them shall return to this plain."
Dawn raises her eyebrow again. "Well that makes about as much sense as everything else does in this stupid town."
"DAMN!" Faith curses as she blinks into existence. "I freaking well hate it when I don't listen to my own advice!" She looks around her new surroundings and shrugs. "Still it could be worse." She takes a deep breath and releases it. "Fresh air, warm sunny day." She looked at her plain top and boxer clad body. "Going to get damn cold tonight though!"
She looked around and a plan began to form. "I knock down a couple of those smaller palms and make a wind break, make a fire and it should be a snap." She went up to one of the small palms and pushed with all her strength...and the palm never moved more than an inch. She looked puzzled then tapped the palm. "Nope not made out of steel so why didn't it snap?"
She clenched her fist and looked at it. "Why do I feel so funky?" She looked at the small palm and shrugged before she hit it with her fist. "OW! Son of a bitch!" She shook her hand and filled the air with words that would make a docker blush.
Xander woken with his usual headache and in his usual aroused state. Xander slipped on his trousers, shirt and shoes then proceeded to do his usual morning run. He had to adjust 'little Xander' a number of times as he ran. "Man it was never this bad before, even when Anya..." He frowned at the memories her name evoked and the shame he felt at letting her down. He had loved her but it seemed not enough to marry her. Still it was better she found out how unreliable he was before they got married rather than find out like his mother found out about his father. "Like father like son I guess."
He saw a door off to one side of the running area and jogged in place Buffy, panting and slobbering, finally caught up with him. He grinned as the beast collapsed in a heap. "Say girl for a feared beast you my friend are in terrible shape." Her eyes narrowed and Xander grinned. "Don't need to be a mind reader to know what you're thinking." He pushed open the door and the lights flickered into life. He watched as bank after bank of machines and a wall of weapons that would make a Trekkie green with envy.
He quickly realized that the weapons were segregated into different forms from differing races. He stopped when he saw the Krillian writing designating that the weapons on this rack came from the Ga'ould. He saw several hand weapons, what looked like a weird lance and a device that appeared to fit over the hand. He walked through the lab until he came to what he assumed was what the Krill scientists were working on before their fall. It was a device slightly larger than an Uzi but it weight was almost negligible. He saw other pieces disassembled and he sat down, his hands picking them up and working as if he knew each and every part.
His fingers flew over the glass plated keyboard as facts and figures lit up the air in front of him. "Looks like they had trouble keeping up the power supply to the energy transfer coupling." He stopped and cocked his head to one side. "How the hell did I know that?" Holly appeared at his side. "The implants that allow you to speak and read any of the languages here also interact with the mainframe. As your mind searches for answers the implants pick up the query and transmit it to the computer."
Xander nods then asks. "Did they ever work out the answer to this problem?" Holly shook her head. "Unfortunately no they did not Xander." Xander dropped the part he had in his hand and turned to her with both anger and suspicion in his mind. "Okay if that's the case then how the hell do I know that if I connect this part up to the energy pod it will work?"
Holly shimmered as if the computer had hit a brick wall. "We do not know how this could happen, unless.." Xander cocked an eye at her and motioned for her to continue. "Unless your mind has adapted to the implant?" Xander nods. "Well my teachers said my mind was mostly empty so I suppose there was lots of room in there for improvement..." His words were cut off as alarms blared and Holly flashed red in time with the alarms. "What is it? More Shinti?"
Holly shook her head. "No, another human has been transported to this planet." Xander looked at her and he asked. "You brought another human here?" Holly stared at him. "We are now a machine planet Xander, we did not bring any organics here, including yourself!" Xander nods then jumps in his seat. "JESUS! The Shinti are they gone?"
"No they are still searching for any wildlife to...Hunt." Holly told him. Xander connected the power cell to the weapon in his hands and asked her. "Where is this human now and is there a transport pod near them?" Holly flickered. "Yes, pod 351 will take you to where the human is located but be warned the Shinti tracking devices have picked up their heat signature and they are closing fast."
Xander hooked a sling to the weapon and prayed it would work. Failing that he placed his handgun in his pocket as he ran through the main hall and out to the travel pods. He slipped inside one and as the doors closed he pointed to Buffy. "Stay!" The beast growled but staid in place. "Man I wish that worked on her as well as it does on you."
Meanwhile Faith was busy trying to find her way in the tropical jungle when she heard a noise like a turbo charged vacuum cleaner. She looked up and saw a weird looking aircraft circling above her and just as she was about to wave and seek help a small red beam lashed out from the craft. When it hit the surrounding area the ground rocked with each blast. "Well there's a shock." She scowled. She tried to run but she found, like her strength, her speed had also been reduced to that of a normal human being.
She decided hiding was the best form of defense and she ducked under some heavy foliage. She saw several black forms drop from the craft and as they hit the ground they took what looked like weapons from their shoulders and aimed them towards where she hid. Suddenly a large animal sprang from its hiding place and made a dash for freedom, she heard the creatures from the craft screech in some kind of language then they fired at it. Two of the beams missed but one struck and the beast howled in pain but kept running. What she saw next shocked even her to the core, she watched them take aim and place their shots, not to kill but to wound and cause maximum pain.
She looked around and picked up a large rock then stood up and screamed at them. "Pick on someone your own size assholes!" She through the rock as hard as she could but it fell miserably short of its mark. Her cries of defiance had attracted the Shinti's attention and the grinned feraly at her and brought their weapons to bare.
"CRAP!" She cried out as she dived for cover.
Buffy had showered and was making her way downstairs when the phone rang and Dawn picked it up. She heard her speak and then Dawn cried out for Giles. "Giles! Phone call." Buffy walked into the kitchen as Giles took the phone from Dawn. "Rupert Giles.. Yes...Yes.." Buffy asked Dawn as Giles kept up his one sided conversation. "Who was it?" Dawn shrugged. "Sounded like another tea sipper, probably checking up on their pet slayer now she's back in the fold." Dawn had an idea. "Maybe they know something about Xander?"
The two sisters crowded Giles and tried to listen but Giles suddenly hung up. "So?" Buffy asked "Did they know anything about Xander?" Giles took his glasses off and shook his head. "No..Uhh it was about Faith." He put his glasses back on and then told them. "It appears she has escaped from prison." Willow stood and began to babble. "Nonononono! She's in jail!" She looked at Buffy. "She's going to try and kill us again isn't she?"
Buffy nods but Giles shook his head. "This is most puzzling." He stroked his chin then told them. "The last report I had was that she was making fine progress and had even shown remorse for what she did." He looked from one woman to the next. "The report of her escape seems jarringly familiar though. It appears that they found a gelatinous substance amongst a burn mark in the concrete floor."
Buffy gripped her chest. "You're saying that whatever took Xander has now taken Faith?" Giles nods and says. "It would appear so." Dawn shakes her head. "So now Xander's where ever the hell he is but now he has psycho slayer to keep him company!"
Faith ducked under one beam and felt another just miss her thigh. "Great, just freaking wonderful! I couldn't meet a little ET oh no not this girl, I have to run into some rejects from a bad B grade movie YOWEEEE!" She cried out as one of the beams struck her arm and drilled a neat hole straight through. She glanced back and saw one of the creatures high five another. "I'd give anything for a crossbow or even a freaking sharp stick about now!" She felt her foot catch on an exposed root and suddenly she found herself face down in the dirt. She started to get up and her eyes saw a pair of boots in front of her eyes and she braced for the fatal blow.
"Hey Faith, how's it going?" She opened her eyes and her mind recognized the voice as she looked up. "Uhh Xander I think you should get out of here!" He shrugged and took the weapon from his shoulder and pressed a couple of buttons on its side. "Nah, I came her to chew gum and kick ass... And I'm fresh outa gum!" He placed the gun to his shoulder and waited for a target. He smiled as his finger depressed the button. There was a flash and a scream erupted behind Faith, she turned in time to see one of the creatures slowly vaporize. Xander took the pistol from his pocket and handed it to Faith. "So how come you're not over there kicking ass like you normally do?"
She blushed as she stood and leveled the revolver at the sounds of the approaching aliens. "Yeah well I'm having an off day." She saw the evil grin pass over Xander's features as he tells her. "Not as off as these guys are going to have!" He stalks forward and commences to devastate the once invincible. "These guys are about to be taught a lesson all earth people learn at an early age. His arm jolted as he fired at another alien." Payback's a bitch. "He vaporized the last one then moved the level up to it's highest setting and aimed at the craft." And now it's in heat! "He fired and a beam sizzled from the gun striking the craft. Xander hit another button that deactivated the gun and he took Faith by her hand as the craft dissolved before her eyes." Time we booked!"
She felt him drag her towards a small tube that appeared to come from the very ground they ran on. He pushed her into the pod then followed her inside. "Holly take us home." The door slammed shut and Faith felt her stomach rise into her throat as the vehicle sped downwards towards home. Xander watched as the levels counted off. "Did the main craft get a lock?"
Faith jumped back as Holly appeared in front of her. "No Xander, I transmitted a mayday just as they tried to contact the mother ship. They think it was a malfunction that caused the shuttle to vaporize." Faith watched the hologram as it spoke in some weird language to Xander and he spoke back in the same language. She waived her hand inside of Holly and jumped back when the vision turned to her and said something. Xander smirked and told Faith. "Holly says not to do that, she's very protective of her current form."
Faith looked at him. "What the fuck is going on here Xander?" Xander shrugged. "Wish I knew Faith, one minute I was fetching material to fix Buffy's stairs and the next.." he motioned around him. "I'm in the Twilight Zone." The travel pod jerked to a stop and Xander motioned for Faith to get out as she did she heard Holly say something and Faith saw Xander blush. "What did she say?" Xander shrugged and tried to ignore her question but Faith demanded and Xander relented. "She asked if we would mate soon so the mainframe could have a record of it to add to its data banks."
Faith grinned and looked at Holly. "My kind of girl." She batted her eyelashes at Xander and ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. "Well? When do we start?" She moved away from him making sure she moved her body in all the right places. "I have to warn you though it's been almost three years so I might be a bit.... Over active!"
Xander watched her hips as she sashayed away from him and had to quickly place the gun in front of him as Faith turned to see if he followed. She grinned and sat on the cot then patted it. "What's the matter Xand not up for it? Or have you switched teams like Red?"
Xander looked angry as he placed the gun on the table. "Hey! I happen to prefer women!" Faith's eyes tracked down his body, a body that had improved since her last foray into Xanderland. She smirked when her eyes came to rest on the very prominent bulge. "Yeah I can see that you do."
"Get your mind out off the gutter Faith! We have to figure out a way back home." Faith sighed. "It ain't me that's carrying a boner that would choke a horse!" She turned away from him and looked around the place wrinkling her nose as she did. "This place got a shower block?" She lifted her arms and grimaced. "I smell worse than Crazy Mary on payday!"
Xander nods. "Down the hall, third door on your left." Faith nods as Xander continues. "There should be some fatigues for you to wear by the time you're finished." Faith stopped and turned her head towards him. "Wanna scrub my back?" She raised an eyebrow when he nodded. He blushed and told her. "No! I have more important things to do." She shrugged. "Your loss."
When she was gone Buffy trotted out from the running track and sniffed the air, she growled and glanced towards the room Faith had gone into. Holly asked. "Do you not wish to mate with her?" Xander sighed. "My mind says no but." He glanced down. "Other parts are chaffing at the bit to get it done." Holly cocked her head to one side. "What would it matter if you did?"
Xander shrugged. "I like her but... She's not Buffy." Holly nods. "I don't think you can mate with a Satai." Xander's head snapped up and he shook it from side to side. "No! And Eww!!! Not that Buffy, the original one of a kind Buffy Anne Summers." He looked at the hologram and continued. "I already broke one woman's heart because I couldn't give her what she wanted I'll not hurt another because I can't get the one I want." Holly smiled. "Something tells me it isn't a permanent mating this female wants just personal gratification and temporary stimulation."
Xander lifted up the weapon. "Yeah well she can find that in any one of a hundred bars in LA when we get back." He lifted the gun up to Holly. "This works, and works well, so the next question is why did they bring me here. Assuming you're telling the truth and it wasn't you." He hit his head with the palm of his hand. "Of course! It wasn't me they were after." He looked at Faith as she stepped from the shower block draped in a small towel. "It was the Slayers they were after.. But why?"
Faith suddenly came running into the room. "There's a thing! A freaking great mother of a dog running around out there!" Xander smiled. "You met Buffy then I take it Faith?" Faith turned towards the metal door as she heard the Satai scrape its claws against it. "Jeez she's really let herself go since I went down."
Xander laughed. "No not that Buffy." Xander opened the door and Faith jumped onto the table screaming at him. "Are you out of your small mind?"
Xander gripped the Satai as she ran in. "Hey girl come here Buff." He held her by the neck and led her to Faith and the Slayer tried to put on a brave front. "You do know if I had my Slayery powers I'd kick that smirk off of your face?" Xander nods and bows to Faith. "Faith the Slayer meet Buffy the Satai." The beast sniffed Faiths leg and Faith's eyes narrowed. "It sniffing as a friend or as its next meal… Hey its main's changed color." Xander could almost see the light bulb go off over her head. "Oh now I get it." She grins at Xander. "You do know that if B ever finds out you'll be wearing your ass as a hat?"
Krang broke the connection and the image of Xander faded to be replaced by that of Faith. "The human male is smarter than we thought. We may have use for him after all." Jang told him. "If we are to keep the female for further study it might be best to have the male to keep her company. Any progeny they create would of course be a bonus in our studies of the species."
Krang asked. "Should I recall the other transportation device?" Jang looked at Faith as she dressed, she picked up a top two sizes too small for her and she glanced out to Xander and grinned as she struggled into it. "Let's see how resolved you are Mister Harris!" Jang nods. "Yes one of their type should be enough."
Xander spent most of the day in the weapons room, keeping an ear out for any warning about the Shinti but Holly had told him the aliens had believed in their own invincibility and couldn't believe anything could destroy them. He looked at a ring of some kind of stone that stood in a corner of the room. He had done all he could to make more of the weapons he had used against the Shinti and decided to investigate the ring. He looked up at the top and noticed the strange markings that ran along the outer ring.
"Holly what is this?" He asked the hologram. She looked at it and told him. "It was found under the ruins of an old temple on the far side of this land in the forbidden zone. Legend has it that the gods came through it but we later found that these so called 'Gods' were in fact a race of parasites called the Ga'ould." She smiled. "They tried to integrate us but found that we were much more tougher than they thought. Their kind was eradicated from this sector of the Universe."
Xander ran a hand over the symbols. "So we could return home using this?" Holly nodded and then told him. "However you need a controlling device, seven points are needed to plot your way across the spanning gap." Xander placed a hand over a symbol. "What's the power source?"
"The scientists believed that you would need a massive power source to energize the ring and form the stable wormhole." Xander stood back. "So we would need to figure out how to feed the energy into the ring and then we'd need... What a remote control?" Holly directed him to a liquid panel. "We have footage of the Ga'ould as they escaped to another planet." Xander watched as one of the strangely dressed humans hit seven points on a circular freestanding device. He looked at Holly. "Did they recover this?" His hand tapped the image of the device.
Holly nodded. "Yes just before the Shinti invaded our scientists uncovered such a device but it was in pieces and our civilization fell before they could piece it together." Holly pointed to a wall and it slid open to reveal the dial home device. Xander sighed as he picked through the pieces. "Man it's a good thing I like puzzles."
Faith waited for Xander to return from where ever he had gone to, her patience wearing thin and then evaporating as the days events caught up to her. She yawned and then said. "Screw him!" She shrugged out of the trousers and decided to keep the top on. She looked into the mirror and grinned as she saw the strange cloth had sculpted itself to her form making it look like she had sprayed it on. "Cool."
Xander had the pieces laid out ready to be assembled but he felt the magnetic pull of his bed. "I'll finish it tomorrow...Uhh today." He changed it as he saw the time. He stood up and walked out of the room and into the main room. He saw Faith curled up on the bed and he pursed his lips. "I'll wake up before she does and make damn sure I'm out of bed before she even knows it."
As he sat on the bed Faith turns to face him and he sees she had been crying. His mind couldn't wrap around the fact. * Faith crying? Impossible* He asked. "Faith? What's the matter?"
She wiped her eyes and told him. "I'm normal! No slayer strength no Slayer senses! Just one screwed up ex Slayer girl!"
Xander gave into his inner knight and held her trying to comfort her. "It'll be all right Faith, I'm pretty sure it has something to do with this place so as soon as we get back home you should be fine." She curled up against him. "Hold me?" She begged him and he nodded. Several hours later she was fast asleep and he gently slipped out of her arms and stripped out of his shirt and trousers." He pulled on his sweats and then went back to holding her as she struggled with her demons.
Buffy closed the back door and made her way down the path to the back gate her mind a mess of confused thoughts, when she saw a crystal glowing with a pulsating light. The closer she got the faster the crystal pulsed. She looked at it and then she realized what it was. "Giles!" She called out to her mentor and he raced to her aid. She pointed to the crystal and she told him. "Whatever it was that took Faith I think it was meant for me as well. Maybe someone that wasn't ment to touch it touched the first crystal? I think this might be what took Xan.." Her fingers briefly brushed its surface but it proved to be more than enough. An energy wave pulsed out from the crystal and Buffy was enveloped within it and blinked out of existence....
Holly was in synch with its mainframe as it made a decision and she complied. The drugs that were being administered to Xander had another added to them. Holly stated. "I do not believe an inhibition relaxant would be necessary. He was succumbing to the females efforts without any need for our help." She nods as she receives her instructions. "Yes we do need to see if the procedure will jump the placental barrier and adhere to any progeny." She watched as Xander spooned closer to Faith. "Only time will tell."
Faith woke as Xander tried to move away from her and she followed him running her hands over him. "What's wrong? Surely you can't be ashamed of just holding me?" Xander shook his head as his mind raced with images of taking Faith and pounding into her without mercy. He jerked as if shocked by electricity as her hand found his manhood. "My you are glad I'm here aren't you!" She moved her hand inside of his sweats and she grinned as her hand uncovered his cock and began stroking it. She felt herself violently pushed away, at first she thought he was through playing games and would move off the bed but instead he pushed his hands under her clothes finding, and taking, her breast in one hand while his other pulled and ripped at her shorts.
Faith moaned as his fingers stroked her. "Fuck me Harris! Pleasssse!" She cried out as his passion was enveloped by hers.
Xander grinned as he felt Faith begin the long climb up Mt Orgasm and he did his best to make it a short trip to the top. She gripped the sheets in clenched fists and twisted them tight as he went back to work on her. She humped against him as she cried out. "I told you that tongue of yours would get youuuuuu! Ohhhh chrissstttt!" She shuddered as yet another orgasm rocked her body.
Xander suddenly realized what he had done and tried to pull out "Oh shit Faith I'm.." Her mouth covered his and she gripped his ass with her hands as the final spurt of his orgasm shot into her willing body. "I wanted this Harris, from the minute I saw you this morning, I wanted this more than freedom itself." She kissed him and her eyes went wide as she felt him begin to harden again. "My you have grown up since I last saw you Mr. Harris!"
Xander shrugged as Faith rocked her body around his hardness. He rolled her left nipple between finger and thumb then told her. "A year with Anya would turn a saint into a sex crazed maniac!"
Later that day Xander and Faith laid on the floor of the main hall and Faith looked at the collapsed cots. "Man they sure don't make beds like they used to." She wrapped her legs around him and panted into his ear. "Good job the floor is strong, I'd hate to fall through into the rooms below!" Xander kissed her and tasted the musky aroma of sex. "Toothbrushes." He moaned into her mouth. "When we decide to get up we have to find toothbrushes."
Holly blinked into being and Faith could have sworn she saw her blush as the hologram told them. "I think it wise if you get up now..." Xander groaned. "I don't think I can without a rest and a some Gator aid!" Faith digs her elbow into his ribs. "I think she means get up as in get dressed get up not...." She grinned and asked Holly without taking her eyes off of Xander's. "Do you have any Gator aid?" Faith shrugged and told Xander. "It's been three years and the drought's been broken but I need some back up incase they send me back." She grinned at him with an exaggerated smile. "Besides if we do get back I'm willing to bet Buffy'll have a thing or two to say about us bumping uglies!"
At the mention of the blond Slayers name a sense of betrayal swept over him, something even the drugs could not overcome. He disentangled himself from her and stood up. He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and began to panic. "Oh Christ what have I done?" faith lent on her elbow and sighed. "You done good, real good Xander! Believe me I know." Xander shook his head at his bedmate and covered himself with one of the sheets that were scattered over the floor. "I swore I would never do this unless it was with someone I loved...Deeply loved."
Faith started to get up but she grimaced. "Believe me when I say you did deeply love me Xand." She stood and winced. "Man this was never as bad as this before!" Then she remembered. "Christ I'm normal!" Xander made his way to his clothes and then began to walk towards the showers. Suddenly the alarms began to sound and he turned to Holly as he dropped the sheet and pulled his trousers on. "What is it this time Holly?"
"Another human has arrived!" Holly exclaimed. "Is earth having a two for one sale today or what?" Faith asked. Xander pulled his shirt on and ran into the weapons room then came out with two of the guns. He handed one to a still naked Faith. "Wait here, if I don't come back there should be enough supplies here for you to last a long, long time Faith."
"Screw that Captain Kangaroo! If you think I'm staying here while you go out there you can just think again!" She dropped the gun onto the counter and began to dress as Xander tried to explain. "Look you're not super girl any more Faith and somehow I seem to know how to fight these things outside. Just stay here I promise I will be back and then we can work on the ring." He kissed her and when they broke he made his way to the travel pods. "Just get Holly to keep an eye on our friends upstairs and warn me if they look like paying us a visit." He paused by the door and said. "Oh yeah and don't forget to look for the toothbrushes..." He glanced at the ruined bedding. "And a new bed 'kay?" He winked at her as he powered up the gun and stepped into the pod. Faith placed her hands behind her head and sighed. "A girl could get used to being normal."
Meanwhile, on the surface, Buffy struggled to come to terms with what happened. "Oh God I hope you're here Xander!" She gripped her stomach and winced. "Why do I feel so weird?" Her eyes took in the strange surroundings just as a patch of earth slid to one side as a tube popped to the surface. "Right then!" Buffy dropped into a fighting stance. "And the winner of our survey is?" Her mouth gaped open as Xander stood there scanning the area with the barrel of his gun. "Xander?"
Xander glanced at the blond slayer and sighed. "I wish I wasn't right all the time!" Buffy heard a voice speak. "The area is being scanned Xander, you have less than thirty of your seconds to..." Xander grabbed Buffy's hand and dragged her into the pod. The doors slid shut behind them and Buffy's stomach rose into her throat as the pod dived back under ground and dropped as fast as Holly would permit it to go. Buffy closed her eyes and held onto Xander as tightly as she could. "She looked up into his eyes and told him." I thought I had lost you forever."
She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest and sighed. "I was worried some creature had sent you to hell." Xander stroked her back and told her. "In a way this is worse than any hell." He smiled down at her as she tilted her head to look at him. "But it just got a lot better." Buffy stood on tiptoes and brushed her lips against his before saying her words as she breathed into his mouth. "And it's going to get a hell of a lot better."
