Title - Dawn, The Key: The Reality of War Part 3
Author - Shane A. Hopkins (thesorcererbard@I-am-the-key.com)
Rating - PG
Disclaimer - What I don't own. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and everything related to them. The Ghost Roads, The Gatekeeper and The Gatehouse come from the Buffy, The Vampire Slayer novels The Gatekeeper Trilogy Books 1, 2 and 3 by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder (Great set of books get em if you can) What I do own. Everything not owned by the above mentioned people / companies is owned by me but you may use any of it as long as you give me credit. There is one exception to this and that is Quinton Everett III, he is mine and you can't use him whatsoever.
Authors Note - To be introduced to Quinton Everett III please read one of my previous stories "Love's Energy"
Authors Note 2 - This story follows directly on from my previous one "Guardians of The Key"
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The Reality of War - Part 3
"So, Quinn will change under a full moon?" Giles asked.
"For once, I have to say I don't know." The Gatekeeper answered.
"No, I won't." Quinn said his eyes flying open. They glowed green.
The group gathered around the table on which he was laying backed up in shock. Quinn blinked a couple of times and his eyes turned back to normal.
"I have knowledge of lycanthropy, I studied it at Uni." he said, "A magical being, like a sorcerer, when infected by lycanthropy will have full control over when the change happens and will have full control over himself when in werecreature form."
"This could be a great advantage in a fight." Angel said.
"Yes it would but what animal will you turn into?" Buffy asked Quinn.
"That is my choice, a magical being infected by lycanthropy can choose which form he will turn into when he first changes." Quinn answered.
"Do you know what you want to turn into?" The Gatekeeper asked.
"Yes." Quinn answered getting up off the table, his eyes glowed green and his form began to blur and change as he grew taller and hunched over until he was on all fours his skin became like a leopards and he let our a growl that would have put even the most fiercest wild animal to shame.
The others in the room moved up close to the wall and tried to stay out of reach of the creature that was Quinn, but as soon as it had started Quinn changed back his form blurred and his shape reverted to normal.
"Wow." exclaimed Dawn, "What was that?"
"A wereleopard, the fastest and strongest of the lycanthropes." The Gatekeeper answered.
"I feel power coursing through my veins, I feel strong and powerful." Quinn said flexing his arms.
"You will have to be careful, you might loose control and if something happens you could kill someone." The Gatekeeper said walking over to him.
"Sir! We have incoming!" yelled a radar technician from the next room.
"What kind?" Quinn asked him as he ran into the room followed by the rest of the group.
"Looks like at least two dozen flying demons and hundreds of ground forces." the technician replied.
"Mobilise the troops and deploy the building defences." Quinn yelled to the other technicians around the room.
"Aye, aye sir!" came the reply as there was an explosion of action.
"Dawn, Jason get to the safe room now!" Quinn called to them.
"But I want to help." Dawn cried back.
"Well we need you safe and unharmed, we can't guarantee that if you're fighting." Quinn told her.
"And me, why do I have to go?" Jason asked.
"You'll be there in case we fall, don't let The Key fall into the hands of the Knights, now GO!" Quinn yelled.
"Gone." said Jason dragging Dawn out of the room.
After Jason and Dawn had left, a communications officer yelled to Giles and Quinn, "We have a report from the Watchers Prison center in Washington."
"What is it, don't they know we're a bit busy?" Quinn called back.
"They're under attack!" the officer called back.
"Damn." Giles swore.
"We can't worry about that now."
"Sir, communication with the facility has been cut off." the officer called.
"Switch to the satellite." Quinn told him.
"Done, still no contact." the officer said over the sound of explosions and fighting that could be heard coming from the rest of the building and from outside it.
"Can you get a visual?" Giles asked.
"Yes Sir." the officer said as he began tapping in commands to his computer
keyboard.
"Sir, Russia Britain and the US have all gone on highest alert status, they say nuclear war has been declared!" the officer who was monitoring official channels.
"Sir, visual of Washington facility on the main screen." the communications officer said.
There was a collective gasp from the people who were gathered in the room.
On the screen where there should have been a thriving metropolis was a smouldering ruin.
"Oh my god, how many." Buffy asked in shock.
"Millions, maybe more." Quinn answered.
"Those bastards." Buffy swore.
"People are disserting, they know of the attack in Washington!" Jason yelled as he ran back into the room.
"Where's Dawn?" Quinn asked him.
"She's locked in the safe room." he answered.
"Gatekeeper, get down there please, keep an eye on her." Quinn asked the boy.
