TITLE: A New Guard
AUTHOR: Methos
DISCLAIMER: Anything you recognise belongs to somebody else, Buffy, Superman, West Wing, Stargate, Spin City… If you recognise it from TV, then it ain't mine... I'm just borrowing them for a spin :)
Sunnydale City Hall
18:42
Principal Snyder sat in the small waiting room nervously, the manila folder and VHS cassette tape in his hands clutched tightly. While he'd always erred on the side of caution when dealing with The Mayor, like everyone else, he had heard the rumours of what happened to people who brought The Mayor bad news.
He looked up as he heard the sound of expensive shoes against the marble flooring to see a tall brunette walking down the short corridor towards him.
"Mayor Wilkins will see you now Mr Snyder." The woman said with a hospitable smile, stepping aside and gesturing for him to follow her.
Principal Snyder just nodded, swallowing quietly to moisten his suddenly dry throat as he stood up from the cushioned waiting chair and moved to follow the woman that was waiting for him. After walking down the corridor in awkward silence for a few moments, she paused by a door, nodding at him before knocking on it and opening it after a respectful pause.
"Mayor Wilkins, Mr Snyder here for you." The woman said quietly, standing just inside the doorway and holding her hands behind her back.
"Thank you Celia," The Mayor nodded, putting a lid back on the pen he had been using, making sure it was secure before replacing the pen in his jacket pocket. "That will be all for now." He said, standing up from his desk and nodding towards her.
"Mr Snyder, come in." The Mayor smiled disarmingly as he gestured at one of the chairs on the other side of the desk, waiting for him to move in to the room before nodding at Celia and dismissing her from the room, waiting for her to close the door quietly behind herself before looking at Mr Snyder directly. "You know how I feel about people turning up without appointments. We must have structure, order, discipline. You do still teach those in that school of yours, don't you?"
"Y… yes Mr Mayor," Snyder stammered out after a moment, the palpable threat in The Mayor's voice at odds with his friendly tone and body language. "There's… been a complication I thought you would want to be aware of."
"A complication?" The Mayor repeated, frowning to himself as he sat back down at his desk. "The Summers girl again?"
"No," Snyder shook his head. "Have you been watching the news?"
"This 'Superman' that is being spoke about near constantly?" The Mayor asked, a slight eyebrow raise was the only indication that Principal Snyder had piqued his curiosity. "He's in New York if the news reports are to be believed, hardly something we should be worrying about now is he?"
"He's a student," Snyder said, quickly, causing The Mayor to stare at him in disbelief. The confused and shocked look on The Mayor's face was definitely one Snyder had never seen before, so he continued on, opening the manila folder and placing it respectfully on The Mayor's desk before sitting back and letting The Mayor look at it for himself.
"Gosh," The Mayor let slip as he eyed the front page of the folder Principal Snyder had left on his desk, reaching over and picking it up before eyeing the photo on the student record file carefully. "Alexander LaVelle Harris?"
"I recognised him as soon as I saw this afternoon's news footage sir," Snyder explained. "A trouble maker, a slacker. Friends with that Summers girl to boot."
"You're sure of this?" The Mayor asked, flipping the page and noting the teacher's evaluations of the student in question. "Tsk, my, no determination, no ambition, no drive. Are you absolutely sure this is the same boy?"
"May I?" Snyder asked, holding up the VHS tape for The Mayor to see, waiting for the nod of acceptance before standing up and making his way to the cabinet on the side of the room that housed the small television and video player inside. "Johnson our Media Studies teacher, recorded this this afternoon, I thought you would want to see it for yourself." He explained, sliding the video into the player and pressing play.
"If you are right, that would mean you have had this Superman under your eye for several years now without noticing a thing," The Mayor said as he stood up from his chair, making his way over to where Mr Snyder was queuing the recorded footage for him. "Is this Mr Harris that good of an actor that he fooled you every day for nearly three years?"
"There were no indications that Harris commanded the powers we're seeing on the news this weekend Mr Mayor, I can assure you of that." Snyder said quickly, defending himself as he reached the right time code on the video and hit play before pausing the footage quickly, freezing the frame on a close up of 'Superman' flying down from a building, a young woman and child in his arms, though the focus was obviously on his face. "As you can see Mr Mayor, the footage is obviously of the same person." He explained before moving back to the desk, retrieving the student photo from the file and bringing it back over for The Mayor to compare personally. "This was his enrolment photo at the beginning of his freshman year, he's sixteen now but the footage is clear enough to make a comparison." He explained, holding the photo out respectfully for The Mayor to take.
"I see," The Mayor frowned, taking the photo and holding it up for him to flick his eyes between the student ID photo and the footage paused on screen, despite two years age difference, it was definitely the same student. The hair was a bit longer, and his features more defined, but the similarities were enough to convince him that the Principal was right and they were the same person. "You were right in bringing this to me." He said patiently, comparing the two one last time before moving away from the screen and back to his desk. "You believe Mr Harris will be returning to Sunnydale after his time in New York?"
"He is friends with the Summers girl and several other students, an outcast from the popular groups, though there is no doubt this will change once the other students see the similarities." Snyder explained.
"Well, this won't do. This won't do at all." The Mayor frowned, sitting back down at his desk and steepling his fingers, staring at the student photo he'd placed centre on his desk, neatly arranged so it was perpendicular to all the other papers and his name plaque facing outwards. "We can't allow this Superman to return to Sunnydale, he would bring far too much attention to our little town."
"I completely agree Mr Mayor," Snyder nodded enthusiastically.
"Thank you Mr Snyder, I will take stock of what you have brought to my attention and take appropriate measures." The Mayor explained with a nod and a small smile. "I think we're done here for now however."
"Yes Mr Mayor," Snyder nodded happily, happy that The Mayor had seen the information to be as useful as he had believed it would have been to him. Standing up from the chair he collected the video from the player first, making sure to turn everything off and neatly close the cabinet as he finished before turning back to the desk to collect the student records he's brought with him.
"Leave those would you," The Mayor interrupted him as he reached for the manila folder on the desk. "Something needs to be done here, and I'd like to have all the information I can on Mr Harris for any foreseeable contingencies."
"Yes Mr Mayor," Snyder nodded quickly, leaving the folder where it was and simply holding on to the VHS tape. "Thank you Mr Mayor."
"I understand you needing to bring this to my attention Mr Snyder, but do try and keep to my appointment schedule in future, we all must have our routines now mustn't we?" The Mayor explained, reaching over and pressing a button on the intercom system. "Celia, we're done here. Please show Mr Snyder out." He said aloud before pressing the button again without waiting for a reply. "Keep a closer eye on the Summers girl, if she is as close to Mr Harris as you believe, things could become problematic for us in the upcoming year." He said, standing up to dismiss him as the door opened and Celia moved in to the room respectfully. "But do nothing to arise her suspicions, the plans must continue uninterrupted."
"Of course Mr Mayor, I'd never do anything to place your plans in jeopardy," Snyder said quickly, moving to stand next to Celia by the door.
"Good," The Mayor smiled, standing up and moving through the room to dismiss Mr Snyder professionally. After all, the man had done good work for him before, and bringing this urgent news to his attention might have saved him a lot of problems down the line if Harris had actually returned to Sunnydale without anyone noticing the news reports and bringing the similarities to his attention. "Thank you Mr Snyder, you've done good work today." He said with a smile, holding out his hand for Snyder to shake.
