Disclaimer: Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Gate SG-1 (Atlantis by extension). Belong to their respective owners. I am not making any proceeds from this story, or the use of characters or concepts. I'm simply borrowing them for a bit.
Please don't sue me.
Wednesday March 4th, 12:55 am. Sunnydale California.
Buffy unlocked the front door, and almost had it open, when a cross appeared a mere inch from her face. The suspicious penetrating gaze of Cordelia Chase staring her down.
"Cordy?" she asked "What...".
"Watching over your bratty and thankfully unconscious little sister" she quickly retorted, stepping back to let her through the door. Not once verbally inviting anyone in.
"Oh...and how did you get that job?" Buffy asked, even as her feet crossed the thresh hold.
Cordelia's wary posture instantly relaxed "Willow called. Your Mother basically commanded Willow to lead her to where Giles was. At least that's what i think she said when i got here. Hard to really understand her when she get's going".
Buffy nodded as the rest of the troupe ambled up the front steps, drawing Cordelia's attention instantly.
"Cordy, this is T'pol" she introduced the short Vulcan.
"Hi, Cordelia Chase" she replied, the smile on her face never even came close to appearing honest.
The Vulcan nodded as she entered and silently moved towards the living room.
"Not one for words?" the cheerleader asked quietly.
Buffy shook her heads "She has her moments".
Both women turned as Rupert Giles and Willow Rosenberg entered. Willow looking much better after her near total breakdown in the library. And Giles supporting her slightly as they entered and made their way into the living room.
Cordelia closed the door, and locked it. Neither of the teenagers believed it would stop a determined intruder. But it was habit.
Buffy headed for the stairs "I need to clean up and change. Can you see to everyone until i come down?".
Cordy huffed "Sure Buffy, I'll be little miss maid for you!" she said sarcastically. And stormed off towards the living room.
Buffy hit the washroom first, and took one of the shortest showers of her life. Then slipped into a different pair of pajama's. And a house coat. Then headed back downstairs.
And ran right into her mother and Captain Jon as they came in through the front door.
"Hi mom" she greeted quietly.
"Buffy" her mother replied hesitantly.
The two of them stood their for a few moments. The silence broken only by Jonathan slipping past them "I'll join the others" he said quietly.
Joyce nodded, and briefly met her daughters eyes, but quickly looked away "I'll get some beverages for everyone. Then i want explanations".
With that she too stalked off towards the kitchen.
Buffy sighed and silently padded into the living room, seeing Willow curled up at the end of the couch. Giles sitting in the recliner and T'pol and Captain Jon on the Love seat.
Which made her grin like a kid for a brief moment.
She quickly covered her own amusement by turning towards the couch and almost jumping on it like her little sister did on a regular basis, making the red head at the end bounce slightly.
"Buffy!" Willow squealed lightly, obviously lost in thought.
She smiled and pulled her best female friend into her shoulder. A little comfort for the scare they both had recently. And in Buffy's case. Strength for the coming storm called Mom.
Soon enough the woman herself entered, carrying a large jug of water and a stack of plastic glasses "Water anyone?" she asked, obviously still quite upset. Her lips were narrowed and her eyes darted to Buffy periodically, but never lingered for longer than a second or two.
Only T'pol accepted a glass. And proceeded to sip it quietly.
Cordelia entered a moment later, carrying a tray of snack foods. Cracker and cheese mostly. And placed it on the small coffee table in the centre of the room before moving to sit on the arm of Joyce s chair. A clear sign of support.
Joyce didn't waste any time "Xander's doing fine, according to Doctor Phlox he'll make a full recovery but is restricted to the ship until further notice".
Willow looked up "How...".
Buffy smiled "T'pol explained it before Will's. They went to Captain Jon's space ship".
"Oh, right. Matter transport....thought it was a dream...or i had too much sugar" she replied quietly.
Cordelia looked around the room suddenly "Wait...space ship?. Dork-boy's on a space ship?" she asked.
Buffy nodded "He was hurt pretty badly trying to keep Angelus from hurting Captain Jon and T'pol...oh and the other guy who sounds like Giles but not really".
Jon smirked slightly "Lieutenant Malcolm Reed".
"Right, sorry" she smiled "Their Doctor is looking after Xander".
Cordelia looked at both T'pol and Jon "Again i ask, Space ship?".
T'pol's brow rose and Jon couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face. Joyce however just rested a hand on the teenagers back, but said nothing.
