Million Miles from Yesterday
Chapter Nine

Officially it was called operational security. Riley and his team had other names for it. Not that any of them kept him from feeling stupid. Standing under an incredibly bright spotlight while the rest of the room was in shadow did that to you.

The thing was his unit didn't officially exist and they often went in places that were not always friendly to the US. Especially not if they were trespassing. Getting permission for a non-existent, extremely covert and very heavily armed group was all but impossible. With his superiors nothing but shadows in the dark he couldn't reveal anything if they were discovered, captured and interrogated.

Didn't stop Riley feeling like a bad extra in a cheep 80's Bond flick.

All but blind he was forced to stand at attention and wait. He could just about make out the hushed whispers of whoever it was that gave him his orders. Riley wasn't sure if it was just to keep him off balance, or not, but he didn't like it.

The whispers finally stopped. From his right someone called his name and rank. 'Major Finn. Step forward.'

They sounded old, well educated and not just a little conservative. Riley did as he was ordered and the light followed him. 'Stop.' They snapped and Riley did as he was told. 'Major Finn, you are familiar with Sunnydale. You have heard the reports on the current situation there.'

It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway.

'Good.' Another voice, this one very much the same coming from right in front of him. 'During the events last year you lead a team of insurgents into our research facility in Sunnydale.'

'Negative sir.' Riley still stood at attention. Staring straight ahead, despite every instinct telling him to try and look the speaker in the face. 'I was captured by Adam, Director Walsh's creation, and taken into a secret lab attached to the facility. The lab was built for the advancement of what was know as the Three-Fourteen Project. The insurgents, as you call them, were already aware of Adam's plans. They broke in to stop them, saving the lives of many soldiers and technicians in the process.'

'Yes, we read the report Major and have seen your original debriefing.' The first voice interrupted him. 'Needless to say there has been some re-evaluation of the events, as reported.'

Riley tried to keep a poker face at that, despite the uncomfortable feeling it set off in his gut. He hadn't recognised the voices of the two that were speaking so far, which meant they weren't at that debriefing and had come to their own conclusions.

'Whatever the truth the current situation is of concern now.' A third voice, a woman's, spoke up. 'The civilians, whatever their goals were at the time, can you assure us they understand the penalty of sharing classified information?'

'Yes ma'm, I can. They know how to keep a secret.' Riley told them. After the disaster that was The Initiative was over Buffy and the gang had been all but forced to sign non-disclosure acts. With the possibility of jail not so subtlety hinted at they had reluctantly agreed.

'Perhaps you don't understand. Officers of the United States Airforce, who have in no way been briefed on the activities of this group, have taken control of the town.' The second voice reminded him needlessly. 'If they were to find out about our previous operations it is a very short chain of command back to the President. Should he, the Joint Chiefs, or influential members of the senate hear about our existence the consequences will be very real.'

'Sir.' Riley understood. It wasn't like a top secret division of the government dedicated to the hunting of demons could be seen to exist. They were so far off the books it wasn't funny.

'So you understand when I say we want you to be absolutely sure that they will not reveal our previous involvement in that god-forsaken place.'

Riley nodded sharply. 'I am positive they will not say anything.'

'Good, good. You and your men will receive your orders within the hour.' The woman announced.

'Sirs, Ma'm. We're being deployed to Sunnydale?' Riley asked quickly.

There was a dangerous pause. 'No.' Said the first voice eventually. 'We feel that would be, unwise at this time.'

'Then I can assume Sanctuary is an option.' Riley said before he could stop himself.

Another pause, this one was longer. 'Yes, you can. Do you have a problem with that Major.' The woman asked.

Riley was lost for words. 'There are civilians, tens of thousands of people in that town. Members of our own military…'

'Which is why Sanctuary has not been enacted yet.' The second voice told him. 'We are monitoring the situation and will only be necessary should the need arise. That is all Major.'

He heard them stand and leave, after a moment the spotlight died and he was left alone in the dark.

Xander was running out of believable lies. Which wasn't really a surprise. In Sunnydale, land of denial, as long as you came up with a half-way reasonable explanation people bought it. More than willing to fill in the blanks in whatever story you tried to tell.