"Thank you Mr Mayor," Snyder practically beamed as he shook the offered hand.
"Now, if you'd please, I'm sure you understand I now have lots of things to attend to after these revelations you have brought to my attention." The Mayor said with a small smile.
"Of course Mr Mayor," Snyder nodded, still smiling from the praise he'd received. "Thank you for your time." He said with a nod as he followed Celia out of the office and waited for her to close the door behind him.
"Well, this won't do." The Mayor frowned to himself as he moved back to his desk, retrieving the antibacterial wipes from his drawer and wiping his hands thoroughly with a clean one for each hand before disposing of them in the trash bin beside his desk. "This won't do at all." He said as he sat down, eyeing the student ID photo of Alexander Harris that was on his desk looking up at him.
The problems were twofold here. One, Harris could return to Sunnydale, with powers that made their resident Slayer look like a helpless kitten, he could decimate the demonic population that he had worked so hard to build up over the years, in which case next year's Ascension would be derailed, and possibly removed as a possibility forever.
Two, without doubt other agencies would be looking in to Mr Harris' background already, bringing attention and scrutiny down on Sunnydale that he could not afford. He already had a military agency looking to his town for a suitable base for experimentation, and while he'd allowed it so he could incorporate himself into their structure and learn what he could, bringing more government and media scrutiny to the town was not something he would stand for, not when he was so close to his ambitions.
Neither situation was good for him, his work, or his ambitions for Ascension. With Mr Harris commanding untold powers, he couldn't be allowed to return to Sunnydale, but likewise, the government and media agencies must not be allowed to connect Harris to Sunnydale and bring his town under further scrutiny.
No, this must be handled efficiently and with the upmost care for detail and the time sensitive plans that were already in effect. Unfortunately, that left him with very few options, several distasteful and messy, and one that could prove just as problematic as Harris himself if it wasn't handled correctly. Though again, unfortunately, the problematic solution would be the best way to handle the Harris situation, though it meant dealing with people that would want to renegotiate contracts that had been made nearly two centuries ago and forged in blood.
"Tricky tricky tricky," The Mayor whispered to himself, drumming his fingers on the student ID photo of Alexander before inspecting his nails for a moment before reaching over and pressing the intercom button once more. "Celia, cancel all my appointments for tomorrow. I have urgent business that requires a change in schedule." He said distastefully. "Who is my current contact at Wolfram and Hart regarding the eighteen forty one contract?" He asked patiently, knowing the Mak'var demon that posed as his secretary would have all the information he needed at her fingertips.
"Holland Manners is the current contact on file regarding the eighteen forty one contract Mr Mayor." Celia's voice came back over the intercom without pause.
"Good, have a meeting arranged for tomorrow morning, and have transport arranged for the morning. Ten am should be a good time for our meeting, after all, we all have our morning rituals don't we?" The Mayor chuckled to himself as the double meaning of the word 'rituals' though he doubted Celia picked up on it.
"Yes Mr Mayor," Celia's voice came back. "Should I tell Mr Manners what the meeting is about?"
"A possible renegotiation of the eighteen forty one contract, in exchange for a single service of his highest ranking sorcerer," The Mayor said after a moment's pause. That should be enough to get Wolfram and Hart's attention, it was well known that they'd been trying to get him to renegotiate the contract for decades now, and with the Ascension so close, he had little to lose in offering Wolfram and Hart a small piece of the pie in return for their help here. Which would also keep his own hands clean should any further complications arise.
"I'll contact them now Mr Mayor," Celia's voice came back over the intercom.
"Thank you," The Mayor smiled to himself as he pressed the button on the intercom to close the link. "Well, times are a changing," He said to himself as he retrieved his briefcase from the floor, sliding the student ID photo carefully back into the manila folder Mr Snyder had brought with him, before placing it neatly inside the briefcase. He then stood up, making his way to the locked cabinet behind him and waving his hand over it, the spell locking it disarming at his presence and the latch flicking open in time with his hand.
Nodding to himself satisfactorily he opened the cabinet, smiling softly at the various shrunken heads that greeted him as he looked down at them. His personal 'shadow cabinet' he joked to himself, though they were all politicians that had thought they could displace him as Mayor over the decades past, all now neatly arranged in his private cabinet, awake, aware, but unable to move, speak, or do anything but observe and mentally cower from the man that had taught them the true meaning of the darkness in Sunnydale.
"Well, it wouldn't do to allow such a power free reign or for him to align with the Slayer, would it?" He asked rhetorically, looking at the shrunken politicians heads before reaching past them, the look of horror in the shrunken heads eyes made him smile as he reached for the centuries old parchment behind them, neatly tied with some string and stamped with a Wolfram and Hart wax seal on the side, sealing the string together and preventing the parchment from being opened.
Taking the scroll respectfully he placed it in his briefcase before closing the cabinet doors again, waving his hand over the closed doors once he'd made sure they were shut flush with each other, and listening for the audible click as the projection enchantment on the doors came into effect once again and locked the cabinet from prying eyes.
"No, that wouldn't do at all." He said darkly as he closed his briefcase shut and retrieved his suit jacket from the back of the chair, putting it on and smoothing out a few small creases before picking up his briefcase and leaving the office, turning the light off and closing the door tightly behind him.
There was much to prepare for now, a meeting with Wolfram and Hart had to be meticulously planned, especially when there was so much at stake now.
Mitchel Air Force base
19:00
"Oh good grief," Giles whispered out, removing his glasses and cleaning them thoroughly as he watched the spectacle being repeated on the national news channel. "This, this was your plan?"
"Not really a plan per se Ripper," Ethan smiled as he drummed his fingers on the cafeteria table before taking a mouthful of the coke that he'd liberated from the kitchen while all the military members seemed to have vanished for the time being. "More a ripple with an intended effect."
"A ripple?" Giles asked in disbelief, replacing his glasses and glaring over the table. "This is hardly a ripple, this is shaking the entire foundations society is built on." He argued. "You've just thrust Xander into the spotlight for the entire world to see."
"Yes, doing rather well isn't he?" Ethan smiled to himself, glancing back up to the television that was talking about Xander's miraculous rescue in New York a few hours ago. "Nearly five years of planning, rituals that cost more than you could imagine in your darkest days Rupert, all for this."
"For this madness?" Giles glared back. "There's no way Xander would have gone along with this, putting himself out there for everyone to see."
"People change," Ethan said, the smile gone now as he remembered the years fighting alongside Harris in the future that he was fighting to change. "Years under alien invasion would teach you that sometimes the ends must justify the means." He whispered to himself, glancing up at the television and getting lost in memories.
March 17, 2007 – Fifteen miles south of Cairo
"Oof!" Ethan let out a rush of air as he feel to his knees, the ancient pyramid around him shaking from the heavy bombardment coming from the skies above, only the grip of his companions on his arm helped keep him from landing on his face in the sand.
"You ok?" Xander asked, looking around the dimly lit chamber, the eye patch over his right eye covering half his field of view, but years of getting used to it had helped him adapt to the disability.
"I'm ok," Ethan said gratefully, wincing slightly as Xander's fiancé helped him to his feet. "Are you sure this is the place?" He asked, looking at the ancient hieroglyphs covering the surrounding walls.
"The Temple of Ra," Lara said with a nod, waving her torch towards an inscription on the wall in front of them. "If we can find this artefact, we can send it back with you to help." She explained, helping Ethan over to a wall where she let him lean comfortably while she pulled an old leather bound notepad out of her rucksack.