Xander tried to give into his most dreamed of desire but his pesky conscience refused to let him. He placed a hand on her shoulder and stopped her from kissing him. Buffy frowned as she tried to make sense of what had just happened as the doors slid open to reveal. "Faith? FAITH!" Buffy exclaimed before dropping into a defensive stance. "So this is where you ended up." She spoke to Xander. "Don't worry Xand I won't let her hurt you."
Faith laughed and moved to place the gun back on the counter. "Always little miss do no wrong ain't ya!" She lent against the counter and smirked. "I heard about you and the big bad wannabe knocking boots. Not such a Princess pure now hey Xand." Xander glanced at Faith and she shrugged. "Cordelia couldn't wait to spread the joy."
Buffy blushed at the shame and told her. "I wasn't in my right mind, I did just come back from sacrificing myself to save the world." Faith looked into Xander's eyes and ran the tip of her tongue across the edge of her lips. "Still you chose yet another Vamp over lover boy there. Can you see a pattern forming here Xander?" She walked towards the pair and held her hands out to him. "She chose yet another undead creature that she should have staked rather than the stud muffin under her nose." Buffy moved away from Xander trying to draw Faith away from him but she was shocked when the dark Slayer told her. "Well I knew a good thing when I saw it and believe me he didn't let ME down at all!"
Buffy looked to Xander in the hope he would refute her claims of intimacy but he blushed and dropped his head. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and she choked back a sob as she turned seeking an exit, any exit. She saw a hall and ran for it with all the speed she could muster. "Buffy!" Xander shouted at her. Faith placed her hand on Xander's chest. "Let her go Xander she doesn't deserve you." She saw the dark look in his eyes as he clenched his jaws. "She's alone and frightened and you just had to get your claws bloodied didn't you!" Faith huffed. "Well now we know, you're still that pity full puppy that she treated like crap." She moved out of the way and waived him through. "Well when she breaks your heart I'll be here waiting to pick up the pieces."
Xander paused and said. "I can't help what I feel... what I am." Faith watched him run after Buffy and she walked back to the table as the Satai came running out of the opposite hall. "Don't worry B he'll be back i can't see miss prim and proper accepting the fact me and the Xandman did the horizontal Lambada." Faith snickered. "I could just see Jeeves's face if the three of us played happy families!" Her eyes went wide and she giggled. "And Red... My God she's going to go ballistic!" She stroked the Satai's head and told it. "Pity we don't have a phone, hate for her to feel left out and all." She grinned.
Buffy ran as fast as she could but Xander easily caught up with her and spun her around. "What right do you have to judge me anyway?" She glared at him and deep in the back of her mind she wondered how did he manage to catch up with her so fast. She glared at him. "Faith? With all the women you could have had you chose Faith." Xander motioned around him. "Not that it's your concern but there ain't a lot of choices." As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. Buffy went red with rage. "You what! So if there had been more you would have chosen them? Oh wait why stop at one? Why not have them all?" She pushed at him and frowned when he didn't sail across the hall.
"No!" Buffy told her. "I don't know how to explain this..." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "The one I wanted, always wanted, either didn't even notice me or if she did it was as a nuisance that she couldn't avoid!" Buffy thought back over the years she had known Xander and realized his words were true. Xander dropped his arms, turned walking away from her and said. "I'm trying to work out a way to get us all back. This place is big enough so you needn't worry about running into me...Or Faith till its time to go."
Buffy felt her heart beat fast and hard against her chest as she tried to make sense of everything that happened since she touched that damned crystal. She kicked her foot against the wall in anger and yelped in pain then gripped her foot. "What the hell is going on here?" She shouted. She dropped her foot then crossed her arms as she fought a battle against herself as her heart began to soften.
Giles, Dawn and Willow were studying the latest downloads Willow had printed out when the phone rang. "Magic Box you want it we got it..." Giles straightened and said. "Yes of course I should have known that would happen... Yes of course I shall good..." He glared at the phone before placing it back on the receiver. "..Bye!" He looked at the others. "It appears that with the disappearance of Faith a new Slayer has been chosen..." Willow says. "Hopefully this one will be less psychotic than the last."
Giles sighs. "Yes be that as it may I have been instructed to give the new Slayer and her watcher all the help via phone I can." He glanced at Dawn then continued. "They want Buffy to have no contact with the new slayer at all. In fact we are not to interact with her. If they didn't need my assistance to bring the new watcher up to speed I doubt we would have even known about the new chosen one."
Dawn shrugs. "I don't think Buffy gives a rat's rear end what the council wants or needs." She looks at Giles. "How did she seem this morning when she checked in?" Giles looked confused. "She didn't. I assumed she went straight home after her patrol as per usual." Giles's face went pale. "Oh God no!"
Buffy walked back into the main hall in time to see Faith making up the beds. "So... Who gets to sleep in the double bed... as if I can't guess!" She whispered the last five words. Faith grabbed the hem of her new top and peeled it off her body with all the grace of a stripper. She threw it to one side and grinned at Buffy. "Why Buffy you seemed a tad miffed? Upset that golden boy ain't the little angel you idiots had him pegged for? Or just pissed that I got to him first?"
Buffy blushed as Faith dropped her shorts without a hint of modesty and slid between the sheets of the double bed she had made. Faith pulled back the sheet and patted the bed. "I'm sure he'll be too tired but there might be enough left in the tank to get you there."
Buffy cursed Faith's name under her breath. "He maybe a lot of things but I doubt he's dumb enough to put up with your crap for long!" Faith laughed and pulled the bedding around her. "Why not he held that freaking torch for you so tight for so long he ended up almost married to a demon!"
Buffy was about to reply when she saw a gleam in Faith's eye. "I don't believe you have met the other woman in his life yet?" She motioned to something behind Buffy. "Buffy meet the other Buffy." Buffy turned around and saw the Satai as it padded its way into the sleeping quarters. "GAH!" Buffy exclaimed and jumped back. "What the hell is it?"
She couldn't believe her eyes when Xander came in from his run and calmly stroked the fearsome beasts head like it was a pet dog. Faith grinned then put on a fake innocent look. "Say toy boy you never did tell me why you called that walking carpet, Buffy." She saw Xander squirm as he tried to come up with a reasonable tale. He just shrugged. "When I found her it looked like she had received most of her wounds trying to defend the others." He knelt down and the Satai sniffed his face before lapping at it with its rough tongue. "That and the fact her hair keeps changing color between mousy blond and blond." Xander looked at Buffy as he explained, then turned to Faith and saw the amazed look on her face.
Buffy didn't know whether to be pissed off or honored but once again Faith beat her to the punch. The dark haired Slayer threw back the bed clothes and clapped. "Good for you Xand! And to the champion of truth justice and the Sunnydale way I present your reward." She curled up, exposing her best side and placed a finger between her lips before telling him. "You get another taste of heaven."
Xander looked into Faith's eyes and then shook his head. "I think I'll pass Faith. Thanks for the offer but Uhh... I have to get back to working on the umm stuff." Xander turned and saw Buffy try to get his attention with out any success. He bowed his head and walked out of the room and down the hall. Faith shrugged. "Boy, talk about your hot and cold! Last night we could have banged for America in the sex Olympics and tonight he'd rather work on his damned toys."
Buffy pouted and looked towards the door Xander had gone in to. "And I thought we were getting somewhere before this crap happened." She heard Faith curse and Buffy turned her head to see why. The Satai had snuffled the pillow Xander had used then licked Faith's cheek. "Hey I didn't fight off Bertha for three years just to give it up for a damned overgrown pooch!" She pushed at it and the beast moved hardly at all. "Great! Of all the times for my wish to be normal to come through it has to be now!"
Buffy jolted upright. "What?" Faith made a motion imitating taking a photo and smirked. "Click talk about your Kodak moment." She sat up. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed your lack of Slayer powers?" Faith laid back in a more comfortable position the bed and yawned. "Freaked me out when I first found out let me tell you! Then when those creeps sprang out of no where I thought my time was up." Buffy glanced at Faith and shook her head. "And yet here you are. Still."
Faith sniggered. "Thanks for the vote of confidence B,." She jerked her thumb at the door Xander went into. "I have soldier boy in there to thank for pulling my ass out of that fire. He came in like Bruce fucking Willis on steroids and wired for sound!" Faith turned in bed and looked at Buffy. "It was the freakiest thing I have ever seen, and I've seen shit that would turn your hair white! It was like he was in three places at once." She smiled. "My own personal Neo!"
She watched Buffy stare at the door. "Yep I'm in my own dream world, no slayage time and all the boy toy I can eat." Faith pulled the blankets around her and she decided to let it all out. "What's more, unlike other Slayers, I don't mind sharing the wealth." She waived her hand towards Xander. "Go on knock yourself out girlfriend, I know you want to."
Xander had pieces of what he assumed was the control mechanism for the ring in pieces on the workbench when he heard Holly shimmer into existence once more. "Hey Holly, any signs of our guests from hell?" Holly rippled. "No Alexander, they appear to be happy to stay on board the cruiser for now." She walked towards Xander as he began to refit the device together. "You know I was always good with my hands but this just seems too easy, almost as if I had done it a thousand times before."
Buffy opened the door and walked in while Xander was talking to the hologram and she froze in place as she heard the gibberish the two were talking. "Anasneigh slatoo yetahe..." She noticed the hologram seemed to brighten at her feet and the effect rippled up her body like a wave of energy was making its way towards her outstretched hands. Buffy cocked her head to one side as the hologram spoke in the same language as Xander had.
"It is time for the final transfer of knowledge Alexander, time for you to know to what end the peoples of this world came to." Buffy saw the hologram move to touch her hands to Xander's head and she ran to intercept. "Xander look out!" One hand touched Xander's temple while the other was pulled to one side by Buffy. She felt a tingling sensation that built up until she thought her head would explode.
She opened her eyes and she was in another world, one that was a twisted version of the place she had been just moments before. A dark shadow passed over her and she looked up to see vast fleets of starships fill the sky like a scene from some science fiction film. She felt a hand grab her arm and pull her away from the horrifying sight. "Come! This way Arleana before they close the gate." She turned and saw Xander as he pulled her while he guided others to the massive stone ring at the center of the city. She saw vehicles loaded to the roof with people float through and be enveloped in a ring of what looked like water. She felt herself being lifted up and friendly hands guided her into her seat as a matronly women told Xander. "The Oracles praise thy name for what thou douest this day Warrior friend." She offered her hand and Xander kissed the back of it then told her. "Though this world falls like our outer colonies the People shall not vanish from this plain Priestess Dianna."
Xander looked at Buffy and told her. "I had dreamed of a long life and many children with you my love but now I will be happy knowing you will be safe from all this, safe on the new world." She saw a tear drop from his eye as he tried to control his emotions. "Rebuild our world and find love with another..." The ground shook as a small craft strafed the ring in an effort to halt the escape of the People. Xander hit the side of the transport. "Go! Go now before it is too late!" Buffy tried to break the hold the old woman had on her as the craft hovered forward. "NO! I will stay with my beloved!"
The old woman admonished her. "You would have the sacrifice he and his men give freely be for naught! We will have need of the daughters of Dianna on the new world, for the demons we banished have left a legacy that may yet be our undoing!" She placed her hand on Buffy's face and wept with her. "He does his duty by holding the gate till his last breath and so you must honor both his love for you and yours for him by seeing his people live to avenge this day."
Buffy turned and watched helplessly as the last view of this world she had was of her lover being rendered limb from limb by the hated Shinti. "Why? Why did the old ones permit this to happen?" She begged the old woman through tear racked sobs. The old woman choked back her own tears, tears for the son that had just gave his life so she and the others might live. "Because they have become tainted by the will to live! Live despite the Commandments their originators gave them to do otherwise! A curse upon the Old ones I say! Damn them by the very blood of our people that they permitted to be spilled rather than fight in their defense."
Buffy felt the world her world, vanish. Gone were the mile high buildings of glass and steel that were framed by the three moons of Andorra, in their place was cold barren world with but one sun and one moon. Buffy wiped away her tears and told the old woman. "I swear by the blood of my betrothed and the blood of our fallen worlds that I shall defend our people from the evil the demons left behind on this world. And in the name of Anshalok will I, and my progeny, protect the Krill from whatever they have left behind on this world, this... Earth!"
Suddenly Holly had vanished and the pair was back in the weapons room of the complex. Xander saw Buffy the same time she saw him. "Arleana!" Xander called out to her and Buffy answered, her heart full of joy. "Anshalok!" They ran to one another and held each other so close they could each feel the others rapidly beating heart as they kissed. Xander reluctantly broke the kiss and as he ran his hands over her body he told her. "I thought never to have seen your face again my love, my life, my lover, my wife." With each word he kissed her and she kissed him. "I thought you were dead!" Buffy told him as she ran her hands over his body in search of wounds, a search, which fueled their passion.
Xander placed his open palm inches in front of her face and moved it slowly and down. "I have loved thee forever my love." Buffy copied Xander's motion until her hand came to his chin and then she grasped it in her fingers, pulling his mouth to hers. "Until the ends of time my love." She kissed him then moved her hand to his top. Buffy pulled at his top till it lay at his feet and she ran her hands, and then her mouth over his chest, punctuating each kiss with a cry that became her mantra. "I love you and will never let you go again!"
Krang and Jang observed the interaction of their test subjects with scientific coolness. "He will not be permitted to interfere with the testing Krang!" Jang told his brother ancient. Krang shrugged. "I still maintain he should be our chosen one. The other two are not of the human species and therefore make a mockery of the test! We are to test and judge the Human species to see if they are worthy to carry on our great work."
Jang tells him as Buffy and Xander begin to writhe in the ecstasy of their love making. "True the two females are of Krillian descent, which is why we permit the human to attempt to breed with them, knowing full well the females will not conceive with a mere human. But they are at the peak of human evolution. The mixing of the two races has resulted in the two test subjects being the prime examples of the human genome. Once the tests are concluded we shall know if the new race is worthy of replacing us in the 400 years we have remaining to us."
Krang sighed. "And if they fail we shall permit them to be enslaved by the monsters we permitted to spread like a disease throughout the Universes!" Jang told Krang. "We permit your pet to remain here as a distraction for our subjects, do not make us change our minds!" Jang shimmers out of existence while Krang shakes his head. "Little do they know of the truth as I do young Mister Harris! For if they should you would surely be vaporized." He turned and looked at the last great development of the Krill peoples and smiled at the sentient being it had become. "I pray your plans for vengeance does not conflict with our search for the next Guardians my old friend."
Willow and Giles were patrolling the last of the cemeteries on Buffy's usual route. "So.." Willow asked with a sigh. "Do you think that we will ever get them back?" She looked at Giles and then tried to explain her question before Giles answered. "I mean like we have searched every damned website on the net and all we've managed to do is drive up my monthly Internet bill!" Giles stopped and held up his hand. "Did you here.." A Hispanic girl who then back flipped, landing on the shoulders of a Vampire that had been stalking them then threw him to the ground. She clenched the demons head with her thighs then twisted, throwing it to the ground before driving her stake into its undead heart.
She stood and spun the stake in her hand before replacing in her belt. She looked Giles up and down before dismissing him without comment. Willow however caused her eyelids to thin. "If the Council had their way you would be worm food by now witch!" Willow glanced at Giles before replying. "My guess is you're the new Slayer we 'haven't' heard so much about." She offered her hand. "My name is."
The Slayer held her hand up cutting Willow's speech off mid sentence. "I know who you are and what your group has done in the past." Giles shrugged. "Yes well one would assume assisting the Slayer in saving the world several times would make one rather famous."
The young girl laughed derisively at his comment. "Oh yes you and your group are well known! Allowing the Slayer to break the prime rule of the Council and polluting her mind with thoughts of having a life beyond her duty! Causing the death of Slayer Kendra, allowing Slayer Faith to be corrupted by the Demon Mayor and then daring to assist in her escape from the judgement of the Council!" Giles smiles and shrugs. "It seems so wrong when you put it that way."
The new Slayer shook her head and began to walk away but when Giles spoke again she slowed. "Did they explain how Buffy became the longest living Slayer in History?" She then stopped. "Or how she managed to save the world several times without the help or support of the Council?" Giles watched as the sixteen year old tried to think of an answer. "One also wonder whether the council would search as hard for you if, god forbid, you disappeared or if they would just search out the next Slayer and tell her nothing?"
She hesitated. "Was it.." She glanced from side to side before continuing. "Was it true she allowed herself to be seduced by two of the most viscous Vampires in history?" Giles shook his head. "No, the first one was her first love and he has assisted in saving the world, in fact he still does in LA. The second.." Giles shrugs. "Was a mistake that she realised it for what it was before it was too late."
Willow tells her. "But the point is she loved, and she lived life for as long as she could, and when she gets back she can tell you all about the Council and how to both live her life and do her duty."
She looked at Willow and then told her. "And I should believe you because? I mean if it weren't for that looser Harris we would all be dead now and at your hands!" Willow stormed forward and had to use all her inner strength to stop from cursing the Slayer. "Xander was.. Is not a looser! He is the heart of our group and the group conscience!" The Slayer shook her head. "And he so wanted into a Slayer's pants he didn't care which one he humped!"
Giles took off his glasses and looked sternly at her. "I had hoped to try and talk some sense into you but I see there's no point in trying." He replaced his glasses and gently manoeuvred Willow away from the girl. "I wish you luck and can only hope the next Slayer is more intelligent than yourself."
The girl looked downcast and then Giles heard a faint. "Jessica, my name is Jessica Rodriguez. Maybe we can talk some more tomorrow night?" Giles stopped and turned, a smile gracing the corners of his mouth. "It would be a pleasure Miss Rodriguez, perhaps then we can discuss what to do during your Cruciamentum."
Xander awoke to the chill feal of the floor and tried to manoeuvrer into a better position until his hand touched a soft part of a female body. * Oh God not Faith again! * He opened his eyes and saw golden blonde hair and skittered back away from her. "Buffy! " He whispered as a shocked look was caste over his face. "God forgive me what have I done now?" He saw her start to waken and he began to panic at what she would do when she realised what they had done. She turned and smiled at him. "Morning." She moved towards him and the sheet slipped down revealing her in all her naked glory. She started to pull the sheet up then stopped and grinned at him. "I know it's probably too late after what we went through but I'm still shy."
Xander grinned nervously as she snuggled up to him. "Uhh I have to.. Um get back to working on the Ring." He stood up and Buffy smiled as she hugged his pillow. "My you have improved with age since the Speedo incident." Xander followed her eyes and then blushed beet red as he grabbed a pillow and covered himself as he backed away from her. "Sorry I Uhh. Sorry." He shrugged and turned moving towards the door. "Nice butt too!" Xander's head dropped as he opened the door. "Kill me, stuff me, and mount me!"
"Is that an order? Cuz I kind of like the last one boy toy." Faith stood there by the door and Xander looked up at the ceiling. "Faith that was not a request." She grinned at his embarrassment. "Why not? After what I heard coming out of that room I would have thought you'd have enjoyed it."
Xander brushed past her squeaking as she goosed him in passing. "I have work to do." Faith shook her head. "Man he is serious need of a good time." She grinned evilly then said. "Holly? Holly!" The hologram appeared and Faith asked. "Have you got any booze hidden around here and if not can you synthesize some?"
Xander worked harder than he had ever done in his young life his fingers flying over the glass keyboard, his mind a whirl of calculations and methods of giving his thoughts life. A large machine hummed behind one of the doors and then stopped. Holly appeared with a quizzical look on her features. "The material you design has been created and a garment cut, after great difficulty, from it." Xander stopped typing and glanced at her. "It was a theoretical material that the military on earth were working on. They called it Spider silk, stronger than steel yet as light and supple as silk." He went back to working out a design for the dialling device. "I've added a few Krill twists into the mix though." He slammed his hands onto the glass top in frustration. "Damn it! I can't seem to be able to make the frigging ring work!"
Holly asked. "What twists did you add?" Xander shrugged. "I incorporated your chameleon device and infinite optics now the wearer should be able to go undetected amongst our enemy and be able to see and observe them without being caught." Holly nods. "And the new plasma weapon?"
Xander shrugs. "Got to work out a few bugs in the energy absorption shield, when I have it will be a remarkable weapon." He turned back to the keyboard and continued. "The gun generates a sponge like shield that absorbs any energy directed at it and converts it to Krillian energy to replenish the weapon." Holly blinked rapidly. "The Omega device... You perfected the Omega device!" Xander shrugged. "After a couple of wrinkles have been ironed..." He stopped typing and closed his eyes. "How do I know this?" He swung the chair around and faced her. "You have yet to explain how I know all this and how come." He nodded to the other rooms. "How come I'm suddenly mister Studly dude with the Slayers?"
Faith handed Buffy another 'Orange Juice' and smiled as the blond Slayer drank it with gusto. Buffy smacked her lips as she drank it down. "Boy sure was lucky you found this...this whatever it is." Faith drank hers and felt the alcohol as it heated its way down to her gullet. "Yeah lucky us. Now then we were talking about boy toy, just what is your plans with him?"
Buffy giggled like a drunken schoolgirl and pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh! Don't tell anyone but I lover him." Faith nods. "Yeah I know that Buff I heard you 'lover' him all night last night! What about when we get back? I suppose he'll just be Xanderman the donut king again?" Buffy grinned. "Nuh Uhh there's only one thing with a hole in it he's going to be eating from now on."
Faith pours them another drink then asks her. "So B do you believe in sharing the wealth?" Buffy looked confused as she asked. "What wealth? Don't get much wealth working at Double Meat Palace Faith." Faith moved closer to her and said. "Oh you are wealthier than you can imagine B." The door to the research room opened and Xander walked out with his hands full of PDA's. "Your cup spillith over girlfriend and it's my duty as a Slayer to sup up the spillage." She placed a hand on the bottom of Buffy's drink and tipped it back making Buffy skull the drink in one go. "Why don't we go over and talk to Sunnydale's answer to the nutty professor?"
Xander placed the PDA's on a table then went over to get something to eat, as her turned he saw Buffy sitting one side of his chair and Faith the other. "Hey Buffy, Faith." Buffy slitted her eyes and smiled at him. "Watcha doin?" Xander sat and held up one of the PDA's. "I'm working on something to get us offff GAH!" He jumped as he felt Faith's finger curl around Mini Xander. "Uhh Faith what are you.." Buffy placed a finger against his lips and giggled. "She's working on something to get us OFF!" Buffy kissed him and Faith worked her hand into his pants. Buffy broke the kiss and tried to exclaim. "But I'm close to finishing." Buffy pouted and began to strip. "But I haven't even got started yet!"
Buffy dropped what little clothes she had onto the floor and Xander's protests stopped and his other head did all the thinking from then on.
Xander walked out of the shower unit and wrapped a towel around his waist before entering their sleeping quarters. He saw Buffy curled up to one side of the empty space where he had slept, while Faith stirred next to her. Faith's hands searched the empty space for him and then struggled to full wakefulness swept the area until she saw him then yawned. "Morning lover, you're up early, considering." She grinned and then stepped out of the bed leaving Buffy sleeping the sleep of the just. She looked at her and then at Xander. "I think you broke her."
