The Watchers Council, London, (2000 hours, London time.)
Travers had finished meetings, and then read the progress on Kennedy's training and her performance reviews on working in Sunnydale on her own, and with Buffy. While he wanted the newest Slayer working on her own, as did generations of girls before her… a tradition that Buffy broke, he slowly came to realize that maybe it was better for a Slayer to have people working with her. Which is why he put the entirety of the Council's resources behind her and her Watcher who would be the one receiving that intelligence, and ensuring that Kennedy knew what she needed to do on the enemies that they were fighting against. HE also knew, from Atwood's own reports, that Buffy was only receiving intelligence if she needed to know anything; which wasn't a lot. Atwood had made sure that she'd get only the most basic intelligence, however he told Travers that she had her own intelligence gathering network in the form of Willow, Oz, Giles, and Tara. He also mentioned that Xander would help sometimes.
After reading the reports, Travers was leaning back on his chair when he received a call on a black coloured phone that lay next to the red coloured one with connected him to the Prime Minister, who he was unaware that had already been told the truth about his memories having been changed by magic. Travers picked up the phone, hopeful that it would be good news in regards to Faith.
"Dr. Reed" said Travers as he took a sip of scotch, "is it done?"
"Yes, sir" said Dr. Reed who was with one of the members of the Special Operations team next to him as he boarded a Gulfstream jet, "it's done. The rogue Slayer's been taken care of, we've had some issues with some guests in Major Carter's home… but they've been knocked unconscious. Two of them have been shot and… well… other than Peterson and his team, the rest have been shot and killed; just as you asked."
"Good" said Travers nodding his head. The man knew that all members of the Special Operations Teams were expendable, and he knew that the members themselves knew as much. They all knew that everything they did was for the protection of the Council, and the world. Everything else in their lives, including family, was a secondary concern, "the Council will be sending its regular severance package to their families. We'll have the Judgement Round prepared."
"Understood, sir" said Reed as he got into the plane followed by another figured that was carried by the team member behind him, "we will meet you and the others in Manchester."
Travers smiled as he picked up the other phone after he placed the phone he was holding back on its cradle. He needed to call the Prime Minister and tell him that he doesn't have to worry about finding Faith anymore.
Number 10, Downing Street, London (2000 hours London time.)
Major Carter's hands were shaking as she looked straight at the shocked Colonel O'Neill with tears in her eyes. It was then she realized where she was, and what it would seem to the two world leaders in the room as they watched an officer nearly break down. She could see the Colonel's mouth moving, but she couldn't hear any words coming out of them.. she then looked at the President, and then the Prime Minister looking at her with shock registered on their faces. Major Carter then looked at Major Davis before she just shook her head, her ears pounding as blood rushed throughout her body, before she gently pushed the Colonel away and walking past him, the President and the Prime Minister.
"You" said the Major as she wiped her eyes while speaking with an edge of rage in her voice directed at Tamlyn. Major Carter knew this was the Council's work, she suspected that the only reason that this particular woman was in there with them was because she was the one who changed the Prime Minister's memories. Major Carter then reached out and grabbed the woman by the collar as everything sped up.
Major Carter pulled her arm back and punched the woman just before Colonel O'Neill pulled her back.
"You!" shouted the Major as she pointed at the woman while she was being pulled back. She didn't care about decorum anymore, she knew that the woman who was now holding onto the side of her face knew something about Travers' plan, "you know what they did, don't you? Huh? You killed my daughter!"
"Carter!" shouted the Colonel as he turned the Major, who was squirming to get out of his grasp, around to face him, "Carter! Think about where you are, damn it."
"Let me go" said Major Carter as she glared at the Colonel, "let me go now. They killed her…. they killed her and I want them to pay… and…"
"Carter!" said the Colonel as he gently shook her, "stop… please."
"They took her from me, again" said the Major as she looked at Colonel O'Neill who closed his eyes while the President and the Prime Minister looked at each other and then at the Major, "they took her from me…. they took her from me."
"Major Carter" said the President as the Air Force officer, whose back was now facing him, hung her head down, "I'm so sorry. We'll…."
It was just then that the Prime Minister's phone started to ring. The man then walked around Tamlyn whose cheek had started to bruise while glaring at her before he picked up the phone. The Prime Minister then looked at the President, and then at Major Carter who turned around, along with Colonel O'Neill before speaking the name that they were there to talk about.
"Mr. Travers" said the Prime Minister as Major Carter looked at the phone in anger, "we were just speaking about you."
"Prime Minister?" asked Travers in surprise when he heard the word 'we'.