"We haven't got long," Xander frowned, looking around at where the bombardment had stopped for the moment. "They'll come down sooner or later to see what we're looking for here." He said darkly, looking away from Ethan and Lara. He still remembered how the aliens had come down in London when he'd been there with Buffy and the other Slayers, they'd being no match for the yellow energy of the alien staff weapons that had cut through them along with any civilians or soldiers that came to help.
"It's here, I'm sure of it." Lara said, leafing through the notebook rapidly before finding the page she was searching for. "A religious artefact, a yellow crystal that was prized by Ra."
"So?" Xander asked, looking back at her with a raised eyebrow. "This some ancient badass magic thing to help drive the aliens away?"
"Hardly," Lara shook her head. "We know these aliens were the origins of the Egyptian gods, so if this artefact was important to Ra back in the Egyptian dynasty, and Ra was an alien…"
"Then it's probably fancy alien tech," Xander finished off, shaking his head in amusement. He didn't need the history lesson or the spiel about how alien tech was so far beyond theirs, the flying space ships bombing Earth back to the Stone Age had convinced him of that long ago.
"There," Lara said, pointing down the corridor that was leading off to their left. "The royal chambers should be down there somewhere."
"Then we need to hurry," Ethan nodded, using the wall to brace himself as he stood up, nearly ten years of fighting in the resistance against the aliens hadn't done his body any favours, like Xander and Lara, he was feeling the weight of the fight all too much these days.
Most of England had fallen early on, along with pretty much the entire eastern coast of America. Within the first few days of the aliens arriving they'd started orbital bombardments, destroying entire cities, Washington, London and Moscow. China had been obliterated, though they'd managed to take one of the larger mother ships down with them, firing a small nuke at the large ship as it passed over in orbit, somehow the nuke had managed to catch them off guard, though they paid the cost with the mother ship crashing down on the mainland, the resulting explosion causing devastation on a scale above anything the bombardment had managed so far.
"You sure we've got everything?" Xander asked, leading the way down the corridor, his torch lighting up the golden sand and soft orange walls around them as they walked, with Lara and Ethan following him mere steps behind.
"Quite sure," Ethan nodded, focusing his eyes on the black backpack that Xander was carrying, all the tools and ritual ingredients stowed safely inside for their plan.
"I still don't see how this is going to work," Lara said, turning to check behind them as they walked, making sure the aliens hadn't landed and begun tracing their steps yet.
"Fortune favours the bold Lara," Ethan said with a small smile. "And chaos it seems favours Xander far too often."
"Chaos I'll agree with," Lara said with a small smirk as they continued to walk.
"I heard that," Xander shot back over his shoulder.
"You were meant to," Lara smirked back.
"Well, some years ago, about a year or so before the invasion, there was an, incident shall we say, in Sunnydale." Ethan explained.
"You knew Xander from before?" Lara asked curiously, she knew Ethan and Xander were old friends, they seemed more like battle comrades sometimes, but Xander rarely spoke about Sunnydale or what he did before the alien attack.
"Halloween, ninety seven," Xander said simply, not bothering to look back as he waved his torch across an open door and checked what was inside before carrying on down the main corridor. "Soldier boy."
"Yes," Ethan nodded in agreement. "I suppose, in retrospect, I should have known that some magic would be rather more unpredictable on a Hellmouth, more so than usual actually." He said with a small smile. "The ignorance of youth you could say." He paused with a wry smile.
"He put a spell on the costumes," Xander interrupted simply, cutting Ethan's explanation short. "So once he did the spell, everyone turned into their costumes for the night."
"Everyone?" Lara asked curiously.
"Everyone who got their costumes from him," Xander nodded. "Hold on." He said with a frown, waving his torch inside one of the doorways before holding it outside and away from the wall, blocking the light from the torch while still standing beside the doorway so he could see in. "You said this alien doohicky was a yellow crystal right?"
"Artefact, and yes, a yellow crystal, approximately a foot in length if the drawings are accurate," Lara explained.
"Don't know about the size, but we've got a yellow glow coming from in here," Xander explained, moving fully into the room where the soft light was coming from.
"Let me see," Lara said, moving forwards and stepping in front of Xander to see the room fully. "I can't see any shafts or anything else that would account for this light, it must be here."
"Good," Xander nodded as he found a crack in the wall large enough to jam his torch into; careful not to burn himself as he wedged the handle in so it would light up the room more than the golden glow was already doing. "Set up here, I figure the alien guys will be down soon anyway, so the sooner we get this done the better."
"Ah, yes," Ethan nodded, watching as Xander pulled off his backpack and started pulling all the ingredient's out, unrolling the outfit they'd already spent months working on and laying it to one side.
"So?" Lara asked over her shoulder, meaning for Ethan to continue the story as she searched through the room, pulling away ancient dusty cloths to reveal antique vases and relics beneath that a decade ago would have been the primary reason for her coming here in the first place, now, barely curiosities that were pushed aside.
"It was ages ago," Xander shrugged as he continued to lay out the ingredients, tossing over a small vial of glowing green liquid that Ethan uncapped and poured out over the costume they'd made, using the liquid to trace an intricate glyph on the front of the leather that burned bright green for a second against the black and green leather before vanishing completely.
"Yes," Ethan smiled, remembering the chaos of that night. "Xander had perhaps the fortune of dressing as a soldier for the night. His friends…"
"A solider?" Lara asked, seeing the memories playing across Ethan' face as he obviously remembered some more old friends from his past. Moving away from him she looked to Xander as she continued to move artefacts around on the shelves on one side of the room, searching through them quickly for anything that resembled the artefact mentioned in Natla's journals.
"Sergeant A Harris," Xander grinned, snapping off a textbook salute before crouching down again.
"So that's where you learned to shoot and use automatic weapons," Lara said with a small smile. "I did wonder why you were the only one who used effective weapons, while the rest of your friends seemed stuck in the Middle Ages."
"Tradition is fine," Xander shrugged. "Until it starts getting you killed, then all bets are off." He said, tapping the automatic rifle slung across his back.
"I quite agree," Lara said, favouring him with a smile as she checked her own dual pistols before continuing on with the search. "So that's what you're going to change, the costume." Lara said with a nod.
"Figure it's our best bet," Xander said with a shrug as he laid out a few more ingredients for Ethan before moving to stand by the door, double checking the corridors outside for any movement. "Like Ethan said, none of the others got stuck with the Halloween stuff, so it's our best chance to give ourselves a heads-up."
"But why not send a note, a video, something to tell the government what's going to happen?" Lara asked curiously.
"Would you believe it?" Xander asked with a smirk. "Oh hey, I'm from the future," He started with a grin. "Know this sounds farfetched, but in a few months these aliens are going to come to earth, blow us all back to the stone age, then start enslaving whoever survives. So you've got to get everyone prepared, any questions?" He grinned over as he finished sarcastically.
"I see your point," Lara said with a small nod. "And you're sure this costume, this will be able to help Earth stop the invasion?"
"I don't know about stop," Ethan said with a glance at the blue and red costume, the design on the front done exactly to specifications from the old comics Xander had managed to find for him. While his needle work and craftsmanship weren't quite up to fashionable standards, it should do for what they needed it for. "Though Xander made the choice, so I would believe he would know better than I."
"And this character you mean to become, this…" Lara trailed off, looking back at the costume laid out on the sand.