Buffy felt a brief moment of rising anger as she spotted the contact between her mother and the cheerleader. The comforting actions her mother offered being the catalyst. But she forced it down for the moment, seeing how jealousy would get them no where.
Joyce finally made eye contact with her daughter, and didn't turn away "So, i suppose no someone can explain the part about Vampires now?".
Giles cleared his throat to speak, but Joyce quickly cut him off.
"Anyone but you" she snapped, her voice seething with sudden anger.
The watchers jaw snapped shut with an audible snap.
The awkward silence that filled the room instantly put everyone on edge, Joyce sighed, lowering her head slightly "My apologies Mr. Giles".
Buffy nodded in her Watchers direction "He's by far the best to explain it mom".
The eldest of the Summers women sighed again "Alright".
Giles took a moment to clear his throat and collect his thoughts "In the beginning the Earth as we know it now was far different. In fact it was ruled by Demons, and not those that we now deal with today, but far more dangerous creatures with powers beyond imagination" he began slowly.
"Sometime in our past, thousands of years ago, humanity rose up against the Demons, and drove them from our world. The Watchers Council has firm evidence of the Slayer being created in these dark times, to face these creatures. And to send them back to what ever hells they came from. Today however, those Powerful demons, or Old Ones are long gone. Leaving the Slayer to face a far more subtle danger, a legacy of these True Demons. You see the last one to leave Earth mixed his blood with that of a human. Creating what we know today as Vampires. And for thousands of years the Slayer has faced them, to protect the rest of the world. And to stop the darkness from sweeping across this world".
Joyce leaned forward as the man paused for a breath "Why Buffy?".
"The calling is not something that is controlled. No one knows who or where the next Slayer will be" he explained.
"How was she chosen then?" she asked as calmly as she could.
Giles shared a look with Buffy briefly "She was called after the death of the last Slayer".
This hit Joyce hard "Death...you mean only one Slayer exists at one time?".
Giles nodded "Unfortunately yes. The magic behind creating the Slayer was lost long ago. Not that i would choose to re-enact such a thing".
"Why girl's...Teenage girls?" she pressed on.
Giles again shook his head "Thousands of years ago, Women were not treated as they are today" he responded, trying to use as delicate an explanation as possible.
"Fodder" Joyce growled "They were Fodder, that's all they are to you people".
Buffy sat forward "Mom. Look, i know this sucks, but there's nothing we can do about it. I've been the Slayer for almost two years now. And I've done a damn good job so far".
Joyce snapped her glare to her eldest daughter "Buffy, Language".
The Slayer seemed to deflate slightly at the woman's glare "Sorry".
Joyce sat back in her chair. Deep in thought, and not one person in the room wanted to interrupt her. Finally however she looked up "Seeing as i cannot change the facts. I think we should end this now. I need time to think".
Standing quickly she looked at everyone in the room consecutively "Your all more than welcome to spend the night. It might be cramped but it's the least i can do" she said quietly, her eyes meeting Jonathan's first.
Jon smiled "Thank you for the offer Joyce, but i should get back to my ship. Though with your permission I'd like to have a few of my security personnel spend the night. Maybe tomorrow your daughter could show them some do's and do not's of Vampire Hunting".
Buffy nodded absently, not really paying much attention to what was being said. Her mind still occupied by the obvious troubled future she was going to have with her mother.
"Oh, Mr. Giles, one of my crew. Hoshi Sato. She's a brilliant linguist, asked if you would assist her in accessing some materials on demon languages" Jon continued.
Giles head snapped up "Oh...uhm, yes. Certainly" he stood as well "I do have some research i was planning to do tonight, she would be more than welcome to join me. I have a number of texts she could borrow".
Jon smiled and pulled out his Communicator "Enterprise. Hoshi, you and the MACO's are a go. Transport when ready".
Understood sir. We'll be down in a few minutes. Enterprise out.
Jon looked back to Joyce as he closed the communicator "As soon as their down T'pol and i will head on up. There are a few other matters that require our attention".
Joyce smiled and extended her hand to him "Thank you Captain, for everything you've done for us. For Xander especially".
He took the hand with a smile of his own "No need to thank me Joyce, but your welcome".
A distant knock echoed from the back door, everyone looked towards the kitchen. Cordelia was already moving only a second before Buffy.
Jon moved slightly to see more clearly and smiled as Hoshi Sato entered, along with Captain Amanda Cole and Lieutenant Sascha Money. All three dressed in civilian clothing, complete with light jackets.