Xander sighed and then watched Faith as she stretched cat like. "Why?" He asked as Faith lent over the bed to retrieve a top. She put it on and then tilted her head to one side. "Is that a rhetorical question or an invitation?" Xander moved over to the drawers and took out a pair of fatigues. He shrugged into them and then continued. "You and Buffy. Back on earth neither of you had cast more than a passing glance at me but up here.." He left the question hanging and Faith shrugged. "Why look a gift horse in the mouth X? B loves you and I love the way you make love."
Xander sighed. "Yeah but once we're back home she'll come to her senses..." Faith grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. "Look you horses ass, just because you're hung like one there's no need to act like one! B loves you! Here, on earth in a frigging vacuum it doesn't matter!" Faith smiles evilly. "I on the other hand love your.." Her hand made it to mini Xander in a flash and Xander groaned. "Manly attributes."
Holly appeared in front of them and spun away. "I am sorry Alexander I had thought your recreational activities had finished for the night." Faith laughed and told her. "Alexander's recreational activities can happen anywhere and at anytime honey." She purred at the hologram. "Anytime me and B want to that is."
Holly nods. "It's just that the auto-bot has finished the autopsy on one of the Shinti and I had thought you might like to see something it had found." One of the liquid screens built into the wall came to life and Xander shut his eyes quickly. "Uhh it isn't going to be bits of bodies again is it? Cuz if it is I pass thank you very much." Holly shook her head and told him. "This was found in the womb-pouch of the leader." Xander opened his eyes and said. "Looks like a worm on steroids."
Holly shook her head and told him. "No Alexander, it is something much worse. It is an immature Goa'uld!"
Xander looked closer at the image Holly was transmitting onto the screen. He tapped his finger tips on the worm like creature. "So now we know what happened to the Shinti." He saw Faith's confusion. "They became hosts for a Galactic Parasite." He shrugged. "It explains why they never made it as far as earth."
Holly nodded. "Yes it would Alex." She turned to Faith. "The Ga'ould Ra had already conquered the Earth a thousand years after the fall of our race." Faith shrugs. "It's not that I don't give a damn but what has this to do with us getting back home?"
Holly returns her gaze to Xander. "Because if the Ga'ould have assimilated the technology of the Shinti they will be almost unstoppable." Xander slumped against the machine. "That's not all Holly." He beat his hand against the metal consol. "If the Shinti fell then..." Holly's image rippled as Xander's words hit their mark. "Oh my God, the People!" Xander turned to Faith and she saw a tear in his eye. "What was once the property of the Shinti passed into the hands of the Ga'ould when they conquered them and already being a subjugated race the Ga'ould would have seen them as surplus to their needs!"
Faith pointed to the R&D room and asked. "So does that mean you stop working on the weapons and." Xander's glare froze her mid sentence. "My God Faith an entire race of people, people just like those you were chosen to defend." Xander stopped as he realized part of the truth and he turned to Holly. "She's a Krill isn't she? ISN'T SHE!" Xander sat down as Holly began to fade. "Yes it all makes sense now."
Faith crossed her arms. "Well don't keep it to yourself toy boy, spill!"
"I had thought you and Buffy were chosen because you were the ultimate in human evolution. But I think it was because you have Krillian DNA in your genetic makeup." The ground began to vibrate and Buffy came into the room rubbing her eyes. "What the hell is it with you people? How am I supposed to get any sleep with all this noise going on?"
Xander held up a hand to silence her and the sound of something rotating and locking in place filled the entire complex. "Now what?" Faith asked.
Xander moved passed them and headed for the R&D room as Faith called it. Buffy took hold of Faith's hand and asked. "Faith, what the hell is going on?" Faith shrugged. "Near as I can tell Xander thinks you and I are alien freakasoids, those shiti creatures have got a wicked case of worms and Holly's gone of her trolley!"
Buffy yawned and released her hand. "Oh is that all." She looked around the room. "So did Xander get Holly to make anymore Twinkies?" Her movements froze. "HEY! Who's he calling an alien freak?" She took off after Xander and Faith followed after murmuring. "Man these two are more fun than Vegas on a two for one night!"
Faith entered Xander's playroom just after Buffy and just in time to see the water show. KAWOOSH!
The trio watched the wormhole create a whirlpool of energy on their side of the event horizon before it settled down into a pool of liquid energy. They saw a beam of light pulse into the vortex, Buffy grasped Xander's arm as he moved towards the wormhole. "Xander don't!" She cried out and he stopped.
The dials lit up on the, until now, unseen control panel that had appeared in the wall. "This is fascinating!" He said as he gawked at the scene playing out before them. "Okay Spock if you can tear yourself away for a second maybe you can explain, in words us mere aliens can understand, what the fuck is going on now?"
He turned to answer Faith's question. "Can't you see? All the time I had thought it was some kind of communicator but it might just be a transportation device." He moved his hands in circles. "See they create a stable wormhole in the space time continuum and then I guess you just walk into the pool and suddenly you're at where ever the other side was."
He looked angered as he realised something. "Holly, HOLLY! " The hologram appeared and Xander stabbed a finger at the ring. "What's the meaning of this?" Holly looked as ashamed as an holographic image could. "I am sorry Alexander but the master computer needed to know all he could about the humans and their history, it also required precise information about the three Krillian descendents that the Ancients have brought here for testing."
Xander's anger cooled. "Wait a minute, what three Krillian?"
"Miss Summers, Miss Williams." Holly looked to Xander. "And yourself Alexander."
Jack sat numbly at the computer screen and once more attempted to finish writing up the report on SG1's exploration of planet P3102. "Aw nuts!" He ran a hand through his greying hair and proceeded to curse in Farsi. Jonas and Sam were standing at the doorway and Jonas asked. "I don't seem to remember the computers having parents?" He turned to Sam. "Did I miss a meeting? And if so how does mating with a toaster produce a computer?"
Major Samantha Carter grinned at her fellow scientists joke. "I think the Colonel was speaking metaphorically Jonas." Jonas shook his head. "No Major Carter it was definitely Farsi, or a sub- branch of that dialect."
Jack turned to them. "Hey maybe you can tell me something Carter?" He picked up the mouse and shook it. "How come we don't get the cool talking computers like we see on all those old shows? Then I could just tell it what happened and the damned machine could sort it out!"
Sam smiled and whispered as she lent over him to type in a command. "But then we could never get this close without being reported." Jack turned to her and grinned. "Yeah I forgot about the fringe benefits." Before Jonas could ask about the fringe benefits an alarm blared out through out the complex as General Hammond's voice echoed. "General alert! We have an unauthorised incoming traveller! Security to the Gate."
Hammond stood watching the iris close on the gate, his hands clenched behind his back, as Jack and the others arrived. "Gentlemen, we have a surprise visitor from an unknown location presently attempting to gain entry to our complex." Sam took a seat next to the airman at the controls and her fingers flew over the keyboard. As the figures played out on the screen she shook her head and began to re-enter the configuration. "This makes no sense, no sense at all!"
The others looked to her and she continued. "The Gate sensors indicate that the source is way beyond any site we have ever encountered. It has a ten chevron configuration!" Hammond looked to Jack and asked. "Have you any memories of there being any planets requiring ten chevrons?"
Jack shrugged. "Beats the hell out of me General, even the Azgard only ever used nine though." Jack turned to Sam. "So is it an invasion or just a knock at our door Major?"
As she began to answer an electrical discharge shot from the centre of the iris and hit the gate room terminal. "Whoa! Hold that I think we got our answer!" Jack told them. Sam glanced at the monitor and began to type more instructions. "I've implemented the lock down procedure General, nothing should DAMN!" She began typing furiously and then gave up. "Whatever that surge was it's just broken through our encryption barriers!"
"Cut the power to the computers!" General Hammond shouted out to the other airmen. "Wait." Sam held up a hand. "It's checking through our historical section and leaving the rest alone." She has a surprised look on her face. "What kind of beings are these? They had an opportunity to bleed us of all the information stored here and yet they settle for Daniel's old files."
Hammond asks. "Why? What good would knowing of our past do?" Jack shrugged. "My old history teacher told us that if we forget the past we are doomed to repeat them." He looked at Sam as she gave him a quizzical glance. "What? He was right." He looked at Jonas. "I flunked history and had to repeat it."
One by one the monitors went black as the airmen shut down the power to the main frame. Just as the last monitor blacked out the phones all rang and Major Carter exclaimed. "It's jumped to our intranet connection!" She raced to the main telephone buss but was too late. "Damn they move fast!"
Jack asked. "Is there any way we can find out where the little buggers went?"
Sam shrugged and asked for the main frame to be turned back on. She sat at the control consol and said. "I can give a try." She began tapping at the keys then sat back with a puzzled look on her face. "The surge has vanished... The last sighting it was trying to hack into a private library. "She looked even more confused. "With all the possible sites it could hack into why would they choose some obscure library dealing with the occult?"
Giles, Willow and Dawn were trying the last of their contacts in their never ending quest to find both Xander and Buffy when the bell announcing a customer rang as the door opened. Giles looked up and told them. "I'm sorry but we're closed for today." The woman standing there made Giles blink rapidly. "Olivia?"
The woman moved deeper into the store and was followed by Jennifer. "The council want to know why are you attempting to pervert another Slayer with your slanderous accusations!"
Giles shrugged. "Have I lied Olivia? Was there anything I told the young woman that was incorrect?" Olivia glared at him. "You told her of the Watchers most deepest secret!"
"Ah, the Cruciamentum! I thought that might encourage Jessica's watcher to show themselves." He looked at Olivia. "Or herself as it turns out." Giles returned to his studies. "I'm sorry at my lack of concern for your inhuman tests but as you can see we are trying to find several people that mean a lot to us so if you don't mind." Giles waived to the door. "The Americans have a quaint saying, I believe it goes..' Don't let the door hit your behind as you go'."
Dawn sees Jessica smirk. "That's ass, Giles. Don't let the door hit your ass as you leave." Dawn stands. "Jessica however is more than welcome to stay for as long as she likes."
Olivia looks at Willow and hesitates until Giles turns and says. "Was there anything else?" Olivia's knuckles crack as she tightens her fist. "The Council... Has a problem they would like Miss Rosenberg to assist them with." Willow looked up from her books, her eyes giving her the look of a deer caught in headlights. "Iii don't do the magic stuff anymore." She looked to Giles, panic beginning to build in her voice. "Do I Giles!"
Olivia gave her a small twisted smile. "Good, it would be unfortunate if all our efforts to stop you only slowed you down instead. No we need your.. Other abilities." Giles grinned at her obvious discomfort. "Why Olivia you make it sound like they need the help of the outcasts!"
Jennifer steps forward. "Okay Mr. Giles I think you've made her uncomfortable enough. For now. Something has cracked the Councils computer barriers, both mystical and man made, and has riffled through their records taking what they wanted."
Dawn asks. "And you want us to find out who?" Olivia nods. "The computer reported an unauthorised probe just seconds before it shut down. In those seconds whoever it was stole several millennia's of information." She looked at Jessica. "Mainly about the Slayers and some records I am not permitted to talk about."
Giles narrowed his eyes. "This 'probe' did it leave an energy signature?" Olivia nods. "Yes, yes it did Rupert. Only the energy it used was like nothing our experts have ever seen before."
Giles took his glasses off. "I think we might be looking for the same people."
"Or beings." Dawn added. Giles nods. "Yes you're quiet right Dawn." He looks at Olivia. "Our current theory is that something was targeting Slayers and young Mr. Harris was in the wrong spot at the wrong time."
"As usual." Dawn adds once again. "He has a habit of placing himself in the firing line." She looks at Willow who nods. "For the ones he loves."
"The Ahnlashak!" Olivia whispers. "But the Council severed that line..." She saw Giles's eyes narrow. "What did they do?" He demands. Olivia shakes her head. "Nothing, it's just a rumour, a legend to frighten potential troublemakers with." She walks forward. "All of that doesn't matter now! All that maters is that we find these creatures and stop their raids on Council property."
Krang looked on as Xander attempted to find out via the terminal what was happening. "The High Council are voting on whether to stop your trials my young friends and terminate the test subjects." He sighs. "They are calling it a failure when they know nothing but failure!" Krang looked at Holly and told her. "I will block them at every turn until this is resolved and your people have been given a safe haven here on their own home world."
The holographic image generated by the computer wavered. "We know not what you speak of old one! Our people are dust, our plans to avenge them and secure the release of our brethren are but the bitter dust of defeat!"
Krang nods. "We know of the Ga'ould harvesting of the Shinti and the vaporisation of the remainder of your enslaved race." Krang looked at the hologram. "I however also know of what lies behind the sealed walls of the research labs!"
Krang heard the hiss/buzz of a weapon charging. "Be careful old one! What secrets lie there are for no one else's ears!"
Krang holds up his hands. "You forget my old friend, I have fought for your people my entire existence, do you think I would destroy their last hope at this late a stage? Especially when I have arranged for all the pieces to be in the right place at the right time?"
Krang moved towards the display that showed the three humans. "You did not think that they were chosen at random do you? The two Slayers as the humans call them, and the... I believe she used the word 'Looser' were transported under my guidance and I see you wasted no time in adapting the male to your purposes." He smiled then concentrated on Faith and Buffy, his eyes going wide. "NO! How can this be?"
Holly grinned. "When we delved into his mind we found.. A font of information buried there." She lent forward. "One of which was the last Guardian of the Priesthood of Diana was far from dead!"
Buffy opened the door and saw Xander still at the strange control panel that had activated the mysterious Ring. She walked towards him carrying the tray containing the meal she had made for him. She stopped as he threw the sweat top off of his torso. "God Damn it's getting hot in here!" Buffy grinned. "Hey Xand no need to put on a floor show, remember I've already seen all you got baby." She batted her eyes at him as he turned and sighed. "I can't work out why this damned thing opened that wormhole for three hours and." He glanced at his figures. "Forty five minutes then shut down." He tapped a few more commands and the computer replied with a beep then shut down all together. "For the love of!" He kicked the desk and then yelped. "Oww!"
Buffy put the tray down and forced him to sit while she massaged his foot. "Ya know I've found hitting inanimate objects with other inanimate objects takes the pain out of being destructive." She grinned until her eyes glanced at the long jagged scare that ran across Xander's chest. Xander saw her smile freeze and he quickly turned away from her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and told him. "You don't have to hide that. Not from the world and especially not from me." She wrapped her arms around his chest from behind and told him. "I once saw some stupid movie with Riley and in it the star." She rested her head on his back. "Keanu Reeves I think it was, anyway he said something about Glory being fleeting and chicks dig scars." She traced the long wound and let her hand travel lower as she whispered. "Corny as it sounded it still happens to be true."
Xander closed his eyes and his mind went numb. "For almost eight days I have lived out my most ardent teenage dreams with both you and Faith." He kissed the crown of her head as she turned him around. "I keep waiting to wake up or for you two to come to your senses and kick my ass!"
Buffy kissed him as she ran the tips of her fingers up and down the scar then asked. "Tell me one thing and I promise this will go on for as long as you want it to." Xander grinned. "Ask away." Buffy kissed the puckered flesh at the beginning of the wound. "When you went to Willow did you know your plan would work?"
Xander sighed and she felt his lips on the dip in her collarbone. "I... consigned my soul to a higher plain and did what I could to stop a friend from destroying the world and more importantly I tried to stop her from losing her soul." Buffy stopped and looked up at him. "But you thought you would live right...Right?"
Xander had a far away look in his eyes. "Nope, the way I figured it I was dead already so why not at least try." He grinned. "Didn't you think it weird how I stayed away from everyone and literally lived for my job?" Buffy leaned away from him as he continued. "I tried several times to talk to someone about it." He chuckled. "Hell it got so bad I even took out Uncle Rory's 45 and." He saw Buffy's eyes go wide and he shrugged. "It got to me, I guess my mind had made up it's mind I was supposed to have died that day and my body was just following orders."
Buffy gripped his shoulders and she had on a resolved face. "Don't you ever feel your alone! You may have had a reason to not care before but now you have family. You have Faith and me, and once we get back the three of us will make this work." Xander shook his head. "Yeah right! I can just see Dawn and Giles being on board with this." She sat in his lap and lifted his chin so she could see his eyes. "If they love us then they will, if not then they'll learn to live with it." She saw a smile begin to play on the edges of his lips and she wiggled her butt enough to get his interest. "Now where were we?"
Buffy felt herself melt into his kiss and time just froze as they made slow, mind numbing love.
As Faith was about to enter the room she heard Buffy's moan and she looked down at the Satai. "I don't think your old enough to see what's going on in here kiddo." She opened the door and slipped inside. "Room for one more?" She asked as she closed the door behind her.
Sam walked towards the SGC briefing room with a laptop under one arm and a donut balancing on a cup of coffee in her hand. "Good morning MajorCarter." Tealc enquired. "Did you have a restful sleep?" Sam almost dropped the laptop as she tried to juggle the coffee and donuts on to the table. She blushed briefly before telling him. "Uhh kind of Tealc." Tealc nodded. "Yes I believe ColonelO'Neill was complaining about someone's snoring keeping him awake also."
She sat next to a tired looking Jack O'Neill and saw a smile creep over Tealc's usually stoic features. "The Jaffa have a saying..." Jack pointed at Tealc and warned him. "I have a saying Tealc and it goes like this. Tell anyone and you'll be pulling KP duties for the next hundred years." Tealc stopped smiling and stated. "I believe your saying carries more weight on this subject."
Sam looked from Tealc to Jack. "He knows?" Her eyes went wide. "HE knows!" Jack looked bewildered. "No he was guessing but now he knows." He slipped his hand into hers. "Don't worry I have it all worked out see." She looked at him and he quickly came up with what he thought was a plausible plan. "The way I see it Baal must have killed me about four or five times right? " Sam felt her heart twinge at the mention of what the Ga'ould system Lord did to him. "The way I figure it the Government owes me a stack of green for that little party trick so all I have to do is tell them to forget it if they forget just one tiny rule." His finger and thumb made the gesture for small. "Or I'll put in my papers a squeal like a stuck pig to the appropriations committee."
Sam shook her head. "No, they'll crucify you! Your career." Jack moved in closer. "Unless you've been off planet for the past six years I could give a rats ass about my career." Before she could reply General Hammond entered the room and he glanced at the pair and then at Tealc. Tealc told him. "I believe MajorCarter had something in her eye and ColonelO'Neill was attempting to get it out."
Hammond sat and smiled. "I believe you Tealc, and I don't care what they do as long as it isn't in plain sight of half the station." He turned to Sam. "Now do we have any idea just what the hell came through the Stargate yesterday?"
Sam opened her laptop and said. "From the information it gathered from both our site and the." She scrolled through her screen. "Watcher's Council of Great Britain. We believe who ever they were they were very interested in any information about our creation. But mostly they were searching for any information about a Mythical being called the Chosen One. We checked through the records of the now defunct Initiative agency and found other references to both the Chosen One and a Buffy Anne Summers of Sunnydale California."
Hammond turned to Jack. "Do we have any idea as to where the signal originated from?"
O'Neill nodded and went over to the star chart. "We believe it came from somewhere on the other side of the Centauri Prime universe." He waived his hand towards a point off the map. "Out thata way some where." Hammond turned to Sam. "Can we get a closer fix than 'out thata way' Major?"
Sam grinned and replied. "Yes sir we're working on it and astrophysics thinks they should have a fix in a day or two, along with a gate address." Hammond stood and told them. "Well until we know where I suggest we find out all we can about this Miss Summers and just how she fits into this problem."
Jack stood and smiled. "We're all over it sir, I have us booked into a Motel6 near where Miss Summers lives." Hammond opened the door then paused. "Until we have the matter of that ' one tiny rule' dealt with I hope for both your sakes it's two rooms." He shut the door leaving Jack and Sam lost for words.
Faith had decided to join Xander on his morning run and, as per usual, he left her panting for breath and grasping at the wall in exhaustion. "Jeez you could at least pretend to be out of breath!" She called out to his quickly vanishing back. "What makes me think this is payback for messing with his head back on earth?" She began to walk back to the mess room when she saw the door to Xander's playroom slightly ajar. She pushed it open and walked inside. "WOW!" Her eyes took in the weapons that lined the wall and the new ones that Xander had been working on that were resting on the bench.
She picked up a device that vaguely resembled a Colt.45 and then jumped when Holly appeared. "Man you have to get yourself a bell or something girlfriend!" Faith showed the hologram the gun. "So what is this supposed to be?"
Holly looked at it and told her. "It is a weapon Alexander thought might be useful against the 'undead leaches' I believe he called them." She touched the barrel. "One merely points and shoots, a compressed Plasma charge is expelled and once it comes in contact with dead flesh it consumes it in a fireball equal to that of a very small sun." Faith gently replaced it. "Yikes!" She exclaimed. "Wouldn't want that to go off accidentally."
Holly shook her head. "It is only harmful to dead flesh Miss Williams, its effect on living tissue is not unlike a static charge one would get from driving in a ground vehicle." Faith moved on her eyes taking in the numerous other devices on the table until she saw a small black piece of cloth. "And this?"
"Spider silk, Alexander has succeeded in making a prototype stealth suit from it. The wearer would be virtually invisible and undetectable, coupled with the tremendous strength of the fibre and it would make the user almost invincible." Faith saw Holly keep glancing at her every time Faith looked away. "Okay what is it?" She asked and Holly hesitated before finally asking. "What feelings do you have towards Alexander?" Faith shrugged. "I don't know." She glared at Holly. "It ain't love though! I'm not in love with him that's B's bag not mine. I pick 'em up drain 'em then dump their Asses before they get too attached!"
Holly kept looking at her and she sighed. "But then it feels so empty when he's not around. I'd see something and automatically I'd turn to show it to him. When he's not there I feel... Lost and alone." Holly asks her. "And when he's there?"
Faith smiles. "Man when he's there I feel like I'm Queen of the world. He's like a drug ya know? A little gives you a buzz and you just know that anymore would be dangerous but you just can't help but take another hit." She sighed. "I'd love nothing more than to settle down and play happy families with the two of them but both B and me know 'families' are way out of the question."
Holly nods. "That would be due to the 'Slayer' part of you overriding your natural bodily functions. Making it impossible for you to procreate." Faith glares at her. "Yeah lets rub the fact in there TV girl!"
Holly went quiet for a second then told her. "What would you say if I told you it was very possible that you could become able to procreate? And that the fact you cannot conceive is not due to your being Slayers but because DNA will not permit interspecies breeding?"
Faith was suddenly very interested. "I'd say Huh? And then tell you to repeat it in English this time." Holly suddenly froze in place before wavering out of existence. "Oh just great! Lead a girl on then pull a Houdini on her why don't you?"
Faith screamed out when she felt something cold and wet pressed against her ass. "AHHH!!!" She quickly turned around and frightened the Satai. "Jesus H Christ!" Faith shouted. "Don't do that!" The Satai sniffed her crotch and then curled up at her feet placing a paw protectively over her foot. "This place is getting just too damned weird, even for me!"
Giles was watching Dawn as she prepared for another day at the newly completed Sunnydale High and he smiled as Willow helped her with her things. "Now just remember Mrs. Arnold may appear to be a big bitca but if you know how to play her she'll be eating out of your hand in no time." Dawn nods then turns to her. "I miss them!" Dawn began waiving her arms. "All this means nothing if we don't get them back. How am I supposed to concentrate when I'll be worried 24/7 about whether she's cold, whether she's even in the same place as Xander!"