"Superman," Xander said with a nod. "Yeah, he could do it I guess, or I could, figure if I become him, I've got a better chance of keeping the aliens off Earth than anyone else."
"And change the past in the process," Lara said with a frown. "But, what about…" She trailed off, absently running her thumb over the plain silver engagement ring on her finger.
"Hey, it's all good," Xander said with a smile, reaching over and pulling her into a quick hug. "I found you once right?" He grinned at her, leaning back slightly.
"In the midst of a resistance movement against an alien invasion force," Lara expanded for him, smirking into his one hazel eye.
"Right," Xander grinned back. "If we can get together through that, then with me kicking the alien's ass back into space, it'll be a piece of cake." He said with a small laugh, letting go of Lara and turning back to the shelves of artefacts, knocking a wooden box off the shelf as he turned, causing it to fall to the floor where it cracked open, stopping the golden glow instantly.
"As I said, chaos seems to favour him," Ethan said wryly with a small smile, watching as Lara knelt down and gently removed the broken wooden pieces from where it was covering up a golden crystal style object.
"Quite," Lara said softly, nodding in agreement as she dusted off the crystal device, noting the metallic plate that it had been stood on had come loose from the fall. "Yes, this is it."
"And this thing will help us, back then right?" Xander asked hopefully as Lara stood up, holding the dull yellow object in both hands now.
"It should," Lara said, examining the crystal device carefully. "Natla's writings describe it as an object of great power, one Ra coveted greatly."
"But not what it does," Xander cottoned on. "Don't these doodads ever come with instructions or anything?" He asked with a grin.
"Sadly life is never that…" Lara trailed off as the crypt around them shook, the sound of a large explosion rocking through the corridors outside.
"Yes, I'd say alien technology is as much of a mystery as our own arcane artefacts," Ethan agreed with a nod.
"Times up people," Xander said with a frown, listening to the sound of heavy metallic footsteps coming closer before swinging around his automatic rifle from where it had been slung across his back for ease while they walked. "You set?" He asked, walking past Ethan where he was lighting five candles set around points on the floor.
"I'm going as quickly as I can," Ethan said, not even bothering to pause as he lit the last candle, pulling out a jar of a thick red liquid from the bag and uncapping it, dipping his fingers in and drawing symbols quickly on each candle. It had taken him months of research to find the correct rituals and potions to recreate the spell he had used close to a decade ago. He'd amplified its effects somewhat using his own arcane knowledge, but there was still a small amount of tension as he continued to prepare the rituals to propel himself back to the past.
"I'll hold them off," Lara said, pulling out both her pistols and moving to stand in front of Xander, laying the yellow device down next to the candles on the floor next to the costume Xander and Ethan had cobbled together, along with two alien weapons, what would be a fortune in money back them, neatly tired up in bundles, and two of the smaller alien weapons they'd managed to salvage. Money wasn't really something that mattered in the world around them now, but planning a trip to the past Lara had donated several large rolls for him, all dated before ninety seven so they wouldn't be flagged.
"We'll," Xander corrected her. "I'll see you back, before, then, whenever," Xander grinned as he clicked the safety off on his rifle. "Say hi to me from me will you," He said with a smirk, moving over and shaking Ethan's hand, catching his eye when he knew he'd felt what he had pushed into his hand and nodding slowly.
"You're not…" Lara trailed off.
"One person trip," Xander said with a shrug as he turned away from Ethan, readying his rifle. "Buffy was…." He trailed off with a smile, remembering how impulsive Buffy was back in Sunnydale. "A double Xander would have the slayer screaming demon before I got a chance to explain." He trailed off, thinking about the old times back in Sunnydale.
"Believe it or not, if there were a way for us all to travel, I would have found it." Ethan explained as he continued to work, ignoring Xander's explanation as he moved to unbutton his shirt and use the prepared blood to draw several intricate patterns on his chest. "Temporal arcana is not something to be trifled with, if Rupert were still with us I'm sure he'd be lecturing us on the dangers as we speak." He said with a small smile as he continued to work. "Even a portal capable of transporting one person is rife with dangers. A larger portal might attract undue attention from the…"
"We've got company," Xander said urgently, cutting Ethan' explanation off by firing a short burst down the hallway before stepping out, the muzzle flashes lighting up the corridor enough for him to see the dozen Jaffa coming down towards them. "Get going!" He shouted, moving out into the corridor fully and firing again.
"It was…" Lara sent Ethan a brief glance, smiling at him.
"Yes, a pleasure my lady," Ethan smiled over at her, interrupting her goodbye before she stepped out into the gun fire as well, loading both pistols and firing them the instant she stepped into the corridor, the gun fire between her and Xander's rifle drowning out Ethan's chanting as they fought to keep the aliens at bay while Ethan worked his magic.
As the bullets flew, Xander and Lara were hiding behind ancient pillars and collapsed rocks, the bright yellow energy of the alien weapons blasting into the pyramid walls around them, exploding out with their energy and sending dust and debris into the air. It was as if time slowed down for a moment, the light from within the small room where Ethan was working growing brighter and brighter, before a flash of brilliant white light shot out from the doorway, a shock wave following that knocked them all to their feet and blew sand up around human and alien alike, and then, everything went white.
Mitchel Air Force base
Present Day
Ethan smiled up at the television, watching the replay of Xander's miraculous rescue, obviously coming to grips with his new powers, though anyone that knew Xander could see he was just as surprised at the ability of flight as anyone.
Absentmindedly he rubbed his thumb over the plain silver ring that adorned his index finger on his right hand, it was just a simple silver ring, nothing really fancy, there was an engraving on the inside that he'd memorised for now, but there was no need to tell Xander of the future he had lost by saving the world, he was giving up enough as it was, telling him about the fiancé he had left behind in the apocalyptic future he had come from would be more than the young man could handle for now.
"You must be insane," Giles said firmly, bringing Ethan out of his memories and thoughts and back to the present.
"And I'm sure you could have come up with a better plan," Ethan smiled back. "That's right, you did. Leading a charge of Slayers and witches against the aliens in central London. Do you want to know how that ended?" He asked darkly, almost daring Rupert to push him for details.
"I… I see," Giles frowned, looking into Ethan's eyes and seeing the pain reflected there. What had happened in the future had obviously changed him, changed him and Xander enough that they would both be willing to risk all of this to save the world from the future he had come from.
"This was the only option Ripper, don't doubt me on that." Ethan said simply, finishing off his coke and crumpling the can in his hand. "The die has been cast, whatever road we are on now is set, and is very different from the future I left behind." He said, his eye drifting to the ring on his finger again, wondering if the Xander in this time would ever meet the woman he had fallen in love with in his future. "It might not be the most subtle course of action, but it's the one we are left with when there aren't any alternatives."
"I just wish…" Giles trailed off with a sigh, rubbing his jaw and feeling a days' worth of stubble growing there where he hadn't had chance to shave between the days of the hectic situation.
"If wishes were horses Rupert," Ethan smiled grimly back. "Believe me, if there had been another choice, we would have found it." He said softly, remembering where he'd hidden the yellow artefact back in Sunnydale. Lara had said it was important, but there was only so much he was willing to risk bringing along with the military. So far he'd seen nothing that matched the design of the yellow artefact, so for now, it would stay hidden, locked away until needed.
"Yes, I suppose." Giles nodded slowly. "I just wonder if the world is ready for the changes you and Xander have thrust upon it."