Hoshi smiled in the Captains direction before exchanging pleasantries with both Buffy and Cordelia. Amanda and Sascha as well. And then the entire troupe moved towards the living room.
"Hoshi, Cole, Money" he greeted them.
"Captain" echoed in unison.
He looked back towards Joyce "Well, we should be going" he glanced back to Hoshi "Don't take up too much of Mr. Giles time, i'm sure he'd like to get some sleep".
Hoshi smiled "Yes sir".
He opened the communicator again "Enterprise. Lock onto both T'pol's and my signals, transport when ready".
Everyone watched as the two officers vanished in a swirl of blue and white light.
"I'm never going to get use to that" Willow said quietly from the couch.
Buffy smiled from the kitchen doorway "Wait till you get to try it".
The look of panic that filled the red heads face had Buffy instantly regretting the joke. She almost pushed Amanda and Sascha into the wall as she headed towards Willow, fully intending to apologize.
Only for everything to suddenly explode around her as he reached the half way point. The sound of glass breaking registering a second after the window behind Willow physically imploded towards everyone.
The blinding white light and deafening roar was more than enough to drop her to her knees. Her heart sped up instantly, she could feel the organ thumping in her chest. And then an incredible pain slammed into the side of her face.
Darkness swept away all thought.
Wednesday March 4th, 1998. Washington D.C.
Livette Renker slipped through the hallways content in the knowledge that the specific area of the building was nearly empty. The only people on this floor were the people she was on her way to meet. And herself.
The single office door loomed only a few meters ahead of her. No sound could be heard anywhere, but she wasn't concerned. Every floor and office in the massive building was constructed with privacy and sound control in mind.
She pulled up to the door and knocked lightly, the door opened moments later. The tall looming figure of Henry Moore smiled as he spotted her.
"Right on time Renker" he said as he stepped to the side. And closed the door as she moved past him.
"I was told that this meeting was important" she replied as she glanced at everyone else in the meeting room.
Four individuals in very expensive suits sat around the table, none of whom she recognized. The fifth, sitting at the head of the table however was immediately recognized.
"Ah, Liv. Good that you could make it" her boss smiled "Take a seat" he motioned.
Livette had barely taken a seat, followed by Henry when their boss began speaking again.
"Now that your all here, we can begin" he began, and looked into everyone's eyes, slowly.
"Colonel Maybourne screwed up" he began "He not only authorized the use of interrogation on one of the suspects currently being held by Stargate Command. But he apparently also requisitioned an Air force Transport. Which I'm sad to report was discovered by General George Hammond shortly afterwards. He has undoubtably dispatched personnel to investigate".
Silence descended upon the entire room as everyone digested what he had just reported. No one spoke for a several moments.
Her boss slowly started to smile as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well done everyone" he said, clapping his hands for effect "Though appearing sloppy, it should cast enough doubt onto Maybourne for us to sweep in and clean up his mess" he added.
The balding man sitting to his right snorted "I really didn't think this was going to work. Not with only two hours to get anything in place. Not to mention the lucky find in Sunnydale".
"Let's not look gift horses in the mouth shall we Robert?" her boss smiled and then looked to everyone sitting around him. Taking the time to make firm eye contact.
"We still have to think about the Sunnydale operation. We know Hammond dispatched two SG Teams to investigate Carson City. They'll find the team the transports to pickup. The chance that they find the second Stargate and the Initiative team is something we can't afford to allow happen" Robert continued.
Her boss raised a single brow "Why not?".
The man sat back in his chair in complete shock, and completely speechless.
"Robert. It will only add to the case against Maybourne and fuel the need for a competent replacement. And should the Initiative be found....well, it'll only give us a little bit of lee-way to move in on that little project as well. The Iron grip Walsh has over the project is entirely too disturbing" her boss explained.
"And the Stargate?" Robert pushed.
"A calculated risk" her boss responded "We have several operations off-world. The loss of the Stargate would be a big blow, but we have a few people in the SGC who can compensate by smuggling objects back. And communication with our teams won't be an issue".
Liv understood exactly what her boss was trying to explain. "To gain more control we have to risk losing some" she added.
Her boss smiled at her words "Exactly".
Robert apparently understood when a topic was closed "What next?".
"Now, we wait for confirmation that the Initiative has acquired the targets. And pray Maybournes people are capable enough to get them off-world before the SG Teams stumble onto them" he said quickly.
"And the Civilians?" Henry asked, finally feeling the need to speak.