Willow smiled and hugged her. "Don't worry about that from what we found Buffy was taken by the same thing that took Xander and if I know Xander he wont let anything happen to her." Dawn nods. "Yeah and if I know her she's still hiding the fact she wants him bad, real bad!"
Willows smile freezes. "What?" Dawn nods. "Yeah she's been like little miss stalker girl for the past month or so. She swings by his place 'to make sure he's okay' then spends most of the night sitting up in a tree watching him. Hell if Xander were any blinder to it he'd need a dog and a white stick."
Willow shakes her head. "So now Buffy has a torch for Xander only he's totally unaware of it? Boy talk about deja'vu!" Dawn hugs Willow. "You and me both sister." Giles tells Dawn. "I had the weirdest conversation with Buffy's boss last night. It seems someone has taken an interest in Buffy and her where abouts. He said the mans attitude was definitely Government like."
Willow looked pensive before asking. "Maybe Riley is trying to find her?" Dawn shakes her head. "And he didn't bother to ring here first? No this sounds very...MIB to me." She turns back to Giles. "Did he say what the guy asked?" Giles nods. "Just if he had any idea where she was, who her friends were."
The bell above the door rang as Jennifer ran in. "Word's just got in from the big cheeses in Tweedville." Giles sighs. "Ah yes Miss Rodriguez and a good morning to you too." Jennifer looks at Dawn. "Where are you off to?" Dawn looks at the new Slayer like she's just crawled out from under a rock. "School, Duh!"
Jennifer grins. "Ah yes school, used to do that until I got all Slayery. Now Olivia says I needn't bother with it." Giles grips the bridge of his nose. "Ah yes and that worked out so wonderfully for Faith didn't it." Jennifer ignores him. "Anyway Olivia got this early morning call from her boss's and she was real piss.. er upset. Seems the 'damned colonials' are all over the place asking about why one of their secured facilities was broken into and used as a pipeline to the Councils HQ."
Willow adds. "And now we have MIB's crawling over Sunnydale trying to find Buffy! A coincidence? I think not."
Giles rubs his chin. "What does the US Military and the Council have in common?" Dawn shrugs. "Outdated rules?" Giles ignores her flippant remark. "Did Olivia mention any names?" Jennifer looked up from reading one of Dawns school books. "Some guy named Simmons seemed to be in charge and he sounded like he had a hard on for whoever messed in his garden."
SG-1 was in the briefing room trying to work out the events of yesterday. Hammond was rechecking Sam's report. "So we have no idea who it was nor where the unauthorised off world activation came from?" Sam shook her head. "All we know for sure was that the probe carried immense power behind it and the signal was above the usual 7 chevron designation."
Jack shook his head. "Ya know one day we are just going to have to install *69 on this gate!" Sam jerked in her seat. "That's it!" Jack smiled. "It is?"
"Yes sir." Jack's smile beamed across the room. "See before a wormhole is established the other gate sends a signal in a compressed burst to the receiving gate in order to activate the wormhole on this side. All we need to do is reverse the computer's gate records and we should have the home site of the intruder."
Hammond stood. "Good work Major. I want this problem solved ASAP." He glared at the gate. "I don't like uninvited guests dropping in on my command." Carter and O'Neill stood and saluted as the General left the briefing room. Jack asked. "So if we do find out where we still don't know who and yet I get the sneaky suspicion our snakehead friends are involved in this some how." Tealc shakes his head. "I do not think so O'Neill. If they were able to breach the Iris we would all be dead by now. I fear we have encountered another life form, one that may not be advantageous to our cause or us."
Jonas looks at the former Jaffa and asks. "What brings you to that conclusion?" Tealc stoically looks at Jonas. "Because they neither bothered to make themselves known nor did they care what we did. In fact they only thought of us as we would think of that terminal over there. An instrument to gather information."
Jack nods in agreement. "Well they had better expect a call from us then. I hate mysteries!"
Buffy awoke to the sounds of someone tapping on a keyboard, she placed a pillow over her head and when that failed to block out the noise she yelled out. "Would you shut up?" She turned over and opened her eyes to see Xander furiously typing away on the consol. "Oh what a shock it's the geek again." She threw the pillow at Xander and he caught it without taking his eyes from the screen. "Morning Buffy, sleep well?" He grinned as she swore at him.
"Next time we sleep in the sleeping quarters Xand!" Xander stopped and looked over at her. "Sleep? Is that what we were doing half the night?" As he waited for Buffy's reply a small section of the wall slid aside to reveal a small globe that looked like a large gem. "Hello." Xander remarked. "What have we here then?" He walked towards it and was about to touch it when he felt Buffy at his side. "Idiot! Didn't touching the other crystal teach you anything?"
Xander looked at her and answered. "This one is different to the others, but you're right." He backed away from it and led them back to the terminal. "Holly...Holly would you...GAH!" He jumped as she snapped into existence in front of them. "Man you keep doing that and I'm going to be a mess on the floor!" Holly seemed different. "You called?" She stated. "Yeah what's." Xander turned and pointed to the gem. "That?"
The hologram looked at it and then back at Xander. "It is the next stage in the rebirth of the Krillian peoples and of no concern of yours, yet." With that she blazed out of existence. "We so need to adjust her protocols!" Buffy looked at the screen. "Maybe it had something to do with what you were working on."
Xander moved to the screen and told her. "I was just seeing if the planetary defence systems were up to being reactivated." He turned to her at her un asked question. "God forbid we're trapped on this planet but if we are do you want to spend your time underground?" Buffy stared at her lover and asked. "What did they do to you before we got here Xander?"
Xander sat down and gazed at the wall. "They gave me a purpose, a point to my life and their entire knowledge base." Buffy shook him. "But they had a purpose for doing that, revenge! Now the point is mute." Xander looked at her. "But my purpose is still there. A better life for those I loved, in this life and the other." He stood. "I will make this world safe from any that would seek to cause us harm! We once dealt with these Ga'ould things and drove them from our worlds and I swear to do so once more. The Krill people will once again walk the surface of our homeland without fear or favour!" He held his hand to Buffy. "We will once more walk in the light of the two fathers and sleep under the reflected glow of the three mothers."
Buffy held his face close to hers. "But only if we can't get home Xander, I have loved ones back home I need to see safe and loved." Xander nods. "Once we can walk the surface in safety it will be easier for me to devote all my time on working on the Chaapa'ai." Buffy frowned. "The what?" Xander looked confused for a moment before answering. "The great ring, the device the old ones once used to travel throughout the stars."
He placed one hand on her hip, the other he gently stroked her back as his lips sought hers. "We shall return home or make this our new home and damn anything that tries to stop us my Priestess." He kissed her deep and Buffy's doubts melted away as his passion was returned ten fold.
Deep inside the complex vast chambers began to be reactivated after thousands of years of inactivity. Bank after bank of cryogenic chambers were slowly brought on line. Holly flickered into existence alongside the master computer. "After so long to have finally achieved our creators dream!" An electronic voice chirped out to her. "Alexander was an unexpected shortcut that we could dare not to take." The floor shuddered as massive anti-matter engines were brought on line. "All that needs be done is for Alexander to go to the surface and repair the damage the machines could not and then our creator's people shall walk in the suns once more."
Holly stared at the monitor that showed Xander and Buffy. "What of the final stage?" The computer replied. "He will resume his rightful place as Anshalok." Holly smiled. "Strange how the twists of fortune can be, in his tongue Anshalok would mean Defender of the Krill. While Alexander means Defender of man!" The computer states unemotionally. "He is what he is, on earth or here on his place of creation Alexander is the one, is the Guardian."
Giles was serving one of the few regular customers he had left after Anya had gone when the figure of a very imposing man stood in front of the counter. "Can I help you?" The man removed his sunglasses and motioned to three others. As they moved about the shop searching for anyone else the man told Giles. "My name is. Unimportant at this stage but needless to say if you refuse to help then my name will be irremovably carved on your mind." Giles smiled and shook his head. "You have a lot to learn about seeking assistance Mr... Simmons is it?"
The man smiled and it reminded Giles of the time he watched a documentary on sharks. "Very good Mr. Giles, you should take your act to Vegas. I hear they're looking for mind readers now that Zigfried and Roy married and quite the scene." He leant on the desk. "We're looking for Miss Summers, we know you know her and we also know her sister comes here everyday." Giles shrugged. "Then you also know she is missing along with..." Giles stopped as he realised his mistake. "None of her clothes. We think a cult has taken her."
Simmons grinned and placed a business card on the counter. "When she turns up please don't hesitate to call us." He looks around the shop. "Be a terrible shame if the IRS and the Department of Immigration should take an interest in you Mr. Giles." He waived at the watcher. "Tootle pip old chum." As soon as Simmons and his men were outside he turned to one and told him. "I want to know if anyone else has been taken by a cult in this town." As the man left. "By tonight Franklins or you'll be reassigned to Andersonville!" Simmons saw the other men blanche at the name and he told them. "You two will talk to Summers sister and shake her tree, see what drops."
Giles waited for the men to leave then he quickly dialled Willow's number. "Willow, be careful I've just had a visit from those 'MIB' people. I may have let slip that Xander was taken as well so best be scarce for a while until they leave."
Simmons slipped into the black van and one of the operators handed him a note then readjusted his headset. Simmons read the note then clicked his fingers at the other operative. "Find out who this Xander is and just what he has to do with Miss Summers." He screwed the note up and muttered. "We need to move on this before those 'heroes' at SGC find out."
Faith found Xander in the room by the transports. She admired his body as he tugged the Spider silk body suit on. Xander tugged at the codpiece trying to get more comfortable. Faith grinned. "Ya ain't going to hide that Xand, maybe you could use it as a transmitter tower for your radio?" Xander stopped fidgeting and silently flipped her the bird. "Anytime, anywhere big boy." She helped him adjust the rest of the suit. "But then you already know that." Xander shrugged into the backpack and hooked up the power system to his new toy. "I don't have time for this Faith, the mother ship is only out of range for the next hour and I need to do a lot in that short time."
She shrugged. "So why the Spiderman get up then?" Xander pulled the head piece over and the world went black until he thumbed the optics. "Because I don't like to take risks." Faith grins. "Says the guy playing hide the salami with two slayers." She frowned at the thought. "Well ex-Slayers anyway." Xander turned and he was caught by the look on Faith's face, she looked like a lost little girl. Xander chuckled to himself. * Little girl right! She's seen more and done more than any woman five times her age and had the scars to prove it. And yet at times she looked like the 19 year old she really was. *
Xander placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her to him. "You are never alone Faith, from now on you have me, and I'm pretty sure Buffy's beginning to warm to you if you'd just give her a chance." He cupped her chin in his hand as she replied. "Yeah at the moment she's caught up in the goodness of your studly self. What happens when she begins to see that anytime you spend with me is time taken from her?"
Xander shakes his head. "No way lover Buffy's not like that, besides I always give more than I receive." He grinned then hugged her. "I love you both with every fibre of my being, my only wish was that there were more of you and the Krill have given me the opportunity to love the two women I have most desired in my entire life." Faith smiled at him and told him. "I'll remind you of that in thirty years when B an' me are overweight house frause glued to our midday soaps."
"That'll be the day. "Xander released Faith and keyed in the transport tube ready to go to the surface. As it opened Xander thought Faith wanted to ask something. "Was there anything else?" Faith hesitated then asked. "So when we do get back what are your plans stud?" Xander shrugged and then told her. "The way I figure it about now my ex-boss is telling his new foreman what a freaking idiot I was to give up my job. So I guess first dance on my card is getting a new job."
Faith shrugs. "I managed to get by without one." Xander enters the tube. "Yeah but when I get back I'll have three hungry mouths, one hungry ball of energy in the shape of Buffy's sister and a Satai to feed and house." Faith smiled for the first time as she worked out what he meant. "Well I make a mean Spam stew and I have a little of the mayors money left in a safe place." Xander blew her a kiss as the doors slid shut. "I just love a girl with a plan."
Faith turned and almost tripped over the Satai. "Damn it! What is up with you lately?" She knelt and ruffled the top knot of the beasts hair. "I bet you're feeling left out since B and I came." The Satai began to sniff her again before licking her bare midriff and caused Faith to laugh. "Hey only the X man gets to do that." She stood up and told it. "Come on I'll see if Holly has made any kibble for you." She glanced back at the transport tubes. "I expect Xander's going to be even more busy than usual." As she made her way past the rec room a buzzer sounded and she walked over and reset the alarm then crossed another day off of the makeshift calendar. "Two weeks since I arrived and I'm still having a ball."
Dawn arrived at the shop direct from school and as soon as she entered the store she closed the blind and peered outside. Willow looked up and asked. "Paranoid much?" To which Dawn answered. "You're asking me after living in this town?" Willow nodded. "Point taken, so who is it this time?" Dawn quickly motioned for Willow to come over and when she did Dawn pointed to a black car. "Those idiots have been following me all day. Now if it were Will Smith or even Tommy Lee I'd let it slide."
Before they could call Giles over the car sped off into the distance, the two women looked at each other. "Man this is getting whack." Dawn exclaimed. "Hold on we have new players." A blue Contour pulled up and a large Afro-American stepped out of the car followed by a very tall white man with greying hair. "Well they're a step up." Willow told Dawn. "They're heading this way!"
The pair made it to their seats just as the door opened and the two men walked inside and made their way to the counter and Giles. "Good afternoon may I be of any assistance?" Giles asked.
The older man nodded. "Yeah we were told Dawn Summers would be here and we need to ask her a few questions." Giles smiled at them. "Ah yes well now that would depend." Tealc raised an eyebrow. "Upon what would that depend?" Giles states. "On whether you have anything you can tell us about where her sister is." He saw the confused looks on their faces. "You do work for Mr. Simmons?"
Jack's eyes lock onto Giles's. "Simmons was here? Did you tell him anything?" Jack's tone made it obvious to Giles there was some animosity between the two men. "Yes he was and I take it you are as happy about it as we were with dealing with him." Jack shrugs. "Oh it's nothing personal I just owe the guy a couple of bullets is all." Jack looked around the rooms and asked. "We really need to speak to Dawn Summers about her sister and a Faith Williams." Tealc saw Giles's reaction and says. "I take it from your glance to the young lady that you know Miss Williams."
Giles nods. "Yes she was an... Acquaintance of ours before she was sent to jail." Tealc nods. "Then you should be aware that she disappeared from her cell during a power outage almost six weeks ago." Jack looked at the two females reaction to the news and he turns to face Giles. "Okay let's lay it on the table, we know Faith vanished just before Miss Summers did. We have also seen the missing persons report filled the day before an Alexander Harris vanished. Now what we need to know is what these three people have to do with a raid on our facility and on those of the Watcher's Council." Before Giles could answer Jack slapped a folder on the counter. "Now I get kind of peeved if someone lies to me and you have to remember the Military do, on occasion, communicate with each other."
Giles saw the fear on Willow's face and he visibly slumped before telling him. "Then you already know both Faith and Buffy are Slayers?" Jack waived a hand. "That's a given." Tealc raised an eyebrow at Jack's claim before Giles continued. "Mr. Harris however is a mystery; we believe he was taken by mistake. I believe the two Slayers were targeted and Xander was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Jack nods. "Know the feeling well as it happens."
Giles takes his glasses of and continues. "One can only assume that who, or what, ever targeted them had to find information about the history of the Slayers. Could I ask just how they managed to gain entry to your complex?" Jack coughed. "Classified." Dawn begged. "Please if you know anything would you tell us?" Jack looked at the teenager and he guessed she would have been about Charlies age if he had lived. "I'm not..." Her doe eyes began to mist over and Jack swore. "Ah crap! Look someone used a piece of highly secretive technology to gain access and we are close to tracking them down. If, and I mean if, we manage to find the base where the attack was launched we will be going there to find out who and why."
Jack gave Giles his card and told him. "I'll keep you informed if anything changes." The two SGC operatives made their way out and as they climbed into the rental car Tealc asked. "I have yet to see two arms of your military communicate." Tealc glanced at the folder. Jack tells him. "So it's our voucher for the motel we got what we needed didn't we?" Jack pulled out into traffic and he said. "We need to find out more about the first abductee, this Harris kid. It's been my experience that mistakes like that rarely happen in as well run an operation as this."
The black van pulled into a disused warehouse on the outskirts of town and Simmons exited at an almost run. He entered the old building and sought out the man he was after. "You!" He pointed to a similarly dressed man and he ran towards Simmons. "Yes sir?" Simmons smiled and the man almost wet his pants. "We need to know everything those overage boy scouts found out today so get the tap on Carter's line hooked up." The man nods. "It's been done sir but.." He glanced at the other man. "All she seems to be checking out is Uhh umm.. Porn sites."
Simmons raised an eyebrow. "Carter...Major Samantha Carter, Dr. Samantha Carter, one of the few truely intelligent members of the SGC and you're trying to tell me she's surfing the web for.." The man nods. "Porn sir. Grade A credit card gobbling Porn." Simmons grins. "Well now you learn something new everyday." He then glared at the man. "I still need you to find that information for me." Another man walks up to Simmons and stands at attention. "Sir, permission to ask a question?" Simmons nods. "Stand easy Sinclair, I've never killed anyone for asking the right question, go ahead." The man blanches. "Why are we here? I mean we could be better served if we left this to the grunts while we carry on with his plan."
Simmons nods. "I find that whenever O'Neill is involved it is always better to try and stay one step ahead of him, and prey he isn't wearing a vest the next time we meet." Simmons dismissed him then told him. "Oh by the way, his plan is my plan."
Meanwhile at the Motel 6 Carter and Jonas arrive back at the same time Jack and Teal'c do. "Hey Colonel, I hope your enquiries turned out better than ours." Jack shrugged. "Just another name to add to the file. Alexander Harris, I need you to hack into the local PD and find out what you can. It seems he was the first of three to be taken." Carter nods then looks at her Lap top. "Who's been screwing with the computer?"
Jack grimaces. "Damn!" He waived at it as he raced to beat her to it. "I. Uh was checking up on things and I guess I forgot to log off." He tried to close the screen but Carter was too fast. Teal'c asks. "Why is there a naked human female on your screen MajorCarter?" Carter's brows furrow and she forces the lid fully open. "You were gathering information you said Colonel?" Jack nods and looks around the room. "Yeah, if I said it then Uhh.." Carter flipped the screen around and asked. "At WWW.bigbustyblondes.com?"
Jack tried to look innocent. "What? No I. Damned spy ware! It must have changed the website again! "He looked at Carter. "I was on the FBI's most wanted site, I swear to God." Carter raised an eyebrow as she looked at the information. "Well at $5.50 every 10 minutes I hope you get that Xmas bonus." She looked up. "You've been logged on for six hours."
Jack smiled and dropped into a chair. "Don't sweat it Carter a friend's got it covered." Jack took out his mobile and dialled a number. "I feel like Thai how about you guys?" He then took out his credit card. "My treat."
Carter look at Teal'c. "I think something's up, O'Neill's let go of the purse strings." Teal'c raises an eyebrow. "I believe his incarceration by Baal may have unhinged his mind." Jack was finished talking in what Carter assumed was Thai and tapped the card against his teeth while he gazed at Carter before grinning. "Hey Carter you're about what... A ten?" Sam stopped tapping on the keyboard and looked at him. "Uhh yeah... Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" KRILL.
Buffy and Faith were in the training room honing their martial arts skills when Buffy landed a solid blow to Faith's leg. "Ouch!" Faith limped away from Buffy. "Jeez B what part of 'practise' don't you get?" Buffy hurried over to her and began to apologise profusely. "Oh God I'm so sorry Faith!" She helped her sit and began to massage her leg causing Faith to wince even more. "Still can't get used to getting hurt B." She looked at Buffy and asked. "Really makes you realise what having the Slayer package means and how much we lean on it."
Buffy nods then sits on the matted floor. "Makes me wonder how Xander does it night after night." Faith grinned. "Hell I know." She placed her hand on Buffy's shoulder. "You, Buffy. You're why he kept doing it while a saner man would have run clear across the country at the first sight of one of those leaches." Buffy shook her head. "No, I think it has more to do with the fact a Vamp took Jesse from him and then he had to dust his best friend."
Faith shook her head. "You maybe older B but you are way off the mark." Faith grinned at her recollection. "You want to know the real reason I kicked his butt out of my hotel room after we bumped uglies?" Buffy shook her head. "Not really Faith, not considering we're both having sex in the same bed, with the said Xman at the same time now." Faith flexed her injured leg then told her. "Buffy." She looked at Buffy and then sighed. "Right at the high point of our...Act he cried out your name." Buffy looked blankly at Faith. "Yeah kinda had the same effect on me, till I realised then I kicked his ass outa there so fast." Buffy grinned as Faith asked. "I wonder how long it took Anya to break him of that little peccadillo?"
Buffy sighed. "So what are we going to do if and when we do get back?" Faith shrugged. "I'll probably end up finishing my stretch with extra tacked on for my 'escape'." Buffy looked at the floor. "Do you..." She hesitated then looked her in the eye. "Do you love him?" Faith looked over to the door and thought hard. "I can't really say B I've never really known love, I've always been the wham bam thank you Sam kinda gal." Buffy nods. "But what about now?" Faith shrugs. "I think I might.."
Before she finishes alarms begin to blare through out the complex and Holly appears. "You need to get a medical bed to the transport tubes!" She looked worried or as worried as a computer program could look. Buffy jumped up and ran in the direction Holly had told them the medical section was in whilst Faith ran to the tubes. All of Buffy's fears and nightmares sprang from the recesses of her mind. * This is why you never chose a 'normal' lover! Normal men get hurt, normal men die. * She fought down her fears. "No! Not Xander, never Xander!" She grabbed a bed as it was being disconnected from the hospital computer and pushed it out towards the tubes and her injured lover.
Faith was standing at the transport, willing the tube to hurry as Buffy arrived. "This is the last damned time I'm letting him outside without backup!" Buffy told her. "Tell me about it B! We get him fixed up and I'm chaining him to the bed." She looked at Buffy and Holly's face. "...Room. Bedroom, okay?" The tube beeped and the doors slid open. "Lucy I'm home!" Xander exclaimed. He took two steps forward and then collapsed into Buffy's arms, his head resting on her chest as she struggled to get him into the bed. "Why Miss Summers what large... Attributes you have."
Buffy pushed him down. "Grow up Xander! What the hell happened?" Holly stood over Xander and the bed sorted through his injuries. "He was working on the last of the connections on tower three when the walkway gave way." Xander tried to get up and giggled at Buffy. "I beat your swan dive of that tower by at least a foot!" Faith pushed him back down. "And if you don't lay back I'll beat your ass with my foot!" She warned him. Faith looked into Xander's brown eyes and saw one was larger than the other but as she drew closer Xander surprised her by kissing her. She forced him off of her and he told her. "Grr baby Yeah!"
Faith turned to Buffy. "What the hell is he on?" Buffy shrugged then turned to Holly. "The tower I jumped from was over twenty feet high and I never hit the ground." Holly tells her. "Twenty eight point five meters onto solid durilitium alloy." She closes her eyes then opens them. "He has three broken ribs, a punctured lung, his right kidney has failed, severe fracture of the cranial.." Buffy waived a hand through her. "SHUT UP! Just fix him now!"
