Josie's Apartment, Earth.
"Captain!" Doctor Crusher exclaimed, her face expressing her disbelief over what she, Picard, and Data told a few minutes ago down at the sidewalk, while Josie rushed up the stairs and back into her apartment building, "you cannot, in all seriousness, believe what she just said. Hell being released on Earth, Demons, vampires… that's just a disturbed mind giving explanations for the unknown."
Data stared at the closing front entrance of the apartment building, his positronic brain processing what Josie had just revealed while listening to what the Doctor was telling the Captain. Data then turned back and spoke, "I felt her pulse, Captain, Doctor. I searched for any signs of deception," Crusher and Picard turned to him as he continued, "her skin temperature, her pupils, and her breathing showed she believes what she says is the truth."
"She believes it is true," Crusher highlighted, "and that is precisely the problem.' Crusher then turned to Picard and then back to Data once again, "it's not the truth supported by years of collecting data and scientific research," she then turned to Picard again, who was now staring at the entrance of the building and continued, "she believes it's true. Captain… Jean-Luc, we need to get her back to Starfleet Medical."
Picard looked back at the Doctor and was about to say something when Data interjected.
"However, there is still no explanation of her abilities or the how she arrived in Starfleet Command during the invasion," Data clarified looking at both the Captain and then at the Doctor, "we performed numerous tests and quantum level scans on the surrounding area in that hallway… but there was no detection of the typical energy signature that normally would accompany a wormhole."
"She did ask whoever it was on the other side of the communicator to open a portal," Picard added before pressing down on his badge that connected himself to the Enterprise, "Number One, begin scanning a five hundred meter radius of my location, I want a detailed analysis of any energy fluctuations," Picard then signalled at the group to head up the stairs while continuing to send orders, "and have an away team ready and prepared to beam down to the archaeological dig outside Sunnydale."
"Understood," Riker said while confused at the first part of the order, "Captain, what kind of energy fluctuations are we searching for?"
"I don't know yet," Picard whispered as he, Data, and Crusher rushed up the stairs to the third floor and then towards the open door down the hallway, "initiate scans, Number One." As they were heading up the stair, Picard turned his head towards Dr. Crusher who was frowning, and whispered, "I feel we need to know more, Beverly. We'll hear her out further before making a final decision." Crusher sighed and nodded her head as Data opened the front door that led into the building.
USS Enterprise, at that same time.
Riker nodded at one of the crew who then began scanning the surrounding area around Picard's location as directed. He then ordered an away team to Transporter Room Three while placing his hands on his hips. In the meantime, Counsellor Troi leaned forward on her chair and narrowed her eyes while staring out the viewscreen at the blue planet below. While Picard and the others walked up the stairs towards Josie's apartment, Troi stood up and placed one hand over her chest while taking a few steps forward before she stood by Riker's side. In the distance she could see McKinley station with Voyager within its arms as the ship remained under repair.
"Will," Troi whispered looking down at the planet below while rubbing her chest, "something's not right."
"Do you sense something?" Riker asked glancing at Troi. It was then he noticed she was rubbing her chest just below her neck and between her collar bones with a worried expression, "Deanna?
Troi continued to stare at the planet below while having a sinking feeling in her gut. She felt as if she would fall into an ocean of darkness that was ready to take her. She physically stepped back at feeling a gasping maw biting into her with evil and hate. There was so much hate, and a darkness she couldn't explain. She felt as if she was sinking into an ocean of darkness… so much so that it felt as if the sounds around her were getting further and further away. Troi felt her arms tremble while hearing the distant call of a familiar male voice. She felt herself sinking deeper into this 'ocean' as she panted while sweat gathered on her forehead.
"Deanna?"
There was the voice again.
"Deanna?"
Troi felt someone shaking her shoulder and that was what brought her back to the real world. Troi panted before she turned to Riker who stared at her with concern on her face, "Commander?"
"Did you sense something?" Riker asked in concern.
