The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 1700 hours.
Willow was back home in the room she shared with Tara, who was in class, as she sat down in front of her laptop. She opened the top before she pressed her thump on the scanner, she then saw a red light flash before the laptop activated and she logged onto the secured servers at the Pentagon. The redhead didn't have any idea where the secured servers were located, and she was tempted to find out… but every time she was tempted, she could hear Colonel Carter's voice in her head telling her not to do it, or else she'll have her access revoked and she'll be arrested. Shaking her head, Willow typed on the keyboard while she thought about the wall they had all hit on the power generation issue, so now… the redhead was given five more projects to work on with Colonel Carter, Dr. Lee, and unknown to her, some other scientists at Area 51. However, for right now, Dr. Lee was her immediate supervisor since, unknown to Willow, Colonel Carter had been transferred back to the SGC from Stargate research and development at Area 51.
And with the increased pay in taking more projects, Willow didn't have a reason to complain; she was working with some of the best scientists on Earth, she was being trained in her magic, and she had the love of her life with her. Now with Buffy and Dawn at the Magic Box, Willow found herself alone at home when the phone rang. The redhead ran out of her room, and then down the stairs to the phone in the living room. Picking it up, she smiled inwardly when she realized that it was Tara on the other line. The blonde witch said that she received a call back from General O'Neill, and that a team would be sent to the house tomorrow to install some security features for protection.
"They'll be there tomorrow morning," said Tara who was standing outside the door to her class, "I just wanted to let you know and… I mean I've already told Buffy at the Magic Box… I just called cause I wanted to hear your voice."
Willow blushed and gave a little smile as she sat on the couch.
"I've got training tonight," said Willow, "late dinner?"
"Yeah," said Tara with a grin, "and desert?"
"I have a few ideas," said Willow with a smirk, "oh, oh, we need to get the dresses for your brother's wedding."
"Right," said Tara shaking her head, "we'll go tonight and collect the dresses, and then we'll have dinner."
"Did John ask Buffy to be his plus one yet?" asked Willow, "I haven't asked Buffy if he asked, so… and I don't wanna ask in case she… you know."
"He said he wants it to be a surprise," said Tara, "which is why we're bringing Buffy too when we go get our dresses, we'll come up with an excuse."
"Sounds like a plan," said Willow nodding her head.
"Goody," said Tara as she turned and reached for the classroom door, "I'll see you tonight, sweetie."
"See you, Tara," said Willow as the both of them put their phones down.
London, England, at that same time.
As Willow went back up the stairs to start on her latest project from Colonel Carter, and while Tara went back into her class, and everyone else was doing what they were supposed to be doing; Giles was in the library in the Watchers Council. He knew that there was something very wrong going on despite the head of the Council, Quentin Travers, denying everything. Giles had known the man for far too long and knew that he was hiding something. So instead of going through the Council, which he knew would be a dead end, Giles sneaked into the library and started to pick out books on the First Evil, and then place them in a backpack. He had already sequestered some Potential Slayers he had found from one of his contact who, he had never told Wesley, had been found killed with the Potential Slayer hiding in fear. He then had found three more Slayers, one of who was an American who was visiting London when her watcher was murdered and she ran to a safe house. The Watcher in that safe house knew what was happening, so he contacted Giles and sent the Potential Slayer to him… unfortunately, that particular Watcher was then murdered by agents of the First Evil.
Back in the library, there was something pushing Giles to hurry... something in the back of his mind telling him to get whatever he could carry; that he had to leave now. Stuffing the final book, and a file of papers, into his overstuffed bag; the Watcher then looked up and his eyes opened wide in shock.
Standing a few feet in front of him was a short haired blonde in a cream coloured blouse, and tanned trousers
"Anya?" asked Giles before he shook his head, "no… the First can appear as those who have died and…"
"Get out, Giles," said Anya, "you have to go… go now."
Giles then saw Anya vanish, her words ringing in his ears… something about the tone in her voice had reflected her seriousness about something that was going to happen. Shaking his head, the Watcher picked up his bag and then ran out of the library. He avoided the guards, and his fellow Watchers as much as he could before taking the rear stairwell and headed down to the lobby. Once at the lobby, he took the secret rear exit that led into an alley; once he was out, the man then ran to the crowded main street so that no one would recognize him if the alarms went off inside once it was discovered that important books were stolen. He continued walking within the crowd of people when he heard a loud boom from behind him. The next thing he knew, people were screaming and running in all directions away from the loud boom.