"Better than living under alien rule," Ethan said darkly. "Trust me on that Rupert, you wouldn't like the future, not if you knew what we had lived through."
"You'll have to tell me some time," Giles said with a nod.
"No, I don't think so," Ethan shook his head. "My nightmares are mine alone, I'd rather like to change the future as much as possible. Seeing your two slayers cut down by alien weapons, left smoking on the streets of London as their armies marched over their warm bodies… No, that future is best left there, we need to focus on building anew."
Giles didn't know what to say to that, the graphic picture Ethan had painted with only a few words had burnt into his mind, though his repeated mention of Slayers, plural, had him more than intrigued for now. "Yes, well…" Giles coughed, removing his glasses and placing them on the table next to the cooling cup of tea he had managed to find in the cafeteria kitchen.
As much as he hated to admit it, maybe Ethan was right. The future had obviously changed him, he wasn't the same as the last time they had met in London close to fifteen years ago, whatever had happened in the future to him and Xander was obviously something he didn't want to talk about much. The weight of being the only person to witness the Earth burning under alien rule was his alone to bare, and he would stand by that decision, much like the mantle of Slayer was Buffy's alone to bare. Though Ethan's mention of two Slayers had him more than intrigued, he'd already made a mental note to investigate this further once they returned to Sunnydale, though he doubted Ethan would be as forthcoming with future answers as he had been this evening.
The Antarctic Ice Shelf
Enterprise Saucer Section: Deck Six
Jenny Calendar was feeling so far out of her depth it was unbelievable, leading two soldiers and an alien, a god's honest alien if the military were to be believed, through the corridors of a ship that half of her knew should only exist in the imagination of some Star Trek movie writer somewhere in Hollywood.
She didn't even know where she was, strictly speaking anyway, Doctor Crusher's memories at Starfleet academy were strong enough in her mind that she remembered the lectures given on quantum realities and the dangers that crossing realities brought with them. But was she still in her own reality, or had something even more drastic happened. Without reaching to the outside world she had no clue, only going on what the soldiers so far had told her to be true about the world as they knew it.
As far as she knew, aliens didn't exist in her world, if they did and Earth was at war with them as the soldiers had explained, then the government was keeping it as close of a secret as the Watchers and Slayers had been able to keep the existence of vampires and demons.
For all she knew, this was the Star Trek world, and she'd been pulled in there, though her knowledge of the Star Trek history hadn't been as good prior to waking up aboard the Enterprise, Doctor Crusher's memories didn't include anything about an alien race called the Goa'uld, or this Stargate technology that they apparently had access to.
"Commander!" Major Ferretti called out, breaking her out of her musings as she snapped her eyes back ahead to where she'd been walking on autopilot while thinking about the madness of the situation she'd found herself in. "This doesn't look like it should be here, right?" He asked, pointing his P90 up ahead where the soft greys and lit area of the corridor they had been walking through had changed to a darker black more industrial style corridor, lit with intermittently flashing green lights and black technology that definitely didn't fit in with the rest of the ships interior that they had seen so far.
"Borg!" Major Warren whispered, checking his weapon and disarming the safety quickly. "The Borg are here?" He asked, worry starting to seep into his voice.
"They were on board the ship when… when we were in orbit," Jenny whispered out, backing up behind Major Ferretti and Major Warren as she remembered the Borg banging at the sickbay doors as she tried to evacuate everyone into the Jeffries Tubes. "They'd taken over half the ship, from Engineering up."
"Threat level?" Major Ferretti asked, looking to Major Warren who was flicking his weapon around the dark corridor, using the flashlight on his gun to light up any shadowed areas. "Warren, speak to me here. What are we facing?"
"The Borg?" Major Warren asked, not even taking his eyes off the shadowed corridor for a second. "Threat level, uh, obscene?" He hedged. "I'd rather take on Apophis and his armies with nothing but a knife than be anywhere near them sir."
"OK, backing up," Major Ferretti shook his head, he didn't know what they were facing, but he knew from experience that nothing much fazed Warren, so if he was as scared as he looked, then there was definitely cause for alarm. "These Borg, are our weapons going to be…"
"Nowhere near enough," Major Warren shook his head as he walked backwards, keeping his eye on the darkened corridor and sweeping it with his gun for any movement. "You know that scene in Aliens, the whole 'nuke the site from orbit' speech?" He said softly as they reached a door that opened for them, Major Ferretti gesturing for Commander Calendar to head inside before he followed and covered the corridor for Warren to follow. "Yeah, I'd be giving that speech right now if I wasn't scared out of my pants." He said as he ducked inside the room, Teal'c following last with his staff weapon trained on the corridor up until the last second when the doors closed behind them.
"I am not aware of these Borg." Teal'c said as he watched Commander Calendar and Major Warren back away from the door to a computer panel on the side of the wall, where Commander Calendar typed several commands in quickly before the computer announced 'Upper shuttle bay doors secured. Lower shuttle bay doors secured.'
"Shuttle bay?" Major Ferretti asked, looking around. The area they were in looked to be some sort of control room, with doors on either side that led out onto gangway style walkways that led off to the sides. Moving over to where the control desks were he leaned over, careful not to touch the glass type material that was separating them from the drop below down to another deck area where several shuttle craft were in disarray on the main shuttlebay deck, while more were secured in compartments to the sides of the main deck.
"Ohhkay then," Major Ferretti breathed out. "How many shuttles are we looking at here?" He asked, looking around the large shuttlebay area that stretched out before them.
"I don't know, the standard operations should be to…" Jenny trailed off, moving towards the control panel where Major Ferretti was stood, looking at the LCARS system in amazement, both at how advanced it was, and the fact that thanks to Doctor Crusher's memories, she knew how to use it. "If I just…" She trailed off again, typing a few commands in and bringing up the equipment list. "Ok, here we go. Primary shuttlebay, currently in holding are four type-eight medium to short range shuttles, four type-nine medium to long range, three type-eleven heavy long range ones, and some workerbee pods." She listed off as the computer gave her the information. "Looks like the secondary shuttle bay has a similar contingent but about half the numbers."
"Secondary shuttle bay?" Major Ferretti asked curiously.
"It's on the star drive section," Major Warren explained. "Doubt anything over there will be salvageable." He said sadly.
"Ok, but we've got eleven here right, some of these should be flyable right?" Major Ferretti asked, looking to Major Warren and Commander Calendar.
"The type eleven's are still in dock, it looks like the type eights and the workerbee's took the brunt of the crash." Jenny explained, looking down at the chaos in the shuttle bay below them.
"Ok, what's with this type eleven stuff? It's a shuttle right?" Major Ferretti asked. "Ship to planet sort of stuff right?"
"They use the transporters for that sir," Major Warren said with a smirk. "The type eleven is a warp capable shuttle, the type eight and nine's had warp, but the type eleven was also armed to protect itself. It had four phaser emitters and two micro torpedo launchers built in along with shields, transporters and a warp engine."
"Ohhhkay," Major Ferretti whistled at that information.
"They're based on the Runabout designs first seen in Deep Space Nine but were upgraded for…" Major Warren trailed off as Major Ferretti held up his hand.
"I don't need to know everything Warren, just the important stuff ok?" Major Ferretti said with a small smile. "Like how one of those shuttles would stand up to a Goa'uld ship?"