"I want you to come to Number Ten voluntarily, or else I will have you remanded and brought here by force" said the Prime Minister with anger evident in his voice. The man knew that Travers was going to say something, but he beat the head of the Watchers Council to it, "I want you to explain why you used magic to change my memories, I want to know why a spy for the Council was planted in my administration, and…"
"Prime Minister" said Travers as he stood up.
"Let me finish!" said the Prime Minister as he slammed his hand on his table while he was on the phone. He didn't know if Travers was going to respond, but he continued to speak, "I want to know what other memories Tamlyn changed using magic, and… oh there are a lot more. Including why the President, who by the way is in my office, had his memories changed as well. And finally, I want to know why Faith Lehane's mother… her real mother… received a call saying that her daughter was killed. And I want to know why her daughter was kidnapped in the first place; and I want to know how many people the Council has done this to."
"Prime Minister" said Travers as he rolled his hands into a fist while he answered calmly, "the use of magic is used only in the most extreme of circumstances. We do not take the misuse of those abilities lightly. While it is true that I asked Tamlyn to change the minds of the President, and yourself, it was done with the knowledge that we are working for a higher cause. The protection of this world, and the need to enforce justice against the mystical elements that threaten it. I would like to remind you, sir… that the Council's agreement with the governments of the world affords it diplomatic immunity of the highest sort… and given that this establishment is private property… and I am a private citizen, you do not have the right, or the enforcement capabilities to do anything do this organization without any physical proof."
"Mr. Travers" said the Prime Minister as he put the call on speakerphone so that everyone in the room can hear him speak, "you are a traitor who…"
"That is a very grave accusation, Prime Minister" said Travers who was now speaking calmly while the gears in his mind was working double time on a plan, "do you have physical evidence to prove that accusation?"
"Mr. Travers, this is President Ryan. We've already put one of your people under deep hypnosis to…"
"Mr. President" said Travers knowing that he would have to burn Amy and Tamlyn, "you have no proof of anything. Even if you have these alleged answers through hypnosis.. they will not hold up in a court of law. And you know that…. If Amy and Tamlyn changed your memories; it was done without my authorization.. they were doing what they thought was best for their country, for the Council, and for the world."
"Yes" said Tamlyn as she looked at Major Carter, "I did what I did to help this world. I did it on my own and…."
"You'll be placed under hypnosis" said Major Carter who was heading toward Tamlyn when Colonel O'Neill held her back.
"Ah, Major Samantha Carter" said Travers, hiding his surprise. He was now glad that he the other three teams killed by the fourth team which was one he had selected himself… they were his own personal black-ops squad, "I was going to call General Hammond about Faith Lehane. I'm afraid that a team of rogue Special Operations teams…. Teams that work independently from the authority of the Council, ignored our orders to leave her alone. I just received news, and I was going to call your General Hammond after I called the Prime Minister to inform him that there was no need to find Miss Lehane. We believe that they rendered some guards unconscious, and then killed Miss Lehane. This was done against my authorization… and… and we have already punished them. The team I sent, once I received word from a contact in regards to what the rogue team was planning to do, has already taken care of them. I will send your General Hammond the address where their bodies can be found."
"You covered it up" hissed Major Carter.
"That is only your word, Major" said Travers calmly, "this rogue team tried to endanger the Council's mission. Despite what you believe, we do not conduct missions of assassination. We encourage Slavers who find themselves in trouble to reach out to us; that way we can bring them back and debrief them."
"By force, you mean" said Colonel O'Neill.
"Whoever this is" said Travers as he heard the Colonel's voice, "the Council is not responsible for the actions taken by the independent operatives unless it negatively impacts the duties and goals of the Council. In the case of Miss Lehane's murder, the Council does not condone assassination and the ones who attempted to force Miss Lehane to come with them have already been taken care off. We do not seek to make enemies of governments, which is why we have to use our own justice when taking care of illegal activities that our own have committed. I am sorry about Miss Lehane, she was a gifted, if wayward and troubled Slayer.. and the person who committed that act of kidnapping died two years ago during an encounter with a demon when he went to help a watcher. I can fax the death certificate if you wish. As for Miss Lehane…."
"I know you're the ones who killed her" said Major Carter, "I know you ordered it… and…. and when I do find out…. You'll have nowhere to hide from me… I swear it."
"That can be taken as a threat, Major Carter" said Travers smugly, "but I realize that you are grieving, so that will be let go."
"How dare…" said the Major as President Ryan looked at the officer and raised his hand.
"Mr. Travers" said the President, "you will open your doors to both British and American law enforcement agencies in both nations, and to Interpol. I'm sure that the Prime Minister will agree with me that we need to make sure that what you're telling us is on the level."
"Yes" said the Prime Minister, "We'll have Scotland Yard and MI5, combined with resources and agents from the FBI, along with Interpol investigate every operation you have in the U.K, and in America. We'll be scrutinizing everything, and…"
"You cannot" said Travers.
