Signs Of The End
By Silent Bob Foley
E-mail: BobRgnt@netscape.com
Rating: Don't know the American rating so equivalent of a 15 certificate in
England
Summary: Based loosely on a few Post-apocalyptic films and Drew's Enjoy The
Silence, No more summary as it'll ruin the plot.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the BTVS Characters, Joss Whedon does
Distribution: BBTZ, Slayerette and anyone else who wants it
Feedback: Hell Yeah
Spoilers: None.
Authors Note: This is my first- First person narrative story so give me a
break. Also I have seen nothing of season 7 of Buffy so if things don't
meld well sorry.
British Words and Spelling
Borrowed from MrPresident- Buy British Beef (Now With Only 5% Mad Cow)
Before you think- 'uhoh we've got a problem here' yes the Sgt was back but not the way he was at Halloween, the years of having him buried plus the fact that Vamp Xander was in there too had helped me keep my identity. The military part of me had come back with such a force that I knew it all, my stronger and fitter body allowed me to do all I remembered about that life.
So In fact I was a kind of a cross between all four of the boys in here, it was not weird as much as disconcerting. This military stuff I knew would stand me in good stead as I had to fight alongside the other soldiers here.
Now I rarely believe in coincidence or fate or anything, except the whole chosen one thing-but a few hours later I was approached by the base commander, he had seen me take such easy control during the arrival of the demons and my own patrolling- turns out he knows about vamps and had seen me and the guys fighting them a week ago. He wanted me to become a kind of liaison to the demons, as I had been able to work without a problem. He also admitted that I would have to accept a commission to Sgt Major in order to do so. He told me to think about but I had no need to, I accepted with the condition that I was allowed to continue building the base- he agreed and I was posted as an Engineering NCO.
After being kitted out I decided to return to 'Little Sunnydale' as the SunnyD survivors called it, about half way back I realised that if I had been reactivated- what had happened to Buffy would hers reactivate as well- that would be all we needed a weakened slayer with that damn aristocratic version on top. With that thought I pelted it to the tent, I was very relieved to see that Buffy was her usual self she looked at me and her jaw dropped, one by one everyone else did and the looks on their faces were hilarious, then the light appeared in Buffy's eyes as it came to her.
"Halloween?"
I nodded and she smiled back understanding, the rest were confused and so I regaled them with the antics of the Scooby gang that night, Buffy cringing at the memory of her other self from that night. Both getting somber when they mentioned Willow and her ghost, John remembered seeing Willow that night too and thinking that couldn't be the same person and Oz also remembering and thinking of that night left soon afterwards to think. I knew now to leave him alone for a while he still loved Willow and found it hard to believe she was dead, it was strange because I had no problem believing everyone back home was dead and I never figured out why. I think it's the fact I still have Faith and Buffy with me- Oz has us but was never really close to the rest of us and the whole Faith almost killing Wills may have coloured him a little, Amy had Johnathan as well so Oz seemed to be a little out from the rest of us.
Well that was when I decided that we needed to reassemble a Scooby gang of some kind, I had talked to Faith about it- the fact that demons were coming out of hiding meant that sooner or later we could expect a big attack and we needed to prepare the people and demons at the base. We would have two slayers, two spellcasters, one werewolf and an Army Sgt major, well it's not quite the Watchers Council but I'd rather have people I can trust on my side. I decided to wait a day or so before I asked them about it, while I was waiting I decided to try and find out why the Slayers seemed to still be ill and weak- they already knew about the loss of their reproductive ability. Both were holding up for now but I couldn't be sure for how long, everything seems to be happening at once to us- and I think that there was more to the slayers than we realised.
I'm going to forward a little now to a few days later as nothing happened really worth mentioning- except that I was right and Amy and the J-man did end up together, I think that was more to do with the fact they were all the other had left of Sunnydale than anything else. They did love each other of that I'm sure I think this just let them finally realise it, I suppose that the same would have happened if it had been me and Willow or Oz and Cordy or anyone that I knew. Anyway back to the story.