"I… I don't know what I sensed," Troi answer glancing back out the view screen at the planet below. She then turned back to Riker, "it felt… wrong. I can't explain it. It's like we're just skirting around something dark… like a blackhole that is trying to suck in my body heat… I felt as if I was sinking in an ocean of cold darkness and…" Troi shook her head trying to think of something to say, something to describe what she was feeling, "… it's like I'm looking into a gapping maw and… and something is looking back at me. It's baring its teeth and… and I feel fear."
"You're not making much sense," Riker arched his eyebrow upwards. But before he could continue, the turbo lift opened at the rear of the bridge. Riker turned to see who it was, only to be surprised when he saw Guinan walk onto the bridge with eyes wide open in fear. Riker knew she was in the new Ten-Forward on board the Enterprise, and the last he had seen her was when the new bar opened last night. It was a place for the crew to get away from their jobs- even if it was only for just a few minutes.
"I can just describe what I felt as… evil," Troi whispered as Guinan strode down the steps at the rear of the bridge. She was heading towards Riker and Troi.
"Commander," Guinan whispered with her eyes widened in fear as she stared out at the planet through the view screen, "where's the captain?"
"On the surface, in Sunnydale," he replied, his voice hitched at the end in surprise as Guinan turned sharply to her right before stepping back panting and then turning towards Riker again. But before she could speak, Troi interjected.
"Guinan," The Counsellor gulped while she stepped around Riker and then walked towards Guinan in small steps with her arms crossed over her chest, "you feel it, don't you? The fear? A great fear like… it feels like something dark… a dark force is trying to swallow you whole?"
Guinan nodded her head before she glanced at Riker and asked, "Commander, could we speak in the ready room?" Riker stared at Guinan with trepidation. The last time Guinan spoke with them happened to be the day he and the rest of the Senior Staff were informed about the Tau'ri and the Goa'uld. And now, Riker felt as if he was going to be getting more news that would be coming out of left field.
"Daniels," Riker said nodding at Guinan, "contact the Captain. Tell him that he's needed up here."
"Aye," Daniels replied while Riker turned back towards Guinan who continued to stare past him and Troi towards the planet below.
Earth.
Just as the door to Josie's apartment closed behind them, Picard received the message from the Enterprise that he was needed back on board the ship. However, it was at that exact moment that the Computer in Josie's apartment beeped before stating that a call was coming in from Devon.
"On screen," a worried Josie said as she walked out of her room and into the living room carrying a metallic case. The Three Starfleet officers watched as Josie placed the case on her couch and then they turned to the screen across from the couch turning on to show a grey haired woman with blue eyes and wearing a pair of orange rimmed glasses. The Captain noticed the greyish stone walls behind the woman where there were several people hurrying along with looks of worry on their faces. He then turned to Josie who said, "Miss Amara, how bad?"
"Very bad," Amara said while Crusher and Data looked at each other and then at Amara once again, "imagine the seal is like a container holding back this dark and evil energy for the past three hundred years. The energy was always leaking out, but it was manageable. It wasn't enough to call forth…"
"Miss Amara," Josie interrupted before she looked to her left at the three Starfleet officers. She then turned back to the screen and continued to speak after releasing a sigh when she noticed Picard about to say something, "listen, I have three Starfleet officers here."
Picard and the others saw the look Amara's face harden, "I thought everything about you was scrubbed clean from the Starfleet and Federation database?"
"There are some things that couldn't be scrubbed," Josie sighed before motioning for the officers to come into view of the Watcher, "Amara Kensington, this is Captain Picard, Data, and Dr. Crusher." Josie turned back to Amara, "they're from the USS Enterprise." Josie then sighed before continuing, "and they know about… everything." Josie could see that Amara was about to say something, but the Slayer continued, "they wanted to bring me in to Starfleet Medical and run tests. They think I'm a genetically enhanced human."
"Captain," Amara frowned, "a Slayer is not a medical curiosity." And before Picard and the others could continue, "and a Slayer is not part of any genetic engineering program. And while I would debate you, or Starfleet Medical, or Starfleet Command about this, there is no time. I take it that Josie told you about demons."
