DR: Since these next few parts are kinda sort, I've put them all in one chapter. Enjoy!
'Now this is why we came' Willow thought, as she lazed in the sun, stretched out face down on a towel, soaking up the sun. 'Lazing in the sun, without a care in the world…'
From her position Willow was able to look along most of the length of the beach. She watched the swarm of people frolicking in the surf, playing games or like her stretched out enjoying the clear blue sky and warm sun. The sound of children laughing was music to her ears, which for so long had only really heard the terrible sounds of evil.
Turning her head, Willow was able to see Buffy alongside her. Buffy too was lying on a towel, but was instead face up. As she had predicted, Buffy's old bathing suit had been far too small, even for her skinny frame. So they had brought her a new one. Buffy had finally settled on a modest black bikini, the most decent of those for sale. It made, along with her sunglasses, a stark contrast to her pale skin. Too pale, really. Buffy's role as a vampire slayer meant that she spent most of her time out at night, and rarely got a chance to get a proper tan.
Black was quite appropriate, considering her thoughts lately. Willow had tried to persuade her not to go for a black outfit, but she had to agree, anything else would have been far to revelling for her tastes. Still, since that brief point up in the hotel, Buffy hadn't yet slipped into one of her dark moods. And for that Willow was grateful, as she turned her head again to look out to sea, and watched the progress of a small boat head towards the small tourist pier, with two men and a blond woman wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit on it.
Suddenly Willow felt a chill run though her, completely at odds with the environment. 'Whoa, where did that come from?' Quickly Willow raised her internal 'Wichen perceptions' as she called them. She had dropped them during the flight, when they kept going off. After she had checked each source, she had realised that her senses were now so acute that they picked up things that in no way were paranormal. To avoid any panics, and to allow Buffy to fully relax, she had damped down. But to set off the 'passive set'…
Quickly she swept all around her. Aside from the normal variations caused by normal people, she sensed over a dozen spikes within the city, half of which were… odd. She couldn't put her finger on why. Also she felt three signals, much closer. Letting her eyes follow her senses, she was surprised to find herself staring at the same small boat, now tied up at the pier. No, it was the people who were stepping off…
"What's wrong, Will?" Willow started at Buffy's voice. Only now did she realise that she had sat up. Buff had raised her glasses to look at her.
"I don't know… something." Was Willows non-committal reply, never taking her eyes off the three adults walking along the pier towards the shore.
Buffy followed her friends' line of sight. "About those three? Trouble?"
"No." Willow shook her head. "They're normal, mortal, though one…" She was truly puzzled. She had never felt anything like this before. The closest would have to be something like a remnant of demonic possession, but without the inherent evil intent, like she sometimes picked up from Zander.
"What ever it is," she began. "I get the oddest feeling we'll be see them again, soon." As the trio she had been following passed in front of the nearby cliff, Willow gasped. Her whole body felt cold, as if in a blizzard.
Buffy was at her side in an instant. "What is it, what's wrong?" Willows new powers were a complete mystery to Buffy, and to be honest, made Buffy feel that bit jealous, and afraid. But till now, they had always been helpful, and under control.
"I missed something…" Willows voice was a whisper. "I didn't pick it up at first, but…" She slowly raised a hand to point shaking finger at the cliff, and the estate that was visible above. "There, within the cliff. There's a… a great evil in there. Lurking, planning… something terrible. And … I can feel…" She gasped again, struck by the raw emotion she had touched. "Pain. Great, terrible excruciating pain. The pain of a living, intelligent being…" Willows eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed.
" Willow!" Buffy cried out, before she quickly scooped up her friend, towel and all, before rushing her off the beach.
x x x x x x
Indy and Lara continued to chat about many topics, till Indy looked up and spotted him walk in. "He's here. I best go meet him."
Lara turned her head round to see. There was Doctor Alan Grant, just like he had been depicted in all the newspaper articles and magazines. Weather beaten, almost dusty, his dark fandora-style hat and pale blue shirt stood out from the rest of the crowd like a fire on a dark hillside.
Indy quickly walked over and held out his hand. "Dr Grant? Hi, I'm Dr Jones, archaeologist."
"Alan Grant, palaeontologist." Grant shook Indy's hand warmly, a slight smile on his face.
"Thank you for taking the time to meet me. I know how important your work is."
"No, I should be the one thanking you, though I have to admit I curious. We don't get many archaeologists wishing to transfer over." Grant nodded towards the chairs. "Can we sit down? I've been at my dig all morning, and unfortunately my budget didn't reach to cover comfortable transport."
"Of course." Indy led Grant over to where he had been sitting with Lara. Grant gave Lara the once over.