"Shields, weapons, the torpedoes would give them a run for their money for sure," Major Warren grinned. "Honestly, without comparing the shields and weapons, I couldn't even say how they'd fare against each other."
"Okay, something to speak to the General about," Major Ferretti shrugged. "Teal'c, what do you think?"
"They are small vessels Major Ferretti," Teal'c said after a moment's pause. "I am not familiar enough with this technology to ascertain their threat level."
"Fair enough," Major Ferretti nodded. "Can we open the shuttle bay doors though? Head out that way and meet up with Sands and Casey on the bridge?" He asked, looking at Commander Calendar. "Can you pilot one of those? Get us out and over without heading back out there to meet those Borg things?"
Jenny froze for a moment, the thought of actually piloting a Starfleet shuttle craft was daunting to say the least, but Doctor Crusher's memories told her that she'd done so on plenty of other occasions and was more than capable of flying one of the Class Nine or Class Eleven shuttles. "I can do that." She said after a moment with a nod.
"You think any of those Borg could have survived the crash?" Major Ferretti asked, looking at Major Warren.
"Commander Calendar did," Major Warren nodded. "And The Borg are a lot tougher than humans. Built in cybernetic armour, regenerative shielding, they can even walk around in space on the hull of a ship without breathing equipment."
"Oh this just gets better and better," Major Ferretti breathed out, dragging his hand through his hair. "Any chance of negotiation?"
"You can't negotiate with The Borg Major," Jenny whispered, Doctor Crusher's memories forcing their way to the surface. "Jean Luc… Captain Picard faced them down more than once, they won't give up. If any of them survived the crash, we need to hunt them down."
"With what?" Major Ferretti asked, gesturing to his P90. "I'm guessing these Borg guys aren't going to be fazed by the weapons we've got if they're packing armour from god knows when in the future."
"Shields as well," Major Warren shrugged. "Yeah, we might pick off one or two, but they'd adapt pretty quickly. I doubt even a staff weapon would keep them off for long, once their shields adapted, they'd swarm over the Goa'uld like they were ants."
"I knew this was too good to be true," Major Ferretti groaned to himself. "Right, what do we need to do to get that door open?" He asked, gesturing to the far side of the shuttlebay below where the heavy door was visible in the distance. "We get out there, get Sands and Casey, then radio back in to the SGC and fill them in on what the hell is going on here."
"I've got it," Jenny said, stepping back to the control panel and typing in a few commands, the thought of facing The Borg again with these primitive weapons spurring her on. "Hold on, the shuttlebay has ordinance for away teams, we can get down there and get access through the main security area."
"What sort of ordinance are we talking about here?" Major Ferretti asked curiously.
"Enough for a wide range of away missions," Jenny explained, knowing full well the shuttlebay armoury was stocked for every contingency that could arise in an exploration mission.
"Phasers definitely, phaser rifles, tricorders, protective gear," Major Warren nodded. "If any of The Borg survived, I'd feel a lot better with a phaser rifle than a P90 sir."
"Ok, get those doors open, then we gear up, pack as much as we can into a shuttle, and get the hell out of here." Major Ferretti nodded to everyone. "That sound like a plan to you?" He asked, looking at Commander Calendar.
"I'm as ready to get out of here as you are Major," Jenny said enthusiastically with a nod. The thought of facing The Borg again was not one she relished, knowing full well that the memories she already had of Doctor Crusher's experiences with The Borg would haunt her nightmares for years to come. Continuing to use the control panel for the shuttle bay she easily accessed the door controls, setting the shield on automatically as she opened the doors to keep the ice and snow that she'd been told about outside from invading the shuttlebay.
"Ohkay, that's impressive," Major Ferretti grinned, watching as the large shuttlebay doors retracted upwards into the roof, a gold shimmer replacing the doors where he could see the snow already mounting up and being held in place against the gold shimmer. "Where do we…" He trailed off as he looked back at Commander Calendar who was still working on the control panel, before the sound of a futuristic hum brought his attention back to the main shuttle bay where a large shuttle craft, maybe sixteen or seventeen meters long, and as sleek as the Enterprise E itself must have been, was powering up and moving out of its allotted section on the side of the shuttle bay and slowly hovering down into position on the main shuttlebay deck and rotating to face the now open doors. "We need one of those for the SGC," He grinned over. "Shame the thing wouldn't fit through the 'Gate." He said sadly, mentally looking at the width of the shuttle and comparing it to the Stargate back at the SCG.
"I was thinking the same," Major Warren grinned over.
"Indeed," Teal'c nodded, even he was impressed by the technology being shown here.
"We can get down to the main deck down there," Jenny explained, drawing on Doctor Crusher's memories as she pointed down the left gangway where there was a recess elevator she knew would take them down to the shuttlebay deck below. "I can get into the away team ordinance lockers from there."
"Lead on then Commander," Major Ferretti grinned, gesturing for her to take the lead, and mentally planning out if he could find a way to at least keep some of the weapons she was going to pack up for them. If they packed as much of a punch as Major Warren believed, then they would definitely be welcome at the SGC to teach Apophis' Goa'uld a thing or two.
The White House: Washington DC
"Mr President?" Mrs Landingham asked after knocking on the Oval Office door to announce herself, opening the door to see President Bartlet and CJ Craig talking in the seating area.
"Is he here?" President Bartlet asked, standing up and taking his glasses off with a smile as Mrs Landingham stepped aside to allow the man entry. "John." He smiled, walking over as Lord John Marbury entered the room with a flourish, stepping past Mrs Landingham with a smile and striding over to the seating area, still carrying a briefcase and coat from his trip along with wearing a wrinkled suit that spoke of a long day.
"Mr President," Lord Marbury smiled, reaching out his hand for the last few strides as he made his way towards President Bartlet to shake his hand.
"Thank you for coming John," President Bartlet smiled, shaking his hand before patting him on the shoulder. It had been far too long since they'd seen each other, the last time they had spoken had been before the election when he was Governor of New Hampshire. "John, this is CJ Craig, our Press Secretary." He explained, gesturing to CJ and introducing them properly.
"Lord John Marbury, Earl of Croy, Marquess of Needham and Dolby, Baronet of Brycey, High Commissioner to India. And I am at your pleasure my good lady." Lord John announced, reaching over and bringing CJ's hand up to kiss gently.
"Behave John," President Bartlet smiled good naturedly at him.
"Claudia Jean," CJ said with a smile as she retrieved her hand. "Pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine," Lord John smiled at her. "Now, I take it we have some things to discuss, rather urgent things, or you wouldn't have flown me up here on such short notice."
"You're right there John," President Bartlet nodded, gesturing for him to take a seat in the seating area of the Oval Office before CJ and himself sat down with him. "Can I assume you've been following the news?"
"The Superman incidents shall we say?" Lord John asked, raising an eyebrow. "You mean to say we're actually going to have a serious discussion about Superman in the Oval Office?" He asked, almost in disbelief.
"It wouldn't be the first this weekend," President Bartlet muttered to himself before looking back at Lord Marbury. "I don't know if you're up to date, but Superman was on the news again this afternoon, rescuing a young woman and her child from a burning building in New York."
"Good grief," Lord Marbury exclaimed, fishing out his glasses from his coat pocket before laying it back over the chair next to him. "I had fervently been wishing the reports from the airport the other night had been exaggerated, or the result of some rather unsavoury bourbon the night before." He explained. "You're telling me this Superman is real?"
"As real as it gets," President Bartlet nodded.