I have to apologise for my disjointed story I'm trying to tell several things at once based in different times, I've never been too good at this- my mind is working in Now time while the majority of this is all flashbacks and my own theories. I will try to keep it clear but if you get lost I'll try to make it clear at the end.
Well it was now about 11 days from the nuclear explosions and we had managed to keep the base in good repair, the 'Scrappy gang' and I with some help from the demons had built a few anti-vamp defences and cast a few spells. That meant the gang were free for a little recon- the slayers were still out of it and I was still worried- so I took Oz, J-man and Amy out instead and the colonel sent a few troops with us- mainly privates but I got a good platoon corporal with me. We headed in full Radiation gear as close to Sunnydale as we could. As it turned out we didn't need the equipment we had.
The radiation and poisons were gone- not a rad remained above normal background radiation, it didn't make sense- but we dumped the ABC suits and got a move on into the ruins of Sunnydale- as it turns out we didn't have to go far to find out what was going on, and as I have mentioned we were in really deep doo-doo. The hellmouth had been totally opened by the blast, and in doing so hundreds of the most foul and evil things I have ever laid eyes on were now escaping from the hole in reality. Worse than that it seemed that the demons that were destroyed by us over the years had been sent back to the lower levels of hell- and they were back.
I realised we had to somehow contact the Watchers council or anyone else we could, the Sgt had memories of secret organisations and contacts but most were in areas that had been destroyed by the nuclear blasts. I would later try to contact them but for the moment we had to prepare the base and surrounding areas for the attack, we left quickly and quietly without being noticed- the soldiers watching the back. It took a few hours to get to the rendezvous with the hum-vees but we managed to get out quickly.
Back at the base there was a lot of activity, I had radioed ahead with the information about the hellmouth and the fact it was open, Buffy and Faith were now in combat fatigues and helping with the defences- getting closer I saw they both had corporal stripes on their sleeves- obviously like me they had taken the NCO commissions offered the 'Scrappy gang'. They looked over at the remaining members of the gang and motioned us over, I stopped and saluted the Colonel in the military fashion I had become accustomed to.
"Ah Sgt Major Harris, good to see you made it back alright. We've been in contact with what remains of the United States military and we are getting reinforcements from allied countries, apparently several other enclaves like our own have also been assisted by new 'Arrivals', supplies and assistance are coming in from Canada, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom within the next few days."
"That's good news Sir, I request permission to attempt communication with several groups that may be able to help us with our problem."
"Ahh yes, Miss Williams and Miss Summers have informed me of the unconventionality of their professions. I also believe I may have met a slayer about twenty five years ago- I have already been in contact with an old friend of mine whom has been able to contact overseas and a message is on it's way to the watcher's council."
That had surprised me quite a lot, but I was glad that we would have the help we so desperately needed against the demons from hell. The demons on our side were all pacifist and wouldn't take up arms and god knows most human weapons would have no effect on the monsters we would end up facing. With the exception of Kevlar rounds and high explosives, all we would be able to use is stakes and bladed weapons- as there was quite an armoury full of combat knives, bayonets and other blades most of us could be equipped with them, Kevlar rounds could be made at the armoury workshops, but explosives would only last so long.
It was good news that the council may be able to get here to help, I just hoped that that moron Travers or his kind would stay away- we didn't need them messing us around or trying to get the slayers again, well if they did there was a new gang and a hell of a lot of soldiers and demons to get through. Somehow I don't think they will try it and even if they did try something with some magical whammy, there were non-magical people here ready to take em on instead.
Now as I have mentioned before the slayers still seemed to be less than at full capability and it was almost two weeks since the incident, now the problem was that every so often they bled from their well. female parts and noses- the slayer healing should have fixed the pair of them but hadn't. I may have been jumping to conclusions at this point but only one thing could have done this. could have made them this way.