"On my way." he replied walking out of the room.
Suddenly the entire building shook and the roof began to crumble.
"Sir, all outside and internal communication has been interrupted." the communications officer called.
"They dropped a bomb." Quinn said sadly.
"A . nuclear bomb?" Buffy asked.
"Yes." Quinn answered, "Probably a re-exploding one, we'll be dead in less than half an hour." he slumped into the nearest chair.
Dawn was cowering in the safe room when the bomb exploded the entire room went up in flame but she was protected by a shield of energy. shockwaves hit the shield and shook Dawn about and with one very violent shake knocked her unconscious.
Three hours later when she regained consciousness she found her self in the ruins of the Watchers Council building. Sections of it were still on fire and she could see no living people, she could see a few bodies, and then she spotted something she recognised, a portal to the Ghost Roads.
Just inside she could see The Gatekeepers barely moving body.
She ran to him and lifted his head into her lap, "Jacques, are you alive?"
"Y.yes." his voice was weak, "But I won't be for long, I'm dieing."
"What can I do?" Dawn asked tears welling up in her eyes.
"Q.Quinn passed all his magical power to me before he died and when I die I will pass it all, his and mine, on to you." The Gatekeeper said as if saying his last will and testament, "T.this will make you the most powerful l.living creature in all
existence, you will have absolute."
The Gatekeeper's voice trailed off as the life left his body and his power surged into Dawn with such force that it threw her back almost a mile, when she stood up she felt her power flowing through her, she reached out her mind and opened a portal to the real world and walked through.
Dawn stood in the middle of the rubble and slumped to her knees and began weeping.
"You have unlimited power and you choose to weep, you can do something." came The Gatekeeper's voice from nowhere.
"What can I do?" Dawn asked it.
"Anything, anything you want." The Gatekeeper's voice faded into nothingness.
"Anything?" Dawn said as she looked up.
Dawn threw back her head and screamed, light burst from her chest and spread over the surrounding area. It didn't stop there it kept flowing over the surface of the entire planet, her scream with it. The light and scream flowed on until the planet glowed like a new sun.
Then it suddenly stopped.
NEXT TIME ON DAWN, THE KEY.
The shocking conclusion to this trilogy.
STAY TUNED FOR. DAWN, THE KEY: GHOST'S OF THE FUTURE
Author - Shane A. Hopkins (thesorcererbard@I-am-the-key.com)
Rating - PG
Disclaimer - What I don't own. Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox own Buffy the Vampire Slayer and everything related to them. The Ghost Roads, The Gatekeeper and The Gatehouse come from the Buffy, The Vampire Slayer novels The Gatekeeper Trilogy Books 1, 2 and 3 by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder (Great set of books get em if you can) What I do own. Everything not owned by the above mentioned people / companies is owned by me but you may use any of it as long as you give me credit. There is one exception to this and that is Quinton Everett III, he is mine and you can't use him whatsoever.
Authors Note - To be introduced to Quinton Everett III please read one of my previous stories "Love's Energy"
Authors Note 2 - This story follows directly on from my previous one "Guardians of The Key"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
The Reality of War - Part 3
"So, Quinn will change under a full moon?" Giles asked.
"For once, I have to say I don't know." The Gatekeeper answered.
"No, I won't." Quinn said his eyes flying open. They glowed green.
The group gathered around the table on which he was laying backed up in shock. Quinn blinked a couple of times and his eyes turned back to normal.
"I have knowledge of lycanthropy, I studied it at Uni." he said, "A magical being, like a sorcerer, when infected by lycanthropy will have full control over when the change happens and will have full control over himself when in werecreature form."
"This could be a great advantage in a fight." Angel said.
"Yes it would but what animal will you turn into?" Buffy asked Quinn.
"That is my choice, a magical being infected by lycanthropy can choose which form he will turn into when he first changes." Quinn answered.
"Do you know what you want to turn into?" The Gatekeeper asked.
"Yes." Quinn answered getting up off the table, his eyes glowed green and his form began to blur and change as he grew taller and hunched over until he was on all fours his skin became like a leopards and he let our a growl that would have put even the most fiercest wild animal to shame.
The others in the room moved up close to the wall and tried to stay out of reach of the creature that was Quinn, but as soon as it had started Quinn changed back his form blurred and his shape reverted to normal.
"Wow." exclaimed Dawn, "What was that?"
"A wereleopard, the fastest and strongest of the lycanthropes." The Gatekeeper answered.
"I feel power coursing through my veins, I feel strong and powerful." Quinn said flexing his arms.