"If you don't comply" said President Hayes, "your organization will be placed on the terrorist watch list. And before you say anything… yes, we will do it. Every record you have will be examined, starting from…"
"Today" said the Prime Minister, "I'll be making a call to Scotland Yard, and to MI5… you and your organization will cooperate with them. Is that understood?"
"We have nothing to hide, Prime Minister" said Travers with a smile. He knew that they wouldn't find anything… every record they had on any questionable dealings, or operations, had already been placed, as is the regulation, into a parallel dimension away from prying eyes. A dimension only accessed by the head of the Council himself. But he wanted to make this as hard as possible, "but of course you will have to ensure they have warrants to search this private establishment. And sir, this invasion of our privacy will not be forgotten."
"Make sure whoever the investigators need to speak to are made available" said the Prime Minister while he glanced at the anguish look on Major Carter's face before he looked at the phone, "we will speak again, Mr. Travers. The investigators will be authorized to arrest anyone who impedes their work… including you. Is that understood?"
'Of course, Prime MInister" said Travers, "my assistant will help the investigators with anything they require. I am needed at the Watchers Academy to speak on a few important topics tomorrow morning in Cornwall.. and I plan on leaving in a few hours. If they wish, the investigators can call me on my mobile."
"Make yourself available to them, Mr. Travers" said the Prime Minister.
"Of course" said Travers with a smile, 'I have nothing to hide, especially when you'll never be able to find anything."
The Prime Minister then slammed the phone down onto the cradle as his office door opened and a grey haired man in a brown suit walked in. The Prime Minister introduced the older man to the President, and the three Air Force officers before telling him to take Tamlyn away, that she was to be charged with treason for working against the interests of her country, and she was to be kept in a lockup indefinitely until he decided what to do with her. The brown suited man then nodded his head before he grabbed the young woman and then handed her off to a few men who were waiting outside.
"Is there anything else, sir?" asked the brown suited man as he turned around.
"I want background checks.. and I mean deep checks done on everyone in this building" said the Prime Minister, "anyone with the slightest connection to something known as the Watchers Council is to be taken in for questioning. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir" said the man as he nodded his head.
"Then I want you to assemble a task force" said the Prime Minister, "coordinate with Scotland Yard; I want them and MI5 to conduct a joint investigation into the Watchers Council of Great Britain; an organization that has been involved in kidnapping, assassination, even using secret agents within this government to subvert it from the inside. I want and investigation and…"
"And if we find nothing, sir?" asked the man.
"We continue to lean on them" said the Prime Minister, "they'll eventually make a mistake. But I want the initial investigation o begin immediately."
"Understood, sir" said the man before he nodded his head and then left the office.
Once he left, everyone was left in the room to absorb what had just happened. The Prime Minister leaned on his table with his arm shaking in quiet anger while the President could only look at the faraway look on Major Carter's eyes and she looked at the phone on the Prime Minister's table. AT the same time, Colonel O'Neill had placed a hand on the blonde officer's shoulder while Major Davis approached her and started gently telling her that some proof of what the Council did will be found.
"Major Carter" said the President as she looked at the blonde who just looked ahead at the phone with a blank look on her face.
"Carter?" asked Colonel O'Neill but got no response from the blonde Major, "Carter, I…"
"I'm sorry, Mr. President…. Prime Minister" said Major Carter as she continued looking at the phone while feeling as if her heart and soul were ripped away from her body as she remembered the short time she spent with her daughter; a short time where she could finally see her smiling little girl in her mind, and hear her laughter. But now it was all gone, her child was taken away from her again and all she wanted to do now was go lie in a corner and wait for the world to end, "I apologize for my outburst, it.. it was unprofessional and.. and I understand if you wish to file a report on my misconduct and….."
"You just suffered a great loss, Major" said the President gently, "no one here can fault you for what happened."
"I am sorry about your daughter, Major" said the Prime Minister as he looked at the blonde who continued looking at his phone with a faraway look in her eyes, "you should be grieving her; let us take care of the Council. We will find something, and then they will pay."
"Yes, sir" mumbled the Major softly while she was still looking into the distance, "need to tell dad, Aunt Betty; need to tell Mark and…"
"Carter" said Colonel O'Neill gently while the President nodded his head, "come on, we're gonna go home. Easy does it."
"Pete" said the President as he looked at his counterpart, "I'll have the FBI, and Homeland, start investigating the Council's U.S. operations. I'll have their investigators coordinate with Scotland Yard and MI5."