"I see," Lord John frowned, breathing in deeply and taking stock of the situation in a more sober fashion. "Well then, tell me Mr President, how can I be of service to you? If it's within my power to give…" He paused, leaning forward to face President Bartlet properly. "You shall have it."
"I want your take on what's going on here," President Bartlet said simply. "I've got the Russian and Chinese ambassadors clambering at the door, the British ambassador, well, I've barely spoken to the man and to be frank, I'd rather be dealing with people I know on this than a new face in the wind."
"Ambassador Clarke," Lord John nodded. "Yes, I know the man. Not very well, a quiet studious type, teetotaller would you believe, quite a boring fellow."
"Only you would count that among his faults," President Bartlet shook his head in amusement. "Do you think Ambassador Clarke would mind you stepping in here? I don't want to step on any protocol you have between you both?"
"Nonsense," Lord John shook his head. "Ambassador Clarke has called me himself several times for advice and introductions, he shouldn't mind this interruption of protocol one bit."
"Well that's good," President Bartlet nodded thoughtfully. "Because this one's a doozey John, and I'd appreciate having someone I can trust on side here."
"Well you have me, but I suppose that will have to do." Lord John said with a wry smile. "Can I assume you have people initiating contact with this… Superman?" He asked, shaking his head in bemusement. "Good grief, do we actually have to call him that?"
"I asked the same thing," President Bartlet chuckled. "I doesn't get any easier no matter how many times you say it." He explained with a nod. "But yes, we have a group meeting with Superman, they approached him yesterday after his initial appearance in New York, and have been with him since then."
"I see," Lord John nodded. "Military or civilian?"
"Both," President Bartlet nodded. "Toby Ziegler, my Communications Director, is down there with them now speaking to him."
"And the military?" Lord Marbury asked curiously.
"The military got there earlier, they've been keeping tabs on him this weekend." President Bartlet explained.
"I see," Lord John nodded. "And, am I to take it, given that we are using the name Superman here as a title, that this man is exhibiting the same… good grief, powers and abilities, as the character in these funny books?"
"The comics, yes." President Bartlet nodded, guesting for CJ to take over.
"We've had confirmed reports of his strength, speed, invulnerability, and visual proof of flight now." CJ explained, running down the notes that she had taken while being filled in by Toby when he checked in from Andrews Air Force Base.
"And these powers are…" Lord John trailed off as CJ nodded.
"Documented by an Air Force scientist, empirical evidence will be available soon, but for now we have news footage that was recorded live of him exhibiting flight. The strength and speed levels we just have what Toby informed us of." CJ explained.
"And these levels are?" Lord John asked curiously.
"Obscene," President Bartlet answered for CJ. "Invulnerable to the point that needles and scalpels do as much damage to his skin as thin air. Strong enough to juggle armoured vehicles like they were plastic balls, and fast enough to… Well, faster than a speeding bullet will do for now."
"I see," Lord John nodded, taking off his glasses in shock. "Well, that does paint rather the colourful image of this individual doesn't it?" He said, pausing for a moment before leaning back in the chair. "I can assume the Russian and Chinese ambassadors are asking the same thing, so let me come right out with it. What do you plan on doing with this Superman?"
"They haven't asked that bluntly, but the question has been there." President Bartlet admitted.
"Yes, and you can see why." Lord John explained. "America is the lone super power nation left on this planet, and now you have an actual Superman to back up the name. With a military contingent taking care of him, it's understandable that the other nations are getting anxious about what could be happening."
"It's crossed our minds too," President Bartlet nodded in agreement. "I won't lie to you John, the idea of putting Superman on our payroll has been bounced around a few times."
"I fervently hope that will not be the only idea that you colonials have come up with," Lord John sighed. "The very idea of a militaristic Superman, the nightmares would never end."
"I'm sure the Russian and Chinese think the same," President Bartlet nodded in agreement. "The Russian's say they're willing to counter our offer, if we make one."
"Oh good god, a Russian Superman," Lord John sighed, taking off his glasses. "That must never be allowed to happen. This, this being, if he's as powerful as you think he is, then it could be the start of another Cold War."
"My staff and I agree with you there," President Bartlet nodded. "I've invited Doctor Elizabeth Weir to come and help mediate things in an official meeting tomorrow. I'll clear things with the British Ambassador if you'd rather…"
"No, no, I'll speak to Ambassador Clarke," Lord John shook his head. "It would be frightfully impolite of me to barge in like this without announcing myself to him first." He explained. "Doctor Weir, I know that name don't I?"
"She brokered treaties with the UN during the Indo-Pakistani conflict last year." President Bartlet explained.
"Ahh yes, lovely young woman," Lord John smiled as the name clicked into place with a face. "Fascinating, I remember meeting her once, blonde woman, then a week later brunette. Completely mistook her for an ex-wife, dreadfully embarrassing for her."
"I'll bet," President Bartlet chuckled. "Look John, this weekend has been hectic for all of us, there's more going on here than we've spoken about today. Which is why I've asked CJ to be here with us for this meeting."
"I did rather wonder why you had your Press Secretary here with us, not that you aren't delightful scenery to brighten up any room," Lord John smiled over at her. "I would have thought such deliberations would have been more suited to your private meetings."
"Normally yes," President Bartlet nodded. "But this weekend has had a few more surprises than we'd like to admit, so we're working a bit more of an unorthodox structure than we're used to." He explained.
"I see," Lord John nodded. "Am I to be privy to these surprises as well?"
"I've got a feeling Leo's going to hate me for this, but I'd rather gauge your reactions to this before laying it out for everyone." President Bartlet explained. "You've got to understand John, things we're talking about here are the stepping stones to changing the world, in larger ways than you can imagine right now."
"You're tone indicates that these Superman incidents are not all they seem to be," Lord John asked with a frown. "Leaving off the discussion of his origins, which I'm sure will be spoken of at great length tomorrow with the other Ambassador's, what else could surprise me more than a flying man in a blue lycra suit?"
"You'll be wishing you hadn't asked that," President Bartlet said with a frown as he stood up, walking to the side door and opening it. "You can come in now." He asked, leaving the door open as he moved back to the main seating area.
Lord John Marbury stood up automatically as two people entered the room, one dressed in a normal suit like he was, the other an obviously well decorated military officer.
"Lord John Marbury, this is Admiral Percy Fitzwallace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff." President Bartlet explained. "And you know Leo McGarry, our Chief of Staff."
"Pleasure to meet you both," Lord Marbury stood up, offering his hand to Admiral Fitzwallace first and shaking it before looking at Leo and shaking his hand. "I rather think the call of your Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has put this meeting in a category of its own."
"You could say that," President Bartlet nodded, gesturing for everyone to take their seats. "I've been in contact with our Ambassador to Great Britain this afternoon, and through him to your Parliament and Navy. While I can't speculate on what they're not telling me, they have confirmed some of what we already know."
"Very well, and the Royal Navy confirmed what precisely?" Lord John asked curiously.
"Admiral Fitzwallace?" President Bartlet asked, gesturing for him to continue on.
"At approximately one thirty am on the first of November, a large craft of unknown origin entered our atmosphere in a decaying orbit." Admiral Fitzwallace said matter of factly.
"The ship crashed John," President Bartlet said simply. "A spaceship crashed on earth the night before last."
"Good grief," Lord John exclaimed in shock. "You mean… you're telling me, an actual alien space craft crashed on this planet?" He asked. "I'm seeing the looks on your faces here, and I'm guessing there's more to the story."