"Aliens," Crusher clarified.
"I suppose you could look at them that way," Amara said, "but they are not. Sunnydale lies on a convergence of mystical energy called a Hellmouth."
"Excuse me?" Picard narrowed his eyes while Data cocked his head to the side and Crusher frowned.
"A literal mouth of Hell," Josie explained looking at Picard who turned back towards her, "these things are not aliens coming to Earth to explore or trade or to say hello. The walls between dimensions are the thinnest here. And there is more than one Hell dimension that's trying to push through the veil to take over this world. To enslave or kill humanity."
"I…." Crusher managed to say before being interrupted.
"And there are hundreds of Hell dimensions just as there are hundreds of heavenly dimensions," Amara said. "But these things from the Hellmouth are not angels coming to save us. These are all the nightmares that haunts your thoughts. Demons, vampires, goblins, orcs, the dead… " Picard noticed Amara tense slightly, "the Old Ones". Data looked on with curiosity while Picard and Crusher looked at each other with quizzical expressions while Amara continued, "Pure demons..." Amara explained referring to the Old Ones, "…are more powerful than the demons that have cross bred with humans and other demons. And the Slayer was created to fight these forces of darkness for the forces of light. You.."
"Miss Amara," Josie said as she took out the Slayer Scythe from its case and looked up at her Watcher, "its time."
Amara looked over at Josie before turning back to Picard and the others, "the Slayer has been protecting the Earth long before the Federation and Starfleet came into being. The Slayer is a calling, and now Josie will do her duty." Before the officers could say anything, Amara turned to Josie and said, "I will have myself, and a team, teleported to the location of the suspected breach." She then sighed before continuing, "I know this is your first apocalyptic scenario, and…"
"I'm ready," Josie nodded just as Picard's badge beeped.
"Captain Picard," Riker's voice came over the commbadge on the bald man's chest, "you're needed back on the Enterprise." Josie stared at the Captain as he nodded his head before he turned to her and said that he wanted her to come with them to the Enterprise so that they could come up with a way to confirm what she and Amara said. Josie sighed and shook her head, "there's no time. You can…."
"Number One," the Captain said staring at Josie with an apologetic expression, "beam all of us out of here now." Josie frowned before turning to Amara who locked her jaw as she turning her head to the right and ordered someone offscreen to teleport Josie immediately to the location of the suspected breach. As Amara turned her head back to look at Josie through the screen in the Devon Coven's main command and control room, Picard received a message from Riker saying that the Enterprise's targeting scanners weren't able to find them.
"Energy from the Hellmouth has been sealed in for a long time," Amara explained, her face seemed drained off blood, "ordinarily some energy would seep through the seal, there's nothing that can be done about that but… but now the seal is cracking and…"
"Miss Amara," Josie said, "if the seal here cracks, how about the other ones?"
"Other ones?" Crusher said while Riker continued to say that they were running diagnostics on the transporters. However, he added, the other ships in orbit also were unable to teleport them up.
"There are at least three Hellmouths," Amara said, 'the one in Sunnydale is the oldest and most powerful." She then turned to Josie, "we're opening the portal now and there'll be a team of witches and support personnel waiting for you."
"Witches?" Crusher waved her arms while exclaiming.
Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound. Josie looked around at her living room and noticed that the books on her shelves in the living room were shaking. She then turned to Picard and asked, "did you guys feel that?" Before anyone could answer, Amara whispered, "oh my God." She then leaned forward and yelled into the screen, "Josie, all of you, hold onto something!" there was the distant sound of a loud boom, followed by a jolt that had the building itself groan while shaking. This time, Josie and the others tried to keep their balance- Crusher held onto Picard who held onto the top of the couch. In the meantime, Data had his arms spread out as he stumbled back slightly while he tried to keep himself balanced. Josie glanced at the screen and saw that Amara was yelling at something she couldn't hear over the loud groans and rumbles that were shaking the building.