You could explain away magic, androids, demons, and even rogue hell-gods without much effort. Sunnydale, land of denial.

Problem was these Airforce people didn't come from Sunnydale. Wherever it was they were a lot more suspicious and a lot more competent. The guy was a giant book nerd, so big Giles had even heard about him, and he was almost too interested in the books Anya was trying to dig through.

He was worried, so trying to distract the other one he'd asked them to help in the basement. It wasn't like anyone had told him that's where they stashed the Buffy-Bot and, naturally, it turned out the blonde Major was a scientist. Poking about the machine like a Willow and it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. Muttering words with way too many syllables as she peeled back parts.

Xander was struggling to come up with some way to get control of the situation when he heard what had to be gunfire outside. From his faded halloween memories he recognised whoever it was were firing in short bursts. Quickly both the Major and Dr Jackson were on their feet. Jackson had a sidearm in his hand and dashed for the window as Carter made for the door.

Xander had other things to worry about and threw himself across the shop, tackling Anya to the ground. 'What, what are you doing?' she tried to push him off.

'Stay down.' He told her and scrambled to the backdoor. Glancing over his shoulder he saw the two Airforce guys leave the shop. Covering each other professionally. In the training room Xander pulled himself back up and grabbed the crossbow nearby He didn't have Slayer strength and needed the lever to cock it, but years fighting side by side with Buffy he knew what he was doing.

Grabbing a quiver and hooking it to his belt he ran back into the shop proper, just in time to see the Major and Dr Jackson return. Between them they were half carrying, half dragging another guy in combat fatigues. It looked like he'd been hit with a car or something. They were unconscious. The Major was still firing, at first Xander couldn't see what at.

Then one of Glory's minions burst through the window. The Major spun and fired. Killing them, but taking her attention away from the door. Another minion tried to come in that way.

Xander didn't have time to think. On instinct he pulled up and fired the crossbow. It flew across the room, arcing over the Major. The bolt caught the demon in the head, knocking it off it's feet and back through the door. Xander managed to re-cock and reload but by then it was over and there weren't anymore minions to shoot.

'Close it!' Xander barked and Dr Jackson got his shoulder behind the jam Locking the door. Anya ran across the room and hit the switch behind the counter. The shutters came down over the window with a loud clatter. Given the life expectancy of Magic Store owners in Sunnydale no one had made any jokes when Giles had them installed.

'Any other ways in here?'

'Back and side door.' Anya told the Major. 'The shutters come down over them too.' she said, reaching under the table and pulling out a large battle-axe. 'But they could have still gotten in.' She looked to the door behind the counter.

'I'll check the back.' Dr Jackson offered as Xander covered Anya. The ex-demon opened the door as he pointed the crossbow. Only he wasn't fast enough. Another of Glory's half-rotten servants leapt out and knocked the crossbow to one side.

Xander was knocked back into the counter, wrestling with the sword welding demon. Anya slammed the door shut and brought her axe up and then down between the demon's shoulders. Xander pushed himself free as Anya tore the axe out.

'Thanks.' He grinned and Anya smirked back. After catching his breath the two of them opened the door again, but there weren't any more surprises. Xander checked the shutter, it looked good. They must have gotten in before it came down.

Back on the Shop floor again he saw that the Major had gotten their friend to a chair and was checking him over. Their friend was still out, a nasty looking cut over their head and Xander had enough experience with broken arms to know that they had one.

Dr Jackson came out from the back. 'We're good. No one got in that way.' He said, hefting a machete he must have picked up in there. 'You do know that place is set up like a training dojo, with about a ton of medieval weapons like this one.'

Xander patted his Crossbow, 'Really?'

It was about then the Major lost her temper. 'What is going on here! Magic books! Robots and now ancient weapons! Just what the hell is going on?' She shouted.

'You know what, we're trying to save your lives here. Not to mention the entire multiverse.' Anya snapped back.

'Ahn!'

'No Xander, all of existence is in danger here! If Glory uses Dawn and it works everything goes boom. We don't have time for any of this lying and sneaking around.'

She had a point. 'What do you mean?' Asked Dr Jackson.