Giles turned around, and to his shock saw a huge fireball exploding out of the Watchers Council's headquarters. He put his hand over his mouth as he stepped back and looked at the wonton destruction taking place in front of him, just before he was knocked onto the road by a secondary explosion that collapsed the entire building.
"I'm sorry, Giles."
Giles looked up at the voice, and saw Anya standing to his left as she looked at the collapsed rumble that used to be the Watchers Council. The man slowly got up as Anya turned to face the man, who looked at her with eyes wide open while hi mind raced at wondering what was going on; wondering what he was going to say, and wondering if this was the First Evil standing in front of him.
"I'm not the First Evil," said Anya.
"That's what the First Evil would say," replied Giles as he looked at the figure suspiciously.
"True," said Anya with a smirk, "but I'm not. I can't be telling you more, but… but you need to go; things are about to change, Giles. The darkness and the light, it's all going to happen soon… and the darkness is getting stronger. The First Evil is coming and…"
"I'm here," said a voice as Anya, her face devoid of any emotion, turned to look at a perfect copy of herself. Giles too turned and looked at the other copy of Anya in surprise; she was wearing the same dress that she was buried in, and then Giles looked at the Anya in the cream top and narrowed his eyes before shaking his head in confusion.
"The First Evil," said Anya as her jaw locked; she could feel a pull in the pit of her stomach, and she knew that she was being watched. She glanced to her left and saw a redheaded woman, and a blonde… Melina and Laura respectively, watching her every move.
"I am coming for you," said the First as she looked at Anya, and then at Giles, "I was referring to you… you little meat sack."
"We… we'll fight and…" said Giles as the First laughed in his face.
"Nothing can help you," said the First as she stopped laughing and glared at Giles, and then at Anya, "not even her."
"Go, Giles," said Anya as she and the First glared at each other.
"You think I don't know where your Potentials are, Giles?" asked the First as it took on Jenny Calendar's form, a form that Giles looked on in sadness… a sadness that turned to anger at how the First was treating the memory of his dead love, "I'm letting them go… you too. All to prove how futile your fight is going to be. So… run, little boy… run."
"Giles, go," said Anya as she looked at the old man, "please."
"Anya?" asked Giles as he looked at the Anya in the cream coloured top, "I…."
"There's a lot of things humans don't know," said Anya, "maybe you're not ready to know… not yet. Right now, you need to run and prepare. Don't tell Xander you saw me… when.. when the time comes, he'll know I'm safe. Now, go."
"You haven't prevented the inevitable," said the First as it took on Anya's form after Giles ran off, "I'm still coming. And I know you, you and your kind always walking the Earth… just watching. You won't interfere, you will watch this world burn as I take human form… you will watch this world fall, humanity will fall. I will be in every heart; be it man, woman, or child.. I will have them all."
"You will be stopped," said the redheaded woman who appeared next to Anya while people were running all around them, some bloodied and injured from the debris, and then came the sirens of then emergency service vehicles that were heading to the site of the destruction, "humans of this world are very stubborn. They will find a way."
"If you are referring to the Stargate," said the First as it took on General Carter's form, "there's nothing that can harm me. My army will raze this Earth, and then… then we will use the Gate and travel to other words. I know how it works, I will take control of it. This galaxy will belong to my demon children… and we hunger."
"Not gonna happen," said Laura shaking her head as she stood next to Anya, "we know what you really are; you're old…. I give you that. But we know the truth."
"And there is nothing you can do to tell the people around you," said the First, still in General Carter's form, "and neither can the military if they knew the truth about me; you know, all that pesky issues with clearance. I will kill all the Potentials, and then I will kill the two Slayers… and then the line of Slayers will be ended for all time."
"You know nothing," said the redhead, "these people will fight, and you will lose."
"I don't see that happening," said the First as it took Buffy's form, "I have my agents, my army; the Slayers will die first, and then… then everyone else."
The First then vanished, leaving the three ascended beings standing among the screaming pedestrians.