In fact, the entire city of Sunnydale was shaking.
And then just as the lights in the apartment started to flicker while the computer was gently reminding Josie to seek shelter, the shaking stopped. All in all, the trembling lasted for two minutes… but it felt like hours. Josie looked around before turning towards the screen and ordering the computer to re-establish a connection with the Devon Coven.
"An Earthquake? We should have received a warning from the geological sensors around…"
"It wasn't an ordinary Earthquake," Josie whispered turning her head once she noticed something strange outside her living room window. Where once it was bright, now darkness seemed to spread from one end to another. Josie rushed to her window and stared out at the sudden night, "no… no…"
Josie then turned, "computer! Reconnect me with Miss Amara in Devon!"
"Number One, what's going on up there?" the Captain said while the Computer, in response to Josie, responded that a connection was being established. However, the Captain was unable to reach the Enterprise or any of the other ships in orbit. In the meantime, Crusher and Data rushed out to the apartment door and then down the stairs to outside the building to see with their own eyes what was happening. It was at this point that Amara's concerned face returned to the screen- resulting in a relieved Josie.
"Josie, Josie," she said while in the background people were running about, some yelling over the others, "are you alright?"
"What's happening?" Josie asked with worry. She hoped what was happening was what she thought was happening- she hoped that they weren't too late and that this meant the seals were broken. Josie looked over at Picard who shook his head before saying he couldn't reach any of the ships in orbit. He then continued on to say that he would contact Starfleet Command directly. Josie nodded her head before turning to Amara who confirmed her very fears.
"The seals have been broken," Amara said to a worried Josie, "we've already sent a message to the other Slayers in Pegasus. But we don't know how long it would take for them to get here."
While Josie was speaking to Amara, Picard was getting an update from Starfleet Command, "we're getting reports of dense cloud cover all over the planet, Captain. We've checked and re-checked the orbital weather satellites and the weather stations on Earth for any unusual readings but… well… we're getting nothing unusual. This… whatever this is? It's not supposed to be happening. And..."
"And?" Picard asked the male voice while he looked back at the worried expression on Josie's face.
"We've lost all connection to the satellite's in orbit, sir," was the reply, "but we have no readings that indicate a disruption in subspace communications. We simply lost all connections o our orbital platforms."
"And ships?"
"It's the same, Captain, we can't contact any of the vessels that are in orbit."
"Captain!" yelled Crusher with a look of disbelief on her face as she rushed back into the apartment with Data close behind. The latter's face showed an expression of curiosity as he turned towards Josie while Crusher was saying, "we've see clouds spontaneously forming in the sky. It's dark outside but the areas were there's light is… well… covered. The… I…." the stunned Doctor stuttered, "I don't know what's happening."
"We've lost contact with the Enterprise and the other ships in orbit as well," Picard added.
"The seals have been broken," Josie said before everyone turned towards her.
"What you're seeing is a manifestation of the evil energy that has been trapped in the Hellmouth for the past three hundred years being released in one fell swoop," Amara said shaking her head, "now… now comes…"
"The end," a voice said. Josie turned sharply towards the sudden appearance of a young boy, about twelve years old, standing in the living room. Crusher and the others turned towards the boy as well, with Picard having his eyes opened wide in shock before he gasped a name.
"Rene."
"Hello, uncle," the boy replied with an innocent smile on his face while the others stared at Picard and then at Josie. "It is truly good to see you once again."
"Captain," Crusher whispered as Josie slowly inched towards the case, "I thought you told me your nephew's family died in a fire?" Upon hearing that, josie paused as she reached for the case and stared at the boy, and then at Picard, and then at the boy once again with a look of worry.
"He did die," Picard whispered starting at Rene.
"Fascinating," Data said taking out his tricorder and activating it before scanning Rene', "I detected nothing unusual around this manifestation of the boy."
"Who.. who are you?" Picard whispered, "my nephew died, and…." He rolled his hands into fists before hissing, "who are you to take on my nephew's face? Are you responsible for what's happening outside? What planet are you from? Where…"
"Oh Uncle," the boy sneered now, "I am Rene. I am your nephew. Don't you remember promising to show me the stars?"