"I'll notify Interpol" said the Prime Minister as he looked at the President, and then at Major Carter as his heart broke for the woman as Colonel O'Neill and Major Davis gently turned her around before walking her, as if she had lost all hope, towards the office door. He then turned to the President and nodded his head. The President then invited him to Washington for more talks on the U.K's role at the SGC. The Prime Minster nodded his head before the President left his office, leaving the Prime Minister alone as he sat down on his chair in disbelieve over what just happened.
Final Approach to Manchester, a little over 13 hours later.
The last thing Faith remembered was that she was fighting two goons wearing armour, black tactical outfits, and black ski masks who had broken into the house that she would eventually share with her mother, Major Samantha Carter. She was fighting alongside side Teal'c while at the same time wondering why the guards outside weren't coming into the house to help them. She saw Teal'c go down as four of the men tackled him before another three tackled her. Faith grinned as she used all her strength to throw one of them over the counter while she turned and hit the other one in him nose. She then looked at the other one that had attacked her and was about to take a few steps forward to hit him when, unknown to her in the chaos of what was happening around her, Faith felt something sting her back before a massive electrical charge went through her body. Turning around before she could even land a punch on the man in front of her, Faith screamed again as she placed her hands on the electrified wires that were attached to her back from the taser that the man in front of her was holding. She pulled on the wire, burning her hand in the process when she heard a gunshot. She looked in shock at three of the masked men as they held on to Teal'c while another one shot him, before he turned and fired a shot into General Carter.
"No!" shouted Faith as she pulled on the taser in front of her before she swung the device around and smashed it into the side of the man in front of her, and then threw it to the side when those wires snapped before she turned around and ran towards the one behind her. She knew that she was out numbered but she needed to do something, going out for help didn't enter her mind until she punched one of the men before she felt another sting, and then another... and then another. She screamed and went down on both her knees as electrical charges from three tasers entered her body before two of the men kicked her in the abdomen, and then another one punched her face.
She fell onto the carpet as the electrical charges continued through her body as she watched her grandfather bleeding onto the carpet from the wound in his abdomen. She then felt the charges stop before she was rolled to her back as she looked at the ceiling and then at three of the men as they held the devices, a total of six wires attached to her body as they pressed the triggers to transfer thousands of volts of electricity through her body as she screamed in pain while arching her back.
"Faith Lehane" said one of the men as he stood over her once they stopped electrocuting her, "you are charged with dereliction of duty, murder, and conspiracy to end the word by bringing forth an Old One. The Watchers Council of Great Britain has the authority to take you away from this place And..."
"STOP!" screamed Faith as she tried to sit up only for another thousands of volts of electricity to go through her body as she screamed in pain when she fell back onto the floor. She then closed her eyes as tears fell down her face as another four wires pierced her skin and even more volts when into her. She could feel her heart racing, her breathing becoming shallow as she opened her eyes to see the man who was standing over her with a syringe in his hand. HE then nodded at the others before the pain stopped; the electricity finally stopped but she was exhausted now. She felt her hands being held down by some of the other men as the man standing over her kneeled down before she felt a needle pierce her skin.
"Don't worry, Ellie" said the masked man as Faith tired to keep her eye's, which were getting heavy by the second, open, "we'll have to undress you now. Don't worry, I've seen you naked before; I was the one who delivered you after all."
Faith saw the man stand up and then nod at someone to the side. That was the last thing she remembered as she closed her eyes.
It was hours later that Faith opened her eyes slowly only to find herself on a leather seat while her hands were handcuffed together. She looked at the cuffs as she sat up and looked at herself in a black shirt and trousers, before looking up again at the luxurious surroundings around her. She then turned her head and looked behind her at the empty seats before turning again and looking at the closed cockpit doors. She then looked at her handcuffs again before she tried to spread her hands away from each other; her intention was to break the links between the cuffs, however, she found that she didn't have the strength. She tried it again while gritting her teeth together but all that she felt was pain around her wrist.
"I wouldn't do t hat if I were you, Ellie" said a male voice as Faith turned around and saw a tall brown haired man who was going grey at the temples walking towards her from a recess in the back of the plane. He was holding two cups, one with a brown liquid, and the other one had orange juice. Faith watched the man as he walked around her seat and then placed the juice on t he table in front of Faith, and then he took his seat right across from her. Faith saw him sit down before he took a sip if his drink before setting it down on the table.
He then sat back and then just smiled at Faith.
"I'm sure you have a lot of question, Ellie" said the man, "my name is Dr. Payton Reed, and..."
"My name is Faith" she hissed as she leaned forward before she swung as hard as she could and knocked her cup of orange juice onto the floor of the plane, the orange liquid staining the carpet as Dr. Reed shook his head and sighed, "you, the Council, Travers... none of you have the right to call me Ellie."
