MacKay's Lab, Atlantis, 1730 hours.
MacKay was working on his computer, with Zelenka on another computer behind hi, when there was a sudden beeping sound from his left side. After returning from Proculus some hours ago, the chief scientist and Zelenka went on to narrow the search for Athena's weapons while Colonel Sheppard went with Teyla to brief Dr. Weir about what Chaya had told them about Athena.
And now, Mackay and Zelenka looked at the screen to their left in surprise as, among a list of experiments, a red light highlighted an experiment that got the two scientists looking at each other, and then at the screen again.
"Call Elizabeth," said Mackay as Zelenka pressed on his earpiece and called Dr. Weir, as well as Colonel Sheppard, and Teyla to meet them in the former's lab. While Zelenka was talking to Dr. Weir who was on her way, Mackay took a step towards the screen and looked at the highlighted portion of the list that was blinking red and thought to himself, 'Project Hera: The Evolution of Living Weapons by Athena.'
It was fifteen minutes later that Dr. Weir, Colonel Sheppard and Teyla rushed into Mackay's lab; the diplomat asking the scientist what it was that they had found as she looked at the screen which had a strand of DNA rotating clockwise vertically with several lines that were pointing to the strand with Ancient writing.
'It's amazing," said Zelenka who looked at Dr. Weir, before looking at the screen again as Mackay frowned at the man, before he looked at the screen again, "whoever this Athena was? She's amazing and…"
"No, she's not," said Mackay as he pointed at the screen, "it was a failure and…"
"She wasn't approved for the experiment, Rodney," said Zelenka as he looked at Mackay, and then at Dr. Weir and the others, "as far as we can tell, the.."
"Look," said Mackay interrupting Zelenka while the latter man frowned, "what Athena wanted to make may have worked, but…"
"She ran simulations which had a ninety-nine present success rate," said Zelenka as Dr. Weir and the others looked in surprise at the two bickering scientists, "it could have been successful. You're just mad because you didn't think of it first."
"I'm not mad," said Mackay as Zelenka put his hands up and said something in Czech while Dr. Weir rolled her eyes and told the two scientists to calm down and explain everything to her.
"What Athena wanted to do was unique," said Zelenka, "living weapons with enhanced strength, agility, healing, durability, and…"
"Basically like a superhuman with genetic memory," said MacKay with a roll of his eyes, "but there's no proof it could actually work. Of course, then there's the whole genetic bomb."
"Hold on," asked Teyla, "genetic memory?"
"Athena's notes tell us that the weapons, these clones, would have knowledge on any and all forms of armed and unarmed combat," said Zelenka, "the Wraith would be able to feed on them but it would be very slowly because of their enhanced durability. They can kill the Wraith before they die. Athena wanted to create millions of these weapons and release them on Hive ships, their cloning facilities, and the Wraith controlled planets. All leading to the total annihilation of the Wraith."
"And then she was going kill them all using the code," said Teyla as Zelenka looked at Mackay, and then the both of them looked at the others and nodded their heads.
"How about her other experiments?" asked Dr. Weir.
"Either they've been locked out, or deleted from the Atlantis database," said Mackay as he pointed at the screen behind him, "and yes, I know that the city has many redundancies… but I think that the Council had the authority to override that, and delete the information from every redundant system. The only reason this wasn't deleted is probably because the Ancients were too busy evacuating the city."
"One more thing," said Dr. Weir, "my alternate said that she had met with Athena, and said that 'she looked like her'."
"She did?" asked Mackay, "you didn't tell…"
"I know I didn't tell anyone," said Dr. Weir as she looked at Mackay, "I'm telling you now, is there a way to find what Athena looks like?"
"That's the thing," said Mackay, "we haven't been able to find her name in the database. We know that Athena exists because of what Chaya told us."
"We know she exists because of her proposal and her notes," said Zelenka, "but her biography? And her sister's biography? Nothing exists, not even medical records."
"Maybe her information's being hidden on purpose?" asked Colonel Sheppard as Mackay shrugged.
"Keep on digging," said Dr. Weir, "but make that secondary. Right now, I want a way to know if the genetic bomb can be written out of the genetic code. Then I want to know if we can do what Athena wanted to do, but on a much, much smaller scale… and I want this all kept to ourselves until we know everything there is to know. I want a report on my desk, and then I'll decide on what to tell the SGC and the IOA, or if I should even tell them."