"I… I…" Picard whispered in disbelief.
"Captain," Josie said, "that is not your nephew. Do not…."
"You wat to know how I died, uncle?" the boy interjected while staring at Picard, and then at Crusher, and then at Data, and back to Picard, "I was sleeping when smoke filled the room. I remember being unable to breathe while I struggle to call out for mother and father." The boy stepped forward as Picard closed his eyes while Data walked around the bald man and stood in front of him protectively, "even after I lost consciousness, I could still feel. I felt the fire approach me, I felt…" Picard opened his eyes upon hearing a terrified gasp from Crusher. And what he saw made his want to vomit- Rene stood there with a smile on his face as his skin started to peel off, one of his eyes started to melt while other parts of his skin blistered, "this is how I died. And where were you, Uncle? Traveling to distant worlds, enjoying yourself…"
"I was…."
"Meeting new races while father, mother, and I suffered?" he whispered as more skin peeled ad then turned purple, "but don't worry, we're all here, Uncle."
"We?" Data asked while Josie opened the case and took out the Slayer Scythe.
"We're all part of the First Evil," the boy standing there morphed into a dark haired man in a Starfleet uniform, a man that Josie noticed made Picard and Crusher gasp- the later placing her hand over her mouth while her eyes widened.
"Jack," she whispered in a muffled voice.
"Hello Beverly," the man called Jack said, "don't worry sweetheart, we'll be together again."
"Leave," Josie said holding onto the shaft of the Scythe.
"You'll join me soon, Slayer," the First said before stepping back and turning its head towards the others, "except for the robot, all of you will be with the First very soon."
"How is that possible," Data sked curiously.
"After you die," Josie said as Picard and Crusher turned their heads towards her, "before she left, Miss Summers told me and the others about you." Upon hearing that, the First smiled.
"The end is here, the Hellmouth's seals are broken, and my legion is going to rise out of the Hellmouth," the First chuckled as the man called Jack started to vanished, his image turning inside out while he continued to speak and Crusher shook her head while Picard held on to her, "the skies will block out the light, rivers will run with blood, the seas and the oceans will boil, and the dead will rise to claim the living. The things that live in darkness will take over the Earth. And when the balance is tipped to evil… I will gain physical form and feed on the evil of every being that walks the Earth."
The image of the man became a great hooded horned demon that roared, forcing a yell of terror from Crusher while the others stepped back. The demon then vanished, leaving the four of them in the living room.
"The war is here," Josie said looking at Picard and the others, "all of us need to fight. We need to hold the planet until help arrives."
"What do we have to do?" Picard asked holding onto the tearful Crusher.
Enterprise, now.
While Guinan was about to tell Riker and Troi about her time on Earth in the early 1900's as they waited for the Captain, Troi looked over to the left towards the door leading back to the bridge. She felt a chill going through her spine before she turned to Guinan who suddenly stopped talking once she mentioned a trip to California. The two of them stared at each other with fear etched on their faces.
"I felt something like this before, I…"
"Commander Riker to the bridge, Commander Roker to the Bridge." Troi noticed the worry in the Operations officer's voice as he interrupted Guinan, who was about to state that she had experienced similar feelings of fear when she travelled to the City of Sunnydale, before she turned to Riker.
"Will, something's very wrong," Troi said.
Riker nodded his head before the three of them exited the Captain's ready room and stepped into the bridge. It was then that Troi felt a rush of emotions from the bridge crew, as well as the emotions from the nearby ships still orbiting the planet below. She felt goosebumps on her skin as she, Riker, Guinan, and hundreds of other crew all over the Enterprise watched helplessly as a dark greyish-red cloud covered the entire Western seaboard of the United states.
And the cloud cover was spreading rapidly.
"Get me the Away Team!" the Commander ordered.
Voyager, now.