"This your daughter, Dr Jones?" He asked.
Lara and Indy both smiled amusingly at each other. "No, she's only a friend. Dr Grant, may I introduce Lady Croft."
Alan Grant was halfway though sitting down when Indy dropped that bombshell. He looked up again, his jaw slightly open.
"Croft? As in Lord Croft?"
"Yes, he was my father. The name's Lara."
Grant's eyes were round. "The Lara Croft that's been know to the papers as the 'Tomb Raider'?"
Lara just smiled happily. "Good to see that you keep up with the papers, despite your digging."
"I've found that it's prudent to keep an eye one things." Grant replied, finally sitting down. As he removed his hat, Lara took in his face. Under all the dirt and dust, there was a ruggedly handsome face, with clear, wise eyes. His brown hair was blenched by the sun, and the crows feet at the corners of his eyes were indicative of a life spent outdoors.
"So, Dr Jones, I'd like to know why you've decided to switch disciplines. Dr Clarkson already mentioned that you had been out of the loop for a few years, and that you felt that getting back in would not be worth it. May I ask why?"
Indy sat back, figuring out how explain. "Well, I had always been a little 'controversial', at least according to some of my colleagues. After a theory of mine was disproved, I kind of took it hard. Things were also a little rough in my personal life, so I took some time out to sort it out. Only now I've been left behind by all the recent advances in the field, and I'm feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Also my name is a little tarnished in the profession, so I thought a change would be as good as a break." He looked over at Lara, a wry grin crossing his face. "Besides, Lara seems to have taken the position I used to fill, and I would never think about displacing the daughter of a Lord."
"Okay, that's good enough." Was Alan's response, but on the inside Alan was thinking hard. Although he specialised in palaeontology, he kept an eye on the other disciplines, and he couldn't remember hearing anything that fitted with Dr Jones's story. In fact, the last crazy thing he'd heard about was Dr Daniel Jackson's weird ideas about the great pyramids. Jackson had not been heard from since, which did have Alan worried.
"Dr Clarkson also said that you have experience with kids…"
"Yes. I used to teach at collage when I wasn't out on digs." Indy explained.
"So you know how to relate to kids then?"
"Well, I mostly dealt with mid to late teens, really, but then isn't that what you mainly have?"
"That's about right." Alan Grant was now becoming more confused. Someone like this should never have been let go. Also he could not think of any person that fitted. This Dr Jones, collage professor and archaeologist… Sudden a thought struck him.
'No, it couldn't be. He'd be over eighty, and this guys no more than my age.'
And yet, the face fitted the descriptions he had heard, and the way 'Dr Jones' spoke, was like some of the old war movies…
'Could it be him?'
Alan Grant looked Indy in the eye. "Who are you? Really?"
Indy sighed, glanced down, then back up. "My father officially called me Junior, after him. But I made a name for myself as Indiana."
For the second time that afternoon, Dr Alan Grant felt his jaw drop. " Indiana Jones!"
Lara couldn't help but laugh. "Believe me Doctor, I was as surprised as you are when I first met him."
Grant struggled to find his voice. "H… How?"
"It's… a long story" Indy replied. "One I'd rather not go into right now." He took a swig from his drink, more to cover the lump in his throat than anything else. "So, will you take me on? As a colleague?"
"Of course! I need all the experienced people I can get." Grant chuckled. "Though you have to understand, it's going to be nothing like your past exploits."
"That's the point Dr Grant, that's the whole point."
x x x x x x
007 leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes before taking a sip from his vodka-martini. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he had been staring at his notes for several hours.
'Christ, where'd the time go?'
After checking into his hotel room, Bond had wandered the streets, poking around, looking for anything that could give him a clue about what was going on here. It hadn't been hard to locate an obvious suspect. He'd seen several preachers of the new cult that lived within a walled estate on the coast.
He'd managed to get a look at the cliff face below the estate, but getting a look inside would be difficult. The high walls and solid gate were no obstacle, but Bond had spotted the guard tower within the trees. He suspected that there would be more.
Bond was also concerned about what the 'preachers' had been putting forth. True they weren't getting any real attention, but he'd seen the looks the local people threw the guards each preacher had. A quick review of back issues of the local papers had thrown up a number of troubling questions. Following his nose, like so many times before, Bond knew that the local police were afraid of the cult, which though strong arm tactics was gaining power every day, while each day there was a small trickle of new 'Followers' going in, but fewer coming out.
Getting up to stretch his legs, Bond watched as the sun began to sink down towards the horizon. He knew that he'd get no more answers here, or anywhere else in the city. All the answers were in that estate. Tonight, Bond intended to find them.
DR: Well, that's it for now. People, please review, or I might not finish this!