*****



SGC - Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado



"Guards!" Hammond roared after he got his voice back after the shock of seeing the intruders.



"General! It's Harris."



Hammond looked away from the intruders to stare at O'Neill in shock. "How can this be Harris? No human could have gotten in here like that."



Jack turned to look at Xander with an odd look in his eyes, "You know... that's a good point."



Xander rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Jack, does the word paranoid mean anything to you?"



"So? Doesn't mean they aren't out to get me."



Xander chuckled. "Suffice to say, General Hammond, I am Xander Harris. I understand you have a problem?"



Hammond looked from person to person, gauging his people's reaction to the newcomer. SG1 seemed fairly certain that they were dealing with a friend. And given his current predicament Hammond found that he had few options.



The General sighed and nodded to Jack. "Tell him."



Jack O'Neill smirked, nodded to the General, and turned back to Xander. "We're under siege."



Xander waited for more information, but O'Neill just sat down. He rolled his eyes again and grinned, "Well... that was informative."



Captain Carter smiled slightly and spoke up, "We have, at most, a few hours before they cut through the blast doors. We don't have nearly enough people to hold them off in here, despite reinforcements coming from some off-world allies."



Xander nodded, "I can get some more fighters in here, but you need to figure out what you want to tell them. I won't tolerate the military detaining my friends simply because they offered to help you out of a jam."



"Who are these people?" General Hammond asked, a little suspicious.



Xander smirked, "Any one of them is worth a dozen normal soldiers, General. That's all you need to know, other then the fact that I trust them with my life. Plus I might be able to score some help from a couple other sources. You need a cover story to give them, however."



O'Neill spoke up, "Do you have a suggestion?"



Xander looked at Phoebe and Leo before answering. "The truth Colonel, at least as close to it as you can. For most of them I'll inform them that a demonic force is attempting to secure an earthbound portal so they can bring through an army."



"Huh?"



Xander shrugged, "It's not like it'd be the first time that's happened."



The SG1 members gawked at Xander as if he were insane.



"What!?"



"Excuse me, not the 'first time'?"



Xander smirked again. "I'll answer Daniel's question.... since it was a bit more meaningful than yours, Jack."



Jack glared at him for minute before sitting back, then Xander continued. "I told you before, demons are real. So are a lot of other things, and if you actually believe that you have the only gateway to other worlds present on Earth then I suggest you get your heads out of the sand that the rest of the planet seems to like so much and wake up. Now, we don't have time for this. Do you want our help?"



SG1 turned to General Hammond as he looked each of them over, gauging each of them at a glance. Finally he turned away from his elite team, satisfied that they were willing to trust the young man who stood in front of him.



"Do it."



Xander smiled, and leaned into the table. "Now, I have a couple ideas but I need to know some things first..."



*****



Later - Sunnydale



Willow had just rushed into the building to find, instead of the war council she expected to see, what appeared to be a dinner party.



"What's going on!?" She demanded as most of the people just ignored her rushed entrance.



"We don't know yet." Buffy frowned, "Xander left before I arrived to check it out."



"He left alone!?"



Most of the group groaned at the question.



"Do we have to go through this *every* time one of Xander's old friends show up?" Miss Parker asked Jarod. "You'd think he was made of glass or something the way they go on."



"But... but... Xander IS the normal guy... he's not a fighter... I mean.. He needs to be protected..."



Sudden laughter roared through the room.



"What the fuck do you call a fighter!?" Jack Crow asked from where he was sitting. "In my goddamned book anyone who can dust five vampires in under two minutes qualifies as a fucking fighter."



"Eloquent as always Mr. Crow," Father Cranston smiled slightly. "His profanity aside, I must agree with Mr. Crow. Xander is hardly what I would call normal, anyone who dedicates as much of their time to the fight against the darkness as he does has earned a little respect."



Buffy and Willow flinched under the man's subtle, yet scathing, tone.



"Right." Miss Parker added to the mix, "I watched this kid take out over twenty assassins through pure guile. Normal isn't what I'd call him either."



The two Halliwells remained silent, they already knew about the 'esteem' in which their friend was held by the two girls in front of them.



The conversations in the room quieted as the occupants shifted uncomfortably, no one really knowing what to say. Finally Jarod, deciding to play peacekeeper, started to speak up. He was interrupted by the sudden shimmering arrival of a storm of white lights.



Four people materialized into the center of the room, but Riley only saw one. In the center of the group stood the Yautja that had taken his entire team down and fought Buffy a couple weeks earlier.



"Buffy! Watch out!" He yelled as he charged the creature.



*****



The shimmering lights flickered away from Xander's vision as he adjusted to the shift of position that Leo's 'orbing' caused. The first thing he saw was Riley charging him, screaming for Buffy to watch out.



"Oh hell." Xander muttered under his breath, "Not again."



Xander pivoted and dropped into a crouch, his right leg sweeping Riley's feet from under him as the commando passed him by. He continued to spin, bringing his knee around and planting it into the soldier's stomach as he fell past. As Riley rolled to the ground, gasping for breath, Xander drew Elan from his thigh sheath and activated the ancient weapon.