"Fair enough" said Dr. Reed as he looked at Faith before nodding at the spilt cup, "but you do realize that that stain isn't going to be easy to remove."
"Go lick it" glared Faith as she tried to break her handcuffs again.
"I said stop it, Faith" said Dr. Reed as he looked at the Slayer's hands, "you've been injected with muscle relaxants, and a cocktail meant to slow down your responses... the same cocktail we use for Slayers going through the Cruciamentum. You don't have your strength, you won't have it for a few days."
"You... you can't do this" said Faith as she leaned forward, "my mother, my grandfather.. they'll come after me and..."
"You're dead" said Dr. Reed calmly as Faith looked at him with her mouth open on shock, "we left a clone... an exact genetic duplicate of you in the kitchen. YOU were stabbed, had your neck sliced, and... well, shot though the forehead for good measure. I tell you, the teams wanted to do more, apparently two their members lost relatives who attended Sunnydale High the day the Mayor became a snake... the same Mayor you helped."
"What happened with the Mayor happened because the Council betrayed me" said Faith as she glared at the doctor, "the people thought were my friends betrayed me, the Council betrayed me when they decided to take me by force without listening to my side of the story. Where else was I supposed to go?"
"That's not for me to answer" said Dr. Reed shaking his head before he looked at his watch, and then back at Faith, "you'll be taken to the Watcher's Judgement Round, where you'll be put on trial. You can make your case then."
"I know what they've made up their minds" hissed Faith.
"You ran" said Dr. Reed as he sat back and smiled at the Slayer, "you killed, and then you ran.. that makes you look very guilty. Besides, you've put the Council in a very bad light with your actions.. you do realize that?"
"Blow me" said Faith as she leaned back and looked out the window before looking at the doctor again, "you said I'm dead? My mom will know I'm alive, you know how I know? Cause she's my mom.. the mom you stole me from. She's coming after me… she knows I'm not dead…. She knows… she knows…"
"You keep telling yourself that, Faith" said the doctor as he took a sip of his scotch, "keep making yourself feel better. The body we left in your mother's house is an exact genetic duplicate of you. Complete with your tattoo's. In her eyes, in the eyes of the medical examiner… you are dead."
"When I get my powers…"
"By the time they come back" said Dr. Reed as he leaned forward, "it'll be too late for you."
It was an hour later that the Gulfstream jet landed in a private airport. Once the plane had stopped taxiing, six men in masks walked into the plane; four of them held the Slayer down while Dr. Reed poured himself another glass of scotch while one of the masked men held a gun to her head, while the sixth on injected her with another dose of the cocktail that had been negating her Slayer abilities.
"Let me go!" shouted Faith as she struggled, "this is crazy.. let me go! LET ME GO!"
The last thing that Faith saw was the man with the gun flipping it in his hand and then swung the butt across her face. The Slayer then lost consciousness before she woke another three hours later, finding herself in a dark cell as she lay on the cold, hard, floor in a corner against a wall. Still feeling week, and a throbbing pain on the side of her head, Faith started to cry while she brought herself to lean against the wall. She started to sob as she brought her knees to her chest and covered her eyes with her hands. Her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs as she recalled hugging her mother only hours ago, and the pain that she felt in her chest.
'Mommy' thought Faith to herself as she remembered meeting Major Carter for the first time; then the first time that she discovered that the Major was her mother. Faith then gave a silent scream as tears went down her face when she remembered the love in her mother's eyes when she looked at the Slayer; eyes that Faith knew she'd never see again.
SGC, Colorado Springs, 0100 hours (US. Time).
As she ran to the infirmary after having made an urgent call to General Hammond who was in his bed at home asleep until he was woken up, Dr. Fraiser couldn't believe that everyone had missed it, that the most basic part of an autopsy had been missed by everyone at the M.E's office, and by her. It was only pure luck that she decided to read through the autopsy report again to check for any signs that the body that was in their morgue after having been transferred from the Medical Examiner's office in the city, wasn't really Faith's. The doctor decided to conduct another autopsy on Faith's body and she read the results off their examinations and compared it to the one that was done by the M.E. However, at that time.. she found that everything was the same.
Following the autopsy at the SGC.. and after she submitted some samples for testing, she went to visit Major Carter who had returned nearly an hour ago after returning from London, via Maryland where she and Colonel O'Neill took a flight from Andrews to Peterson Air Base. Dr. Fraiser had already shown her Faith's body when she came in while she held on to her friend's hand, she remembered the tears that were streaming down the Major's face while she told the officer that she's running her own tests and that she'd be getting results soon. Dr. Fraiser then took her nearly catatonic friend through the halls and into the infirmary where Teal'c, General Carter and Daniel were still on their beds resting following what happened at the Major's house. Daniel and Teal'c didn't know what else to say than what they've already said as they watched the Major sit next to General Carter, grab his hand in hers before quietly laying her head on his hand.
