In the end it didn't matter though, he couldn't walk away from the people here, even if it meant his death or exile from his home. He shook his head once more, and turned back to his work until he heard the shimmering of laughter echo through his mind.
What are you laughing at, Elan?
What he said, Elan giggled.
I thought you didn't understand his language.
I do not, Elan said primly. That was in the language of the Ancients.
What did it mean?
Roughly it translates as 'Crusader', Elan considered, Or perhaps 'Holy Crusader' is more appropriate.
"Great," Xander moaned. "You mean he called me a 'White Knight'."
Yes, Elan mused, that would probably be an accurate translation.
*****
By evening the defenses were as prepared as they would get. Xander carefully donned his mask, and checked his equipment. Got two clips apiece left for the forty-five's. That sucks. Machete is a pile of twisted metal out in the jungle, but I still have the Tanto. Great. That'll take one of the bastards before it's wrecked. On the bright side I have the plasma caster and Elan.
Xander looked at the rapidly darkening jungle and cast his eyes toward the heavens. I'm fucked.
Gee, tell me what you really think of me. Elan muttered dryly.
Xander ignored her and scanned the jungle's heat signatures, swallowing deeply as he watched them scatter and finally fade into the darkness. He turned and looked at the tribal warriors beside him.
"It's time."
*****
The Next Morning
Xander collapsed, exhausted, to the ground as the brilliance of the morning light borke over the top of the jungle. He looked around, seeing nothing but carnage for the length of the village, those few people who had survived the night were huddled together in terror. His armor was covered in the blood of a dozen warriors who had stood beside him when the horde had attacked, his mind was still bathed in the horror of their screams combined with the evil hisses of the creatures as they attacked.
Jahna was unconscious next to him, in bad shape from the night of fighting but still alive. Xander moaned and pulled himself to his feet, dragging her away from the smoking pits of acid that had been the corpses of alien creatures. That shit can't be good for your lungs.
The fighting had been over when the creatures had died or gotten what they came for. The latter in far too many instances. They grabbed people kicking and screaming from the arms of their loved ones and vanished into the night with their prizes.
And for every one person they grabbed we face another one of those things tomorrow night.
Xander dropped to his knees when he had reached the huddled group of survivors. Perhaps one in four had survived the night, leaving the village with less then eighty people still breathing. Xander shut his eyes for the first time in over twenty hours, willing the darkness to overtake him.
Wait! What was that? Elan suddenly shouted into his mind.
Xander practically teleported to his feet, the Plasma Caster on his shoulder whirring quietly as it tracked the jungle. "What?"
What did that man say?
"Huh?" Xander spun around, still riding the adrenaline rush that Elan's words had initiated. "What man?"
The one in the group. Ask him to repeat what he just said.
Xander looked around, finally spotting a small group that was talking rather then sobbing or sleeping. He walked over to them and repeated what Elan whispered to him.
The man looked at him curiously, and with a fair bit of awe and fear, before repeating himself.
Chappa'ai Elan said the word reverently. He said they were going to pray for deliverance at the Chappa'ai.
"So?" Xander was confused, being half dead from exhaustion had done little for his mental capability.
The Chappa'ai is a word from a language older then even I, Alexander. It is used to describe a portal that connects to a pan-galactic network of conduits that connect hundreds of thousands of earth type worlds. If there is a Chappa'ai here, we can use it to evacuate the people to safety, and perhaps find a way to return to Earth.
"Whoa." Xander was waking up fast. "Why didn't you say so?"
I just did. Elanthielle sounded somewhat annoyed.
*****
It took most of the morning to figure out the details and establish a plan of action. After almost an hour of stumbling over his words and dumbly repeating what Elan told him to say, they managed to ascertain that there was indeed a gateway located on this world. After that it was a matter of getting everyone to grab what they could and abandon the village.
By early afternoon Xander was supervising a column of single and double file villagers on a three mile forced march. They were hanging a lot on the words of a few villagers in Xander's opinion but he didn't see any other option. Another night here and everyone would be dead or worse.
Despite his fatigue Xander patrolled along the length of the column, scanning the jungle for any signs of attack. They had hit the halfway point when the first indications that they were being followed occurred.
Xander could see the heat signatures scattering and knew instantly that there was trouble in the wind. He moved away from the main group, searching for the creatures he knew where stalking them.
They found him.
*****
The forward scouts of the column heard the horrid hissing they remembered from the night before, followed by sounds of struggle, and a bestial battle cry. They broke from the group and charged into the area, their weapons held at the ready.
As they broke into a clearing they saw a sight that stopped all of them in their tracks, only long experience keeping their weapons from dropping from nerveless hands.
The warrior who had fought by their sides the night before was besieged by a half dozen of the creatures of their nightmares, and around him lay the bodies of half dozen more.
*****
When the first one struck him, Xander went down. Hard. He could feel them scrabbling at his armor as they started to drag him away.
He drew Elan with a practiced motion, bracing the ancient weapon against the ground before activating it. The sudden expansion of the weapon broke the swarm apart, sending three of them flying away from Xander and giving him room to move.
Xander was back to his knees when the swarm regrouped and charged him again. He fired the plasma caster by reflex, holing three of them at point blank range and scattering acid around the clearing. He slowly backed into a large tree, keeping his back to the trunk and warding the rest back with careful movements of his staff.
Xander cursed himself repeatedly. He knew that they should never have gotten so close without him knowing, but he had been fatigued and nowhere near the top of his game. He shifted the staff to his left hand, crooking it in his arm, and swept it in a hard swing that cracked the tough carapace of one of his attackers.
His right gauntlet activated, eight inch blades snapping out and eviscerating the closet alien with a vicious slash.
Internally Xander had slipped into a trance, the outside world had faded into blackness. Inside that darkness was only him, and the creatures of his nightmares. All he could hear was their screams, their hisses, and his voice above it all chanting a mantra that would have shocked him a few short weeks earlier. Not alive you bastards. Never alive. I won't let you take me alive!
*****
The warriors were torn. Their honor demanded that they help the one who had fought for them the night before, but it was suicide to enter the boundaries of the clearing he fought in. The demons poison blood had created a circle of evil that defied any attempt to enter. And within the circle... Within the circle they didn't see a fellow warrior. They saw a berserker, a being as demonic in his fierce manner as the creatures he fought.
*****
Alexander.
Xander didn't hear the voice, he slashed down with another strike that shattered a black carapace.
Alexander!
Xander whipped his staff around, annihilating another gleaming black talon.
ALEXANDER!
"What!?" He asked as he thrust the staff into another creatures skull.
They are all dead, Alexander. You can stop now.