"You will have to be careful, you might loose control and if something happens you could kill someone." The Gatekeeper said walking over to him.
"Sir! We have incoming!" yelled a radar technician from the next room.
"What kind?" Quinn asked him as he ran into the room followed by the rest of the group.
"Looks like at least two dozen flying demons and hundreds of ground forces." the technician replied.
"Mobilise the troops and deploy the building defences." Quinn yelled to the other technicians around the room.
"Aye, aye sir!" came the reply as there was an explosion of action.
"Dawn, Jason get to the safe room now!" Quinn called to them.
"But I want to help." Dawn cried back.
"Well we need you safe and unharmed, we can't guarantee that if you're fighting." Quinn told her.
"And me, why do I have to go?" Jason asked.
"You'll be there in case we fall, don't let The Key fall into the hands of the Knights, now GO!" Quinn yelled.
"Gone." said Jason dragging Dawn out of the room.
After Jason and Dawn had left, a communications officer yelled to Giles and Quinn, "We have a report from the Watchers Prison center in Washington."
"What is it, don't they know we're a bit busy?" Quinn called back.
"They're under attack!" the officer called back.
"Damn." Giles swore.
"We can't worry about that now."
"Sir, communication with the facility has been cut off." the officer called.
"Switch to the satellite." Quinn told him.
"Done, still no contact." the officer said over the sound of explosions and fighting that could be heard coming from the rest of the building and from outside it.
"Can you get a visual?" Giles asked.
"Yes Sir." the officer said as he began tapping in commands to his computer
keyboard.
"Sir, Russia Britain and the US have all gone on highest alert status, they say nuclear war has been declared!" the officer who was monitoring official channels.
"Sir, visual of Washington facility on the main screen." the communications officer said.
There was a collective gasp from the people who were gathered in the room.
On the screen where there should have been a thriving metropolis was a smouldering ruin.
"Oh my god, how many." Buffy asked in shock.
"Millions, maybe more." Quinn answered.
"Those bastards." Buffy swore.
"People are disserting, they know of the attack in Washington!" Jason yelled as he ran back into the room.
"Where's Dawn?" Quinn asked him.
"She's locked in the safe room." he answered.
"Gatekeeper, get down there please, keep an eye on her." Quinn asked the boy.
"On my way." he replied walking out of the room.
Suddenly the entire building shook and the roof began to crumble.
"Sir, all outside and internal communication has been interrupted." the communications officer called.
"They dropped a bomb." Quinn said sadly.
"A . nuclear bomb?" Buffy asked.
"Yes." Quinn answered, "Probably a re-exploding one, we'll be dead in less than half an hour." he slumped into the nearest chair.
Dawn was cowering in the safe room when the bomb exploded the entire room went up in flame but she was protected by a shield of energy. shockwaves hit the shield and shook Dawn about and with one very violent shake knocked her unconscious.
Three hours later when she regained consciousness she found her self in the ruins of the Watchers Council building. Sections of it were still on fire and she could see no living people, she could see a few bodies, and then she spotted something she recognised, a portal to the Ghost Roads.
Just inside she could see The Gatekeepers barely moving body.
She ran to him and lifted his head into her lap, "Jacques, are you alive?"
"Y.yes." his voice was weak, "But I won't be for long, I'm dieing."
"What can I do?" Dawn asked tears welling up in her eyes.
"Q.Quinn passed all his magical power to me before he died and when I die I will pass it all, his and mine, on to you." The Gatekeeper said as if saying his last will and testament, "T.this will make you the most powerful l.living creature in all
existence, you will have absolute."
The Gatekeeper's voice trailed off as the life left his body and his power surged into Dawn with such force that it threw her back almost a mile, when she stood up she felt her power flowing through her, she reached out her mind and opened a portal to the real world and walked through.
Dawn stood in the middle of the rubble and slumped to her knees and began weeping.
"You have unlimited power and you choose to weep, you can do something." came The Gatekeeper's voice from nowhere.
"What can I do?" Dawn asked it.
"Anything, anything you want." The Gatekeeper's voice faded into nothingness.
"Anything?" Dawn said as she looked up.
Dawn threw back her head and screamed, light burst from her chest and spread over the surrounding area. It didn't stop there it kept flowing over the surface of the entire planet, her scream with it. The light and scream flowed on until the planet glowed like a new sun.
Then it suddenly stopped.
NEXT TIME ON DAWN, THE KEY.
The shocking conclusion to this trilogy.
STAY TUNED FOR. DAWN, THE KEY: GHOST'S OF THE FUTURE