The doctor then headed back to her office to wait for the results of the test she was running. As she sat down, Dr. Fraiser remembered battling the city M.E for Faith's body, but she was told… and It was something she knew at the time, that the police saw the Faith's body as that of a murder victim. That while she was authorised to take General Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c with her back to Cheyenne Mountain because they had paperwork that showed they had a special status that if anything happened, that they would be looked after by the military. However, Faith's paperwork hadn't come through yet, and so her body didn't have that protection.
Dr. Fraiser wiped her eyes as she recalled receiving Faith's body nearly five hours ago, as well as the M.E's report, before she started to conduct her own autopsy. She was completed by the time Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill had returned. Back in the present, a beep from the fax machine in her office got the doctor out of her own mind as she wiped the tears from her face before she got up and rushed to the machine.. she had ordered the lab technicians to finish tests on Faith's samples before they left for home… and she just got results.
"It's exactly the same" said Dr. Fraiser to herself as she compared the report from the city M.E. with the report that was in her hand, "it's Ellie's body. Oh, Sam… I'm so sorry. I hoped that this was another clone or…. There are no markers that shows that she's a clone. She's genetically similar in every way."
Dr. Fraiser placed both of the papers on her table before she turned around and got ready to head for the infirmary again. But just as she reached the door to her office, she had a nagging thought in her mind that there was something seriously wrong; that she missed something. Shaking her head, the doctor turned around and placed both of the reports side by side while she leaned over them.
"Let's see" she told herself as she looked at both reports flipping the pages of each report over, "everything's the same… there's no difference between the M.E.'s report and… and… oh my God!"
Dr. Fraiser then immediately called General Hammond and told him the situation before she rushed out of her office. She ran as fast as she could through the hallway before she reached the infirmary where she left Major Carter earlier.
"Sam!" Sam!" shouted Dr. Fraiser as she rushed into the infirmary where Colonel O'Neill, who was sitting in between Teal'c and Daniel, looked at her confused. General Carter, and then Major Carter noticing something in her friend's voice, also looked at the doctor, "Sam… Sam…"
"Janet?" asked Major Carter as she looked at the redhead, "what's going on?"
"It's not Ellie" said the doctor as everyone's eyes opened wide, "it's not Ellie.. the body that's in the morgue? It's not Ellie… I think it's a genetically close copy… like the body of the baby you buried."
"But…" said the Major as a glimmer of hope entered her heart, the same hope she was trying to push down in case Dr. Fraiser was wrong.
"Cassie and I went with Ellie, General Carter, Daniel and Teal'c for dinner before they went to your house" said Dr. Fraiser, "before the body was… I don't know.. killed? But Ellie had a large steak with all the trimmings…. I don't know how any of us missed it. Maybe we were just in shock or… whatever it is, Sam… the M.E's report showed that her stomach contents were empty, the same as my tests. She just ate, Sam… but the body in our morgue is…"
"She's alive?" asked the Major as Colonel O'Neill stood up, while General Carter sat up slowly, still weak from the blood loss.
"Are you sure, doc?" asked the General as the redhead nodded her head.
"I've called General Hammond" she said, "he's on the way here."
"Sir" said Major Carter with hope in her heart growing as she heard what Dr. Fraiser just said, "we need… oh God, we're still waiting on the paperwork to have her fitted with a transmitter. We.. we've got no idea where she is or…."
"The Asgard" said General Carter.
"Their sensors are the most advanced in the galaxy" said Daniel as he sat up, "I'm sure that they'll be able to find her, Sam."
"They may be able to perform a genetic scan" said Teal'c.
"Carter" said Colonel O'Neill, "send a priority message to the Asgard; I'll explain everything to Hammond."
"Sir" said Dr. Fraiser, "General Hammond's given the order to do whatever's needed."
"Carter" said the Colonel as he nodded his head at what Dr. Fraiser just said while looking at the Major, "go… contact the Asgard. I'll contact Hammond and give him an update."
Unknown Location, Manchester, 1500 hours (U.K. time)
Faith stopped crying nearly an hour ago and was now just leaning with her back against the wall; she was resigned to whatever was going to happen now. But she could never blame Major Carter for not coming after her, especially since she knew that for all intents and purposes, Faith was dead… her baby was dead. Faith only hoped that Major Carter would keep on travelling throughout the galaxy, that her mother would remember the daughter she had known for only a few days.
Faith wiped a tear that was coming out of her eye as she looked up and saw the door in front of her open as seven men walked in. Two of them then walked towards her and brought Faith up to her feet. Another two were holding on to Tasers while another two raised her arms up before handcuffing them together; two steel manacles with a chain between them.