Xander paused, feeling the world return to him, and looked around the clearing with lifeless eyes.
The corpses of a dozen of the aliens were scattered around the field, the acid from their bodies filling the entire area with poisonous fumes. Xander rapidly checked himself out and found, to his relief, that by some miracle he couldn't fathom he had emerged from the battle unscathed by the alien acid.
At the edge of the field he saw a group of warriors grouped against the edge of the acid circle, watching him in awe. Awe that quickly turned to fear as he stalked toward them, his body language clearly showing his current state of mind.
He walked like someone who had lost his fear, his anger, and perhaps his sanity.
*****
Ruatha watched as the human forced his charges to double time their march. He didn't know what hope the boy possibly had that would cause him to do this, there was no way to outrun the Kainde amedha. Silently he considered what he had just witnessed. The human had taken on a dozen of the Kainde amedha and emerged victorious. It wasn't an unprecedented feat, but for one with as little training as the boy it was disturbing.
*****
"Is that it?"
That is the Chappa'ai. Elan said with some satisfaction.
"How do I activate it?" Xander asked dully.
*****
Ruatha stared in shock.
A Chappa'ai. By the gods, had we known there was a gate on this world we would never have seeded it with a Kainde amedha colony.
He knew what had to be done. The Gate of the Heavens must be buried until the colony was expunged. The Yautja thumbed the recall button on his gauntlet and summoned his ship.
*****
"So we can't dial Earth?"
No. The primary gate on Earth was buried.
"What about the secondary?"
It would be unwise to bring these people to that gate. It is located in what you would call, Antarctica.
"Oh." That pretty much summed things up. "Any suggestions?"
Normally I would not want to rely on information that is ten thousand years old, but in this case... Elan gave Xander a series of symbols to dial. We have no choice but to travel blindly. I do not know the name of this world, or its coordinates. There is no return.
"Crap." Xander cursed. "Slow death here, or possibly fast death through the big circle thingy. I love my life."
*****
Ruatha watched from his ship as the human activated the Chappa'ai, and began to shuffle people through it. He shook his head in disgust at the waste of energy, why save creatures who were totally helpless?
His attention was attracted to his ships sensors when they began to bleat a warning. The Kainde amedha were approaching the Chappa'ai.
He targeted the Gate and his talons tightened on the firing stud.
*****
The helmet's acoustic sensors hissed with the evil sound that haunted Xander's mind, causing him to snap around to look at the jungle. What he saw caused his blood to run cold.
From the jungle came a horde of the glistening black carapaces, all heading straight for the gate and Xander's group.
Xander opened fire, his plasma caster blowing holes through the creatures, sometimes two at a time as they advanced. But the horde was too large, and it was closing fast. The villagers began to run into the portal, their only hope for salvation an unknown world hundred of light-years away.
The horde was almost upon them when fire rained from the sky, creating a wall of destructive force between them and the nightmarish creatures. Xander looked up and saw the Yautja's ship.
"Ruatha." Xander whispered.
Then he turned back to the running people and screamed at them, "Move!"
He hoped they understood the intent, even if they didn't understand the word, but he didn't spare them another glance as he activated Elan and moved to cover their retreat.
*****
Between the Yautja's shipboard weapons clearing up the majority of the creatures as they made a rush for the gate and Xander eliminating any stragglers, the field was cleared quickly. The Yautja slowly lowered his ship to the ground.
Xander watched as the Yautja stepped down the gangplank, staring at him from thirty meters away.
Xander tensed, he knew that Ruatha wouldn't likely shoot him at point blank range... not without giving him a warning at any rate. His fingers tensed on the laser designator's controls when the Yautja reached behind his back.
Xander started when the Yautja tossed an object at him. He caught it reflexively, staring at it dumbly for a moment before he recognized it. A short sword. Japanese. Very old from what Xander could tell, and very ornate. A prize trophy.
Xander looked up at the creature then lifted his leg and slipped the carbon black Tanto from its sheath. He looked at the blade for a long moment, then tossed it to the Alien.
Ruatha caught the blade easily, and stared at it for a few seconds. Suddenly the big Yautja growled in wild laughter as he recognized the blade that had nearly led to his death. He saluted Xander with the black blade.
Xander returned the salute with the Wakizashi short sword, then turned and stepped through the Star Gate.
*****
One Week Later
Xander looked over the surviving villagers, who were watching as he stood in front of the Chappa'ai.
You could stay a while longer.
Xander shook his head, "No. We've scouted the area, there are no threats within days of here. I can't stay here, not my style. Not anymore anyway."
"I'll come back and check from time to time as I can." Xander sighed and tapped out a series of coordinates into the pedestal, ducking back involuntarily as the gate energy exploded outward at activation. "So where are we going anyway?"
These coordinates are to a world that may have the ability to get us home.
"How the hell can you remember all this stuff, anyway?" Xander asked curiously as he walked up the steps.
What else do I have to do? Memories are all I have left.
Xander grimaced, "and on that happy note..."
He stepped through the gate.
*****
Planet PX-975, September 14th '99
SG1 stepped through the Gate, looking around curiously at the planet as the wormhole closed behind them.
"Nice place." Colonel Jack O'Neill said as he glanced at the winding forest path.
"Huh? Oh... yes, very." Daniel Jackson looked up from a sheaf of papers he was fumbling with.
Captain Samantha Carter glanced at the two of them with a small smile, "The UAV spotted a settlement in that direction, probably along this path. It should be a little less then a mile away."
"Indeed." Teal'C planted his staff weapon in the ground and looked around the area slowly, "Perhaps we should proceed then?"
"Yes, let's." Jack smirked slightly and waved at Teal'C to lead the way.
The group began to follow the path through the thick trees.
*****
"Everywhere I go I find these bastards!" Xander fumed from his perch in the tall tree as he looked down at the slave camp below him.
He and Elan had been hopping from world to world for almost three weeks, looking for worlds that might have sufficient technical ability, or even magic users powerful enough, to send them home. Unfortunately at each place that Elan remembered as a possibility they found these bastards in ornate Egyptian body armor riding local populations into the ground.
The Goa'uld have expanded their operations considerably since the fall.
Xander winced. Elan had told him about the Goa'uld. "Does the universe have nothing better to do then continually reinventing these freaking parasites? Vampires, those black alien nightmares, and now these Gold pricks."
Goa'uld. Elan corrected automatically.
"Whatever." Xander didn't care.
"And what's with these weird weapons anyway?" Xander fingered one of the liberated 'Zap guns' he had on his belt.
The Zat'nikatel were primarily police weapons, they are designed to be distinctive and effective.