Her boss frowned slightly "They're friendly with advanced hostiles. Who infiltrated the SGC and showed up in Sunnydale. Those alone is cause enough for concern. They're to be considered hostile as well. And if they're innocent, well. An unfortunate loss. But sometimes a sacrifice needs to be made for the greater good".
The entire room was silenced at those words. Everyone in the room suddenly realized what he was saying. But no one was about to refute him. They all knew what was at stake.
Livette Renker prayed that future generations understood that.
Wednesday March 4th, 1:30 AM. Sunnydale California.
Captain David Erickson slipped from the passenger seat of the Hummvee before it fully stopped, and turned towards the four black Cargo Vans pulling up into the empty massive aircraft hangar.
The four vans pulled up side by side, in one long line. Drivers exiting first and followed by the teams riding in each. Lieutenant Jeremy Malone was the only one to approach him, the others far too busy with making sure the hangar, and their prisoners were secure.
"Sir" he nodded as he rolled his balaclava up above his face.
"As soon as the hangar's secured i want the prisoners moved into the adjoining offices. And make sure Franks see's to them. I want them sedated properly. No fuck up's" he ordered.
"Aye sir" he nodded and turned towards the furthest Van. Slinging his MP5 submachine gun as he moved.
Erickson took a quick glance around the area, and seeing everyone doing their jobs turned towards the Hummvee. Crawling inside he grabbed the Sat-Phone from the centre console and typed in a long series of numbers.
Nearly thirty seconds ticked by before anyone picked up, and said only one word.
Secured?.
"Affirmative. Three females with advanced technology were acquired. Another six Civilians. Three of which are teenagers and one pre-teen" he reported "No losses and no injuries".
Status of the targets?.
"Unharmed. Team medic is giving them a once over now, followed by a sedative".
Understood. Team relief will arrive by oh four hundred. Classification level is Maroon. Understood?.
Erickson swore internally. That meant the team coming in would have something with them that ninety percent of his team wasn't cleared to know about. Leaving only himself and Lieutenant Malone in the clear.
"Sir, i'll need at least two more people, just in case" he replied quickly.
The hesitation on the other end only added fuel to his anxiety, he hated dealing with the shadows in Washington.
Understood. Pick your two most expendable.
Erickson took a deep breath upon hearing those words. There was no mistaking the intent, and order in those words.
"Aye sir" was all he could say. The line went dead a second later.
He checked his watch after placing the Sat-phone back in it's cradle. One thirty five AM. They had time to kill.
He activated his throat mic. "Malone, a word".
Copy.
Less than a minute later the Boston native approached "Sir?".
Erickson motioned for the soldier to step closer, and leaned in as well "Relief will be here by oh four hundred" he said quietly "They're Maroon Jer".
"Shit. I don't like that sir, only the two of us are cleared for that level. That opens us up for all kinds of shit" Malone hissed just as quietly.
"They gave me clearance for two support" he responded.
Malone nodded "Better than nothing i guess".
"I should have kept my mouth shut" Erickson sighed.
Malone turned his head slightly, his attention now fully on his commanding officers face. It didn't take long for the younger officer to quickly draw his own conclusions.
"Damn, whoever stays ain't leaving" he whispered even quieter. And let out a sigh of his own at Ericksons nod.
"Miller and Finn, they're both rooks. The project won't miss them, they haven't been around long enough to pick up the skills that we would miss" he finally spoke.
Malone nodded "Walsh ain't going to like that. Both are her boys, hand picked".
Erickson smirked "Even Walsh won't argue with Washington. And as far as I'm concerned, if it pisses off Walsh, at least something good will come of it".
"And to think, we're the good guys" Malone muttered.
Erickson completely understood the younger officers thought, and found himself wondering himself. He sighed and rubbed his face "Get back to franks. Make sure he doses the prisoners properly. We can't afford any screw ups".
Malone stepped back from the Humvee and saluted, saying nothing as he turned and headed for the offices. David understood the man all to well. Tonight was one of those nights that every officer in his place throughout history absolutely feared.
Tonight he was about to add to the nightmares that plagued him.
My apologies for taking so long to finish and post this chapter, a nasty migraine decided to pay me a visit. I think it's mostly done with me now so i hope to pick up the updates on a far more regular basis.
Durid the Druid – I hope this explains just a little of what the NID was thinking. Thanks for drawing attention to it.
Again thanks to everyone who's read this. Any questions, comments and reviews are greatly welcome.