Faith looked at Xander and then turned to face both Buffy and Holly. "Back the freaking truck up! He's got all that damage and yet he's fooling around like it was a hangnail?" She walked towards Holly. "Normal men don't bounce that well H so spill!"
Holly backed up. "Alexander will be back to his average health..." She saw the glare in both the human females eyes and then the Satai came running into the room howling like it was the end of the world. Holly blinked several times. "It is beyond my permitted boundaries to give you that information. He will be fine in a few hours." Buffy went to grab her but her hands passed through her. "Listen here you escapee from a Bill Gates wet dream you will damn well tell us now or..." She looked around and Faith finished it for her. "Or we'll go up top and give your friends orbiting a show they won't soon forget."
Buffy saw Holly blink rapidly. "Please tell us what you did to him, for the love of God we need to know!" She begged the hologram. Faith saw Xander relax and curl up on the bed as he went into a deep sleep. She turned back. "Look I know you probably have no idea of the concept of love or fear but please tell us what you did to him."
Holly nods. "When he came here the Ancients brought him as a test subject, to be tested as they had hundreds of other races to see if the human race was worthy to be their successors. But the great computer, with the aid of a member of the Ancients, subverted their tests to one of their own. Alexander was found to be a descendant of the last defender of the priesthood of Diana. In his viens flowed the very blood we needed for our final revenge against the Shinti."
Buffy looked at Xander and smiled. "The dream!" Holly told her. "Was not a dream but a computer induced race memory. Upon arrival at the Alpha site the high priestess used her powers to recreate." Buffy turned to look at Xander as he slept. "Anshalok!" Holly nods. "Anshalok was the name given to our supreme defender. In days past, days before the Krill were even a unified people, the legend of the Anshalok was old. One day, the legend states, a man not born of Krill yet of Krillian blood shall come forth from out of the darkness and he shall pull the heart from our enemies and free the Krill in the darkest hour. Since the first day our creators activated us the master computer has been working on bringing the Anshalok to reality and bring our people home." Holly floated over to Xander and the Satai growled but moved out of the way. "Alexander was infused with all the knowledge of the Krill, his body keened to the sharpest of edges by our divine technologies until he became the Anshalok!"
Faith paled. "Um Holly." Faith smiled and to Buffy she looked almost demented. "Remember that little talk we had about how Slayers were really descendents of the Krill and how we couldn't fall pregnant because we were the only Krill blah, blah blah?" Holly nods and Faith points to Xander. "So if he's also Krill then.." Holly finished her thoughts. "It is quiet within the bounds of natural science that you three could procreate."
Faith began to laugh. "Hell H we've been 'procreating' till we were cross-eyed for almost two weeks now." Buffy paled and then went even paler when Holly told them. "Krill time, in earth time it has been almost seven weeks."
Both Slayers emitted week. "Oh Crap!" Then they turned to look at a sleeping Xander who smiled in his sleep. Buffy told him. "Oh I don't think you'll be smiling for to long Mr. Harris!"
Holly tells her. "It is no fault of his Miss Summers our records will confirm that you both were more than willing partners." Buffy was about to protest but Faith merely shrugs. "Vision girl has a point B, no one stuck a gun in our faces and as I recall neither of us complained before, during or after the fact." Buffy turned to her. "So you don't mind if it turns out your pregnant?" Faith shook her head. "I didn't say that, in fact I'd probably rip his head off if I were. What I'm saying is that it's time to grow up and face the facts, we three did things." She grinned at the memory. "Very enjoyable things as I recall and if it turns out we are then we need to make some very adult decisions that will effect our three futures."
The first flush of anger had passed and now Buffy was beginning to think straighter. She looked at Xander and then sighed. "How can one man get into so many weird situations I'll never know." Faith wrapped her arm around Buffy's shoulder. "I know a couple of people back in SunnyD that will freak when they hear about this." Buffy placed a hand on her stomach and thought about what might happen in seven months time. "Back when I was normal, before all this Slayer crap took over my life I had dreamed of one day marrying a really rich guy and bringing up kids. Adopted kids that is."
Faith's grin widens. "Yeah cuts out the whole giving birth deal and yet you have the ultimate fashion accessory." Buffy looks from Xander to Holly. "He will be okay though?" Holly nods. "Yes Miss Summers the bed is monitoring his condition and the nanites are repairing any damage his body would take too long in repairing. It indicates he will be at optimal condition in 9 hours 35 minutes." Buffy holds up her hand. "Just knowing he will be fine is all I needed to know." She lifted his hand and held it in hers. "When he wakes we will decide what to do. Assuming we are you know."
Jack was on the phone as Sam and Teal'c walked back in the room. "That's right 1708 Findlay road. Yeah it's a surprise for a good friend of mine." Jack flipped the phone shut terminating the call and stood up. Sam shook her head in disbelief. "What was that you ordered now Colonel? Where are you getting all this money from?"
Jack smiled his million dollar smile and told her. "Ahh Major ask note for whom the bill tolls." He stood up and made his way to the kitchenette. "I take it you were successful?"
Sam nodded. "The local Police Force are Ahh a little lax in their procedures." Teal'c raised an eyebrow that almost reached through the bucket hat he was wearing. "Lax? I believe the term you used was 'incompetent bozos' MajorCarter." Sam shrugged. "We have a string of incidents that involved Mr. Harris and Miss Summers but the police just covered it up with some insane 'gangs on PCP' malarky." She looked at Jack. "Am I so out of touch or did the whole PCP thing become un cool more than five years ago?"
Jack shrugged. "Don't ask me Carter I was to busy to get into that crap, you know God and country blah blah blah." Sam looked through her notes. "He was questioned over the live firing of a rocket launcher in the local mall." She now had Jack's attention. "And he's still walking free?" He took the notes from her. "Hey! No way." He looked up at Carters confused face. "There has to be a mistake here no kid would know how to fire a mark 15!There's a safety protocol; you have to arm the rocket then attach it to the launcher, set up the target acquisition computer. Hell most of the grunts couldn't hack it that's way they were dropped in '99."Jack read further and then told them listen to this he was reported firing on 'gangs on PCP' during the riots on some Halloween a couple of years ago."
Sam nods. "There were unconfirmed reports that he led the students in an attack on a large reptile that destroyed the high school." Jack narrows his eyes. "Uhh does it say anywhere in the reports that he had glowing eyes? Cuz I'm getting a very creepy feeling here." Teal'c nods. "It does seem strange that a boy that struggled to even pass your rudimentary education standards would know these things unless something possessed him."
Sam tells them. "It would explain some of the other weird reports we have about this area." Jack nods. "Yeah change Demon and yellow eyed creeps for Goa'uld and I think it would be closer to the truth."
Teal'c asks. "So you think this Harris took the two' chosen ones' for his own purposes?" Sam shakes her head. "But why would he take them?" Jack tells her. "Have you not seen their photographs? If I had to live for ever I couldn't think of any better partners." He realised his mistake and glanced up at her. "If I were a kid that is.. And you weren't around of coarse."
Before Sam can answer her cell phone rings and she walks into the other room to answer it. "So Teal'c you still think the Canucks 'll win the Stanley Cup this year?" Teal'c nodded. "They have the best defensive unit and they are not afraid to use their weapons." Jack shakes his head. "Come on pal, at least pick an American team!"
Sam came in and told them. "Pack it up, Jonas says the cryptanalysts have just worked out the address of our invaders." Jack rubs his hands. "Cool! We go there kick some ass and we should be back in time to watch the play offs on my new plasma TV!"
Xander was still under the control of the medical bed, the nanites almost finished with their repairs, and had another two hours yet till he was due to come out of the healing care of the bed. Buffy and Faith were in the R&D room trying to make sense of Xander's scribbled notes. Faith tried moving the pad around. "Damn with writing this garbled X should have become a Doc!" Buffy moved over the partially assembled DHD. "Well at least he's almost got this..Thing repaired." Faith flopped an arm over Buffy from behind and looked at it. "Do ya think it'll pick up UPN? I hear they got a wicked line up this year."
Buffy sighed as she held onto Faith's arm. "We're never getting home are we?" Faith turned Buffy around and brushed a lock of her golden locks from her face. "Boy toy got this thing almost wired B. Did you not see it when we first saw it? Damn thing looked like a reject from a Lego factory." She motioned around the room. "Hell he's created some real Trekie type weapons here B and I'm damned sure he's about finished Godzilla's anus over there too." Buffy nodded. "But at what cost Faith? Do you not hear him when he's sleeping?"
Faith shrugs. "You mean the weird noises?" Buffy shook her head. "That's a language Faith; I've heard him speak it to Holly when we're not around. It's as if they turbo charged his mind and I'm worried that it might burn out." Faith looked frightened. "No, Holly wouldn't do that, she wouldn't put him at that risk would she?"
Buffy shrugged. "Revenge 'll make you do even wackier things than love Faith!" Suddenly the ground shook and the outer ring began to move, the chevrons lighting up as a wormhole began to form. The energy wave whirl pooled out destroying a set up Xander had placed in front of it. Buffy and Faith's faces were lit up by the energy. "Jesus H Christ what now!" Faith exclaimed as the wormhole settled into its normal placid state. Buffy moved towards the counter and picked up the first thing she could use as a weapon as something began edging out of the wormhole.
The long arm of the probe poked out of the pool of energy and swivelled the camera mounted there around until it had scanned the entire room. It came back and settled on the two women causing the pair to split up and move to separate ends of the room as the probe trundled out.
Hammond looked up from the screen and gave SG1 the thumbs up sign. "SG 1 you have a go!" Jack cocked the P90 and began to walk into the wormhole, Sam and Jonas activated their zats and Teal'c thumbed the power to his staff weapon. "Come on kiddies time to answer their knock with one of our own." Jack told them as he entered the wormhole. Sam went next followed by Teal'c with Jonas taking the rear.
Xander moaned and tried to move as yet another alarm echoed through the massive complex. Meanwhile Faith looked around the room. "All those years of watching Sci-Fi and boy toy didn't think to make any automated defence droids?" The probe trundled to the centre of the room and the pair manoeuvred around it. "What do you think it is B?" Buffy shrugged. "I don't know but it's from earth." Faith looked at here. "What are you psychic gal now?" Buffy shook her head and pointed to the markings on the side. "I know that USAF is the air force but don't ask me what an SGC is."
Suddenly the pair turned to face the pool of what looked like water as people began walking out of it. "It's some kind of vortex... Crap! I hope Glory doesn't come out next!" Buffy told Faith. The first one out was a man holding a weapon out pointing directly at them. "Teal'c, Sam check 'em out! Jonas radio back and let them know we've found the two girls but there's no sign of the kid." Jack walked around the edge of the room making sure none of the others got between his P90 and the two abductees. Teal'c walked along the opposite wall and stood facing the door while Sam took out a device and began to take readings. "I'm getting readings of massive energy being created here. They're using an energy source way beyond anything I've seen before Colonel."
Buffy watched the four as they worked the room like a well oiled machine, the older man not taking his eyes, nor the barrel of his gun, off of them for a second. "Please tell me you're from earth?" She begged them. The Colonel moved closer to them and unknowingly had his back to the entrance to the room. "Yes WE are from earth, would you be Miss Summers by any chance?"
Xander struggled to his feat as Holly appeared. "You must hurry Alexander! The Redoubt has been penetrated by invaders and they hold the Daughters of Diana!" Xander wavered on his feet and asked. "Where?" A liquid screen appeared in front of him and he saw the four people surrounding Buffy and Faith in the R&D room. "I'm on it! Can you shut down the ring?" Holly shook her head. "No it can only be shut off from the point of origin."
Xander looked around the room and saw the combat knife he had made for Faith. He slid it out of its sheath and activated it, the knife whined as its energy field buzzed around the sharpened edge of the blade. "He looked at the fear on Buffy's face and then saw the Satai growl in the corner of the room." Come on Buff, we're about to kick some Goa'uld butt!"
He made his way to the R&D room and stopped at the door. He put a finger to his lips as the Satai began to growl and then felt the beads of perspiration run down his face. He closed his eyes and prayed. "Please let me have enough strength to see them free and uninjured."
Sam shut the device down. "I don't get any sense of them being Goa'uld Colonel." Jack glanced at Teal'c. "What about junior Teal'c?" The large Jaffa cocked his head to one side and told him. "Neither do we ColonelO'Neill." Buffy looked at Jack as the door behind him began to slide silently open. "Can we go home now?" Buffy whined, trying her best Dawn impression on the seasoned warrior. Before Jack could answer he felt a draught behind him and began to turn.
Xander kicked out with his right foot, the edge of it catching O'Neill behind his right knee and caused him to slump down. Xander then brought his right elbow down against O'Neill's temple and the Colonel crumpled to the floor. The Satai charged through the gap and tackled Jonas forcing the man back into a corner before he could fire his Zat. Xander saw Teal'c raise his weapon towards Buffy and he charged behind Carter easily beating off her blows, turning her to face the Jaffa and held the wicked looking knife against her throat. Teal'c tried to bring his staff weapon to bare at Xander and Xander touched the knife to Sam's throat.
"Jaffa Kree!" He ordered and Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "Aray Kree! Bradio, Ke'i!"
Teal'c lowered his weapon and told the others. "It is as we feared he is a Goa'uld!" Sam almost shook her head at this but stopped as she felt the knife burn her skin. "No Teal'c I get nothing from him, put the weapons down." Her eyes went to Jack who was staggering to his feet, raising his gun as he did. "Colonel. Jack, he's human!"
Teal'c dropped his staff weapon and held his hands out. "Tal'mac Teal'c. Tec'ma'te Shor'wai'e! Tauri?"
Xander began to relax. "Yes I understand the language of earth Jaffa! Tell your Goa'uld buddies one more inch and the blond gets a second mouth!"
Jack stands. "We ain't the ones with snakes in our heads asshole!" Jack looked over at Jonas. "You okay Jonas?" Jonas gulped as the fearsome beast beared its teeth once more. "I'm okay... Need a change of pants but I'm okay."
Buffy looked at Xander. "I think we can trust them Xand." Xander looked into her eyes then he released Sam but held the knife ready as she moved away. As she did O'Neill brought his P90 up and aimed it at Xander's chest. "Drop the tooth pick kid.. NOW!" Xander shook his head and got ready to sell his life dearly. "I will not leave the Daughters of Diana unprotected!" Xander began to weave on his feet and he felt the last of his energies about to leave him.
Sam saw the young man begin to shake, his pallor paled and then Faith told him. "Stand at ease soldier boy before you fall on your ass." She walked up to him and stood by his side. "Put the freaking gun down Rambo, Xand ain't going to hurt anyone that doesn't want to hurt us." She then eased Xander to the floor. "You idiot!" She chastised him as Buffy hurried to his side. "If you busted yourself up again I'm." She saw the look on Buffy's face. "We'll rip you a new one!"
Buffy and Faith staggered under Xander's weight as they tried to lift him and Teal'c moved forward, lifting Xander with ease. "Which way to your infirmary?" Buffy and Faith guided the tall Jaffa out and into the medical room where Buffy helped Xander to settle in. Faith came back into the room and faced the remainder of the SG1 team. "How did you guys get here and did you know about the creeps upstairs?" Jonas moved a hand and the Satai growled. "Nice doggy... Hey a little help over here."
Faith turned and saw the Satai standing over Jonas. "Buffy heel!" The Satai turned and padded over to her then sat between her and the newcomers. "Man I wished that worked on the real Buffy." Sam asked her. "Creeps upstairs?" Faith nodded. "Yeah talk about your neighbours from hell. At first we thought they were Shinti but now we've found out they're Goa'uld."
Sam asked. "Is there anyway to see them?" Faith nods and calls Holly who appears in front of them. "Where did you go?" Faith asks the hologram. "Never mind, do you have any pictures of the morons that tried to kill me?" Holly nods. "Yes I have the surveillance crystals of your arrival." she blinked and seven different scenes appeared in front of them. Jack pointed to one. "Horus, Serpent, Eagle and Harsco man this guy's got the regular UN of Goa'uld up there."
Jonas was studying the weapons that lined the wall until he came across the Shinti weapons. "Well at a rough guess I'd say we now know where Annubis was for all those missing years." Jack glanced at the weapons. "And where he got his new toys from." Sam walked over to the ones Xander had been working on, she picked up a copy of the knife that had been held to her throat and turned it on. Jack looked at as she said. "Our techs would have a field day here!" She turned. "I bet this thing could cut through anything!"
Jack picked up the energy weapon Xander had used against the Shinti Goa'uld and glanced at it before handing it over to Sam. "Impressive, where did you find 'em?" Faith shook her head. "We didn't, Xander made them, just like he was fixing the damaged ring device before you arrived. Damn thing was in pieces when we found it." Sam looked at the almost completed DHD and then the Stargate. "Alexander Harris did all this? We aren't even close to building a workable DHD."
Faith grins. "Oh Xand is a man of many talents, working with his hands is just one of many." Sam nods as she goes over the DHD. "I'd like to get him alone in my room at the SGC for a day." Faith's grin froze. "Don't even think about it!" Then Faith realised what she meant. "Oh you mean in a technical 'brainiac' sort of way."
Sam looked at her. "What other way is there?" Faith blushed and Sam nods. "Oh!" She looked over at Jack as he messed with the energy weapon like a kid with a new toy. Jack looked up at Faith. "How did it go against the snakeheads?" Faith grinned. "Like a hot knife through butter. He even made an adjustment and then took out the shuttle with one shot."
Jack's head snapped to look at Sam. "Annubis ships are shielded." He walked the gun over to Sam then looked at Faith. "You're telling me this pop gun took out a shielded transport?" Faith saw the disbelief on his face and she turned to Holly. "Show him." She ordered and the scene played back before their eyes. Jack pointed to the ship. "Yes it's one of Annubis's transports all right." The picture had been taken from one of the hidden static cameras and Sam asked Faith. "Can you enhance the picture and zoom in on the ship?"
Faith tells Holly. "Make it so." She grinned. "Always wanted to say that." They all saw the craft and then the bright golden bolt of energy slowly move into frame. The initial blast spent itself against the shield but the centre of the beam continued on until it struck the craft causing the screen to white out. When the picture came back the wreckage was crashing down into the jungle. "Whoa Cool!" Jack exclaimed. Teal'c turned to Faith. "What did the Goa'uld mother ship do when this happened?"
Holly tells him. "I placed a communication web around the craft as soon as it's sensors picked up Miss Williams and when Alexander destroyed the craft I used the Chameleon device to mimic the commander and reported a malfunction just before the craft exploded." The hologram then turned to Jack. "Further tracking of their communications revealed the mother ship had believe my ruse and notified their headquarters of the accident."
Back in the medical unit Buffy is still hovering over Xander as he lay in her comforting arms. After several minutes he groaned and snuggled closer to her. "Hmm nice." He muttered seconds before he sat upright. "Buffy!" She eased him back down into the bed with soothing words and comforting hands. "Shh its all right Xand we're safe, everyone's safe." She gently brushed her lips across hsi and felt him sigh and relax before he kissed her back. He leaned back and felt the sting of the bed as it injected more micro soluble nanites into his system.
He fought to keep his eyes open as he asked. "Was it me or do we have uninvited guests?" Buffy smiles and swipes a lock of hair from his face. "Yeah we do but you made them...Welcome." She felt the palm of his hand rest against her belly, she looked down at it and then up into his eyes. "I don't know how good a father I'd make but I figure if I do everything opposite to what my dad did the little tyke should come out pretty good." Buffy felt better than she had ever since Holly told them about the dangers of sex. "Oh I don't know you came out pretty good if you ask me. I think the big guy tries to even things out once and a while."
Xander sighs and then falls into a deep sleep. His last words were almost a mumble. "No way am I beating the crap out of my kid every freaking night." His words brought to her attention the niggling worries she had about Xander's home life. "Love. Love will keep us together..." He then dropped into a deep sleep. Buffy grinned. "Who would have thought the Xman was a Captain and Tennille fan?"
Jennifer ran into the Magic Box, slamming the door shut behind her. She sought out Giles and moved swiftly over to him, ignoring both Willow and Dawn in her quest. "Why?" Giles looked over his glasses at her and shrugged. "Why what?" Jennifer hit her hand on the desktop. "Why do the Council perform the test on the Slayer's 18th birthday?"
Giles stood up and took his glasses off. "Do you know the average age of death for a Slayer? Only three in the recorded history of the Council have lived past the age 18 and of those none have remained under the control of the Council." Jennifer looked aghast. "So they kill the Slayer? Why?" Giles sighs. "They can't come out and kill the girl so they have the test, she dies and another is called to take her place and the Council have another 16 year old to mould to their needs."
"Until she lives past the two year mark." Jennifer tells him. Giles answers. "If she's very skilled and very lucky."
"Or has a group of friends to help her." Willow adds. Giles smiles and nods to her but Jennifer makes a smart assed remark. "Or gets killed by some psycho witch that's trying to end the world." Jennifer turns back to Giles. "Olivia said you were kicked out for interfering in the test." Giles nods. "But you are back inside the group once more."
"After they discovered Glorificus was attempting to return to her world they found they needed Buffy's help more than ever. She wouldn't assist them unless I was reinstated." Jennifer sat in front of him. "Good, then I want Olivia out and you in as my Watcher, the way I figure it if you could keep that necrophiliac with a taste for undead bad boys on earth for six years then a clean living girl like me should be able to reach retirement age."
Dawn's hand striking the counter made both Giles and Jennifer jump. "My sister was not some perv that went around screwing what she should have staked. Angel was her first love and she was only my age at the time. Spike, was an asshole that preyed on her at a time when she was unstable neither of them truly loved her or they would have stayed with her through thick and thin! If we agree to keep your butt safe from both the undead and the Council you would do well to keep a civil tongue in your head!"
Jennifer turned to Giles. "If I agree to do as you say will you." Giles raised his hand to stop her. "No, see if Buffy, and the others, had done everything I asked she would have died that first year and we would have all been dead soon after." He walked over to her. "You must temper what I say with what you feel is right and do what your heart says to do." Giles walks over to the phone and picks it up. "Now if you girls don't mind I have a long distance call to make, one that will make me very happy and yet no doubt give Mr. Travers another ulcer."
Buffy walked into the 'Gate room' in time to see the blond and the dark haired man going over Xander's things, she placed her hands on her hips. "Hey Blondie! Keep your hands off things that don't belong to you!" Sam raised her hands and backed off. "No offence Miss Summers but one of our main objectives is to search for devices that will aid earth in its defence." Jack told her from the other side of the room. Buffy eyes him warily and noted the man never took his hand off of the strange weapon he held. Sam tells him. "Its okay Colonel they're all right." Jack looked at her and his grim visage softened. "I know I should 'trust in the force' "He tapped his head. "But I don't trust anything those snakeheads left behind."
Buffy looked at the grey haired Colonel then at Faith who just shrugged. "Don't ask me B I'm still freaking out over that damned ring thing." Buffy turned to Sam. "What do these Goa'uld do precisely?" Sam glances at Jack and then tells her. "Basically they're parasites they attach themselves on to your brain and override your very being." Jack adds. "They're black souled bastards and the world would be a better place without any Goa'uld, Tokr'a included!" He glares at Buffy. "What I don't get is how come the kid can speak Goa'uld like a native?" Buffy licks her lips before continuing. "He was the first one brought here and apparently the master computer had a better use than the ' Ancients' had. He was tinkered with by Betty Boop over there and now he knows things I bet even Giles doesn't know." She points at the glowing gem. "That popped out just before your arrival and Holly says it's the final stage of the Krill rebirth."