"Yeah fine, but what about those staff things they lug around?" Xander shook his head, "those things are ridiculous."
The staff weapons were designed by the ancients as weapons for their ceremonial guard. The Goa'uld are unimaginative, they are merely using what little of the Ancients technology they are capable of comprehending.
"Great." Xander muttered, "Not only are they thieves, they're stupid ones too. So how come they are ruling so damned many planets?"
I do not know. Elanthielle had considered the question a lot over the past weeks. The Fall must have been wider spread then I believed.
"What 'Fall'?" Xander could hear the capital 'F', "You've mentioned it before."
Elanthielle snorted, a sound that was at odds with Xander's mental image of her. The Fall is my private term for whatever must have happened to bring Earth down to it's current level.
"Down?" Xander protested, "hey, we have twinkies and the playboy channel. That's as high as it gets in my book."
I'm going to presume that you are joking. Elanthielle said finally, after searching Xander's mind for references to what he was talking about.
"Uh... sure." Xander said quietly, his eyes instinctively look around for help even though there was no one around to help. "Joking... that's what it was."
Good. Elan muttered, because if I believed that you were comparing over ten millenia of culture and civilization to nutritionally deficient deserts and mostly nude women dressed in rabbit costumes, then I would have to find some manner in which to harm you.
Xander swallowed at the tone of Elan's voice. "Definitely joking."
Movement from below attracted Xander's attention a moment later, and he watched as four people walked through the path. One was about what he'd come to expect. Big, tall, and carrying a staff weapon. But he was dressed all wrong.
And the other three were even worse. They had MP-5's and Berreta sidearms, not too mention sunglasses and various other things that screamed 'Home' to Xander.
All four of them are dressed in military fatigues. United States military. What in hell? Xander shifted his position and dropped to the ground after they passed, intent on solving the mystery th group presented.
*****
SG1 topped the ridge and looked down at the fields below them, fields that stretched as far as they could see.
"Wow." Daniel looked at the expanse, "Obviously an agrarian society, it seems to bear some resemblance to certain modern Asian countries. I wonder if they are growing rice or some other crop?"
Jack O'Neill slipped his glasses off, wiping his brow carefully before returning them to the bridge of his nose. "The climate is similar to certain Asian countries too. And we have enough rice at home, Daniel. Let's see if we can find their population centers."
"I do not believe that would be wise, Colonel O'Neill."
Jack turned to look at Teal'C curiously, "Why's that?"
"Look." he pointed to a position in the fields some distance off.
Jack raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes and followed Teal'C's gesture. He saw them almost immediately, a pair of Jaffa guards shaking a fallen farmer and forcing him to his feat and back to work.
O'Neill cursed. "We'd better get back to the gate."
Behind him he heard a sudden shout that sounded all to familiar, causing his heart to sink.
"Jaffa, Kree!"
A group of Jaffa burst from their cover, a Goa'uld following behind them, their staff weapons aimed and charged. SG1 looked at each other in resignation before they slowly raised their hands away from their slung weapons.
"Man," O'Neill griped, "I can't take you guys anywhere."
*****
Xander watched, his shift suit activated, from just outside the ambush. At least these guys aren't friendly with the gold's.
Goa'uld. Elan corrected, mildly annoyed.
Whatever. Xander thought absently. Like I care.
Elanthielle sighed dramatically, but settled down to watch the confrontation through Xander's eyes.
*****
"So," Jack drawled, "I guess talking is out of the question?"
"On the contrary," The Goa'uld intoned, his eyes glowing, "I expect that you'll be doing quite a lot of talking very soon. Where is the other?"
"Ah... Other?" Daniel asked tentatively.
"The one who came through the Chappa'ai earlier, where is he?"
"Uh..." O'Neill said, "Anyone know what he's talking about?"
Each of the SG1 team just shook their heads, as much in confusion as in answer to the question.
"Very well." the Goa'uld smiled slowly, "Kill the woman."
The Jaffa charged their staff weapons, aiming them at Captain Carter.
"No!" O'Neill lunged forward, moving to cover Sam.
*****
Ah crap. Xander watched as the confrontation went south.
He stepped forward, coming up behind the Goa'uld and his bodyguards, and deactivated the shift suit. He could see the Military people's eyes widen as they saw him appear from the air, raising a pair of stolen Zat'nikatel hand weapons.
He stayed silent, triggering the stunners simultaneously as he gunned down the Jaffa guards.
*****
The Goa'uld jerked around in shock as his bodyguards fell under Zat'nikatel fire. As he complete his turn he saw his attacker and the human members of the SG1 team were shocked when the self proclaimed 'God' turned pale.
When they turned to each other they realised that Tea'ulk had turned just as white as the so called 'god'.
"A Yautja." both 'god' and ex-Jaffa spoke at the same time.
"A whatcha?" Jack asked irreverently.
"It is a Yautja, Colonel O'Neill." Tea'ulk said under his breath, "They are hunters."
"What? Like bounty hunters?"
"No. Like what you would call 'big game' hunters."
Daniel looked at the armored figure for a moment, "What sort of game do they hunt?"
"The more dangerous the better, Daniel Jackson."
"I assume you don't mean wild boar 'dangerous'?" Samantha was drawing some conclusions quickly.
"I do not." The big Jaffa said slowly. "They often hunt Jaffa, and occasionally even seek out Goa'uld as prey."
"Oookay." Jack muttered under his breath.
*****
Xander stared the Goa'uld down, not really certain if he should stun him or not. Finally he shrugged and fired the Zat. Xander raised an eyebrow beneath his mask when the electrical discharge impacted on a force shield and splattered around the Goa'uld.
"Yautja," The Goa'uld back pedaled as Xander returned the Zats to his belt, "Perhaps we can reach an agreement..."
Xander painted him with the laser designator for the Plasma Caster. What is the word for 'run' in his language, Elan?
Fektal. Elanthielle responded.
Xander stalked closer to the pale 'god' and muttered one word in a gravelly voice. "Fektal."
The Goa'uld staggered backwards in a panic, finally turning and breaking through the SG1 group at a dead run.
Jack half turned to watch him go, "Well... that was interesting."
Xander stepped closer to the military group, noting the rank and unit emblems on their chest and shoulders. He stepped face to face with the one he identified as a Colonel and snapped off a perfect salute.
*****
Colonel Jack O'Neill returned the salute reflexively, a look of pure consternation plainly visible on his face. He held for longer then he should, but the imposing figure in armor in front of him didn't budge until he broke the salute.When he did the figure seemed to relax, dropping its arm and cocking its head to one side. Jack could have sworn the armored figure was grinning at him.