"It has no idea of what will happen," said Melina as she looked at the place where the First was just standing.
"Nope," said Laura and Anya together before the three of them vanished.
The Summers Residence, 1300 hours; the next day.
It was the next day that personnel from the Sunnydale Army Base arrived to the Summers home with various metallic case, and one large case that was kept to the side. Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Dawn were at home while Tara was in class when the personnel started work on the security system while one Sergeant Wilks briefed the Slayer on what the security system would do; once Buffy was told that the alarm was connected directly to the Army base, and that a team would be sent immediately following an alarm… the Sergeant then handed Willow and Buffy a remote control each. HE told them that those were experimental remotes that would activate the alarm, or disable it… or call for a 'code red' mobilization should anything happen and the alarm wasn't tripped. He then showed them how to set up the scanners that would continuously monitor the exterior at night.
"Scanner?" asked Willow.
"Infrared, thermal, and just plain movement," said the Sergeant nodding his head, "it's pretty next gen technology that's gonna be coming into the market within the next few years. The sensors will monitor everything, and if it senses movement… there's gonna be thirty seconds, a timing that you can change to a minute, to input a code after you get into the house to reset the system.. essentially telling it that you live here. But if you don't, then a silent alarm at the base is triggered, and based on where the intruders are coming from, there'll be an experimental technology hidden in the exterior of the house that'll fire a electrical charge to stop anyone, of anything that tries to get in.
"What do you mean by experimental technology?" asked Buffy, "cause that sounds like something the Initiative used to stop demons."
"Although it broke easily," said Xander as the girls looked at him, "remember we tried to fix it and…"
"Just because Riley fixed it doesn't mean that it was broken," said Buffy as Dawn and Willow chuckled.
"This is a bit more effective than that," said the Sergeant, "it'll be activated once you arm the alarm… but it can also be manually activated using the remotes I gave you. Sensors will search for hostiles, and shoot to stun."
"Only stun?" asked Dawn.
"It's still experimental," said Willow as she looked at the remote control, "you don't wanna kill a friend, or an ally."
"Exactly," said the Sergeant as he thought about the experimental Earth-based Zat-like weapons that Area 51 had been developing for the better part of the past three years, and this was the perfect time to test them out as a security system. He knew that if successful, the system would be installed at the SGC, the Alpha and Beta Sites, and in most American military bases, "better to be safe; easier to apologize to a stunned friendly, than a dead one."
"And the other case out there?" asked Buffy as she nodded at the larger metallic case that was sitting on the porch. The Sergeant looked at it, and then back at Buffy. The man then called to one of the men carrying a case, and asked him and another one to bring the last case inside. Once the two of them lay the case between the Sergeant and the Scoobies, the former input a code on the keypad, and then there was a clicking sound. Xander, Buffy, Willow and Dawn walked around the case as the Sergeant opened it; and opened their eyes wide.
"A M16 rifle, and a P90 with ammunition," said the Sergeant as he closed the lid to the case, and a clicking sound was heard, indicating that the case was locked. He then stood up and looked at Xander before saying, "this case, and its contents are for you. The code I entered was a one-time deal, it's already been wiped out after I closed the lid. There will be a code for you, a code you are to memorise and not share with anyone else since they're not trained in using these weapons. You've been trained in these at the Army Base, and from I've been told… you have the training and knowledge of a soldier. Right, Harris?"
"Yeah," said Xander nodding his head.
"I'll show you the code, and everything else you need to know," said the Sergeant as he looked at the others, "and then I'll need to talk to Miss Sheppard, and have her sign some papers."
"Neat," said Dawn as she looked at the men working around the house.
"Hoping this will stop the First's agents from doing anything funny at home," said Willow.
"Not every security system's a hundred percent," said Buffy before telling Xander to continue training with those weapons, that he was the only one out of them qualified to do so. She then looked at the Sergeant and said that she hoped that the Army was ready, that from what she heard about the First… it was going to be hell for them.
"We have a few aces in the hole," said the Sergeant with a smile, "we'll be ready."
Buffy nodded her head, all while the First was looking at them unseen in Buffy's form; a smirk on its face.
"You're all dead," it said before vanishing.
TBC.