Janeway was in her Ready Room recording her daily personal log when she was suddenly called to the Bridge by the newly promoted Lt. Harry Kim, who was still manning the Operations Console. Janeway muttered, "I'm coming," before she ended her log and got off her seat. She walked around her table and glanced at the blue planet below as she reached the door.
It hissed open to a view that surprised her. Janeway walked out to find Chakotay, Kim, and several other Bridge crew who were staring out the viewscreen with looks of confusion on their faces. Curious, she glanced at Tuvok who had an expression that she thought she would never see, one of abject fear.
"Tuvok?" Janeway asked. He glanced back at her and then at the viewscreen behind her.
"Kathryn," Chakotay whispered while still staring out at the screen. Janeway turned and gasped. The entirety of North America and parts of the Pacific Ocean... and it was growing, "we've tried contacting Starfleet Command, but our signal isn't going through."
"What?" Janeway asked while staring at the screen as a feeling of dread at watching the dark grey-reddish clouds spread. To her, the clouds seemed as if it was unnatural… something that was supposed to be feared. Janeway then registered what Chakotay said, and she ordered that they boost the signal. "Anything?" she asked after the signal was boosted.
"No, ma'am," Kim said.
"Tactical… Tuvok, what's going on?" Janeway asked turning around to face the tactical station.
"I.. I am receiving no readings of the event, Captain," Tuvok said, composing himself, as he grabbed the edges of either side of his console, "but I… I feel…"
"Tuvok?" Janeway asked as she turned back and stared ta the Vulcan in surprise, "what do you feel?"
"Terrified," was the response much to everyone's surprise. Well, it wasn't a surprise since they themselves were feeling scared for a reason they couldn't fathom- but it was the fact that Tuvok, a Vulcan, was scared- that unnerved all of them. Janeway turned back around to watch as the cloud started to cover Florida, and then Cuba.
"Keep on trying to contact Starfleet Command," Janeway ordered, "and get me Captain Picard on the Enterprise."
Outside Sunnydale, now.
Professor Karen Atkins was a researcher specialising in archaeology at Starfleet Academy when she received a call to join an expedition to examine a vast underground network of caves and caverns in Sunnydale. If was after much surveying that the team discovered a location where the walls between a small cavern in the underground network and the surface, specifically a medium sized cavern beneath one of Sunnydale's power distribution centers.
The team had to dig through the surface to get to the cavern, and once they entered, the Professor discovered the walls had symbols and patterns etched on them. She was the lead, and as such she ordered the removal of the patterns and symbols on the walls so that she and several of the other team members could examine them on the surface.
Then, through the hole that was created thanks to drilling phasers mounted on a shuttle craft, another drilling phaser was teleported down to the cavern before work commenced on the wall. In the meantime, she and her team examined the markings and patterns with no luck. But the search continued through every database on Earth, including those concerning the occult- at least what remained of any occult related materials that were not destroyed in World War Three.
It would be just as a thin layer of the subterranean wall remained that Karen opened her eyes wide as the computer came up with a few matching patterns.
"Sealed… protection… keep in…." she whispered to herself before hearing the drilling phaser behind her deactivate and some of the other scientists cheer. 'They must have drilled through the wall,' Atkins thought as she stared at the final pattern and its translation, "danger." Atkins turned around on her seat and opened her eyes wide open at the screams erupting from behind her. "No," she whispered as pale skinned, yellow eyed creatures from the smoking hole created by the drilling phasers leapt out. They took down several of the scientists and some of the Security personnel. Atkins watched in horror as the cratures roared before revelings fangs and biting into them. She got off her seat and rushed off with several others while she pressed down on the Starfleet Academy badge on her chest.
She tapped on it, but bef reo she could say anything, she screamed as one of the creatures leapt onto her back and brought her down to the ard floor.
"Help!" she screamed as a hiss erupted from her communicator, a sign that there was no connection to the surface. The next thing she knew, her head was slammed against the dirty covered floor before she felt two sharp prinks on her neck. And soon, her body started t become cold before darkness took over.
TBC.