The Summers Residence, 1620 hours.
"Hold on," said Giles as he got up while the others all perked up and looked at each other, mumbling among themselves in regards to what they had just heard from Colonel Sheppard, "Colonel.. John, you are saying that Atlantis is real? That the mythical city, of Atlantis, is a city made by aliens?"
"Technically, the Ancestors were human," said Teyla.
"Ancestors?" asked Wesley.
"That is what my people call the Ancients, or as they came to be know later, the Lanteans," replied Teyla as Giles fixed his glasses while Wesley looked back at the older Watcher, asking him if any of this was possible. It was then that Colonel Sheppard told Wesley and the others that the first time arriving on Atlantis, the expedition found themselves under water.
"They sank their city into the ocean when they found they were losing the war," said the Colonel, "and then they returned to Earth. We believe that the surviving Ancients spread the story of Atlantis when they came back."
"The story of an advanced city that went down into the ocean," whispered Lorne, "but instead of it happening here, it happened on another world… in another galaxy."
"Yep," nodded Colonel Sheppard, "I know this is something big for you guys, so we'll just stop here. Everything you need to know, we've already told you."
"We just don't tell the Potentials when they come back," said Tara.
"Yep," replied the Colonel nodding his head at his sister, before turning to glance at Buffy and the others, "and in the meantime, we stay armed until we get a new place. Teyla, and I will handle the staff weapons, while Buffy, Faith, Xander, Giles, and Wesley will handle the Zat weapons. Tara and Willow, can you place a… is there a magical shield or something, that you can place around the house just to be on the safe side?"
"They are some spells," replied Willow, "but we need ingredients."
"I know a few powerful ones," said Lorne, "including a spell that would prevent any demon from coming into the house from fighting. I mean, it would work for both demons and human… used it in my club in Los Angeles. So….?"
"Can you limit it to only demons?" asked the Colonel, "no sense in protecting ourselves if we can't actually protect ourselves."
"Yeah," replied Lorne nodding his head, "I can whip up something… I can get us some drinks too."
"Get whatever ingredients you need," said the Colonel as he nodded his head before looking at Tara who was about to walk away with Willow.
"Be careful," whispered the Colonel as he held onto Tara's hand. The blonde witch smiled at her brother, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. Tara then told him that she was going to be with Willow and Lorne, and she then leaned to the side and looked over his shoulder at the young woman who was looking at pictures on the wall.
"And I'll take Rose with me," said Tara before she smiled at Willow who narrowed her eyes at the blonde. The both of them then looked at the surprised Rose, who was blushing when she saw Willow looking back at her. Looking away at the floor, the young woman nodded her head and agreed while saying that there could still be dangers present on the way to the Magic Box.
"Perhaps you can get some of the ice-cream we have heard much about, Rose," said Teyla as Buffy and Faith looked at her, and then at Rose, and then back at Teyla.
"Wait, you never had ice-cream?" asked Faith.
"We have not," replied Teyla.
"Oh… that is not good," said Willow shaking her head before motioning towards the door, "we'll get the ingredients, something for Lorne, and then some ice-cream."
"See you soon, Jo…."
"Hold up, hold up," said Spike as he raised his hand while Colonel Sheppard glared at the man who attacked Buffy, "I know what I am, but what is she?"
Everyone saw Spike pointing a finger at Rose while saying that her scent was off, and that it wasn't because she was from Pegasus. It was then that Buffy, Willow, and Tara looked at each other… they remembered what the Colonel had told them about Rose; that she was supposed to be one of thousands of living weapons proposed by the Lantean known as Athena. But the three of them didn't want to see her as a weapon, Buffy knew what it was like to be seen as a weapon by the Watchers council and she didn't want Rose to feel that same way.
But before she, or Willow and Tara could say anything; Rose looked to the Colonel who nodded his head.
"I am a living weapon created using the research of the Lantean known as Athena Ren," said Rose as she stepped forward and stared at Spike while tilting her head. Something that made Faith head for Buffy and ask her if she knew what Rose was talking about, it was the same question that Giles and the others were asking Colonel Sheppard.
"What does she mean by being a created living weapon?" asked Giles.
"Rose?" whispered Colonel Sheppard at the young woman, "you can tell them the truth, but the cover story is for the Potentials Slayers when they ask you questions."
"I understand, Colonel," replied Rose nodding her head at the Colonel, before staring at Spike. She was already imagining the different ways to defeat him in the event that he was a danger to her, her team, Willow, or the others in the house.
"I was created to fight the Wraith," she replied while tilting her head at Spike, looking him up and down before she glanced over at the others, and then at Spike once again, this time with a smile developing on her face, "I can sense the Wraith when they are close by, I have genetic memory of all armed and unarmed combat, and my body has been enhanced in every way just to battle the Wraith."
"Now you know," hissed Buffy as she pointed her finger at Spike, "now we won't bring that up again."
"I'd love to test her though," mumbled Spike as he looked past Buffy, and at Rose while looking her up and down. He then noticed Buffy taking one step towards him, and it was then that he raised his hands up into the air and meant that he wanted to test her fighting style, "we're going up against some string opposition, pet, and…"
"I am not your pet," said Buffy before looking away and then heading into the kitchen. Spike watched her walk away, a part of himself feeling ashamed for pushing things, before looking at the Colonel who was glaring at him.