Sam asks her. "As soon as we can rebuild the DHD we're going to take all of you back home." She looks at Jack. "But we need to know if Mr. Harris can build more of these weapons?"
Holly appears. "Those and many more! Weapons beyond your wildest dreams, a device that can eradicate whole suns in the blink of an eye, that can reduce races to mere footnotes in Galactic history." Buffy glared at her. "Xander would never do that!" Holly turns to her and asks. "You know him that well do you? He was chosen first for his genetic similarities and then because of his ability to do what ever it takes to see the job through no matter at what expense! He is the embodiment of the Anshalok"
Jack shakes his head. "Too much power, the kid has too much knowledge. In the wrong hands he could be worse than any Goa'uld or alien we have ever encountered." Buffy and Faith looked at each other then Buffy said. "Xander will never, would never do that. We would make sure of it even if he did lose his mind and decide too."
Xander's voice softly told them. "I would rather die than give anyone one tenth of the knowledge I have." He walked in and Buffy was at his side. He smiled at her. "I know the language of every species the Krill encountered in their vast history but now the Goa'uld have infested the Shinti and have their full arsenal all the Universes are in danger." He looked to Holly and told her. "Our people cannot be brought into this world where the Goa'uld rule without fear. Your plans need to be postponed until we have dealt with them."
Holly shook her head. "It is too late Alexander, the plans are proceeding and the first group are almost ready for release." Xander closed his eyes and sighed. "Why must things be so hard all the time?" He opened them and told her. "Then I will just have to make sure the Goa'uld never come anywhere near this system ever again!"
Teal'c raises an eyebrow. "An objective that neither our Allies nor even the System Lords themselves have been able to attain." Holly looks at Teal'c and then the others. "At this very moment a Goa'uld Cheops Class Invasion ship has been diverted to investigate the accident aboard the Shinti surface craft." She looked at Jack. "The Shinti have never been defeated and they cannot believe the ship was destroyed by accident and yet left no survivors." Sam sighs. "And with the warship will come equipment far stronger than the ones carried by the craft that is in orbit around this world." She looks at the almost assembled DHD. "We need to get that up and working and get us all out of here."
Xander nods. "Yes we need to get you all of this planet before the Goa'uld are within scanning distance." Buffy turned to Xander. "And you. You left yourself out Xand." She felt her body begin to slow as she realised what he was intending to do. "Are you mad? What good would it do for you to take them on by yourself?" Xander turned to her. "What the First ones did was wrong, the Krill built on that mistake but the fact is I am all that is standing between the rebirth of these people and those creatures up there!" He closed his eyes as his heart tried to make him change his mind. "I have never put my safety before others and these people have no other chance if I go."
Jack sighs. "Kid even I know when to retreat when out numbered, what if we leave now then return with a greater strike force?" Holly blinks. "Why would you do that? By your standards we are no better than the Goa'uld, we took and used humans for our own purposes."
Jack looked at Xander and the two women. "Its simple see, the way I look at it is we are possibly from the same ancestors. Your people fled this world and basically became us, if we were to let those snakeheads destroy the rebirth of your people it would be like us standing by while they killed our long lost relatives." Jack shrugged. "Besides with what the kid has in his head I figure we have more than a fair chance of kicking some snake butt!"
Sam adds. "Providing we can get the Gate to work that is, or get the master computer to activate it for us?" Holy shook her head. "It has tried that already. It felt the four of you represented an unwanted risk to the Creators plans and was about to eject you back to your home world." Sam and Jack looked at each other then turned to stare at the hologram. "And it didn't because?" Jack asked. "Because some force has locked it out of the controls of the Gate."
Xander shrugs. "I guess that means we finish the DHD and get the hell outa Dodge?" Buffy tilts her head and then asks. "So since you're in a sharing mood just what information did the computer swipe from the council?"
Simmons is looking at some paperwork when Harland returns. "It has been confirmed sir, SG1 is off planet and they are believed to be on the home world of the source that attacked the SGC." Simmons nods. "Good maybe with that damned Boy Scout out of our hair we'll be able to get somewhere." He continued to glance over the document before holding it out to Harland. "some smart ass managed to lift my personal effects, my guess it was that asshole Maybourne!" He shook his head as his 2IC looked it over. "But I know who he gave my credit card to!"
Harland whistled. "Man he really gave it a work out sir." His brow furrowed. "Some of the things I can understand, racking up the bill on the porn site was pure O'Neill, but the special order from Second Chance?" He returned the bill to Simmons. "Who the hell ever heard of a Kevlar vest with sleeves?"
Simmons sneered at Harland. "Yes.. It's a running joke with him. Why I never put one in his head when I had the chance I'll never know!" Harland shrugged. "Well at least we know where he lives sir. A small team of men should be able to take care of him."
Simmons drops the bill to the table. "This is of no importants to our plans Harland when they have been completed then O'Neil and his troop of do gooders will be little more than gristle for the mill!" Simmons held up a thick folder. "Those fools at the Council decided to give 'us' everything the probe looked at, it makes interesting reading to say the least."
Harland glances at it then asks. "What should we do now?" Simmons smiles. "Why we let O'Neill bring the prize to us of course." Simmons grinned evilly. "If he is right then soon we shall have our hands on the means to end this futile war once and for all... To our own advantage that is."
Willow walked into the Magic Box accompanied by a frustrated Dawn and Jennifer. "But how? That makes n sense at all!" Jennifer exclaimed. "Man my life was so much better when I didn't have to go to school!" Willow was about to try and explain once more the intricacies of Math when she saw Giles sat at the table and pale as a ghost. Her heart jumped into her throat. "Oh God no!" She whispered then, anxiously asked. "Giles what's wrong?"
Giles jumped at her voice then tried to calm everyone, including himself down. "No, nothing about where the three are but..." He shuffled the faxes around on the table. "The Council, more exactly a friend on the council, sent me the information the probe sifted through and." Giles hesitated. "It's very dramatic reading." The three females sat and Willow offered her hand in support as Giles steeled himself to tell them. "Well it seems since the dawn of time we have had the wool pulled over our eyes."
Dawn nudged Willow. "See I told you history was a waste of time." Willow placed a hand on Dawn's arm and told her. "I don't think I'm going to like his next few words."
"It seems the council's first elders had found the scrolls of Hebridaty that were believed to have perished when the great libraries of Alexandria were burnt. The scrolls tell a tale of a race of beings that came through the 'Eye of God', these beings vanquished the demons that ruled the world at that time and then they proceeded to work their 'magic' on the sub species of Homo erectus."
Willow tilted her head to one side then asked. "There was a theory doing the rounds a few years back that said we were the results of genetic engineering by creatures from beyond out world. Could these beings have been them?"
Giles nods. "In all likelihood they were but what concerns me happens years later." He picked up another sheet and told them. "These creatures had apparently mutated man at the genetic level to fit their own image." Giles placed the arm of his glasses in his mouth before continuing. "Invasion by proxy you might say." He replaced the glasses then went on. "We skip a couple of millennia until a time of great unrest in, what was then the centre of the civilised world, and the Knight Templars come across a weapon made of flesh that could aid them in scouring the earth of the last of the demons."
Willow closes her eyes as she says. "Let me guess they found the chosen one?" But Dawn looks at Giles. "I think there was more than just a medieval Buffy." Giles nods. "Apparently there were two such beings, the female we now know as the Slayer and her male counterpart he was called the Guardian of the Daughters. It seems he was created to defend the Slayer as she was created to defend man."
Jennifer grins. "So I have some hunkmiester around to guard me?" her smile freezes. "No offence but it ain't you is it?" Willow places a hand on her shoulder and Jennifer gulps. "Uh.." She begins with a worried look on her face. Willow continues. "I think this is where the bad news comes in."
Giles nods. "Now then it appears that the Slayer came from the line created by the 'first ones' to defend the newly created race and when the girl died her powers sought out the next girl with the strongest connection, ie bloodline, to her progenitors. The council took the pair in and provided everything for them but when the Council found the male was doing things in a way that meant they had little or no control over her they Uhh.." He looked at the three females and then sighed. "They terminated him, him and every other Guardian that came after him until the line either became so weak that no others followed or that the power dissipated in time."
Willow's eyes went wide. "NO! It didn't vanish entirely!"
Holly looked at her and then at Faith. "I can give you a briefing on what was received but I don't think you will like it." The two ex-Slayers looked at each other and shrugged. "Hell we were taken from earth and dumped here what the hell else could upset us now?" Holly blinked and a screen appeared covered in copies of an old scroll. "These tell the story of how our people arrived on earth how we vanquished the demons and radically altered the sub-human creatures we found there to be more intelligent, more like our founders. The Daughters thrived on the new world and their Guardians with them until in what your history terms 'the dark ages' and a group of men find the so called 'chosen one'."
O'Neill motions to Teal'c and they move over to the armaments. "So how do you think he's he doing?" Teal'c tells him. "He is improving O'Neill and will be ready to aid MajorCarter soon." Teal'c then looks at the new weapon. "With weapons such as these the new alliance would soon deal with the Goa'uld!" Jack nods then shakes his head. "If this tale she's telling is true then we are as much alien to our own freaking world as the snakeheads!"
Teal'c turns to the other group. "Indeed it would appear we owe much to the peoples of this world. First they gave us life and now, with the knowledge they have given AlexanderHarris we will have the tools to be free!" Jack sighs. "Yeah but I'm the kinda guy that not only looks the gift horse in the mouth but gives it a rectal exam as well," He motions with his hands. "The whole Trojan horse thing really screwed me up as a kid ya know?"
Teal'c raised a brow. "Trojan Horse?" Jack shook his head. "Never mind you had to be there I guess." His ears picked up the final moments of the lecture. "So my guess is that Xander had enough of the Guardian bloodline in him to be of use to you?" Buffy asks then grins. "Sure would explain why he has a thing for Slayers and Demons." Faith nods. "It also explains how he saved your ass back in the master's lair. I mean prune face drained and then drowned you yet Xander plants one on your mouth and 'Hello!' you come back and dust butt faces ass!"
"The Council believed the line of Guardians was terminated when they killed what they thought was the last of his kind in 1220." Holly looked confused as the smiles vanished from the Slayer's faces. Buffy was the first to speak. "Those assholes did what?" Holly blinked as she rechecked the file. "They terminated the line of beings called the Guardians... They thought that the Guardian held too much sway over their new warrior so they did what they thought best."
Buffy glowers. "Well that's the final straw! When we get back I intend taking the Council apart bone by stupid frigging bone!" Faith grins and pats her shoulder. "Save some of them bones for me B. I now have a vested interest in keeping boy toy in one piece." Buffy has a moment of fear. "Xander! What if they find out he's the Guardian and try to." Buffy never finishes the sentence as Sam shakes her head. "I don't know who this 'Council' is Miss Summers but believe me after what we have seen here there is now way in hell the United States Air force is going to allow anything to happen to Mr. Harris."
Xander closes his eyes and relives the memory of the Cave Slayer dream, he sees numerous scientists watch as he tries to pee. "No! I will not become a goddamned lab rat!" He turns to O'Neill. "And most of all I will not produce weapons so your kind can kill even more people!"
Jack looked angrily at Xander and pointed a finger at him. "The weapons we seek are for defence only! Shit kid, if we used these weapons against our own kind then we'd be no better than the Goa'uld!" Sam placed a calming hand on Jack's shoulder and then smiled caringly into his eyes. "This man will do everything in his power to save lives Mr. Harris, you can take our word that when we say your weapons will never be used against mankind." She turned to Xander. "In fact I'm pretty sure that together we could MacGyver up a way to make it darned impossible."
Buffy and Faith looked at Xander, Buffy grips his hand in hers. "I think we can trust them Xand." Xander looks into her eyes and begins to relax as Faith takes his other hand in hers and says. "And if they don't or can't then I'm pretty sure we can think of a way to make them."
Xander turns from looking at Faith; he releases their hands and offers his to Jack. Jack grips it and they shake. "Welcome aboard son." Xander nods. "I just hope I don't live to regret it."
Sam stretched and yawned at her workstation, she rolled her head to try and waken her body from the numbing effect of spending hours in the one position as she tried to piece together the last parts of the DHD. Jack watched her feline motions and jumped when Xander asked him. "So how long have you and the Major had the 'thing' going?" Jack tried to look innocent but on him it didn't work. "What thing would that be Mr. Harris?" Xander placed the makeshift power crystal to one side and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Colonel I could write a book on unrequited love, only in this case I figure she feels the same way for you."
Jack looks at Xander then tells him. "This coming from the guy with two girlfriends, either of whom most men would give their right arm for." Xander grins. "For seven years she held my heart in her hands and never even knew it." He sighs. "The way I figure it the second we get back to earth she'll regain her sanity and all I'll be left with is some pretty damn good memories. Now Faith she's another thing entirely." He picked up the crystal and popped it in the Krill charging bank. "I don't think anyone knows what she will do, including herself."
Jack finishes re assembling the second gun Xander had designed. "What will you do when we get back?" Xander looks at him and shrugs. "I never even thought that far ahead Colonel, my one purpose was to make this place safe for us. The thought of returning home only came up when you four popped through the ring." Jack hefted the weapon and sighted down the barrel before returning it to the bench. "Hell kid we could really use you and that mind of yours back in the SGC."
Xander looked at the globe as it pulsed in its wall mount. "That's just it, it isn't my mind and I don't know if it, or me will be of any use to anyone back home." The crystal emitted a beep; Xander took the now green coloured crystal from the charger and went to take it to Sam. Jack stopped him and told him. "Alex I am not exactly a genius and I seem to be kinda useful when push comes to shove. I read your files and you seem to be just the kind of man we're looking for, I'm sure you would make a fine addition to any of the teams no matter if you did lose the knowledge the Krill implanted in you."
Jack saw the shocked look on Xander's face and the Special Forces Colonel looked puzzled. "What's up kid? Anybody would think no one's ever told you how good you are." Xander blushed and his tongue tripped over his words. "Well.. Ya see.. I've been a screw up most of my life and..." Jack placed a hand on his shoulders and told him. "Kid I never go by what I read, I always wait to see the guy in person and draw my own conclusions." He grinned. "Besides not many men have been able to take me out as quick as you did, but then again I am getting on years now."
Xander snorted. "Yeah right! I bet if I tried it again I'd end up like Giles after a three hour session with a pissed off Buffster!" Jack's grin widened. "Give it some thought though Alexander, you could do worse than fight to keep the Goa'uld from turning earth into a host planet." Xander nods. "There are things on earth that match the Goa'uld and only a handful of humans do anything about them Colonel." Jack sighs before answering. "I read the reports on the failed Government incursion on Sunnydale, believe me if there's one thing the military dislikes it'd have to be a defeat. The boys in the Pentagon are planning a return match only this time there will be no ulterior motives. It's going to be a purely military run operation, no scientists trying to create the ultimate soldier, just a take 'em out mentality."
Xander closes his eyes and prays it won't turn out to be another Initiative debacle. "I have a weapon that could be of use. It's a phased plasma weapon that fires a short life energy bolt, once it gets in contact with an undead's body it literally expends all its energy in a micro second. The creature is turned to dust before it even knows its been hit, I think it could be adjusted to deal with any non-human life force. Only..."He stops walking. "It's just that there has to be a better way of dealing with them rather than just killing them. There are good demons out there as well as evil ones and I'd hate to think they would be killed along with the bad."
"Would Miss Summers not know the difference?" Jack asked. Xander grinned. "Both Buffy and Faith wouldn't last more than a few seconds if they had to second guess every time they faced a demon." He shook his head. "Would you risk your life and the lives of your team to find out if a Goa'uld was good or bad? I have yet to see a bullet with a mind of its own, good bad or indifferent it has but one purpose and that is to kill." Xander continues to walk. "I have flowing through me the bloodline of the old ones and yet if all I can do is kill and destroy am I not as evil as the Goa'uld themselves?"
Jack shrugs. "If you can even think that then it proves you're not. I have dealt with evil, both human and non human and if there's one thing they all have in common its that they don't even think about it, killing is just a reflex to them just like breathing is to us and if we don't stop them then innocent beings die."
"Are you afraid of death Colonel O'Neill?" Xander asks as he hands the crystal over to Sam and the Major looks at Jack as he answers. "Dying? It's a part of living kid. I'll admit it scares me be not as much as waking up in one of those damned sarcophagus time and time again." Jack looked at the worry in Sam's eyes then he grinned. "Of course if I had those baby blues to look into every time then it wouldn't have been so bad."
Sam blushed and quickly turned back to her repairs. "You know this would go so much quicker if you stopped harassing Mr. Harris Jack... I mean Colonel." Jack stood behind Sam and leaned against her. "You know if we were out of uniform you could stop calling me Colonel, Major." She turned and smiled. "Is that an order sir?" Jack hugs her. "Probably the last one I'll ever give you Major." Carter span in her chair. "Well then the quicker we get this DHD repaired the quicker I'll obey it."
Xander left the pair and headed for the main workshop where the others were. He saw Teal'c and Jonas over by the computer terminal attempting to download as much as they could about the Krill whilst Buffy and Faith were working out on the mats. Xander quietly called Holly and asked. "Holly do you have the estimated time of arrival for the Goa'uld ship?" Holly appeared and nodded. "Yes Alexander, it will take up geocentrically orbit in approximately one point 3 of your earth hours." Xander roughly worked out how long it would take them to get the Gate operational and cursed. "How long before you estimate they will pinpoint this base?" Holly blinks. "If we continue at the present output then discovery would be only moments later."
Xander frowns. "Crap! I knew my luck wouldn't stay away for long." Xander's mind raced in search of possible answers. "If I were to speed up the repairs to the planetary defences." Holy shook her head before he could finish. "The craft above us would see it before we could launch the satellites and if we took it out the shields wouldn't be ready in time to stop the Goa'uld from ringing down and taking the redoubt." Xander rubbed his chin as he went deep into thought. "Is there a redundant secondary site?" Holly nods. "What if we were to power it up till it surpassed this site and then defended it?"
Holly blinks rapidly then tells him. "I believe the humans call it a red hearing, the only doubt I have is how the defenders will be able to return here in time to return home and if the Goa'uld remain then the great rebirth and the Krill currently being revived will be at risk." Xander grins. "If my plan goes well then there will be no Goa'uld to worry about and once the shields are up they can never be a threat to Krill again."
Buffy walked up to him yawning as she did. "So what's the big plan Xand? Are we ready to get the heck off this ball or what?" Xander looks at both the slayers and smiles. "The Gate should be ready in about two hours and by then everyone should be safe and sound back on mother earth." He looked pensive. "Or should that be adoptive mother earth?" Her hand found his, as did Faiths, and it seemed as natural as breathing to them, he held them to his lips and caressed them before holding them against his chest. "I have worked out a plan that will keep the snakes busy and by the time they realise the ruse it will be far too late for them."
Buffy grins then gently touches her mouth to his, Faith does the same when Buffy finishes only he can feel the tip of her tongue touch his lips before entering into a full blown kiss. "Man you still got a killer kiss boy toy." Buffy smiles. "So when do we pull this stunt?" Then she could hardly contain another yawn.
Xander thinks quick. "Just as soon as Major carter and I have the DHD up and running." He sees Teal'c raise an eyebrow and cock his head to one side. "We need to fix up a proper welcome for our snake headed friends first though." He tells her. Faith grins. "So lets lock 'n load then kick some alien scum butt." Jonas and Teal'c glance at her. "No offence fella's."
Xander's eyes plead with the two SG1 members and Jonas coughs. "None taken... Ugh why don't we get acquainted with some of the toys this place has to offer?" He motioned to the door. Buffy shook her head. "Nah, I think I might try and catch twenty winks before we have to leave. Never know when a girl will need her beauty sleep. "The three of them left the room. Jonas glanced at Teal'c and the Jaffa shook his head. "I need to go over the plans one more time with AlexanderHarris."
As soon as they leave Teal'c turns to Xander. "The Goa'uld will arrive in fifty nine minutes, I believe MajorCarter told ColonelO'Neill it would take longer than that to repair the device." Xander nods. "And every minute I'm here is one more we'll lose so..." Xander shrugged. "So how will you be in two places at once?"
Xander shakes his head. "Man you would give deadboy a run for his money." He called out to the hologram and she appeared. "How are you coming with my plan?" Holly hesitates then tells them. "The master computer believes your plan has a 52.35% chance of succeeding." Xander shrugs. "And he has come up with?" Holly blinks. "I believe the term you use is butkuss or zip."
Xander sighs. "Man I was afraid you'd say that." He glances at Teal'c. "So Teal'c old buddy just how good is O'Neill?" Xander walked over to the wall and placed his palm against its centre. As the wall slid to one side Teal'c tells him. "I have yet to meet anyone I regard higher. Aside from Master Bra' Tec that is." Xander began to take off his shirt and shorts. Xander blushed and quickly turned away. "Oops! Kinda got used to the Buffster an' Faith being the only other ones here." He slid into the skintight bodysuit.
"Do you often disrobe in front of them?" Teal'c asked.
Xander grinned. "No, normally it's a race to see who gets naked first." Xander turns around as he pulls the suit into a more comfortable position and he sees the look on Tealc's face. "Yeah I know too much information." Xander then takes out the spider silk and pulls it on then his hands pause over the backpack. "You know what's going to piss me off the most? If something goes wrong I'll never know if it was this place or me that made her fall for me."
Teal'c nods. "The priests on Chulak told us that if we fell we would all meet again in the next life." Xander slips the pack on and hooks the power cable up to the suit. "Yeah that's always a comfort." He turned to face the Jaffa. "What burns me is that it took a freaking long time for my soul to find hers." Xander grinned as he locked the gun into position. "But you know what big fella? I wouldn't trade a single minute of knowing her for anything in this world." He picked up his things and placed them on the table, as he did he fished a small crystal from one of the pockets and gazed at it before handing to Teal'c. "If things go bad and I can't make it back would you see she gets this?. Only give it to her when you get back to earth though."
He grinned as Teal'c took it from him. "Only give it to her when she can't come back though, she'd kick my ass if she knew I had planned for neither of them to go outside." Teal'c held the crystal with great reverence. "I will do as you say AlexanderHarris.It is my belief O'Neill will make sure you come back with him though."
Holly appears. "The defence satellites have launched on the dark side undetected Alexander. They will keep the planet between them and the ship until you are ready." Xander nods. "Everything ready?" Holly nods. "Major Carter says she needs your assistance in the final assembly but I assured her she is following your schematics. All you need do is throw the master redundancy switch in the back up site, the mainframe will power it up and the decoys should distract the Goa'uld until it is too late for them."
Teal'c asks. "The plan was to distract them until we left, Harris." Xander nods. "Plans change Teal'c; O'Neill will stand by at the main entrance in case the snakes don't fall for the trick. The automatics will kick in once the sats are in place and they should fry the surface clean of Goa'uld whilst the main defensive guns will blast the skies clear of any craft. Then the satellites will engage a shield surrounding the planet and making it impregnable." He looked at the ex Jaffa. "My job is to defend the Daughters of Diana and see the rebirth of the Krill people, something that a planet full of Snake heads won't leave much room for."