*****
Xander was barely keeping his laughter in. The look on their faces was priceless. Man, I wish I could record them... hey! I can!
He thumbed the makeshift controls on the mask's recorder and saved the last few minutes to memory. Oh man, I'm gonna get a kick out of this mask...
By this point the Colonel, Colonel O'Neill Xander read off his uniform, was starting to look annoyed.
*****
He's laughing at us... "Alright, you!" Jack started forward to grab the figure in armor until his three teammates grabbed him and dragging him back.
"Think about it, Jack." Daniel said earnestly, "This guy is packing more hardware then the special operations team."
Jack looked the figure over and had to agree with Daniel's observation. He saw two Zats, a sword, what looked like retractable blades in at least one of his gauntlets, a pair of *Colt* automatics, and some kind of cannon on the guy's shoulder. Reluctantly he backed down, "Who are you?"
The group watched, their curiosity turning to shock, as the armored figure depressurized his helmet and removed the mask to reveal a smirking human face.
"Alexander Harris of California, US of A."
*****
The group had moved into the forest, where Xander led them to his camp.
"I've been here for a couple days now, was starting to get kinda discouraged. I've been hitting planets that were supposed to have the ability to get me home for about three weeks or so, and every place I hit I find these Gold creeps."
"Goa'uld." Teal'C corrected him.
Xander flashed him a disgusted glare, "Don't start, I get enough of that from..."
The SG team looks at each other in confusion as Xander trailed off.
"Wait a minute," Daniel spoke up, "You have a list of planets with high technology?"
Xander shrugged, "Sort off, but its about ten thousand years out of date. And those damned snakes have moved in all over the place," He finished in disgust.
"But... how?" Daniel asked, his face showing true interest.
Xander smirked slightly, knowing that the man would never accept the truth. "The Yautja live a long time, Mr Jackson."
"Speaking of which," Jack interjected, his hands waving slightly. "How exactly is it that you came to be over a thousand light years from Earth, wearing a piece of Alien body armor that scares the crap out of a self-proclaimed god?"
Xander grimaced. "I ran into the Yautja back on Earth, when we both were tracking the same prey. A demon that killed almost twenty people in a small town in Montana attracted my attention. The Yautja had been tracking it and its friends for a few days, we took the demons out together but I made the mistake of thinking the Yautja was another demon. So I hunted him."
"Ah... Demon?" Daniel asked quietly
"You hunted a Yautja?" Teal'C asked, his face impassive but a tone of disbelief ringing in his voice.
"To my regret, Mr Teal'C," Xander smiled, "I took him on, staff to staff and hand to hand. I won, but I lost. At any rate, he was impressed so he decided not to kill me. I've spent the last couple months or so hunting with him on a world... well, I don't know its gate address and I never want to see that hell hole again so I'll just leave it at that."
"Ah...excuse me, Demon?" Daniel repeated, again too quietly to be noticed.
"Uh... Why?" Jack asked.
Xander grimaced, that one word causing screams to echo through his mind. "The planet's infested with a life-form that makes the Golds look sweet and cuddly. Damn near wiped out a village I was trying to protect, less then a quarter of them survived. If they hadn't mentioned the Gate..."
Xander trailed off, his eyes haunted with the memories of the dead and the dying. The SG team looked at each other in slight confusion, only Jack O'Neill really understanding what he saw in the boy's eyes. Pain.
"Could we get back to this 'Demon' thing?" Daniel asked, oblivious to the byplay between Xander and Jack.
Xander smiled tiredly, "Yes, Demons. Vampires, Ghosts, things that go bump in the night. I found out about their existence a few years ago, and I've been fighting them ever since."
"Oh come on." Captain Carter said with a slight smile, "You don't really expect us to believe that do you?"
"I don't care." Xander said simply. "You can believe what you want. Trust me when I say that my friends back home aren't likely to believe me if I tell what I've been up to this summer either."
Daniel leaned forward, "So you mean to tell us that demons are running around Earth causing problems?" He turned to Jack with a 'lecturing' look on his face. "They could be remnants of the Goa'uld and maybe other aliens left on Earth after the Gate was buried."
"Yeah..." Jack said slowly, "I could buy that."
"I couldn't." Xander said firmly, bringing the attention of the group back to him. "Not unless you've run into aliens that react to holy water like its acid, and crosses like they're cattle brands."
"Ummm... no." Daniel said finally. "I can't say that we have."
"Then I doubt it's aliens." Xander said with a smirk.
Jack leaned over and whispered to Daniel, "He's lost it. Completely loopy."
Daniel looked uncomfortably around the group, but said nothing to contradict Colonel O'Neill.
Did you really have to tell them about demons? Elan asked, You do realize that they think you're insane now, right?
Xander shrugged, I slipped... I haven't spoken to humans in months, except for those villagers... and they all believed in demons, hell they thought I *was* one.
She sighed in response, What are you going to do? They're likely to try and have you locked up if you go back with them.
Xander smiled, confusing the group of people around him that weren't privy to his inner conversation. They were going to do that anyway, Elan. These people work for the government.
So?
Xander shook his head slightly, amused at the naivete of the ancient being. So they don't want someone kicking around Earth who knows about Aliens... Certainly not if he's packing as much alien tech as I am. Best case scenario is I spend several months debriefing before they let me out with little more then a free pair of underwear and a bus ticket home.
Elan recognized the tone in the young man's mental voice. What are you planning? She asked suspiciously.
I'm planning on testing their security.
*****
After a short while Xander stood up, replacing his bio-mask and speaking to the SG team. "Look, We'd better get you guys back to the gate. I don't know these Golds well, but I doubt that one Yautja is going to scare him for long, he'll be coming back soon."
"I concur." Teal'C said stolidly as he stood.
"Alright then," Jack muttered, "Let's get a move on."
The odd group made it's way back through the forest, staying clear of the trails as they moved back toward the Gate. It didn't take long before they reached the clearing that the gate stood in the center of.
Xander snorted, "My luck's holding true to form."
Surrounding the gate were two dozen Jaffa and the Goa'uld that Xander had frightened earlier.
*****
"I'll set up a distraction," Xander told the SG team, "You guys get ready to run for the gate. Get it open and get through, if I can I'll be right behind you. If not... don't worry about it. I'll catch up later."
"No." Daniel said quickly, "You can't go through the gate to Earth, we keep an Iris over it. You'd never materialize. Without the proper code you'd splatter across the Iris."
Xander forced a grimace, "ouch. Ok, don't worry about me anyway. I'll find another way home if I have to." Then he flashed a grin, "Besides, I'm not planning on missing the trip."
With that Xander broke from the group and vanished into the woods.