"Eliz…" said Colonel Sheppard as he interrupted Dr. Weir/
"We're talking about created life, John," said Dr. Weir, "I'm worried that we may be opening pandora's box…. Can you imagine cloned warriors fighting our wars on Earth."
"Saving soldiers," said Colonel Sheppard nodding his head, "saving lives."
"They are still living, and breathing, human beings," said Teyla as she looked at the screen, "what you speak of is an assembly line of these living weapons. They will be seen as less than human; they will die and then will be easily replaced. Life will mean nothing."
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Dr. Weir, "even if we create a few to fight the Wraith, what are the ethical questions we'll have to deal with? Because let's not kid ourselves here, there are ethical questions here in creating life artificially and then sending them to war.. and then creating more to take their place. These people will have special abilities as well, and let's say that they are sent to Earth to fight in our own on-going conflicts.. what happens when they are convinced by the enemy that they should change sides? Do we force them to obey us? Or do we give them free will? Like I said, pandora's box."
"Having them out against the Wraith would help us immensely," said Teyla, "but Dr. Weir has a point, what would happen if they refuse to fight against the Wraith."
"Actually," said Zelenka as he turned and touched the screen before he flicked his finger to another page of Athena's notes, before turning around once again, "Athena wrote that these clones were specifically bred to fight the Wraith. That's their main directive. I suppose once they have done their duty, they could develop into a society all their own if they are not all killed. They would still be humans, albeit with advanced abilities, and I believe capable of creating their own society if given the chance."
"I want a report on my desk a week," said Dr. Weir, "I'll make my recommendation to the SGC and the IOA then."
The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, seven months later.
It had taken a record time but Sunnydale High had been rebuilt with Dawn being one of the students attending the rebuilt school. In the meantime, life for the others had gone on without much problems. Xander was working as a foreman on a construction site while at the same time still going for training, where he was already well known as the resident joker and hard worker, at the Army Base. Buffy was convinced by Willow, Dawn, Tara, and Xander himself to quit the Doublemeat Palace and work with Wesley at the Magic Box; especially since Willow told her best friend that there was only so much of the Doublemeat stench they could stand, especially since that the smell had permeated Buffy's house. Buffy was the one who smirked at Willow and Tara before accepting the offer that Wesley had made her, as well as the offer made by the new Principal of Sunnydale High, Robin Wood, the day Buffy brought Dawn to school for the first time to be a student councillor. She would be the resident student councillor in the day time, while working at the Magic Box in the evenings after school.
And patrolling at night.
The say she was offered the position at the school was the same day that she, Dawn, and a few students were attacked by ghosts; it was the same day that she discovered Spike had returned and was living under the school like a hermit. She pushed the thoughts of Spike to the back of her head… Buffy still hadn't forgotten what the vampire had tried to do; it was something that she was talking over with her therapist, and with Colonel Sheppard through emails every few days. They both of them had gotten closer despite the long distance; although Buffy had no idea about how far of a distance it really was, but they traded emails nearly as much as he did with Tara.
That was the main reason that Buffy did not need Spike in her life right now; but she could see that there was something different in the vampire; he was acting crazy. But the truth was, as she would find out later, the vampire had actually gotten back his soul. For that one moment though, Buffy stopped caring about Spike; the truth was that until now, she hadn't been thinking about him at all. All Buffy could do was listen to him talking away in the school basement before she went to save her sister and her friends from those ghosts.
It would be a few days later that Buffy, Xander, and two men from the army base would come down to the basement of the school and take Spike away. They would bring him to the Magic Box where he was kept in the basement, surrounded by charms and spells in case he decided to attack Buffy again. However, it was Tara who later found out the truth after she and the others questioned him on what he was doing back.
"He has a soul," said the blonde witch as she looked at Buffy and Willow in surprise.
Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head while she watched Spike talking to himself again. Tara and Willow looked at each other, and then at the empty area that Spike seemed to be looking at. Finding nothing there, Willow asked Spike who he was talking to.
"Her," said Spike shaking his head as he looked at the redhead, and then looked at Buffy who had her arms crossed over her chest, "I did it for you… the pain I feel inside was for you… Angel never said it was this painful, why is it so painful?"
"Because you killed thousands of people," said Buffy as she took a step back, "do you remember what happened?"
"Everything," said Spike as he looked at Buffy with a saddened look on his face, "and it hurts."