Xander shrugged. 'Truth is Glory doesn't just think she's a God. The whole nine yards. Thing is she was banished and now she want's to get back home. Dawn's special and if Glory does whatever she's going to do she won't just find a way back to the hell dimension she came from. She'll tear down every wall between every possible world.'

'That's not…'

'That is possible.' Anya interrupted. 'If we don't hurry existence as you know it will cease to be.'

'Sam!' Dr Jackson interrupted the Major before she could object. He looked to the two of them, 'Its not that we don't believe you. We believe you believe it's possible, but it is kind of a big thing to accept.' He finished lamely.

'You're talking about a cascading collapse of all the natural laws that govern our reality.' the Major said. 'That's not possible.' She insisted. 'I'm far more likely to believe magic is real before I can accept that.'

'Well Ahn, we're in a magic shop.' Xander turned to his girlfriend. 'Think we can prove it to them?'

Spike looked around the Town Hall. Years ago, when he was a force in this town, he'd first heard the rumours. Don't cross the Mayor. He hadn't really bothered about it, but the old Sunnydale mob swore it was a bad idea.

At first trying to heal Dru, then dealing with the return of Angelus while trying to recover himself, he hadn't done anything about it. Still, he heard the stories since. About how the wanker was some sort of sorcerer and tried to become a huge demon snake thing and Buffy blew him up, along with the school at her graduation.

The girl was nothing if not creative.

That didn't mean he liked it, or that he liked hanging round the grey haired yank with the gun. He was only doing so because he wanted a chat with the guy in charge.

He was heavy, but Spike could tell it wasn't by choice. The man was in shape once, but time trapped behind the desk had changed that. Vampires didn't put on weight like mortals, they didn't eat for one. Blood gave them energy, sure. Energy they needed to survive, but it didn't become fat. Even if you didn't use it right away.

He was also bald, but Spike could still tell he was Buffy's grandfather. The one he'd been following gave a lazy looking salute, even for an American, and handed the two photos he'd taken from the Slayer's home. Spike was sure he was going to catch hell over that one. He'd half expected Buffy to find out someway, jump to her feet and have come after them already. 'Sir, I picked up these along the way. Thought we'd need some photo ID for the teams out there.'

Joyce's Father looked at it for a moment 'Good idea, Jack. Sergeant, I want copies of this made and distributed to our search teams. The little girl's been kidnapped by what we think is patient zero for this outbreak, of whatever it is.'

The man he was talking to took the photo and headed to do something with it. Spike shook his head. 'Oi, mate!' he called after them. 'Don't, hah hell, if someone does find her tell them to run! They're no match for Glory. Tell them to leg it if they see her and call it in.'

The Sergeant looked back and forth at him and the old man. 'Sir?'

He mulled it over before turning to Spike's new friend. 'Jack?'

Spike sighed. 'You saw what happened outside the petrol station. That was all just her.'

Jack let out a long whistle. 'Better safe than sorry. You heard the man.'

'Yes Sir.'

After the Sergeant had left Jack asked; 'If this Glory is so bad, why you come with us on that raid?'

Spike smirked, he was wondering how long it would take for one of them to ask that. 'Giles tried to convince you not to go. I was just looking for a distraction. I thought it would take her time to mash you lot into paste, enough time to grab the Niblet and run.'

Jack looked at his boss and then back to him. 'So we were the sacrificial lambs.'

Spike shrugged back.

Another guy turned up and Spike was on his guard. They were dressed weird, like he'd just come from the desert or something, but that wasn't the problem. There was a scent. A smell he couldn't place. All these people smelt strange, but this one was more than others.

There were all sorts of different smells, the thing it most reminded Spike of was someone that travelled. Visited lots of different places, but there was something else. Something not human there. It wasn't demon, but really not human. It had him on edge.

'This place is a joke!' the new guy half shouted. 'Who was running it, the three stooges?'

'You've got me.' the General shrugged.

Spike glared at the no smoking sign, wondering if it was worth lighting up just for the hell of it. 'Say what you want; the Old Mayor might have tried to eat people, but he knew how to run this place. These morons couldn't get a piss-up in a brewery right.'