Perfect. He grinned, I couldn't have planned this better...
*****
Horan, the Goa'uld taskmaster of the world, stared out at the expanse of jungle that lay between him and the hunter he knew was out there. A Yautja would fetch a valued price if he could kill it without it arming its failsafe bomb, and the technology would be a boon to him and his ambitions on this world and beyond.
He arrayed his warriors around the Gate, knowing that either the Yautja or the Tau'ree had to return this way. If any of the tau'ree had survived the encounter with the Yautja that is.
Horan smiled ruthlessly. It was unlikely that any of them had survived. The Yautja had not pursued him, so they must have been the hunter's prey.
*****
Xander was crouched on a low branch in a tree near the edge of the clearing, watching as the Jaffa patrolled the area. He smiled, they're sloppy. Poor form for a group of galactic conquerors.
The Goa'uld are ruthless but stupid. They prize form over function.
Xander shook his head at the stupidity of the situation, but said nothing. Instead he painted a bush at the far side of the clearing with the laser designator and turned up the heat. A few seconds later the bush flashed into flames, drawing shouts and half the Jaffa in that direction.
"God. They are idiots." Xander whispered to himself. "This is gonna be easier then I thought."
*****
"No!" Horan shouted, "He's not over there you fools, it's just a distraction!"
Suddenly a pistol shot rang out and a bullet impacted off the Goa'uld armor. Twice more the report sounded until they spotted the muzzle flash.
"Over there! Get them!"
The Jaffa broke from their positions and charged into the jungle.
*****
SG1 moved quickly out of the woods, rushing to the DHD and dialing the earth coordinates.
"Where is he?" Daniel looked around.
"I do not know, Daniel Jackson."
"Teal'C! Through the gate now!" Jack ordered.
"We should wait."
O'Neill understood the sentiment, but his team was the priority now. "The kid can take care of himself. He's bought us the time we need to get off this rock, so move! We'll get some help and come back for him."
Reluctantly the team stepped through the gate, glancing over their shoulders with every heavy step they took.
*****
Xander grinned as the Goa'uld charged his position, and snapped the forty fives back into their leathers. He easily evaded the clumsy search attempts of the Jaffa and arrived at the Gate just behind the SG team. He listened to their conversation, amused.
Aww... so sweet, they're going to come back for me. I'll have to leave a thank you note.
Elan groaned at the joke, Must you be so flippant?
Hey, it's either this or I go postal every now and then and shoot some people for no real reason. You got a preference?
Give me some time to think about it.
You do that. Xander grinned under his mask and stepped into the Gate right behind Colonel O'Neill.
*****
SGC, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
"SG Team Returning!"
"Open the Iris!" Hammond bellowed into the microphone.
The iris retracted quickly and the gate shimmered and wavered as the members of SG1 came through the wormhole, shivering slightly from the after effects of the gate as they did.
"General!" Jack O'Neill shouted as he waved off the soldiers standing guard, "We need to organize a rescue op, fast."
"Colonel?" Hammond double checked and, seeing the entire SG1 team looked at O'Neill curiously.
"Wet met a civilian, a citizen of the United States no less, on PX-975."
"How is that possible?"
"He... ah... hitched a ride." Jack said slowly.
"He what!?"
"Long story."
"Colonel, I have time."
*****
Xander almost whistled in appreciation as he stepped out of the gate into the cavernous room that housed the Earth gate. Budget cuts haven't affected this group too badly.
He stopped dead, staying motionless to minimize the visible blur from his shift suit and watched as SG1 moved toward an exit. He smiled to himself as Colonel O'Neill yelled about preparing a rescue team, then frowned. Damn. I'll really have to leave a note, don't want them risking themselves for nothing.
A sound behind him startled him, but he kept his cool and thumbed the 360 degree vision option on his bio-mask. He watched curiously as a metal shield closed over the Star Gate. Must be that 'Iris' doohickey Daniel was talking about. Cool.
He smiled under his mask, with a dark and solid background behind him he was probably more invisible then Angel when there was work to be done. He snickered at the thought but had to admit, How he used to be anyway. He's gotten better since that side trip to hell, must be a helluva motivational place.
Xander turned a little somber for a moment, a shiver of guilt running through him, before shaking it off and noticing that the guards had broken up. Time to move.
*****
"So, your telling me that an Alien vessel penetrated NORAD detection, *landed* in the United States, and abducted one of our citizens!?"
"Abducted may be a bit harsh, Sir." Daniel said.
"Doesn't seem like it to me." Hammond muttered, "So this, Mr. Harris, what's he like?"
"In a word sir?" Jack asked rhetorically, "Looney. Scary as hell, but a total loony toon."
"Ah... that might be overstating this slightly, Jack."
"Come on, Daniel, he was talking about demons and vampires as if they were real."
Daniel Jackson squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, "It's an outside possibility... but he may be right."
"Excuse me?" O'Neill looked at Dr. Jackson in shock.
"The texts I've been reading all refer to creatures and beings that even the Goa'uld consider to be the 'incarnation of true evil.' It's possible that these are more then just myths, and have some basis in reality... much like the Goa'uld themselves."
"Aw come on," Jack moaned, "What about that crap about holy water and crosses?"
"It's possible that the cross became a holy symbol because of it's effects on these creatures rather then the other way around." Daniel speculated, "As for holy water... that I don't know."
Jack raised his hand, a victorious look on his face. "Aha!"
"But," Daniel continued, "That doesn't rule out the possibility that something is happening."
"Ah..." Jack slumped back into his chair. "Right."
*****
Xander rummaged through the base's laundry room, grabbing a large military duffel bag and some fatigues from the piles and stuffing them into the armor's backpack. When he was done he cracked the door open and looked out, when the hall was clear he silently moved down the long corridor.
Ahh... here we go. This looks like an office. He ducked in and grabbed a pen off the desk and a couple index cards and started jotting down a note.
/Dear SG1, I thought I'd let you know that I hitched a lift with you guys after all. Sorry for the tricky move but I didn't feel like going through 'customs'. Catch you guys another time. Alexander./
He looked at the note and grinned for a moment and, as an afterthought, jotted his email down on the second note, folded it over and labeled it carefully... /To Dr. Jackson/
*****
He'd dropped the first note off in the gate room, ducking a roving patrol as he did. The second was trickier. It took him longer then he though it would to locate Dr. Jackson's office though, in retrospect, he probably should have figured to look for the one place that looked like a tornado hit it.
He placed the folded note in the middle of the disaster area he assumed was a desk, and moved quietly out of the room looking for an exit.