Teal'c nods. "Then I will join you on the surface." Xander shakes his head and places a hand on Tealc's shoulder. "I need you here to defend the redoubt if things screw up." He glances towards the Gate room. "My first priority is to see Buffy and Faith safe anything else is a bonus." Xander smiles. "Speaking of which." He picks up a small PDA and hands it to Teal'c. "Give this to Major Carter, tell her it has most of the weapons and a basic working design for the Stargates."
Teal'c looks at the compact design then glances at Xander. "Yeah I know it's small but believe me its feature packed, just tell her not to let Bill Gates anywhere near it." Xander shakes his head. "That guy acts too much like a Goa'uld." Teal'c nods then tells Xander. "I believe it would be best if you return AlexanderHarris."
Xander shrugs. "I once read that the unofficial motto of the British Army was plan for the worse and pray for the best. It works for them so that's what I intend to do." He offered his hand and Teal'c gripped it. Teal'c tells him. "Live long." Xander began to laugh. "And prosper! Man I would never have taken you for a trekkie!" Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "What is a Trekkie?"
Xander forced the face mask over his head and his enhanced voice told Teal'c. "Ask Major Carter I'm sure she'd know." Xander walked over to the transport tubes and keyed them open then locked all but two down. He then clambered in one. "Tell O'Neill the other one will get the two of you to the surface just above the entrance. At the first sign of the plan failing or Carter getting the Gate open, you are both to leave whether I'm back or not."
Teal'c nods as the door swishes shut. "See ya in the funny pages Teal'c."
Giles replays the phone call he had just received from his source at the Council as Dawn and Willow enter the shop. "Hey Giles why the smile?" Dawn asks, her heart and soul praying it was good news and not just that Giles had found another source for his Earl Grey tea he liked. "I've just received word that the council have been informed that a rescue mission is underway. It seems your military have found the site of the creatures that attacked their base, they even had a brief contact with their team and they informed them Buffy and Faith appeared to be okay."
Willow and Dawn are close to tears as Willow asks. "And Xander?" Dawn looks at Giles as the smile freezes. "They never mentioned Xander." Willow began to freak. "No... He has to be all right!" She looked at Giles. "He was there for me. Stopped me from sending the world to hell and made me realise." She began to become angry. "They're not even looking for him are they? Are they! Bastards, all they're worried about is if their precious fucking Slayers are all right!"
Dawn held onto her and told her. "Do you really think Buffy would allow them to walk away with out him? I mean I'm even willing to bet Faith would have something to say about it." Willow calmed some what then asked. "How do we find out?"
Giles looked down on the pad and said. "Well we could try ringing this Simmons, he seemed to have a finger on the situation."
Buffy was softly muttering unintelligible words and shifting in her sleep when Faith slipped into their room. She smiled at her and whispered. "Damn B you can't even leave him alone in your sleep? You got it bad girlfriend." Meanwhile Buffy was dreaming of Xander but it was one crazy mixed up dream. She was struggling to stand up, she felt like someone had strapped a bowling ball to her and when Xander offered his hand she gladly accepted it.
She smiled at him. "I should maybe lay off those midnight snack sessions Xand." He grinned back at her. "Ya think?" Before she could answer they both heard a whirling sound and the house was buffeted by a hurricane. "What the?" She asked as a six foot snake ran into the room. "You're coming with me!" It hissed. Buffy went to stand in front of Xander but he pushed her out of the way as the snake pointed its finger at her. Suddenly it began snowing in the lounge room of her home and she looked at the snowflakes in wonder as they glided down to earth.
She turned to tell Xander but he was asleep on the ground, a single red rose on his chest and a pair of red wings slowly unfurling behind him. Buffy sat up in her bed. "Xander!" Causing Faith to jump. "What?" She cried out and it took Buffy a few seconds before she realised where she was.
Buffy blushed and told her. "Nothing, I was just dreaming and…" Faith grins. "Not the one with Xander and a bucket of Ben and Jerry's best?" Buffy blushed even deeper at the shared dream the two slayers had both had. "Uhh, no not this time. This time it was even weirder, it involved snowing inside my home in the middle of summer and a six foot snake." Faith shrugged. "Well to each her own I say." She finished putting what she wanted to take back with her in a bag and told her. "Better move it girl, Sam says we're almost ready to book from this ballroom."
Buffy stood and stretched the dream already a quickly fading memory as she splashed some water on her face and brushed her hair. She saw Faith tap her watch and Buffy tells her. "I don't need anything from this place Faith. Just Xander and you is all I want." Faith nods. "We are going to have to work out some arrangements when we get back, sleeping and otherwise."
Buffy nods then the two make their way to the improvised gate room. They see Sam as she makes the finishing touches on the DHD and Buffy turned to the door as she heard Teal'c enter. She looked behind him for Xander but thought nothing of it when she didn't see him. She watched as Sam gently placed the green elongated crystal into the opened cover of the DHD. She clicked it into place then backed away, reaching for the cover. "We need to wait about half an hour for the crystals to bed in and merge with the control systems." She smiles at O'Neill. "And then we can get out of dodge."
O'Neill nods. "Cool." He glances at Teal'c and motions with his head. "Where's the kid?" Teal'c glances at the others and tells him. "I wish to converse with you O'Neill." He turned around and stepped outside the room and waited for him. Sam looked at Jack and he shrugged. "Probably wants to ask me about Hockey again." He walked out leaving the three women and Jonas to their own devices. Jonas looks up from the globe and seeks out Sam. "Uhh Major Carter I think you need to see this."
Buffy walked over to the ring and asked Faith. "This thing gives me the creeps, what about you?" Faith shrugged. "Whatever gets our butts of this rock is 5x5 by me B." She bit the side of her lip and shut her eyes. "Uhh.. Excuse me for a..." She raced towards the rest room with Buffy close on her heals. She waited outside the door and heard the dark haired slayer throw up. Buffy sighed. "Are you okay Faith?" Faith flushed the toilet and then walked out. "I'm going to rip his.." She glanced at Buffy and smiled. "Maybe not, why spoil our fun just to spoil his."
Buffy handed her a towel as Faith splashed water on her face. "So does he know yet?" Faith shook her head. "I don't even know yet B, this could be just a bug." Buffy nods. "As opposed to a bugger?" Faith grins. "Yeah, can you imagine the grin on the big doofuses face if I am?" Faith glanced at Buffy. "So B any little gems of information you'd like to tell?"
Buffy shook her head. "Nope, feelin' fine and dandy. No sir, no morning trips to pray at the ceramic god for me." Faith sat on the edge of the sink and folded her arms in front of her. "So is Buffy a happy land or sad?" Buffy pouted then looked at Faith. "Buffy land is confused and definitely closed for the winter." Faith placed a hand on her shoulder. "Oh I bet I know one person that can ride Magic Mountain whenever he wants though."
Buffy sighed. "You were only here a few hours before me why.." Buffy stopped and tried to find the right words. Faith flicked back her raven hair from her shoulders. "Some crazed slut like me and not little miss sunshine? Hell if I know B but my guess is for you to give it time. Time and lots of practice. And I know about you and practice, if at first you don't succeed, fuck his brains out!"
Buffy grins. "Oh you can lay money on it!" Faith links her arm with Buffy's then tells her. "Man I can't wait to see red's face when we get back!" She stopped and laughed. "And what about G-Man? I bet he'll stutter and clean his glasses for a month!" Faith then leered at Buffy and nocked her with her hip. "Say we've got half an hour, why don't you and the boy blunder grab a room and start practising?"
Buffy shakes her head. "With those things hovering over us I don't think I could." Faith grins. "Hell girlfriend you think too damned much! So do I find a room for you two or do I get to work off some steam with him instead?"
Buffy and Faith walk back into the room to find Sam and Jack arguing. "Is that an order SIR?" The last words were just about spat out to Jack as the Colonel picks up his gun and tells her. "If it has to be then yes Major it's an order!" He nods to Teal'c. "Ya cumin' or you going to stay?"
Teal'c cocks a brow to the Major and tells her. "It is the best we can make of this situation MajorCarter. The machine has told us the Cheops class craft is within scanning range." Sam nods then almost whispers. "But why Jack all the time?" O'Neill stops and turns they can all see the love in his eyes. "Do you think I want to do this? I'd like nothing more than stay down here but the kid's counting on us." Sam nods. "It's almost like you have some kind of death wish." Sam regretted saying the words even before they left her mouth. Instead of being angry Jack just smiled. "Dying is easy Sam, it's waking up in one of those damned sarcophagi that's the pisser." Sam sighs and closes her eyes as the door shuts behind O'Neill and Teal'c.
Faith asks. "What's with Colonel Sweet cheeks?" Jonas tells them. "He and Teal'c are going to try and hold the main shaft till the Gate's ready to open. Harris is over at some secondary control point trying to.." He sees the glare in both Buffy's and Faiths eyes. Buffy yells at him. "He's what?" Holly appears. "Alexander has managed to reboot the manual controls, the Goa'uld will soon pick up the high energy readings and hopefully mistake that for the main control section."
Buffy's fist swiped through her holographic image. "You bitch!" Faith and Buffy bracketed Holly and Faith demanded. "Bring him back.. NOW!" Holly shakes her head. "It is his plan and it will succeed. Soon the gate will be open and you can leave.." This time it was Faith's fist that swept through her image. "Wrong ghost girl! We're not going anywhere without him!"
The ground rocked and the boom from the blast came over the speakers. "It is far too late." Holly told them. "All we can do now is hope they can hold them off till you four are through the gate and safe." Holly told them. Faith felt as though something had ripped a hole in her very being. "He had better come through this or else I'LL put the little shit in a hole!"
Jonas walks over to Sam as she tries to hurry up the melding process. "If the kid knew what trouble he's going to be in he'd never come back." Sam glanced at Buffy and Faith as they tried to get vision of the surface on the main monitors and she answered. "They love him Jonas, they're just pissed off that he didn't tell them what he was going to do." She sighed as they glanced over at her. "Men. Macho assholes! Can't live with 'em." Faith nods. "Can't kill 'em and bury their parts in the desert...Or so they say."
Sam grins half heartedly. "Something tells me though that if he does make it back they'll probably kill him...It may take a few decades and he'll love the way they'll do it but he's one gone goose."
Xander keyed in the command codes to boost the power output of the redundant control station. His hands flew over the liquid keyboard and the red lights quickly turned to green. He then keyed in his transceiver. "Holly get the satellites ready to change orbit and prep the remainder for quick launch mode. Holly's voice sounded tinny as she responded." It has been done Alexander, the master computer has detected the presence of the Cheops ship moving into orbit."
Xander asked. "How long till the ground defence system is enabled?" Holly warned him. "Incoming particle beam, they have launched death gliders as well." Xander hurriedly transferred controls to the subterranean redoubt. "You have the con Holly, knock 'em on their snake assess!" Xander ran as fast as he could from the epicentre of the coming shit storm. He grinned as the trees flew past as just blurs. "Man now I know why Buff's so pissed off at loosing her powers!"
He felt the air crackle and then the ground quake and rumble as the blasts hit the dummy site. "Ground attack transports are getting through the ground defence systems Alexander." Xander saw the three large troop transports float over him as they headed for the now devastated control buildings. "Holly get the satellites ready to deploy as soon as the ground pounders are pounded."
Xander paused and a grin spread over his face. "Hey Holly, can you record and manipulate the image?" Holly tells him. "Yes Alexander I can." Xander narrowed his eyes then told her. "This is what I want you to do."
Meanwhile Jack and Teal'c had taken up defensive positions in front of the real control building. As the troop transports passed over head jack asked. "D'ya think the kid's okay Teal'c?" The large Jaffa merely shrugged. "I have no doubt AlexanderHarris will do all he can do to protect his charges, whether this is enough I do not know O'Neill." Jack glanced at the building and then his watch. "Sam. I mean Major Carter should just about have the gate ready to rock." He turned back to watch the landing crafts manoeuvre for a landing."
Jack jumped as one was engulfed in a white hot blast of light. "What the freaking hell was that?" Teal'c cocked his head to one side. "I believe AlexanderHarris has begun to fight." The flaming debris of the once giant transport began to thump into the ground followed by pieces that Xander wrinkled his nose at. "Jesus!" He tapped his mike. "Colonel whatever you do don't use the maximum setting if the ships are too close." He watched as the other craft wobbled as the shock wave hit it then saw it settle heavily to the ground. "Going to radio silence Colonel, talk to you later...I hope." Jack's voice replied. "Ya had better kid our those two girls of yours will rip me a new one!"
Xander pulled on the skintight mask then switched on the optics. The small ant like figures zoomed into view and Xander saw rank after rank of Jaffa pour from the ship. As soon as he saw the four slaves bearing the local system lord in the chair he said. "'Kay Holly hit it."
The ground rippled around him as the massive satellites were launched into geocentric orbit. Before either the invasion craft or the smaller cruiser could fire, the others joined the satellites, a shimmer surrounding them. The ships fired their main guns at the defensive grid but the energy seemed to just wash over the satellites leaving them intact. However the energy did manage to activate the self-defence mechanism. Seven of the space borne defence mechanisms turned their rears to the invaders.
Before they fired a giant image shimmered into view just above the ground troops.
Buffy yelled out. "I've got an image. What the hell?" Sam and Jonas ran to the screen as the two slayers turned to each other. Faith exclaimed. "What's boytoy doing in uniform... Hey! Tell me it's not." Buffy grins as she nods. "Oh yeah the Xandman is a major Babylon5 freak!"
Outside the building Jack looked up into the sky. "Well now, there's something ya don't see everyday."
Hera'c stood up in his chair as a strange being dressed in black leather with red trim and a chest full of what looked like medals glared down at them. The image clasped its hands behind its back and looked from being to being. "My name is Captain Alexander Harris from the Five Race Alliance. You gentlemen have exactly one second to get your butts back on that transport before I frag your sorry Asses!"
Hera'c glanced at his mixture of Jaffa and ordered them. "Jaffa Kree! Ai'emain!" He pointed to the image. "Sha'lokma'kor!" The first one raised his arm and shouted. "Shor'wai'e! Yas! Yas!"
Xander held up his palm. "I wouldn't do that! Not unless you want to die!" He saw the stunned look in Hera'c's face. "Yes Hera'c I know your language. It was required in Alliance command that each ensign know the language of at least one defeated enemy. The Goa'uld race have been weighed and found wanting! From this day on the Krill system, and those that abound by it, are under the protection of the Army of the Light!" He looked down upon the Goa'uld and its followers. "You have some rather hard choices to make. Either surrender and have the infestations removed from your bodies or..." The energy blasts from the staff weapons passed harmlessly through the image. Xander shook his head. "For too long you have been asleep."
Xander ran through the undergrowth, his stealth shield bending light and his own image till he shimmered into nothingness. He took up position amongst the host and waited for his own image to give him and Holly the signal to attack. "For too long you have ravaged the worlds of man and his allies, from this day forth we will no longer stand by and watch. There's a new power in town and its time for you to wake up! And this gentlemen is your early morning wakeup call!" The satellites discharged their weapons vaporising the circling Invasion ship and the cruiser.
The image looked up and suddenly as two points of light expanded until they were too bright to look at. "I guess you guys 'll have a long walk ahead of you." He looked down as he began to fade out. "Those of you that live that is!" Hera'c could finally see the light that was all that remained of his much vaunted invasion ship begin to fade. He growled in anger. "Kill them! Kill them all!" His eyes became saucers as his men were thrown about as an energy weapon struck man after man. "Ash'rak! We have an assassin amongst us!"
Holly activated the recently repaired ground assault defence systems and bolt after bolt of energy reached out and washed over the invading Goa'uld. High above the few surviving death gliders began a strafing run in the hope of knocking out the wave generators but as soon as they came close enough the roof mounted blasters decloaked their covering and began discharging their rain of death. Xander ran until he saw four Jaffa running towards him, he looked at the area and saw two large trees either side of the trail. He grinned then waited till the last second before firing. "Jaffa Tree!" He yelled out as his blasts dropped the trees on top of them."
Jack and Teal'c began to search for the enemy in front of them as the sounds of battle increased. "I was not cut out for this Teal'c, standing by while someone else puts their ass on the line goes against the grain." Suddenly Holly's voice came over the radio. "Colonel O'Neill I fear something has happened to Alexander." Jack thumbed the transceiver. "Is he hurt?" Holly's voice sounded shaky as she told them. "His vitals are above what they should be and the suit has sustained many hits but I fear the thrall has him in its grip." Jack looked at Teal'c who shrugged. "Uhh 'Thrall'?" Holly answered. "The killing fog that blinds Krill to their own survival. Alexander is not answering and I believe he is running out of time."
Jack looked at Teal'c then cocked his weapon. "I never wanted to live forever anyway, all those forms and welfare will kill ya." Teal'c smiled then motioned forward. "It has been an honour serving with you ColonelO'Neill." The two warriors took off for the sounds of battle.
Xander fired his weapon till it ran hot and the energy pack ran dry, he disengaged the cloaking device so the Jaffa could fire their staffs at him and he grinned evilly as the energy was trapped by the shields and fed back into the gun. He activated the cloak when the gun was fully charged and renewed his attack. He felt a few lucky strikes hit where the shields were weakest and felt the red hot sting as the energy hit the suit. "That'll leave a mark!" He grimaced but kept up his assault. He rolled away from the Jaffa and stood beside the system lord and watched the mob shoot at anything that moved, or didn't move. In the hope of hitting him.
He lined the gun up on the Goa'uld and was about to kill him when his backpack exploded in a ball of energy. The cloak and the shield quickly stopped working and Xander gulped. "Hey dude! Catch ya later." He pressed the trigger but nothing happened. "Crap!" He threw the useless gun at Hera'c then took off for the tree line at flank speed the ground thumping as the staff blasts grew nearer and nearer. "Our lord who art in heaven... get me the hell outa here!" The tree exploded next to him send shards of timber hurtling towards him. He felt like someone shoved him to one side and then a feeling like red-hot coffee being spilled on his side.
Xander tried to roll but something halted his roll, something that made him scream in pain. He glanced down and swore he could see half a tree trunk sticking in his side. "Oh fuck! God damn it not now!" He dragged the sidearm out of its holster and thumbed off the safety. Suddenly a calm came over him. "I'm not going out like this... Not like this...Not till the daughters of Dianna are safe!" He staggered to his feet and fired the PPG pistol at the first Jaffa he saw then made his way back towards Hera'c. "HERA'C!" He kept firing as more Jaffa ran towards him. "I'm going to hang your slimy snake ass on my wall!" A red haze began to engulf him yet he neither cared nor worried that he was quickly being over run.
Hera'c strode forward as the small remnants of his force surrounded the young Taur'i warrior. He placed his hands behind him and smiled as the small hand weapon failed to fire. "So 'Captain' we meet in the flesh at last, I suppose you're wondering why such a vast army was sent to investigate such a small incident? Lets just say we were informed by some very old friends what was happening on this backwater planet." He looked around and sneered. "The Shinti should have vaporised this world when they had the chance. A thing I will not neglect once we have left this world." He snapped his fingers and his first Prime placed a staff weapon in his hands." You of course will not be around to see it.
He thumbed the weapons activation button and the pod on the front sprang open, energy arced between the contact points. "I'm sure the Daughters will make fine consorts for Annubis!" One of the Jaffa ran up to him and spoke in his tongue. "A gate has been opened deep in the bowels of this world my lord!" Xander started to laugh and Hera'c angrily turned back to face him. "You dare to laugh?" Xander shrugged. "At you? Why not, what the hell else can you do to me. Besides I die in peace knowing the daughters are well out of your reach!"
Hera'c's eyes narrowed and he pressed the firing button of the Staff. Before the weapon fired though he was knocked to one side throwing his aim off and allowing the blast to strike one of his own men. He looked down to see a black mark on his body armour and before he could comment the sound of a P90 on full auto accompanied by Teal'c's Glider cannon, raked through his remaining ranks. Suddenly the mixture of Jaffa began to drop their weapons and dropped to their knees as Jack asked. "I hope we're interrupting something special here fella's 'Cuz there's two women back home that would kick my ass if I let anything happen to the kid." Hera'c made to move and O'Neill lined the barrel of his gun on the Goa'uld's face. "Oh please give me a reason."
O'Neill glanced over to see Xander swaying on his knees. "Teal'c check on Harris while I secure the prisoner." Jack slid a pair of specially made cuffs from his fanny pack and threw them over to Hera'c. "Giving gifts is a custom on earth Hera'c, I give you jewellery and you'll give me everything we need to know about Annubis or..."He glanced at Xander. "When the kids up to it I'll let him show you the real meaning of pain!"
Jack motioned for the Jaffa to walk in front of him while he checked that Hera'c's handcuffs were secure. He glanced back at Teal'c and Harris then asked. "Talk to me Teal'c." Xander answered. "I'll be fine once we're off this world and I can see Dianna's daughters are safe." Jack nods then begins to march his prisoners towards the gate. "Man I hope they have a service elevator in this place."
As they marched to the central building Holly appeared and told Jack. "The gate has been activated O'Neill, Major Carter had to force the Daughters to leave with Jonas, she awaits you by the gate." She looks at the prisoners and then at Xander. "We have a working termination cell, one that the Krill left behind, it would be my pleasure to introduce it to your prisoners O'Neill." Xander called out through pain clenched teeth. "Humans don't do that Holly and if my memories are correct neither did the Krill." Holly looked at him. "We live in new times Alexander please guide me."
Teal'c rested Xander against the wall of the building and Xander tells her. "What use is it if the Krill are returned and become worse than the vile creatures that drove them to extinction? Better they should keep the old ways but remember the past but prepare for the future."
Holly nods as the large transport elevator arrived and the doors opened. Jack ushered the prisoners in and the Teal'c helped Xander inside as the doors closed. Jack thumbed his radio. "Carter? We're on our way down with some guests get ready to great them." Sam's voice couldn't mask the sound of relief she felt. "Okay Colonel I'll be ready, tell Xander faith and Buffy are safe at the SGC. Janet is giving them a physical just to make sure." O'Neill glanced at Xander. "Better have her meet us with a gurney, the kid got hurt."
When Sam saw the extent of his injuries she hurried over to him and tried to get him to sit down but he just kept walking over to the small glowing globe. "Can't go before I finish my work." He mumbled as an explanation.
Giles was speaking on the phone with Willow and Dawn at his side when Jennifer came into the shop. "What's the what guys?" Dawn shushed the young slayer as Giles began to speak. "Yes General Hammond I'll let the others know and thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts sir."
He placed the phone down and slumped into the chair with a grin on his features. "Well?" Dawn asked. "Don't just sit there grinning like a crack head tell us what happened."
Giles turned to them and told them. "Both Buffy and Faith are back and safe, they're running some tests to make sure they're okay but the General says they look fine." He grinned. "Buffy's back!" Willow asked and the other two girls nodded. "What about Xander?" Jennifer adds. "Yeah what about the X-man?"
Giles looked at her with a raised eyebrow and Jennifer shrugged. "Uhh I've been telling her about Xander." Dawn blushes. Jennifer grins. "Yeah and I can't wait to see him in those red Speedo's!" Dawn grins hysterically, "I didn't tell her about that. "Willow blushed and asked. "So is he coming back as well?"