"Riley!" Buffy charged forward, her fists balled up.



Phoebe stepped forward to intercept her, but yelled out one word as she did. "Prue!"



Prudence Halliwell nodded once and swept her arm out, fingers splayed wide, and unleashed her own hidden gift. Buffy was lifted off her feet and flung back across the room, hitting the far wall solidly. As she shook her head clear she realized that she was pinned to the wall, as the dark haired woman approached her with an outstretched arm.



"Oh my god!" Willow muttered and stared casting a spell, only to have a strong hand clamp down on her mouth.



"I assure you, Willow, that this is not the time for your spells." Willow's eyes widened in shock as she recognized Giles' accented voice in her ear.



Across the room Xander took it all in before turning back to the fallen commando and placing the tip of Elan against his chest. He held the soldier in place that way as his free hand depressurized his helmet, the hisses echoing through the room.



"Riley," He said as the helmet came off, "I'm going to forgive you for this one too. But if you ever try this crap again... then I promise you that the third strike rule won't apply only to baseball."



"Nice friends you have here, Harris." Jack O'Neill said sarcastically, "Are you sure they won't take the Goa'uld's side?"



Two shocked voices drifted across the room, "Xander!?"



Through the room Jack Crow's sarcastic chuckle could be heard, "Yep... he's a useless fucking bastard, that's for sure."



*****



"Xander!" Buffy yelled at him as he tried to explain matters to the group, "What the hell is going on here!?"



Xander sighed, and looked at Giles plaintively.



"Buffy, perhaps it would be prudent to listen to him."



Buffy quieted down under the glare of half the room.



"Thank you." Xander nodded to Giles, then turned back to Buffy. "Buff, I'll explain everything when we have time. But right now we have only hours before the world runs out of time. Jack?"



O'Neill stepped forward and, after glancing at Xander, began. "Our base is under siege by a group of... demons... that want to capture a portal we have been studying. If they do then they will be able to open it and bring through a foothold force to clear the way for invasion."



Riley looked at the Air Force colonel. "Hold on. If you've been studying a dimensional portal why haven't we been informed? The Initiative has full access to all HST data."



O'Neill looked at him for a long moment, "Please. No one has access to all data on *anything*."



Xander interrupted before the two could start arguing. "Look, we're here to recruit some defenders for the base. Reinforcements have been called and will be preparing to catch the attackers in a pincer in a couple hours. We have to be ready to ensure that the base itself is prepared to drop the boom when the time comes."



Riley shook his head, "No way am I volunteering myself or my men for anything like this without more information."



Xander smirked, "You, and your men, are the only ones here who aren't being asked."



"What?"



Xander flipped a sheaf of papers at Riley, "You've been reassigned."



Riley paled as he skimmed through the papers. Detached assignment... Official secrets act... firing squad!? He rapidly worked his way down to the signature on the orders and turned completely white. "The President of the United States!?"



Jack O'Neill smirked. "Welcome to the Air Force, kid."



*****



"I'll have the confirm these" Riley said, stalling.



O'Neill just smirked, "Go right ahead."



Riley nodded and left the group, pulling a cell phone as he did.



Buffy turned to Xander, her eyes flashing as she took in the suit of armor her was wearing. "Xander, what the hell is going on here!? And where did you get that armor?"



Xander shook his head, "Where do you think I got it? A Yautja gave it to me while i was hunting with him over the summer."



Giles winced and collapsed into a sofa chair, looking at the ceiling in supplications. "Lord, Xander. That was subtle."



Buffy spun around and glared at Giles, "You knew!?"



"Yes he knew!" Xander shouted, stepping between her and Giles, "Who do you think put my shoulder back into place after you ripped it out of its socket?"



"I didn't know it was you!" Buffy glared at him, "And you hit Riley!"



"He tried to blow my head off." Xander returned coldly, "While my back was turned."



"He thought you were a demon..." Buffy rejoined, but dropped off as she did.



"Yeah." Xander said. "He thought I was a demon. I guess we forget that not all demons are actually killers right? Kill them all on sight, forget about the fact that some of them have as much right to live as we do?"



"He... You attacked his men."



"Yes, I did. AFTER they hit me with their blasters. Face it Buff, you walked into a situation without knowing what the hell was going on ad jumped to a conclusion. I'm fine with that, but don't go getting pissed now because I wasn't sure I trusted your damned boytoy after he tried to kill me."



Willow stepped up beside Buffy, "Why didn't you tell us?"



"Simple equation, Willow." Xander said as he look over to where Riley was flinching away from the phone. "You tell Buffy everything. Buffy tells Riley damned near everything. I don't trust Riley. What do I do?"



Nothing but silence answered him.



*****



"What the hell do you think your doing, Finn!?" The general's voice roared over the line, "Get your team together and report to Colonel O'Neill for your damned assignment!"



"Yes Sir." Riley flinched again as he held the phone away from his ear. He shut the phone and slipped into his pocket and, bracing himself, returned to the table.



"Satisfied?" O'Neill asked as he arrived.



Riley nodded curtly and looked over the preparations the others had been making.