*****
After another hour of debriefing SG1 managed to secure permission for a rescue operation and moved to meet SG12 in the Gate Room. As they moved in Colonel O'Neill noticed a piece of paper on the ramp leading to the gate. He leaned down and picked it up.
"What the hell?" he muttered, flipping it over. His eyes widened as he read the note. "Son of a!"
"What is it Jack?" Daniel came up behind him, looking at the note over jack's shoulder. His eyes widened as he read the signature. "Hell! How could we forget about his suits stealth capabilities?"
"Damn it!" Jack turned and stalked past a confused SG12, "Missions scrubbed! Stand down."
General Hammond looked down as O'Neill stormed out of the gate room. He waited impatiently as the Colonel climbed up to the control room and handed him the note. He looked ot over slowly, reddening as he finished it.
"Seal the base!" Hammond bellowed, "We have an intruder on the base!"
*****
Xander watched from the forest, amused, as the alarms blared and the soldiers closed the gates leading into the mountain stronghold. He figured he'd best avoid the road for a while, preferably until he could find a byroad or something similar.
Grinning he turned and slipped into the thick forest, leaving the mountain literally buzzing behind him.
*****
"Who is this person!?" Hammond roared as the reports came back in negative for the location of the intruder.
Colonel O'Neill grimaced, "He's someone who managed to survive hunting with a species that scares the hell out of the Goa'uld."
Hammond glared at him for a long moment, "And it didn't occur to you that he might try something like this?"
"General, he risked his life to distract the Goa'uld away from the gate for us." Daniel objected, "How could we be expected to realize he'd be capable of doing that and getting back in time to slip through the gate under stealth?"
Hammond growled.
"Look, we can find him. How many Alexander Harris' can there be in California, anyway?" Jack asked slowly.
"Find out." Hammond ordered.
*****
Xander cleared the first mile in eight minutes, jogging easily even in the armor he was wearing, and slowed down when the suit's audio pickups heard cars from ahead. He crouched on an overhang and observed the traffic flow for thirty minutes before making his decision.
No military traffic... Ok, time to arrange some transport.
*****
"Sir?" Captain Carter looked up from her computer screen.
"Yes?" Hammond moved over.
There are over a hundred 'Alexander Harris' in the computer lists for California. Almost thirty of them are in the right age group. But here's the strange thing, sir." She said as she pointed out one of the names on the list, "This one from Sunnydale has a military file."
"Well, open it."
"I can't, sir. It's classified beyond my clearance."
"What?" Hammond reached down and typed in his own clearance, only to receive the same result. "What in the hell?"
Jack stared at the screen for a moment, "How much you want to bet that that's our boy?"
"No bet, Colonel." Hammond stared at the flashing 'classified' sign in frustration.
"Permission to take a team to Sunnydale, Sir?"
"Granted."
*****
Underground bunker, unknown
"Ma'am?"
"Yes, Soldier?"
"Someone just accessed one of our flagged files."
"Which one?"
"The Harris boy, Ma'am."
"Harris? We've been looking for him since he left Sunnydale. It's like he vanished off the face of the Earth. Who's trying to check his file?"
"I don't know, Ma'am. I don't have the clearance to check that."
"What? Here, let me check... Damn. Who are these people? I have top level clearance and the computer just kicked me out."
"No clue ma'am."
"What the hell has Harris been up to now?"
*****
Xander Harris slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and stepped out onto the edge of the road. He was wearing a crumpled and loose fitting set of fatigues that he had pulled the rank and insignias off of. Elan was riding securely on his thigh, and he had the twin Colts tucked into shoulder leather under the heavy fatigue jacket he wore. Opting to go for overkill he tucked one of his stolen Zats into his belt at the small of his back.
He started trudging along the road, sticking his thumb out at the passing traffic. He was starting to get discouraged after almost a half hour of walking backwards and begging for a ride when a red mustang convertible slowed to a stop, the driver looking at him curiously.
For a long moment the man looked at him, and Xander stared back. The man was dark haired, and sported an oval pair of dark sunglasses. Finally the man spoke.
"Excuse me," He said hesitantly, "but, if you don't mind, may I ask what your doing?"
*****
Xander stared at the man for several seconds longer before he replied, "Huh?"
"I asked," The man said, "What are you doing with your thumb?"
"I was hitchhiking."
"Hitch... hiking?" The man looked confused.
"What?" Xander asked, "You've never heard of hitchhiking?"
"No."
"I'm trying to get a lift... you know, a ride?"
"Oh..." The man thought about it, "Where are you going?"
"Montana. I need to pick up my car."
"Well," The man said cheerfully, "I'm heading in that general direction. I can give you a 'lift'."
Xander grinned, "Thanks." And hopped into the car.
"Hi, my name's Xander. Xander Harris." He held out his hand.
The driver reached over and shook it firmly, "I'm Jarod..." He glanced down at his steering wheel, "Jarod Ford."
*****
Air Force C-130 en-route to Sunnydale
"Hey Jack, check this out."
O'Neill moved over to where Daniel was typing into a laptop computer. He looked at the screen and saw what looked to be a battlefield. "Where's that? Iraq? Iran?"
"Sunnydale."
Jack choked.
"What!?"
"That's Sunnydale Highschool. Picture taken this summer, the news reports called it a gas leak."
Jack stared at the picture in disbelief. "Who the hell wrote that up!? Look at the burn marks, and the debris field. That was a bomb blast. Who the hell would blow up a highschool?"
"You mean other then the students?"
Jack looked at Daniel sourly, "Real funny. Could you please be serious."
Daniel tapped a key and brought up another picture, "I am serious. This is a grad photo from Sunnydale high. Check out the third guy form the left in the second row."
Jack squinted at the picture, easily recognizing Alexander Harris. "Shit."
*****
"So Jarod, what's got you out and on the freeway this time of year?"
"Oh, I'm just moving around some. Getting a taste for freedom, you know?"
Xander smiled wryly, "Yeah, I was going to do that myself this summer... turned around and bit me on the butt though..."
"Really?" Jarod asked, curious. "How?"
"Oh, stuff kept cropping up. Little things here and there, life... that sort of thing." Inside Xander was alternating between laughter and choking as he casually denigrated his summer to 'life'.
They chatted back and forth for a while, enjoying the relaxed drive as they headed north. At one point Xander picked up a newspaper from the dash.
"You mind?" He asked, holding the paper up for Jarod to see.
"Not at all."
Xander glanced at the article the paper had been folded open at, frowning at the headline.
'Ritual Serial Killer Claims Three More Victims'
Xander glanced through the story, frowning and mumbling to himself as he did. Is it just me, Elan, or does this story stink.