There was an uncomfortable pause. 'The Old Mayor ate people?' Jack asked, as if he didn't quite believe what he was saying.

Spike rummaged in his pockets, looking for his smokes. 'I wasn't there at the time. Word is he was planning to when the high school blew up.'

'The high school blew up?' The new guy asked sharply. 'You know about this George?'

'Someone might have mentioned it. Some sort of gas leak they said.' Buffy's grandfather explained. Spike snorted sharply. 'I take it you heard differently?' he asked.

'Might have been a gas leak. After Buffy and the others filled the place with high explosives to blow up that giant snake.' He gave up his search, fairly sure he'd already burnt through his last cigg anyway. 'You wankers haven't a clue have you? and I'm just wasting my time. Look, the only reason I'm here is I wanted to make sure you got a message.' He said seriously to the General guy. 'Buffy's your blood, but you walked out on Joyce. When all this is over and if we're not all dead you want to get to know her, great. If you hurt her or Dawnie, get all family like before leaving her and the 'bit you'll regret it.'

The man blinked at that. 'Are you threatening me son?'

'No, I'm telling you like it is. Now you lot can sit here and play twenty bloody questions, but I'm going to find the girl and get her home. I'm betting I do that and it'll wake Buffy up and we can get back to saving the sodding world.' With that Spike turned and left. Easily outpacing the three stunned officers and making it outside before running off at full speed into the town.

Teal'c stood over the two girls. Buffy Summers was in the same unresponsive state she'd been in since they'd met her and her friends. Willow Rosenberg had been reading a large, ancient appearing, book earlier but was currently sitting cross legged in front of her friend.

To Teal'c she appeared to be meditating in what looked very much like Kelno'reem. He had seen many priests, back in the temple, practice the same way. To his side the door opened and in walked Doctor Fraiser. She looked rushed and under pressure, but still professional.

He understood that this sort of situation was her equivalent of a battlefield. While unknown to him she was the battle-master in this strange form of conflict. The enemy too small to see but powerful enough to strike down the mightiest of warriors. He respected her dedication and prowess, but in this conflict he could see she was losing.

The enemy was unknown. Striking down indiscriminately the young and old alike. If it was indeed a new weapon of the false gods it was a terrible one. The idea of losing his mind, being reduced to a blubbering fool, chilled his blood.

'Any change?' Doctor Fraiser asked him.

'There has been none Doctor Fraiser. Buffy Summers is still unresponsive, Willow Rosenberg has indeed entered a trance like state.'

Doctor Fraiser raised an eyebrow skeptically. As she reached for her penlight, he held her back. 'Teal'c, I have to check her responses.' she protested.

'We must wait another ten minutes, as Willow Rosenberg requested.'

'Teal'c if she is infected that means the pathogen is now most likely airborne...'

He shook his head slowly. 'I do not believe that is the case. I believe O'Neill's reasoning to be correct. I too have seen those that are in extreme grief react in this way. Buffy Summers has lost her mother and now her sister has been taken by a false god. She has lost so much that her mind has retreated.'

'That doesn't explain Rosenberg, does it.' Doctor Frasier pointed out.

Teal'c nodded. 'Many years ago Priests on Chulak and elsewhere would practice advanced forms of Kelno'reem. They became adept at this they could reach a state of meditation where they could...' he struggled for a moment with the metaphor. 'The closest description I can manage is to walk in the shadows between the light. A world of shadows. It is said that a few could leave their physical bodies. As they did at Kheb.'

Doctor Fraiser smiled at him. 'That's a nice story Teal'c, but you have no proof. We have an epidemic in this town, we've had to restrain most of the infected. Over the last hour they've attacked two orderlies.' She told him. 'It's like they are being called somewhere. If they are infected I have to know.'

'I will remain here. They will not leave.' He told her.

She frowned but obviously trusted his judgement. 'Okay, I'll be back in ten minutes.' She turned to leave.

'Doctor Fraiser, what of Tara Maclay?'

Doctor Fraiser smiled. 'Lucid, more so than most. She's very brave. Professor Giles is staying with her. It must be helping.'

Teal'c bowed slightly. 'I will inform Willow Rosenberg when she awakes.'

End Chapter Nine