"Good," hissed Buffy as she took a step forward, something that surprised Tara when she noticed the rage in the Sayer's aura, "remember what you did, and then you'll know why I…. why you coming back doesn't change anything between us. I still loathe you."
"You have every right to, pet," said Spike as his expression changed, he didn't look like an insane man, he just looked like the normal Spike who helped them battle Glory, "I know you won't forgive, but... but there's something coming. We can all feel it… we who play in the darkness. We can all feel it coming. It's going to devour us from below and…"
"From beneath you, it devours," said Willow as she looked at Tara, and then at Buffy before looking at Spike, "that's the warning that Tara received from… well… during a meditation session from the Powers that Be."
"Spike you know what that means?" asked Tara.
"It's coming," said Spike, "and I want to help.. I got my soul back to help."
"Yeah," said Buffy as she told Spike to stay where he was, before she and the others headed up the stairs to the Magic Box. There, Buffy sat down Willow and Tara while Wesley temporarily closed the shop and headed to the table, in the meantime Fred and Lorne were in LA picking up Faith who the Council, using their pull, had managed to free and get all charges dropped due to the young woman having inept counsel; and a disturbingly lack of evidence despite her admission to murdering Professor Worth. Back in the Magic Box, Buffy then sat down and asked Wesley if he managed to find anything about what Spike was talking about, and about the warning that Tara received from the Powers that Be.
'At least I told them it's from the Powers that Be,' thought Tara to herself as she chuckled inside, 'better than saying my ascended mother came back to warn me.'
"I talked to Mr. Giles," said Wesley about the watcher who received a call a few days ago and had to leave for London once again in an emergency, "and… and its worse than we thought. Remember the bombings?"
"Uh huh," said Buffy as she recalled the news about the destruction of Wolfram and Hart, the apartment complex, and the Hyperion Hotel, "what about them?"
"We knew that Cordelia and Angel were killed because they were your allies," said Wesley as he leaned back and sighed, "but we could never figure out about Wolfram and Hart."
"Uh huh," said Buffy.
"The demons behind Wolfram and Hart, the senior Partners," said Wesley, "they have their own plans for the apocalypse. Plans that interfere with another… a very powerful creature… thing… I don't think there's really a word for it. A creature that is as old as the universe itself… at least that's what Mr. Giles' contact told him. It's the First Evil."
"The one who tried to get Angel to kill himself?" asked Buffy as he looked at Wesley.
"That's precisely what Mr. Giles said," replied Wesley, "he received a call on rumours that Potential Slayers are being killed by agents of the First Evil. He brought this to the Council, but they denied everything… which means that they know something which they aren't telling us."
"This is big," said Willow as she leaned back on her seat while looking at Wesley, "can't we just call the military and ask them to talk to the Council?"
"The Council knows about the arrangement with Tara," said Wesley as he looked at everyone, "the military cannot get involved in protecting the Potential Slayers without permission of the Watcher's Council."
"But I can ask for help to protect me and my home," said Tara as Wesley nodded his head.
"From what we can guess," said Wesley, "the First is using its agents to kill the Potential Slayers first, then it'll end with Buffy and Faith. If that happens, it'll get its ultimate goal."
"Ending the Slayer line," said Spike as he stood at the entrance to the back office while the others stood up surprised. Buffy headed to a bookshelf, pushed some books to one side and took out a stake while Willow gathered blue magical energy, something she was able to control thanks to her trainers from the Devon Coven who were spending their days working as nurses at the Sunnydale Mercy Hospital in the day, and then training her in the evenings. Instead of attacking them, Spike put up his hands and said that he wasn't there to harm anyone, instead he knew things were coming, "I told you I can feel it rising. Every demon will be able to feel it… it's bad, Slayer. And I'm just here to help.. can… can I speak to you alone?"
"No," said Buffy shaking her head as she pointed her stake as the ensouled vampire.
It was Willow who noticed the tremor in Buffy's arm, before she looked at the ensouled Vampire.
"What you wanna say, you can just say it now," said Buffy.
"I'm sorry," said Spike as he nodded his head.
"Whatever," said Buffy as she put the stake down.
"Every demon out there's gonna be coming for the Slayers," said Spike, "and the Potential Slayers."
"Although I hate to agree," said Wesley, "the First has had eternity to plan for this moment, endless resources… it could call on any number of demons to weaken up and make our lives hell. Tara? Call the military, we need you protected."
"Got it," said Tara as she headed for the phone.
TBC.