Elan's voice echoed back a few seconds later, Its definitely an occult ritual. The mysterious blood symbols on the wall they describe sound like an appeasement ceremony.
"Appeasement ceremony?" Xander asked aloud, forgetting himself for a moment.
"What was that?" Jarod looked over at his passenger, noting with surprise the grim look on his face as he read the paper.
Xander looked up in surprise, "Sorry, thinking aloud. This story, it sounds like an Occult ritual. Probably some nutcase thinks the deaths will satisfy some demon or dark god who's granted him a gift of some type."
Jarod looked even more surprised. That was what I decided it was. "Do you have much experience with the occult, Mr. Harris?"
Xander smirked, "More then I'd like. But actually I just tend to hang around with the experts on the subject. I wish I could call one of my friends about this, he'd probably be able to tell me everything down to the name of the ritual and what demon it was for."
"Are you serious?" Jarod was seriously interested now.
"Sure." Xander shrugged, "G-Man specializes in this stuff."
"G-Man? Is he a profiler with the FBI?"
Xander laughed, "No, he's a librarian. But I think he used to be the curator at some museum in London too."
"Could you call him?"
Xander looked over, puzzled. "Why?"
Jarod pulled out one of many pieces of identification from his pocket, "Because I am with the FBI and I was heading to Billings to investigate this case."
Xander shrugged, "Got a phone?"
*****
Giles Apartment, Sunnydale California
Giles stumbled through his apartment, wiping the sleep from his bleary eyes. He'd been researching locator spells for the past three weeks, in the hopes of finding a clue to Xander's whereabouts. The girls had been near hysterics when the university term had begun and Xander hadn't shown.
Willow had privately performed a locator spell nearly a month ago, secretly worried about the lack of contact from her oldest friend. She had come to him nearly in tears when the spell had failed. Since then he and the girls had been in 'research mode' nearly full time as they attempted to locate Xander.
The picked the phone up, and managed to rasp out a tired, "Rupert Giles residence."
"Yo, G-Man. I need some 411."
*****
Xander winced at the yells coming over the phone and he pulled the cell away from his ear.
"Jeez G-man. Take a breath, man." Xander managed after a few seconds. "No, I *couldn't* call you. No, I swear. Look, I was out of reach ok. No, I'm serious... look... no, listen would ya? Giles! There were no phones. No computers. No, are you kidding me!? I didn't even know they used telegraph and more."
Jaord looked over in curiosity as his passenger tried to calm down his friend.
"Look, I'm back. Ok? Tell the girls that I'm alive, I'm fine... nothing more then an extra scar or two and a head full of memories I'm going to try to forget. You finished? Good. Look, I'm here with an investigator for the FBI who's looking into a case in Billings... Christ Giles, what do you do with your day? Channel surf looking for Occult murders? You do?!? Get a life, man."
Jarod flickered another glance at the young man, trying to gage whether he was joking or if the man he was talking to actually spent his time looking for things like this. He didn't think the boy was joking.
"So, what's the 411 on the Billings murders? Yeah, we figured that. Uh huh... Is he a major demon? Great... Ok, well that's not so bad... Oh crap, Scratch that. What? Man... that sucks. Ok, sure. Yeah, I'll take care... No, I'm going to stay with the fed... hell no. He's gonna need backup who knows what's up. Alright. Will do. Kiss Buffy and Wills for me..."
Xander pulled the phone away from his ear again, this time grinning as the words came through crystal clear over the cell phones small speaker.
"I will do NO SUCH THING!"
"Alright... alright. Yeeesh... You really should see someone about that fear of intimacy you have..."
Xander flicked off the phone before Giles could answer and turned back to Jarod. "G-Man says that it's definitely an appeasement ritual. The 'murderer' is almost certainly stinking rich and this is a series of thank you notes to a demon by the name of Mel'kai. He has three more of these to do before he's done, unless there are some that haven't been found yet."
Jarod looked at Xander oddly, "Demon?"
Xander shrugged, he figured that Jarod was going to find out eventually but he knew that the man wouldn't believe him now. "Not important if you believe it. Just important that the murderer does."
Jarod nodded his head. That was something he could understand. "Anything else I should know?"
"The guy is newly rich, within the last year. Probably made the papers as he climbed the ladder too."
"So it's all over money?" Jarod spat out the last word.
"'Fraid so." Xander shrugged, "I've seen worse."
Jarod gave him such a penetrating look that he decided to expand on the statement.
"I've seen worse done for less, Jarod. I've known 'people' who killed for fun, and I use the term people loosely. You mind if I ride with you to check this out?"
Jarod considered the request, something told him that the boy wasn't going to go away even if he told him no. Finally he nodded his assent. "Ok, but you stay close to me and do what I say. If things get dangerous, you run."
Xander grinned, "Sure."
I notice you didn't say what direction you would run in, Elan muttered into his head.
Oh, shut up.
*****
Giles Apartment, Sunnydale California
"You're sure he's all right?"
Giles sighed and rubbed the bridge of his knows, "As far as I could tell over the phone, yes. He's fine."
"He won't be when I get my hands on him." Buffy promised, "I mean, leaving us like that! How could he? Not even with a message or a good bye?"
"He did say that he was unable to communicate, Buffy... Perhaps you should consider giving him a chance to explain?"
"Y... yes..." Willow added, "Obviously he wasn't over in Oxnard or something... my locator spell should have found him no matter where he was on Earth..."
"All right." Buffy fumed. "First he explains. THEN I hit him. That sound good?"
"Oh... much better." Giles sighed again.
"Ss... so Buffy, you have a date with Parker tonight?"
Buffy smiled, "Yeah... Oh my god... I have to go get ready."
Willow and Buffy left the room in a tear, leaving Giles thinking to himself. Where have you been, Xander?
*****
"Hey, Jarod," Xander asked, "I don't want to run up your minutes or anything, but could I make another call?"
Jarod looked over, "Sure, go ahead."
"Thanks, man. I owe you one." Xander dialed the number to the Halliwell house.
*****
Halliwell Manor, San Francisco California
The phone rang three times before Prue grabbed it, "Halliwell residence."
"Prue? It's Xander..."
"Xander!" Prue yelled into the phone in shock, "Where have you been? We tried a scrying spell and..."
*****
"We tried a scrying spell and..."
Xander winced as Prue was cut off and a loud bang echoed through the receiver. "Prue? Prue?"
"Xander!"
Xander smiled, "Hey Phoebe, how are you?"
"Don't you 'how are you' me! Where have you been?"
"Would you believe... out?" Xander asked lightly, wincing at the scream he heard through the line.