"Much more," President Bartlet nodded. "I'm bringing you in on this because the British have always stood by us on international problems, and I've spoken with the Joint Chiefs about what I'm thinking of doing, and gauging your reaction is important to me."
"I see," Lord John frowned, looking around he could see Admiral Fitzwallace, Leo McGarry, and even CJ watching him as carefully as The President was. "Very well, then test subject for your news I shall be. Continue by all means."
"The Royal Navy are sending over one…" Admiral Fitzwallace paused, looking at his paperwork for a minute before looking back up at Lord John. "Vice Admiral Sir Philip Johns, Fleet Commander to the Royal Navy."
"Yes, I know of him." Lord John said with a nod, the serious nature of this meeting now sinking in further than the light hearted start.
"He'll be here tomorrow for another set of negotiations," President Bartlet explained. "I can't tell you everything John, not yet, but if this goes ahead, Great Britain will be joining the United States in a joint endeavour that will change the world forever."
"And this has to do with the alien vessel that came down some nights ago?" Lord John asked and continued on when President Bartlet nodded in confirmation.
"John, you're here because you're a friend, a trusted ally." President Bartlet explained. "You've helped us out a dozen times in the past, more, and I want you to be in on this from the word go."
"And this is why you have brought me in instead of our official Ambassador?" Lord John frowned, wondering if he had read the situation entirely wrong. "Very well, we already have discussed an alien flying around in a blue suit and cape, and a crashed alien vessel, both indicators of intelligent life elsewhere in this galaxy, something Superman alone will bring to the attention of your media I am of no doubt."
"We'll be discussing that tomorrow with the Ambassadors," President Bartlet nodded firmly. "We're talking about something much larger here."
"Larger than the confirmed existence of alien life?" Lord John shook his head in bemusement. "Very well, assail me with this larger news then." He announced, looking down in surprise when Admiral Fitzwallace handed over a photo to him. "What is this…" He trailed off, putting his glasses back on and peering closely at the photo that had been handed to him. "Good grief, is this…"
"It's real," President Bartlet nodded, looking at Leo and Admiral Fitzwallace to confirm it as well.
"I wish it wasn't, but there it is." Leo nodded, gesturing to the photo.
"One of our keyhole satellites was retasked over Antarctica this afternoon." Admiral Fitzwallace explained. "These are the photos it sent back." He said, handing over several other photos, each showing the crash site in Antarctica in more detail.
"You mean… Sorry, this is just a bit, well, I don't actually have the words Mr President." Lord John stammered out. "Am I to believe that the spaceship that crashed some nights ago, was one from a TV series?"
"At the moment, we're just thankful it wasn't a little blue box," Leo added offhand, then held his hands up apologetically as President Bartlet glared at him softly.
"That's the theory we're working under." President Bartlet nodded, ignoring Leo's comment. "As you can see from the photos, it took a heavy beating coming down like that. But the structure of the main saucer section is intact, and there's a survivor."
"This… this is all a bit much," Lord John said softly. "Excuse me, may I?" He gestured as he stood up, moving to pace around the room. "Very well, given these two incidents are real, I'm lead to believe there is some connection between the appearance of Superman, one fictional character, and this spaceship, from another fictional series?"
"We're assuming so, but we haven't been able to corroborate anything so far." President Bartlet nodded in agreement. "It seems a bit much that we have two fictional arrivals at the same time without a connection of any sort. Though from our interactions, Superman claims to have no knowledge of this ship."
"You told him of it?" Lord John asked.
"No," Leo shook his head. "We kept our questions vague, so far the team dealing with Superman has very little knowledge of the ship or the exploration of the vessel."
"Exploration?" Lord John paused, leaning down on the back of the chair with his hands. "Oh good grief, yes, you said there was a survivor didn't you."
"Commander Jenny Calendar, as reported by our team on the Antarctic shelf." Admiral Fitzwallace explained.
"And this… this is what you wish to broker with Vice Admiral Johns? A mutual exploration and recovery of this vessel?" Lord John asked, suddenly them bringing in a contact with the Royal Navy made much more sense. Even the Americans couldn't hope to recover a ship of this size that had crashed on internationally protected ground without being noticed.
"In part," President Bartlet nodded. "There's more, much more, but I needed to see your reaction to the tip of the ice burg."
"I see," Lord John nodded. "Very well, you shall have it." He paused, making his way back to his seat and sitting down. "The Royal Navy won't hesitate to join you in this venture, if, as you say, they already have knowledge of the crash, then it's a safe bet that the rest of the nations do as well."
"We've already considered the Russian and Chinese," President Bartlet nodded. "The Russians have agreed to hold away for the moment, the Chinese haven't confirmed or denied their own investigation."
"I'm impressed you managed to convince the Russians to stay away," Lord John nodded thoughtfully. "Tell me, the technology on this starship, it must obviously be far ahead of anything else we have on this planet."
"So they tell me," President Bartlet nodded. "Shield technology, sensors, I don't know the fictional counterpart well enough to judge for myself, but from what I'm told, slivers of the technology that's been handed to us could change the planet forever."
"Yes, yes, all well I'm good I'm sure." Lord John shook his head. "This technology, frightfully advanced I'm sure, have you thought about the damages it could do to the world around us? I won't pretend to be aware of what technologies we're speaking about here, but given the nature of their unknown origins, I would believe caution would be the better part of valour."
"Exactly," President Bartlet nodded in agreement. "John, we're walking around on eggshells here because half of this I want you to know and have your opinion on, the other half I need to tell you but need the others here with you." He explained in exasperation. "Contact Ambassador Clarke, once we have word that you are here officially by Great Britain, we'll bring you in the rest of the way."
"Very well," Lord John nodded curtly.
"I can tell you this John," President Bartlet said as he stood up, the rest of the room standing with him. "Tomorrow's meetings, you won't forget them."
"I have no doubt," Lord John nodded. "Very well, I shall adjourn for now and make the requested calls. You wish for me to attend both meetings tomorrow on official capacity I take it?"
"If you would," President Bartlet nodded. "We have the Ambassadors and Doctor Weir for the morning, then a second meeting with Vice Admiral Johns and some of my own military advisors. Trust me John, tomorrow will be a day you won't forget."
"I already have that inkling," Lord John nodded. "Very well, I shall make my arrangements and return here in the morning." He said, collecting his things together. "One last thing, am I to assume that you are planning on bringing this Superman of yours to the White House at some point?"
"It's been talked about," President Bartlet admitted. "We haven't spoken directly with him about it, but it's on the cards."
"Yes yes, of course," Lord John nodded. "Very well, if you do so, I would very much like the chance to meet with him."
"I'm sure all the ambassadors will be clambering for time with him," President Bartlet nodded. "But I'll see what we can arrange."
"Good, good, very well." Lord John smiled. "Well, I shall leave you to your discussions then. For what I'm sure will be a very educational day tomorrow, if only for the distinct pleasure of witnessing you inform Vice Admiral Johns that you have a spaceship from a fictional series on television, and you wish for his help in recovering it." He smiled, letting out a bark of laughter as he imagined it before holding his hand out. "Mr President."
"Lord Marbury," President Bartlet took the offered hand and smiled. "Thanks for coming John, I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he led Lord Marbury over to the door leading out of the Oval Office to the secretarial area and closed the door behind him.