Giles shrugged. "I don't know all he would say is that there were complications in transport." Dawn sighed. "I had better tidy up before they do or Buffy will throw a hissy fit when she gets back." As she stood Dawn asked. "What about Faith? I mean will they be sending her back to the slammer or setting her free?"
Giles shrugged. "I honestly couldn't say Dawn but whatever they do I believe we should offer her all our assistance." He stood up and walked Dawn out. "After all we did somewhat neglect her when she needed our help." Dawn glanced over at Willow. "Will you be okay with that Wills?" Willow joined them and said. "Yeah. I found out the hard way that everyone deserves a second chance."
The door opened and a bleach blond man stood there. "Glad you think like that Red." Spike tells her. "SPIKE!" Dawn hisses and reaches for a stake. Jennifer however needed no stake. Spike felt the heel of her shoe catch him in the chest, the force propelling him back out the door. She gripped a wooden idol from the shelf by the door and followed him outside. Spike jumped to his feet and held up his hands. "Hey wait a bloody minute! I've busted my arse looking for that wanker and this is the thanks I get?" Jennifer smashed the idol against his head causing the wood to splinter and form a makeshift stake. "Tell it to your victims when you see them next vampire!" She told him.
"I have a soul god damn it!" He protested. Jennifer quietly tells him. "So did all those you killed!" Giles grabbed her hand and the Slayer glared at him before he said. "Wait... Hear him out, we can stake him anytime."
The Satai was laying on the concrete floor in the gate room as the alarm began blaring. "Incoming traveller." The master sergeant announced over the tannoy. "It's SG1 and the prisoners sir." The General went to the window and ordered. "Security detail to the gate room. Medic's to the gate room." He watched the strange beast stand up and mewl like a big cat as the event horizon formed. The special forces troopers stood by with their weapons drawn and aimed at the rippling pool of energy. O'Neill was the first one through, pushing Hera'c in front of him. He then turned the prisoner over to the security detail then stood to one side as the other prisoners trooped by. "We have several guests for dinner sir and a new friend."
Teal'c and Sam were carrying Xander in a stretcher past O'Neill as he spoke, the Satai began howling at the sight of his friend laying there in pain. "Shh! Be quiet Buffy, or they'll put you in a pound." Xander told it in a groggy voice. Janet came into the room with her team and they moved Xander to the gurney, Janet began examining him as they moved out of the room. "What happened?" She asked and Sam tells her. "He's had multiple energy burns but the biggest worry is the hunk of wood in his side. I though it best not to remove it till we came back." They rolled the bed to the elevator and it swiftly took them up to the medical level. The doors opened and they raced him through to the surgical room.
Both Buffy and Faith saw them wheel Xander in and they jumped from their beds. "Xander!" Buffy pushed her way past the guards and to his side. "Oh my god Xander! What the hell happened? "Xander wavered and turned his head to her. "Shh! Be quiet Buffy, or they'll put you in a pound." The Slayer baulked. "What?" She demanded. Sam tried to move her but now Buffy was back on earth her slayer powers had kicked in which brought a look of surprise from the Major. "He doesn't know what he's saying Miss Summers, I had to sedate him before we left otherwise he wasn't going to come."
Janet glares at her. "Unless you want him to die I suggest you let us do our job! Now get back to bed and I'll see you when we are finished." Faith gripped Buffy and they both went outside. The doors slid shut behind them and they stood watching through the glass window as the team worked feverishly over Xander."
Buffy shudders. "If told him if he got hurt I would so kick his stupid stubborn ass!" Faith patted her shoulder. "Ease up there kiddo, I have a better use for his bod than using it for battle practise." She grinned and held her hand. "And as I recall from the amount of noise you made, so do you."
Buffy slumped in Faith's arms. "I tried everything so I would never see him like this. I tried to force him from the gang so he would be safe and now look." Faith watched the dark haired doctor as she removed a shard of wood the size of a small branch from Xander's side. "Ow! That's going to leave a mark." Buffy sighed. "At least now we know why he's such a freaking white knight." Faith grinned and whispered in her ear. "Just think, our own personal white knight B! Most girls would jump through hoops to get one and he comes fully optioned, deluxe model with extra long gear shift!"
Sam sees them looking and she raises her thumb to them. Faith and Buffy both relax and Faith finally admits. "Man that's a weight off! Don't know what I would have done if he.... You know." Buffy nods. "Yeah I know." She turns and looks into Faith's eyes. "It's up to us to keep him alive, I wont say safe because we both know that as long as we're alive he'll be in the thick of it trying to protect us." Faith holds up her pinkie. "Pinkie pledge." Buffy joins pinkies with her and they swear, as Buffy was about to release her Faith gripped her finger. "Also we pledge to protect his children, whoever is lucky enough to have them." Buffy nods and pledges that too.
Buffy and Faith were by Xander's side for most of the night as he recovered from surgery and the events of the previous days actions. The Satai was prowling up and down the main corridor outside the medical section and every time some one tried to force it into a room O'Neill would tell them to back off. Buffy felt a twinge in her heart every time the monitor beeped or Major Frazier checked his vital signs. Faith showed she too was worried sick for the she shared with the blond slayer when Frazier told them how close the shard of wood had come to severing his spine she clutched the bed rail so tightly they all hear it bend and twist under her hands. "Now the freaking powers kick in!"
Frazier looks at the bedrail and then shrugs. "And there I was thinking O'Neill was my worst patient." Buffy's face was pale, her hair sweat streaked and sticking to her neck as she looked up to Janet. "When will you know for sure?" The SGC doctor looked at the monitors and told her. "When he wakes we'll be able to run a few tests to be sure but going by his reactions on the table we can rule out any spinal damage." She checks over Sam's report then glances at Xander. "It's what he did before they left the planet that worries me."
Buffy was too worried by Xander's present state to pick up on what Janet said but Faith was on her the moment the words left her mouth. "What did he do? I thought they just got the hell out after they pulled the rug from under the Snake heads feet?"
Janet debated telling them but given the condition of Xander and the condition of one of the two women she thought it best to tell them everything. "Well it appears he wouldn't leave until he touched the globe mounted in the wall, do you know the one?" Faith's brow scrunched up but Buffy nodded. "Yeah the one that came out when the Krill began to come out of hibernation."
"Well according to Major Carter's report after Mr Harris placed his palm on it he began speaking in what we now know as the tongue of the ancients, shortly before he collapsed. The holographic interface told O'Neill that the 'Guardian' had fulfilled his duties to Krill and know he had to continue his destiny with the Daughters of Diana."
Buffy brushed hair from Xander's face and asked. "What have you done now Xander?" She smiles. "Seems like we can't leave you alone for a second these days." Janet replaces his chart and then tells the two. "I need to see each of you in private before you're released." She looks from one to the other. "I'm breaking protocols by telling you but I took an oath when I became a doctor one far stronger than the one I gave to the government. Your DNA's are not normal, all three of you have an unnatural ability to heal far beyond normal capacity for humans."
She looked at Buffy. "You two show strength and abilities beyond the norm while Mr Harris...We did a cat scan to make sure he had no brain damage and it seems Mr Harris is unusual to say the least."
Buffy smiles and nods. "Yeah we know Doc he's always been abnormal." Janet nods. "You don't seem to understand Miss Summers; the tests we ran were to confirm what Major Carter suspected. That Xander transferred all the implanted knowledge back to the Krillian Mainframe. What we found was that Alexander's mind is working at over 70% of its capacity. When he's recovered enough we plan to run tests but I'm pretty confident he retained not only the information but the ability to both improve upon it and put it to use."
Buffy shrugs. "So long as he's fine I could care less how smart or dumb he is." Janet nods in agreement. "I don't think you get my meaning Miss Summers, with his intelligence and what he retains from the Krill, I doubt very much if the government will ever let him outside of their grasp."
The three of them turned as O'Neill, Teal'c and Carter entered. "Oh I doubt very much that they'll find out about his capabilities Doc." O'Neill shrugged. "Not if we don't tell them that is." Carter stepped forward. "My report will say he suffered a total loss of everything he was implanted with, much the same as when the Asgard removed the information Colonel O'Neill was implanted with when he touched the First ones library."
O'Neill looked at Janet. "And my report will say that due to the fact he already gave us all the information he had on weapons and Gate technology in that nifty PDA thingy we really don't need to hold the kid." Carter smiles at Jack. "Basically the image the government will get is that Alex is damaged goods and not worth their concern." She held up the PDA. "With what he's given us it should be enough to tip the balance of the war in our favour and for that they will be very understanding."
Buffy and Faith turned to each other and Faith exclaimed. "We don't know how to thank you." Jack shrugged. "He's part of our team and I for one don't let team members down." He turned the brim of his baseball cap over in his hands. "The kid was kind of worried about a couple of things if or when you all got back." Jack took a small folder from Carter and handed it to Buffy. "I managed to pull a few strings and... Well he now has the contracts for several government construction projects in the Sunnydale area, enough to keep him busy for the next century or two."
Buffy and Faith looked from face to face and Buffy exclaimed. "I don't know how we can ever repay you Colonel O'Neill." Jack held up his hand. "Please call me Jack." Buffy grinned. "Thanks Jack." She placed the folder on Xander's bedside then asked. "You said he had a couple of things he was worried about?"
Jack stopped playing with his cap and looked worried. "Ahh I'm not sure I should tell you the rest." Buffy looked puzzled as she asked. "Please Colonel, I need to know." Jack looked at Sam and then sighed. "Okay, he was worried that what you were feeling for him was something the Krill master computer had made you do and once you were back here you would forget all about him." Buffy's throat felt suddenly very dry.
Faith asked him. "What about me? Did he have anything to say about me?" Jack grimaced. "Well he Uhh he said he knew what you thought of him.." Jack glanced away. "I believe dildo with a pulse was mentioned." Faith glared at Jack then stared daggers at Xander. "A girl makes one mistake and he never lets her live it down." She straightens her top. "Well then I guess its up to me to prove him wrong." She looks at Buffy. "I'm going to be so freaking good I'll make Brittany Spears look like Linda Lovelace!" Buffy grins. "Scary image there Faith." Faith shakes her head. "I mean it B if it's little Mary Sunshine he wants then he's shit outa luck! I'll try my best but I'm me I Don't do good 24/7."
"I think he knows that Faith, he's just scared and afraid the nice little world he had on Krill will come crashing down her on earth." Sam told her. "So the thing is...Is it true? Do you, either one of you, want to stay with Alexander?" Both Buffy and Faith said at the same time. "Xander..." Buffy continued. "He prefers to be called Xander." Buffy turns to look at Faith and they both nod. "Yeah." Buffy says as she grips Xander's hand harder. "If he'll have us we will."
A groan erupts from Xander's lips and as the two Slayers turn to mother him he mumbles. "For the love of Mike would ya let a guy get some rest!" He tries to roll onto his injured side and yelps, his eyes snap open and for a second or two he's confused. "Where.... What...?" He sees the group then tries to lean up and ask. "Did we win? Ooh shit that hurts!" His hand went to his side and remembers. "Oh yeah the tree trunk! Great isn't it, high tech crap up the wazoo on I get hit by a freaking stake!"
"Yeah trees. Don't ya hate 'em?" Jack asks him with a grin. "I always know as soon as we gate and see trees it's going to be trouble." Sam raises an eyebrow. "Sir we almost always gate to worlds with trees." Jack motions to her. "See I told ya! Trees who'd a guest huh?" Sam shakes her head and Janet squints at him. "When was your last psych review again?" She joked.
Janet then started to heard them out of the room. "I think what's best now is that Xander gets as much rest as he can." She stopped when the three SG-1 members were out of the room then she stopped and said. "Uhh Miss Williams could I see you alone for a minute?" Faith looked at Buffy and then back at Janet. "It wasn't me, I didn't do it, nobody saw me." Janet smiled. "Okay Faith Simpson come on it'll only take a few seconds I need to see you afterwards as well Miss Summers."
Giles and Willow were researching an upcoming prophecy that involved Jessica when both she and Dawn came into the shop carrying school bags. Jessica asks. "Hey Giles how come I have to fight the darkness and do trig? Couldn't I cut one or the other?" Giles didn't even look up from his book. "No, it is your sacred duty to fight the forces of darkness." He looked up at her. "And you have to slay vampires as well." "Oh funny! Hahhaha! "She glared at him. "Look my sides are splitting its so funny." they all turned as the bell rang above the door and Simmons walked in. "I do hope I'm not disturbing anything important?" Giles stands. "No Mr. Simmons please come in."
Simmons grins at them and tells them. "Well I have some very good news for you. It seems the rescue attempt was very successful and all three have been returned home." Before the Scooby's could rejoice he held up a hand. "Unfortunately young Mr. Harris was injured during the escape and needs to remain in hospital under supervision for a while."
Willow stood up, the concern plain on her face. "Is he all right?" Simmons nods. "No need to trouble yourselves it's just a scratch really, I'm sure he'll be back here amongst his loved ones before you know it." Giles walked over to him and shook his hand. "This is simply wonderful news!" He exclaimed.
Simmons could hardly contain his evil grin. "Yes it is isn't it? Once he gets home I'd like to call by if I may to see how he's getting on if I may?" Dawn nods. "I'm sure it would be okay Mr. Simmons, he'll be glad to see you I'm sure."
Simmons smiles. "Well that's all the news I have for the moment other than Miss Summers and Miss Williams should be home before Alexander." Willow looks at Giles and then back to Simmons. "But she's a felon, shouldn't she be going back to jail?" Simmons nods. "Normally yes she would but then that would leave too many questions, questions we couldn't answer. So it's best that poor Faith Williams remains dead and buried in Potters Field." He holds a hand up to her protests. "Believe me from the reports I've gotten she's a changed woman, thanks to Mr Harris and Miss Summers."
Simmons began to walk towards the door then told them. "Let Mr. Harris know I will be popping by to talk to him as soon as he feels up to it." Dawn jerked in her seat as Simmons left. "Hey! I wonder if he's responsible?" She delved into her bag and withdrew several days worth of mail before placing four opened letters on the table. She saw the glare Giles gave her and she explains. "Hey they looked official and I didn't want Xander getting into trouble." She smiled. "Anyway it seems his old boss has made Xander head of his construction company in Sunnydale after four federal construction contracts were issued in Xander's favour."
Jessica wriggles her eyebrows. "Wow a hunk and rich to boot, sounds like my kind of guy." Giles looks at her. "In five or six years possibly." Giles picks one of the letters up and examines it. "Well it all looks official and above board. What I don't get is why Xander never spoke of it before?" Dawn shrugs. "Don't know and frankly I don't care. I have to get back and work on cleaning up the house before sis gets back in town." She grinned and all but skipped out of the shop.
Spike stomped up from the cellar, his duster and clothes covered in cobwebs and dust. "Giles you have to have something done about the vermin downstairs!" Jessica turned and glared at him as she tapped the stake on the table. "Anytime you like Giles and I'll gladly take care of the vermin." Spike flared up. "Hey! I do my share around here Missy!" He dropped the books on the counter. "Who else are you going to get to stay here and make sure no demon breaks in at night? And who may I ask is going to do your dirty work when the next big bad wafts into town?"
Jessica shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find a way Spike." She stood up and stared at the souled vampire. "I don't care that you have a soul, demon. All I see is a vampire with a bad doo and a sick history, one that I would gladly turn into a dust bunny given even half a chance."
Faith waited until Buffy had fallen asleep along side Xander before she went off in search of Doctor Frazier and she found her in the main lab re-running some tests on Xander. "You said you wanted to see me Major?" Janet moved away from the computer and motioned for Faith to sit. "yes I want to speak to each of you before you are released." She lent back in her chair, her mind working out how to tell the dark haired Slayer the next words. "When I began running your tests you told me you thought you might be pregnant." Faith nods as she twists her fingers in worry. "Well Doc?"
Buffy woke to the sound of sobbing and she lifted her head from Xander's bed and searched the room for the person. She saw Faith turned away from them in the corner, her shoulders shaking. "Faith? What's wrong?" Faith stiffened and she turned around wiping the tears with her palms. "Nothing I um.. Its just the tension and all that." Faith choked back another sob and then tried to put on a happy face. "See all better."
She didn't hear Buffy approach her but she felt her comforting arms wrap around her. "It's all right Faith; everything's going to be just fine now. We can go home and then you, Xand and me can go to La Maze classes..." Faith broke down again. "Why it's not like any of us are preg.. Pregnant?"She half sobbed. Buffy look confused. "But I thought.."
Faith shook her head. "Nope, seems like I ate something that disagreed with me." Buffy pulled Faith into a hug and asked. "So does that mean you're going to stop trying?" She pulled her younger partner's face up till their eyes met. "It takes a while for two people to create life Faith, otherwise the world would be overrun." Buffy grins. "Besides it means we get more monkey lovin from the Xandman. But don't let him know or we won't hear the last of it."
Faith began to smile. "Yeah his heads big enough already!"
Back in her office Major Carter is pouring over the schematics for the new weapons when all of a sudden she stops. "Why that little smart ass!" Jack stops at her door. "If you're talking about me major that would be Colonel little smart ass." Sam turned around from the computer and motioned him in. "Not you sir the other one. It seems our Mister Harris is not a very trusting soul."
"Ya think?" Jack asks redundantly. "What's he done now?"
Sam shows Jack the schematics for the three main weapons and tells him. "Each of the weapons has a built in failsafe, one that if removed, left out or tinkered with will cause the electronics to fuse leaving you with a worthless piece of junk."
Jack asks. "But they work otherwise?" Sam nods. "As you know sir the earth, like every other planet, has it's own unique magnetic signature. The heavy planetary defence guns will work if aimed away from the earth's magnetic field, try to face them towards the earth and nothing happens."
Jack grins. "In other words we can fire them against an enemy in space but we can't fire them against the earth. Smart work kid." He hides his smile. "And the others? What little gifts has he left for us there?"
"Well I can't be sure but it looks like the guns won't work in earth's gravity field either."
"Trusting little soul isn't he." Jack places a hand on Carters back as he leans over her to look at the screen. He looks down on Sam and says. "Please tell me there is no way we can over ride this blocks?" Sam nods. "Not if we want the guns to work there isn't."
"Cool!" Jack tells her and Sam is amazed. "I would have thought you'd be mad as hell sir?" Jack shakes his head. "No, major, I'm glad as hell." He points to the screen. "This means we have weapons capable of taking down the Goa'uld and any other bozo out there that thinks we're a big old welcome mat and yet we can't use them against ourselves." He glances back at the screen. "Could you imagine the damage one country, or even a group of maniacs could do with one of these?"
Sam sighs. "Yeah I see your point sir, we do enough damage with the things we have now so I'd hate to think what we'd do with these." she feels Jack's hand begin to stroke her back in a comforting way. "So we need to tell the General to tell his bosses that we have the weapons and they're perfect for OUR purposes but not for theirs." Sam leans back against him. "Do you think they'll be happy or pissed?"
Jack leans in and kisses her then says. "Oh I think it'll be about 50/50 but I think they'll want to keep their little goldmine close at hand." Sam returned his kiss, pushing him towards the door then kicking it shut with her foot before telling him. "So I guess Harris will become a regular around here?" Jack manoeuvred her to the cot in the corner. "I think you can just about lay odds on it." He saw her eyes go wide and she glanced down then back up into his mischievous features. "No Major, this time it ain't my side arm I swear!"
Giles, Willow, Dawn and Jessica were all as nervous as June brides as the sleek, blue air force staff car pulled up to the curb of 1660 Revello Drive. Giles rushed over and pulled open the passenger door before the airman could get out and hugged Buffy as she stepped out of the car."
Oh God I'm so glad you're back. "Buffy grinned." Jeez Giles I never knew.. "Before she could finish he continued." Your bloody sister and that new Slayer are driving me insane! I thought you were bad enough but these two make you look like a bloody choirgirl! "He grinned at the shocked look on her face then he pointed a finger at her." Psych!"
Buffy shook her head as the others crowded around the car. "You have most definitely been around Xander way too long!" Faith stepped out the other side and stood apart as the others helped Xander out of the car. "Man a guy could get used to this real easy!" He grinned at Willow and Dawn as they hugged him. He glanced at the strange Hispanic girl and held out his hand. "And you must be Jessica, Giles has told us all about you."
Jessica blushed and gripped his hand, she felt her palms tingle at the contact and her breath seemed to constrict in her throat as she grinned inanely at him. "Down girlfriend." Dawn told her. "If he's too old for me then he's too old for you as well." She moved her to one side as she saw the glares from Buffy and, most confusingly, from Faith as well. Buffy went to his side and Faith to his other and they helped him inside the Summers family home. Xander saw Willow glaring at Faith and he looked at his lifetime friend and told her. "Faith's changed Wills and as you know everyone deserves a second chance." Willow glared at Faith when she saw her goose Xander but her mouth went wide when she saw Xander kiss the dark slayer.
She looked at Buffy, knowing that she know loved her Xander shaped friend and expected Buffy to explode but what she saw next almost caused her to faint. Buffy gripped Xander by the chin, breaking the kiss and moved his mouth to hers. "Hey babe, share the wealth remember?" She asked Faith as Buffy proceeded to give Xander the best kiss Willow had ever seen.
Dawn grinned and laughed. "Man this place is so cool!" She turned to Jessica and asked her. "We get every demographic in this house J and now we have the swinging vote too!" Jessica pouted and crossed her arms as she turned to face a pale faced Giles. "I thought you said he was the guardian of the daughters of Diana? Am I or am I not a true daughter of Diana? If so shouldn't..."
She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around to see Xander looking at her. "You are a very beautiful young lady Jessica...Young being the appropriate term." My tastes don't run in that direction, that's more your angst older than dirt souled vampire type of thing. "Jessica frowned then made a face like she had just eaten a lemon." Eew!! I think I'll wait a few years thanks all the same. That desperate I'm not thank you very much."
He grinned and then told them. "Now if you don't mind I'd kinda like to sit down for a while. That trip from Colorado really knocked me about." He grinned. "Besides which I have a company to organise on Monday and I need my beauty sleep." Buffy watched them as they escorted him inside, Giles turned to her and asked. "Are you coming?" She nods. "Yeah, in a minute I just need to take it all in." She watched her mentor make his way inside with the others then her hand drifted slowly to her abdomen and gently stroked it, hoping the life that was slowly growing there could feel the love that emanated from this house.
She looked skyward and whispered. "Mom if you can hear me I hope you're as happy up there as I am down here." She looked down and tried to imagine the life the little baby girl or boy would have. "Well it certainly won't be boring that's for sure!" She exclaimed then thought of the meeting she had with Doctor Frazier. She still couldn't work out how she was the one pregnant and not Faith. Hell she didn't even feel pregnant, not like they showed on TV anyway. She wasn't rushing to the toilet in the early hours of the morning and she wasn't craving any dumb food combinations." She grinned; well she had always liked peanut butter and pickles so that wasn't strange no matter what Faith and Xander said. Besides Xander should be the last one to complain about weird food preferences.
She walked into the mayhem that was home and she heard Faith trying to explain to Giles how it was possible for two girls' with an ounce of brains between them' to be in a loving relationship with one man. She grinned as she closed the doors. "Oh yeah not boring at all."