Jarod swerved the car slightly in surprise at the loud noise that came from the phone. "Vocal isn't she?"
Xander quickly covered the phone, "Well, I have been missing for... say what date is it?"
Jarod raised an eyebrow. "Sept 14."
"Hmmm... July... August... I guess that's almost three months."
Jarod looked at his passenger curiously, and considered asking but he decided to let Xander get back to his conversation.
"So... Phoebe, how have you been? I... No... Well... Actually yes. No, I'm not kidding. No they weren't demons. Yes, I'm sure. No... No, I'm sure that's why the spell didn't work too... No, I'm not kidding with you. I'll swing through San Fran before I head for Sunny-D... Yes I promise. You sent me how many e-mails?? Ok... ok... I said ok didn't I? Yes, I'll answer them all... No, I don't know when. Look, I'm heading into Billings now... No... No... well, yes, it looks bad. Of course I'll be careful this time. I told you, I only take stupid risks when there is something worth winning. Bye. I'll see you as soon as I can."
Jarod smiled and accepted the cell phone from his passenger, "You'll be careful *this* time?"
Xander grimaced, "Lets just say that this isn't the first occult related murder I've investigated. It's starting to become a full time job."
"Surely there can't be that many?" Jarod asked.
"You'd be surprised. Most cases like this get buried by the police department before the media shows up, they don't like panicked people screaming 'devil worshipers' through the streets."
"Very interesting." Jarod mused, "And your saying that there are enough cases like this to occupy you full time?"
"Me and god knows how many others." Xander muttered. "I'm not the only so called 'demon hunter' running around the country... I know at least a dozen personally, and that's just in California."
"I must say that I find it shocking that there are that many crimes of this nature."
"I used to say something similar," Xander grinned, "although with much more panic and fear in my voice. A friend of mine told me, several times, 'There are more things on heaven and earth'... Shakespeare I think."
Jarod smiled, "Yes. I suppose your friend was being overly philosophical."
Xander smiled slowly, looking over at Jarod. "Ask me that after we catch the guy who killed those people, Jarod. Ask me that after."
*****
Halliwell Manor, San Francisco California
"Well?" Piper asked, having come into the room about the same time as Phoebe tackled Prue for the phone, "Is he all right?"
"He says that he is," Phoebe stared at the receiver for a moment, "But I'm not sure he will be when I get my hands on him."
"Did he say what happened to him?"
"He said that he was abducted by aliens. I think he was serious."
Her sisters just stared at her for a long moment, uncertain how to react.
Finally it was Piper who broke the silence. "You have got to be kidding me."
*****
Sept 15, Sunnydale California, Sunnydale Highschool
"Gas leak, my Aunt Fanny," O'Neill muttered as he looked at the ruins of the high school. "Look at the chemical burns over there. Hell, check this out..."
Jack leaned down, and picked up a piece of debris form the ground. "This is a military grade detonator... What in the name of hell happened here?"
Samantha Carter walked up to him, a sheaf of papers in her hand. "The local PD interviewed everyone present at the time of the explosion... It looks like they were all hallucinating, sir."
"Excuse me, Captain?"
"Everyone present reported that the Mayor turned into a giant snake that ate half the assembled people... Parents AND students said the same thing... hey... wait a second."
"What is it?"
"A few people were apparently clean, they said that they smelled gas and thought that was what caused the explosion and the hallucinations."
"Do they list names?"
Carter nodded, "Three guesses who tops the list."
"Alexander Harris." Jack simply shook his head.
"That's right."
"Who are the others? We'll look them up and see what they know about our friend Harris."
"Let's see... Rupert Giles, Elisabeth Summers, Willow Rosenberg, and Daniel Osborne."
"Let's get cracking then."
*****
Billings, Montana, Local FBI offices
"Special Agent Jarod Ford, I've been dispatched here from the Nevada office to look into your ritualistic serial killings. This is my assistant, Alexander Harris."
The FBI agent behind the desk looked over the two men casually, noting that the Agent looked typical but his 'assistant' was scary. The young man walking behind the agent had long, scraggly hair that looked like he hadn't been able to visit a barber in months and a weeks growth of beard that looked like it had last been dry cut without a mirror.
"Would you and your 'assistant' like to get started immediately?"
"No." Jarod smiled, "We're just checking in, procedure you know. My assistant is just back from a survival exercise in the Colorado mountains. We'll be back this afternoon."
The agent smiled, "Very good. I'll inform the Section Chief of your arrival."
"Thank you."
The agent watched as the odd looking duo walked out the offices and shook his head. Man. What kid of 'survival training' do they give the agents in the Nevada office? That kid looked like he'd been through the ringer.
*****
"You want to what?"
"Sorry, Xander," Jarod said, "but if you're going to be my assistant we need to get you some new clothes."
"I can't afford that."
"My treat." Jarod grinned.
"You're going to make me regret coming with you aren't you?" Xander grimaced.
"Not at all. I'm going to get you a proper wardrobe."
Xander groaned. "I've heard that before."
*****
"You look good."
"I feel like a dork."
Xander examined himself in the full length mirror. He was wearing a solid black suit, with a black dress shirt underneath. No tie, thank god, but a pair of polished black oxfords were cramping his feet.
"I can't afford this."
"Will you relax? I told you, I'm paying."
"I can't ask you do that." Don't WANT you to do that.
Will you relax? Elan mimicked Jarod. He's right, you know, you look *good* like this.
Don't *you* start, Elan.
Elan's giggles rang through his mind as he considered himself again in the mirror. Finally he turned to Jarod and spoke, "Don't suppose you'd be willing to pay for some food too? It's been almost three months since I've eaten anything better then roots, berries, the occasional fruits..." Xander winced, "Not too mention the occasional snake, and some other things I don't want to remember right now."
Jarod looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Sure. But, if you don't mind my asking, where were you for the past three months?"
Xander grinned, "I tell you what, when I think you're ready to hear it... that's when I'll tell you."
Reluctantly Jarod nodded, and the two left the store and headed for the closest restaurant.
*****
Underground Bunker, Unknown
"Ma'am?"
"Yes, Soldier?"
"We have four Air Force representatives poking around town looking for Mr. Harris."
"Air force? Are you certain?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Why in the hell would Air Force officers be looking for Harris?"
"I have no idea Ma'am, but they seem to be looking into Ms. Summers and his other friends as well."
"Is it possible we underestimated his importance in the area?"
"I don't think so, Ma'am. Not unless he's been hiding a lot more then we thought. We have video of him at the highschool graduation... He seemed to be one of the leaders, but he took orders from Ms Summers."
"So why is the Air Force tracking him?"
"I don't know."
*****