They had lost the slayer essence.
I couldn't think of anything else that could have left them as weak and vulnerable as they seemed to be, if that was the case then we were in a whole lot of trouble. Without slayers the human race had lost some of their strongest protagonists against the forces of evil. yes I said Protagonist- I did pay some attention at school you know. Anyway we needed the slayers or we would have little to no chance in this fight- perhaps the council would know about this,
I sure as hell hoped so because the rest of us needed that help quite seriously. Plus the impact on the girls would be devastating to them both- it was part of who they were and everything they needed, Faith would be the worse of the two as she believed the spirit was what made her who she was- the only worth to anyone. She was wrong but that was what she would believe no matter what we tell her, I was not looking forward to the fallout of this- and wish vehemently that Giles or Joyce were here to take care of them both, but they weren't so I knew I would have to be that shoulder for them both. Luckily I have two- one for each slayer and boy would I need them.
I will get back to that but that is in it's own time and place- and this is not it.
Anyway- the girls had been busy- I suppose that because they were feeling ill they wanted to be able to do something, I had realised at that point that they were not ill at all- just normal- like me before the chaos wave, but I was damned if I was gonna be the one to tell them about it. But then again who the hell else would, the watchers would drop them like hot potato- for the first time I realised what it was to be in charge of the gang, how Giles and Buffy had done it all those years was beyond me.
Damn I was so tired now- so much had happened in so little time, I didn't think I could take much more. I needed a break- something to take my mind off it maybe just a lie down would help, or a walk outside the compound. I requisitioned a high velocity rifle with Kevlar rounds and went outside the base for a while, I needed to think, to clear my head after everything that had happened in the last few weeks.
Well there was a time for everything and as a lot had been done already so I decided I could go off-duty for a few hours al least just to keep thinking. So I left for the small forested area close by, I knew my soldier skills could keep me alive long enough to get hep from the base if I really needed it that badly.
For the first time I allowed myself to really dwell on what had happened to Sunnydale and the rest of the country, half the major cities were gone wiped off the face of the planet and now the mouth into the worst hell you could imagine had been opened. My mind blanked totally then it finally let the emotions I had long bottled up burst out, my home was gone- Willow, Anya, Dawn everyone I cared for in that crappy little town were gone. I started to crack up- the loss overwhelmed me again and again, I collapsed onto the ground my arms in front of me holding me off the ground.
I couldn't breath, it was like my body had forgotten how to work. Wave upon wave of pain and anguish washed over me, my brain had frozen all I could see was my friends faces and the explosion I saw- my imagination showing me the faces of those I loved as they were destroyed by the blast. Screams of help pleading me to save them- and me unable to do anything to help them, to stop the pain.
They trusted me and I failed them- like always I was the Zeppo the useless one- I didn't deserve to survive, I don't deserve to live. Every one of them could have done so much more in this fight- more than I could ever hope to do, all I could do was build a few buildings and generally end up getting in the way of the slayers and the fighting that they would lead. I never should have left, I should have got Giles or Willow to get faith they would have been able to do so much more than I ever could- I FAILED THEM and THEY WERE DEAD.
I screamed at the world until my voice was hoarse- I screamed a pain and horror that came from the depths of my soul, I cried until my eyes were red and sore. The last I remember is repeating over and over again that I should have died with the others- I should have died to save all the others. Then I collapsed into a heap- emotionally and physically drained to the point I was no longer capable of thought, blackness enveloped me and I slept.
I woke up sometime the next day, my first thought was 'oh hell, what is some demon has got me' followed by- 'why is my chest heavy'. Well looking down I saw two very beautiful faces sleeping on either side of my chest, Buffy and Faith had obviously been looking over me while I slept, I felt a right idiot- I could have been killed out there. Worse than that I had allowed myself to lose it right when I needed to keep myself intact, with that damn hellmouth etc I was needed as a leader and what had I ended up as- a blubbering idiot that could have gotten himself killed by collapsing outside the only save place in the state.