"Ok," O'Neill began as Xander rejoined them, "We have to get our squad together and get moving. I understand that transport has been arranged?" He glanced at Leo, who nodded with a slight smile.



O'Neill shook his head, "I don't even want to know how you do that."



Soft chuckles floated around the room from those in the know, but Leo just smiled a small smile and stayed silent.



Jack glared at those who laughed before turning back to Riley. "Call in your unit. We have to move."



Riley frowned, but nodded his assent and pulled the cell from his pocket.



*****



Maggie Walsh stared at the rushing soldiers and turned to the dispatch operator beside her, "What the hell is going on? I didn't order an alert."



"The orders came from Agent Finn, Ma'am. He's refused to clarify his reasons, he cited need to know, and the Official Secrets Act."



"What!?" Walsh practically screamed, "I have G4 clearance, get him on the line. Now."



The man winced, "I'm sorry Ma'am. His code was an H series security cipher... I didn't even know it existed until the computer unlocked it for me. He won't talk to you Ma'am."



"Get me Oversight."



The man swallowed and nodded once before turning back to his workstation.



*****



"Sir, a call from Professor Walsh."



The man turned and smiled, "I've been expecting that."



He turned and walked over to his desk, smiling slightly as he sat by the phone and watched the red light blink. He waited and imagined the nervous tick that would be forming on Maggie Walsh's temple about now. Finally he settled into his plush chair and lifted the receiver to his head. "Ah, Maggie... so good to hear from you."



"No. No, you don't have clearance for that information. Agent Finn's orders were cut directly from the president's office. No. No, I'm not going to tell you why. No, I will not issue a countermand. Apart from the fact that I can't legally do that it would hardly be in my best interest to do so."



Abruptly the man dropped his grin and leaned forward in the chair, "Now you listen here, Miss Walsh. You do NOT give me orders. May I remind you of the fact that I set you in your current position and I have the power to have you... removed, permanently, from said position. I thought so. Go home, Maggie. Grab a snack and read a good book, your Agents have work to do today."



The man called George smiled once again and dropped the phone receiver into its cradle and chuckled as he sat back.



"I don't know who you are Mr. Harris, but I do like your style."



*****



Xander fidgeted as the Initiative troops poured into his home. Something about having this many of them this close was driving him up the wall. Also the stares they gave him in his suit of armor, and Miss Parker as they passed bothered him.



"All right, listen up!" Riley formed up his men and started the briefing. He quickly detailed the situation, and explained that they were all on detached duty to the Air Force by orders of the president. Finally he turned to his men and looked each of them over before continuing. "This is a black op, people. Blacker then the Initiative. No ONE, talks about this mission. Ever. Understood?"



To a man the college commandos responded with a single voice. "Yes Sir!"



"Good, Form up." Riley looked to Colonel O'Neill, and received a quiet nod. "We're moving out."



"Sir?"



Riley turned to the soldier, and gave him a cold eye. "What is it, Devon?"



"We're not armed, Sir. When will we be issued weapons?"



O'Neill stepped forward, "Weapons will be issued on site. Is that all?"



The troops looked the Ait Force Colonel over, slightly distrustful, and responded in the negative.



"Good." O'Neill said, "Form Up, prepare for transport."



*****



SGC



Members of the SGC security staff stared in shock as teams of men and women were deposited in the center of their armory by a sparkle of lights. Coming in six at a time the teams immediately reported for armaments and then were shuffled out by senior members of the SG teams to their defensive positions.



Between the constant influx of people from thin air, and the armored figure that stood beside them occasionally snapping orders, the security personnel shuffled nervously.



Xander Harris watched as the men and women were equipped with weapons and armor, and shuffled off to briefings or defensive positions depending on his orders. He was suddenly feeling the weight of the lives he was accepting responsibility for, and he didn't enjoy the feeling.



Reluctantly he sent the majority of the initiative people to the front lines, knowing that any casualties would be incurred there first and foremost. But he had to hold back the bigger guns so they could be better briefed, unlike the soldiers they needed to know more about the plan then 'shoot if it's wearing funky armor'.



*****



Phoebe shifted uncomfortably as she allowed Xander to strap on the heavy kevlar armor, watching as the soldiers slapped clips into their weapons and shuffled out the door. Xander looked around and yelled to one of the guards.



"Hey, toss me the Zat over there!"



The guard looked around nervously, "uh... I don't know..."



"Throw me the damned Zat. Now."



The guard reluctantly pulled one of the alien weapons off the wall and tossed across the room.



Xander caught it easily and showed it to Phoebe, "Your sisters have the active powers, right? Well you don't need your hands free so take this."



Phoebe stared at the weapon, she recognized from Jarod's hand over a month earlier. "What...?"



Xander activated the weapon, smiling as Phoebe jumped at the sudden sound and motion form the odd device. "The firing stud is here, one shot will put a human down. Two kills him. Three... well, three and you'll be sweeping up the body."



Phoebe took the weapon reluctantly and looked at Xander with trepidation.



Xander grinned, "Let's stick with one shot, k?"



Phoebe smiled slightly, and nodded in agreement.



"Good, let's get to the briefing then." Xander hooked his arm around Phoebe's back and led her out of the SGC Armory.



*****