I do not own V, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Stargate. They belong to Kenneth Johnson, Joss Whedon and MGM respectively.
Chapter III: Watching, Listening and Observing
African Watcher Headquarters, Alexandria
August 23rd 2004
Xander sipped at a bottle of water, attempting to calm the rumble of discontent in his stomach. It had been a week since the speech that had announced to the world that life on other planets existed once and for all. On the surface, everything appeared to be just wonderful, but Xander found that he was still carefully doctoring his reports to the London office. He couldn't help it. He knew something was wrong and he was determined not to reveal his cards.
He still recalled his bi-weekly chat with Giles, which had occurred on the 20th. Giles had gone on and on, explaining that things were going wonderfully. Giles had even mentioned a prophecy about people from beyond the stars that sounded light and hopeful. Xander grimaced. Prophecies were never hopeful. They were gloomy and unpleasant, usually offering a faint sliver of hope, but still awful. Even Angel's precious Shanshu prophecy hadn't turned out very nice as things had gone on. No, Xander was sure that no matter how pleasant this appeared, something stank.
This, of course, brought Xander to his newest big problem. Tomorrow, Xander was going to be playing host to Nelson. Nelson was going to be the Visitor liaison to the African Watchers. Xander snarled in utter disgust. He couldn't believe that he was the only one to see that the Visitors were dipping into things that made no sense. The factories to make this chemical made some sense, but why would the Visitors need access to the Watchers' Council if all they wanted was a simple exchange. Xander somehow doubted that all the fruits of their knowledge include vampire slaying methods.
A buzz sounded at Xander's door. "Come in Andrew…"
The door opened and Andrew walked in to find Xander calmly writing notes about something at his desk. "How'd you know it was me, Xand?"
Xander finally looked up and smiled. "What time did I ask you to be here, Andrew?"
Andrew looked distinctly nervous, as if wondering if he was late. "9:00 sharp?" Andrew muttered, somewhat uncertainly.
Xander nodded benignly, trying to put Andrew at ease. The guy was still very touchy because of his 'fall to the dark side'. "Exactly so Andrew. And what time is it currently?"
Andrew's voice was filled with hesitation. "9:00?"
Xander grinned widely. "Yes, Andrew."
Andrew's eyes widened slightly as realisation came, followed quickly by a faint embarrassment. "Someone was here when I'm supposed to be and so you just assumed it was me." Andrew's voice was firmer now, a touch more sure of his response.
Xander nodded amiably. "Yep. Now, what are we here to talk about?"
Andrew sat straighter in his chair, carefully considering the question. Xander had taken to forcing Andrew into using critical thinking more often these days, having learned a bit about it from Zabuto. Xander was a strong believer in the process now, preferring to let his slayers, and Andrew, think things out on their own when possible.
"It can't be a personnel review. That's scheduled for the beginning of the month, barring any major incidents. Since I haven't been involved of any major incidents, that is right out…
"It probably isn't a demonic issue, since we've mostly been dealing with standard slice and dice this week, so that's out too…
"You probably want to talk about the Visitors. They're the only real issue I can think of that you might need to talk to me for."
Xander smiled. "Excellent deduction, Andrew. You're getting better at that." Andrew puffed out at the declaration. "Andrew, outside of me, you are our most accomplished sci-fi nerd here…" Andrew shifted uncomfortably in his seat. An opening like that had almost always been a prelude to mocking for him. "That makes you uniquely qualified to evaluate the Visitors. I want you to tell me what seems off to you…"
Andrew looked up in mild shock. It was a rare thing indeed for him to be solicited for the sole purpose of talking sci-fi. He allowed a broad grin to cross his lips. This was, after all, his element.
"Okay, you mentioned before the fact that their initial approach reeked of Independence Day. I've reviewed the movie and we were right. The approach was almost identical, right down to using a count-down. Now, since they already claimed to have watched our media to understand our languages, I've got to assume that they saw that movie and used its approach style in order to generate additional hysteria."
Xander smirked. "I thought as much. Glad to see we agree."
Andrew nodded. He had figured Xander would already have thought of that one, but had felt that it bore repeating. "I can't say that it relates to sci-fi per se, but that chemical they're making sounds awful suspicious. I mean, these Visitors are supposedly similar to us in almost every way, right? Then why the hell do they need a chemical made from what is essentially toxic waste? It doesn't fly well, Xand. Either their biology is insanely different from ours, or that chemical is a fairy tale that they are weaving in order to do something else."
Xander's lips twisted in a frown. "I agree. Tell me, Andrew, what would you say if I told you that we are scheduled to have a Visitor come here, starting tomorrow, to act as our liaison to the Visitors."
Andrew worked very hard at quelling the fanboy squee that had welled up in him at that declaration. He had worked damned hard to get Xander to take him seriously, and he knew that he had to think it through properly or he might forfeit that hard-won respect. It was that introspection that led to Andrew considering why such a thing would be needed. "Why do the Watchers' Council need a liaison with the Visitors?" A hard knot of suspicion began to form. "This is about control, isn't it? They're trying to take control. It's subtle, but it's there."
Xander's lips peeled back in a feral grin. "And if I told you that Giles told me that this was a wonderful idea and that it even says the Visitors will basically bring about a new golden age?"
Andrew's frown deepened. He couldn't help jumping to a conclusion, but in this case it only made sense. "Giles guards the secrets of the Watchers' Council very jealously, Xand. If he's spouting crap like that I can't help but believe he's been compromised, which essentially means that all of the Watchers' Council is compromised."
Xander's eyes glinted with a predatory light that screamed out his agreement. "Your conclusions?"
Andrew paused. Whatever they did was going to have to be extreme. But what to do? "I'd suggest we broadcast an immediate red alert to all Watcher posts, around the world, informing them that the head office has been compromised and that the Visitors are trying to stage a takeover. I'd then follow up by ordering all of Africa's Slayers and Watchers to go to ground."
Xander nodded with a feigned calm. "I agree with all of your suggestions and I intend to add a few amendments of my own. Let's go get Sam and Rona, Andrew. They'll need to be in the loop." With that the two Watchers left Xander's office, both plotting away. Nelson was in for a rude introduction tomorrow morning…
And here is August 9th's entry.
Jasper