Borrowed from MrPresident- Buy British Beef (Now With Only 5% Mad Cow)
Before you think- 'uhoh we've got a problem here' yes the Sgt was back but not the way he was at Halloween, the years of having him buried plus the fact that Vamp Xander was in there too had helped me keep my identity. The military part of me had come back with such a force that I knew it all, my stronger and fitter body allowed me to do all I remembered about that life.
So In fact I was a kind of a cross between all four of the boys in here, it was not weird as much as disconcerting. This military stuff I knew would stand me in good stead as I had to fight alongside the other soldiers here.
Now I rarely believe in coincidence or fate or anything, except the whole chosen one thing-but a few hours later I was approached by the base commander, he had seen me take such easy control during the arrival of the demons and my own patrolling- turns out he knows about vamps and had seen me and the guys fighting them a week ago. He wanted me to become a kind of liaison to the demons, as I had been able to work without a problem. He also admitted that I would have to accept a commission to Sgt Major in order to do so. He told me to think about but I had no need to, I accepted with the condition that I was allowed to continue building the base- he agreed and I was posted as an Engineering NCO.
After being kitted out I decided to return to 'Little Sunnydale' as the SunnyD survivors called it, about half way back I realised that if I had been reactivated- what had happened to Buffy would hers reactivate as well- that would be all we needed a weakened slayer with that damn aristocratic version on top. With that thought I pelted it to the tent, I was very relieved to see that Buffy was her usual self she looked at me and her jaw dropped, one by one everyone else did and the looks on their faces were hilarious, then the light appeared in Buffy's eyes as it came to her.
"Halloween?"
I nodded and she smiled back understanding, the rest were confused and so I regaled them with the antics of the Scooby gang that night, Buffy cringing at the memory of her other self from that night. Both getting somber when they mentioned Willow and her ghost, John remembered seeing Willow that night too and thinking that couldn't be the same person and Oz also remembering and thinking of that night left soon afterwards to think. I knew now to leave him alone for a while he still loved Willow and found it hard to believe she was dead, it was strange because I had no problem believing everyone back home was dead and I never figured out why. I think it's the fact I still have Faith and Buffy with me- Oz has us but was never really close to the rest of us and the whole Faith almost killing Wills may have coloured him a little, Amy had Johnathan as well so Oz seemed to be a little out from the rest of us.
Well that was when I decided that we needed to reassemble a Scooby gang of some kind, I had talked to Faith about it- the fact that demons were coming out of hiding meant that sooner or later we could expect a big attack and we needed to prepare the people and demons at the base. We would have two slayers, two spellcasters, one werewolf and an Army Sgt major, well it's not quite the Watchers Council but I'd rather have people I can trust on my side. I decided to wait a day or so before I asked them about it, while I was waiting I decided to try and find out why the Slayers seemed to still be ill and weak- they already knew about the loss of their reproductive ability. Both were holding up for now but I couldn't be sure for how long, everything seems to be happening at once to us- and I think that there was more to the slayers than we realised.
I'm going to forward a little now to a few days later as nothing happened really worth mentioning- except that I was right and Amy and the J-man did end up together, I think that was more to do with the fact they were all the other had left of Sunnydale than anything else. They did love each other of that I'm sure I think this just let them finally realise it, I suppose that the same would have happened if it had been me and Willow or Oz and Cordy or anyone that I knew. Anyway back to the story.
I have to apologise for my disjointed story I'm trying to tell several things at once based in different times, I've never been too good at this- my mind is working in Now time while the majority of this is all flashbacks and my own theories. I will try to keep it clear but if you get lost I'll try to make it clear at the end.
Well it was now about 11 days from the nuclear explosions and we had managed to keep the base in good repair, the 'Scrappy gang' and I with some help from the demons had built a few anti-vamp defences and cast a few spells. That meant the gang were free for a little recon- the slayers were still out of it and I was still worried- so I took Oz, J-man and Amy out instead and the colonel sent a few troops with us- mainly privates but I got a good platoon corporal with me. We headed in full Radiation gear as close to Sunnydale as we could. As it turned out we didn't need the equipment we had.