"Never knew you ladies like it kinky" said Faith before she was slapped across her face.
"Silence, traitor" said the man who slapped her before he walked back and nodded at another man to his left. He was holding onto a chain that he attached one end to the link between faith's manacles and then pulled on the other end to leaned Faith out of the room. They continued walking down hallways as they seemed to be going more underground than they already were until they reached a closed door. Faith looked on as the man in front of her opened the door and then roughly pulled her through. Soon, Faith found herself in a fairly large room that was lit up by torches on the walls; in the middle of the room was a large U- shaped table with thirteen seats, three in front of her, and the other five on either side of her. Faith stopped moving as three men behind her held on to her while the man who was leading her into the room earlier knelt down and attached the end of the chain he was holding into a recess on the floor. Once he was done, he looked at Faith and grinned before pulling on the section of the chain that was locked on to the floor.
The man then nodded at the others before he walked past her; turning her head, she saw that the men who had brought her into the room were leaving through the door. Once that door was closed, another one opened to the left of her as she looked at the table again. She saw one figure after another in red hooded robes walking slowly into the room, chanting as they took their seats.
"Faith Lehane" said one of the figures as he stood at the middle seat of the three right in front of her, "rogue Slayer. You are here accused murder of two human beings, resisting your return to face justice of the Judgement Round, conspiring with the Mayor of the city known as Sunnydale in his quest for ascension; and as a result the murder of several people once he had ascended into an Old One. This hearing has been…"
"Cut the bullshit" said Faith who didn't care about any semblance of civility with the people in front of her; especially since she already knew they would kill her.. and that all of this was just a sham trial, "show me your faces. Cowards.. you come here in hoods and all… show me your faces… face me like the men or women you are… Face me!"
"Very well" said the figure as he pulled his hood back to reveal the smiling face of Travers, as well as nine other men, and two women who then took their seats, "Miss Lehane…"
"I don't recognize your authority or this kangaroo court" said Faith, "you want me to admit what I did? Fine, I accidently killed Finch.. you that. I was given an order to kill Professor Worth… you know that too. I was following my orders from the Mayor… and that's something you know too.. so all this bullshit is to just make you feel better. Makes all of you feel good that you've caught the big, bad, rogue Slayer…. But you fuckers are the ones who kidnapped me from my mother. Everything that's happened to me until now, is your fault… and when I die; because let's not kid ourselves, you already decided I'm guilty and you want to make an example of me. So I'll make sure that these words stay in your brains forever. I Hate you… I hate all of you… you put me into an abusive home… you didn't care after Diana died, you…"
'Silence" said Travers.
"No!" shouted Faith as tears welled up in her eyes, "you…. you took me away from my mother, from my grandfather…. You'll pay. Believe me, no matter how long it takes after I die, you will pay!"
"My fellow members of the Round" said Travers, "looks like the Slayer, Faith Lehane has admitted to her crimes. I say death… we must show our remaining Slayers that the Council is not an organization to be trifled with. How many yays? How many nays?"
Faith glared at Travers as one figure after another said 'Yay'. Eventually there were nine Yay's and four Nay's.
"Your sentence will be carried out the same way it has been against Slayers who dare turn against the Council, for those who abuse the power that has been given to them" said Travers, "you will not be missed, Faith. You will burn at the stake.. a fitting sentence for one who would have burned the world."
"Do you wish to say anything else, Miss Lehane?" asked one of the men who chose to say Nay.
"You think just because you voted against Travers in this sham of a trial, that it make you.. what… feel good about yourself" said Faith, "you'll pay just like the others. After I'm gone.. my mom will find out the truth… then she and my granddad will come after you.. and come after all of you hard. You have no idea what you've just done."
"Let us…" said a smug Travers when suddenly he saw the air next to Faith shimmer.
Faith had seen the shimmer to her left out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and opened her eyes wide in shock, as a figure she only read about in comic books appeared next to her. She saw the figured was wearing a winged helmet, wearing armour with a red flowing cape, he was tall and muscular, as well as holding a large hammer.
"I am Thor" said the figure as everyone whispered among themselves, "Son of Odin, lord of the lightning and the storm. You mortals have stolen my charge."
'What is this?" asked an outraged Travers as he glared at the figure claiming to be Thor, and then looked at the shock and surprise on Faith's face before looking at the figure again, "you are…"
"I was asked here by a worried mother" said Thor in a deep voice as he walked towards the group in front of him while holding his hammer out at them, "she invoked a spell asking for my help in retrieving her daughter, a daughter that was stolen from her through deception. This daughter, Ellie Carter or as she is better known as Faith Lehane to you, is under my personal protection. If she is not released, then I will bring down lighting and the storms.. all of which has never been seen."