"Tara, take Rose and Teyla with you, Willow, Lorne, and Wesley," said Colonel Sheppard, "get what you need… and some ice-cream too, and get back here."
"We'll be careful," said Tara before she and the other left the house. Spike, to avoid the Colonel and the others, huffed before curtly saying that he was going to be waiting until dark to go out to the Bronze for some proper musical enjoyment.
"And here I believed you would have liked to spar," smirked Rose as she lingered her eyes on Spike while walking past him, "I have only read the reports on the combat capabilities of vampires, are you as difficult to battle as the Wraith?"
"Don't push your luck, pet," said Spike, his face serious.
Rose just smiled at him before leaving the home, followed by Teyla. The door then closed behind them while Spike huffed, and then walked off down the hallway. He past Buffy who was glaring at him while leaning on the island in the kitchen. Spike stopped walking, and was about to say something but decided against it. He then opened the door to the backyard, put hit leather coat over his head and ran out of the house.
But not before saying that he was coming back to show rose a thing or two.
"Yeah, sure," whispered Buffy as she looked down at the island when she had a flashback to that night. She remembered being in the restroom when Spike attacked her. Buffy remembered being helpless, something she absolutely hated being, and struggling on the floor when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Finding herself back in the kitchen, Buffy gasped and jerked away from the hand on her shoulder. She then turned and went into a stance where she found Xander with his hands up, and Faith standing next to him.
"B?" asked Faith who had her eyebrows narrowed in worry. It was something that Buffy never expected from Faith, the Slayer who nearly stole her life, and tried to kill her.
'You tried to kill her too, Buffy,' the blonde Slayer told herself before looking at Xander who also asked her if she was all right, as did Dawn who had just entered the kitchen, 'but then again, this is already a very strange time.'
It was then that she realized that only Xander was aware of what happened that day.. he had seen the aftermath. Faith, Dawn, the others didn't know… except for Colonel Sheppard.
And she wanted to keep it that way, "yea, I'm good. Just tired from the flight, you know."
"Captain Peroxide gone?" asked Faith.
"Out the back," replied Buffy, "said he was coming back later."
"G-man and Wes are talking to John and that Ronon guy," said Xander while Faith looked over her shoulder towards the direction of the living room. They heard Ronon speaking, and Faith turned back to look at Buffy while biting her lower lip.
"I don't mind having him teach me how to shoot," Faith waggled her eyebrows as Dawn and Xander rolled their eye, and Buffy shook her head.
"Hey," said Buffy, "anything else you can tell me about the uber-vamp?"
"It's tough, B," said Faith leaning on the Island, "it's really tough to fight. They used the fancy electrical whammy-gun thing.."
"The Zat," Dawn reminded Faith.
"Right, the Zat gun," Faith corrected herself before continuing to say that that the weapon had to be fired many times before the Turok-han fell on the ground, "a team went back in the morning, I mean it was dark in there since sunlight could reach way down the hole. But… the body was gone."
"It's still walking around," said Buffy while Faith nodded her head. She then sighed before saying that they should have better luck with the plasma weapons before lowering her voice and whispering, "but we still need the Slayers to train how to fight, we have to assume that these guys won't always be here to help us."
"You think John would just leave after this is done?" asked Dawn.
"No, Tara's here so he won't be gone for long anyway," said Buffy who was hoping she was right, "but the military may not want us to keep these weapons. We need to be prepared for anything. I mean… they're finding a better place to hold all of us and… and I don't see us having that place once the military says they're done…. I mean at least after we beat the First."
"You think we can beat the First, Buff?" asked Xander.
"We have to, Xand," said Buffy with a small smile.
"So," whispered Faith, "have you seen any of their toys? DO they have space ships and…"
"Tara said she was on board a ship," whispered Buffy while Xander silently mouthed 'that's so cool' so that Colonel Sheppard couldn't hear, while Faith and Dawn looked on impressed, "but we haven't seen much of these weapons."
"I can't wait to handle a gun, and…"
"No," said Xander and Buffy together while Faith smirked at the frowning Dawn.
"Your already good with a sword, Dawn," explained Buffy, "I want you to continue that. Me, Faith, Xander will train with these guys on using these weapons. I just hope I don't suck at it."
"OK, enough with the weapons, what about Rose?" asked Dawn.
"What about Rose?" asked Buffy as she looked at her sister.
"I mean she's a weapon, Buffy," Dawn whispered waving her hands about, "I mean…"
"Faith and I are weapons too," said Buffy, to which Faith silently agreed before adding that it was what the Council used to see them as. Buffy then continued by saying that she didn't want Rose to feel any differently, "she'll be training the Potentials with Teyla and Ronan. Showing them some moves here and there. Faith and I can train them in bladed weapons."
"Just tell me what you want me to show them, B," said Faith.
"We can start all this tomorrow morning," said Buffy as she stood up straight, "for now, we take a break. And hope we don't get attacked."
"We're prepared if we do," smirked Faith, "plasma weapons."
"Don't jinx it," said Xander as Dawn chuckled, while Faith shrugged her shoulders saying that it would be a chance to see the new weapons in action.
"Rest up, guys," said Buffy, "I have a feeling we'll need it.. especially with the Potentials heading our way, and the training that's coming up for us."
TBC.