"We're not scared" said Travers, "we have our own…"
"Very well" said Thor as he lifted his hammer which then started to glow blue when everyone heard a commotion outside before the room started to shake. The doors opened as security rushed in to say that storm clouds had broken out all of a sudden, followed by lighting that was hitting the ground in multiple areas, cause some severe damage.
"We'll stop" said another man as Travers glared at him, "we'll stop."
"There is no guarantee" said Thor as he glared at Travers, "I wish to hear from your leader. You leave my charge alone, or else you face the full wrath of Odin's son."
Travers looked at the others while the surroundings started to shaken again following ever more lightning strikes outside. He then looked at Thor and reluctantly told him that he'll stay away from Faith, that he'll give the order that she is not a target.
"She will move freely anywhere she wishes" said Thor as he pointed his hammer at Travers, "if she is prevented… then that would bring down my rage."
"Fine!" shouted Travers as he looked at Thor, and then at Faith, "fine… the traitor is free."
"Come, Ellie Carter" said Thor as he looked at the young woman who was looking back at him, "you are one of the privileged few who will experience the bifrost."
"The what…." Said one of the women as Faith vanished in a flash of white light, just as Thor disappeared. Leaving Travers and the others looking in awe at the empty space that Thor and Faith, whose chains were now lying on the floor, occupied.
"Ok" said another man, "we just pissed off a god."
"Get to work" said Travers as he looked at everyone, "get back to work! Get out of Here!"
It was nearly instantly that news came down that the storm clouds, and the lighting, disappeared as quick as they mysteriously arrived.
Meanwhile, While Travers was reluctantly making calls to have Faith be left alone; the Slayer was looking out a window as she passed through layers of clouds before entering the edge of space. It was then that she heard a familiar voice behind her. Turning around, she hugged her mother as both of the women cried in each other's arms while holding on to each other tightly.
"Ellie" said the Major sobbing as Faith tightened her hold on the blonde officer while burying her face in her neck, tears streaming from their eyes, "I… I… I thought…"
"I thought I lost you too" mumbled Faith who was struggling for breathe when she opened her eyes and saw Colonel O'Neill. It was then she looked at the figure next to him, the same figure who appeared in the large room, when the figure suddenly vanished to leave behind a short grey alien.
"Oh my God" whispered Faith as the Major looked at the Slayer while wiping her eyes.
"I want you to meet someone" said the Major as she kissed Faith's cheeks before gently holding on to her hands. The Major then led the still crying Slayer to where the Colonel was standing and introduced her to the grey figure who was looking up at her.
"Greetings, Ellie Carter. I am Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard fleet."
"This is so cool" said Faith as she smiled at Thor before looking at her mother who was wiping her eyes while holding on to her daughter's hand tightly.
"Thor" said Colonel O'Neill, "think you could beam us back to the SGC?"
"Yes" said the alien as he looked at the Colonel before looking at the Major when Faith lifted her hand.
"How… I mean… you… down there… how?"
"Holographic technology" said Thor as Faith looked at Thor with her jaw hanging open, "I cloaked my ship before bringing it down to the surface of the planet. It caused atmospheric disturbance which created the storm clouds."
"And then we used the hologram emitters to simulate lighting" said Major Carter.
"And I got to fire the plasma weapons.. you know… for the lightning strike damage" said the Colonel as Faith hugged the Major while the both of them laughed and cried at the same time.
"Granddad? The big guy? Daniel?" said Faith worried, "they were shot and…"
"They're fine" said Major Carter as she held on to Faith, and Faith held on to her, "they're waiting to see you again."
"Major Carter, O'Neill" said Thor as they looked back at him, "as you know, I am needed back in Orilla."
"Thank you, Thor" said Major Carter as she nodded at the alien.
"I was surprised to hear about your daughter, Major Carter" said Thor as he looked at Faith, "I hope that one day we will meet again."
"You can bet on it" smiled Faith as she held on tightly to the Major, "thanks… you know… for getting me outta there."
Thor just nodded his head before three beams of light sent the three of them to the SGC. The alien then pressed a button as his ship came about before entering Hyperspace. Thor then looked at an automatic scan that his computers took of Faith once she came aboard. He walked to the screen where there was a three dimensional representation of the Slayer as he tilted his head and blinked his eyes when he saw an unknown irregularity in her DNA.
"Interesting" said Thor to himself as his ship flew through the hyperspace tunnel. He knew that this was something that he would need to talk to Major Carter about at another time. For the moment however, he needed to concentrate on the dangers posed by the replicators that were threatening to take over his galaxy, and wipe out his people.
TBC