The radiation and poisons were gone- not a rad remained above normal background radiation, it didn't make sense- but we dumped the ABC suits and got a move on into the ruins of Sunnydale- as it turns out we didn't have to go far to find out what was going on, and as I have mentioned we were in really deep doo-doo. The hellmouth had been totally opened by the blast, and in doing so hundreds of the most foul and evil things I have ever laid eyes on were now escaping from the hole in reality. Worse than that it seemed that the demons that were destroyed by us over the years had been sent back to the lower levels of hell- and they were back.
I realised we had to somehow contact the Watchers council or anyone else we could, the Sgt had memories of secret organisations and contacts but most were in areas that had been destroyed by the nuclear blasts. I would later try to contact them but for the moment we had to prepare the base and surrounding areas for the attack, we left quickly and quietly without being noticed- the soldiers watching the back. It took a few hours to get to the rendezvous with the hum-vees but we managed to get out quickly.
Back at the base there was a lot of activity, I had radioed ahead with the information about the hellmouth and the fact it was open, Buffy and Faith were now in combat fatigues and helping with the defences- getting closer I saw they both had corporal stripes on their sleeves- obviously like me they had taken the NCO commissions offered the 'Scrappy gang'. They looked over at the remaining members of the gang and motioned us over, I stopped and saluted the Colonel in the military fashion I had become accustomed to.
"Ah Sgt Major Harris, good to see you made it back alright. We've been in contact with what remains of the United States military and we are getting reinforcements from allied countries, apparently several other enclaves like our own have also been assisted by new 'Arrivals', supplies and assistance are coming in from Canada, Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom within the next few days."
"That's good news Sir, I request permission to attempt communication with several groups that may be able to help us with our problem."
"Ahh yes, Miss Williams and Miss Summers have informed me of the unconventionality of their professions. I also believe I may have met a slayer about twenty five years ago- I have already been in contact with an old friend of mine whom has been able to contact overseas and a message is on it's way to the watcher's council."
That had surprised me quite a lot, but I was glad that we would have the help we so desperately needed against the demons from hell. The demons on our side were all pacifist and wouldn't take up arms and god knows most human weapons would have no effect on the monsters we would end up facing. With the exception of Kevlar rounds and high explosives, all we would be able to use is stakes and bladed weapons- as there was quite an armoury full of combat knives, bayonets and other blades most of us could be equipped with them, Kevlar rounds could be made at the armoury workshops, but explosives would only last so long.
It was good news that the council may be able to get here to help, I just hoped that that moron Travers or his kind would stay away- we didn't need them messing us around or trying to get the slayers again, well if they did there was a new gang and a hell of a lot of soldiers and demons to get through. Somehow I don't think they will try it and even if they did try something with some magical whammy, there were non-magical people here ready to take em on instead.
Now as I have mentioned before the slayers still seemed to be less than at full capability and it was almost two weeks since the incident, now the problem was that every so often they bled from their well. female parts and noses- the slayer healing should have fixed the pair of them but hadn't. I may have been jumping to conclusions at this point but only one thing could have done this. could have made them this way.
They had lost the slayer essence.
I couldn't think of anything else that could have left them as weak and vulnerable as they seemed to be, if that was the case then we were in a whole lot of trouble. Without slayers the human race had lost some of their strongest protagonists against the forces of evil. yes I said Protagonist- I did pay some attention at school you know. Anyway we needed the slayers or we would have little to no chance in this fight- perhaps the council would know about this,
I sure as hell hoped so because the rest of us needed that help quite seriously. Plus the impact on the girls would be devastating to them both- it was part of who they were and everything they needed, Faith would be the worse of the two as she believed the spirit was what made her who she was- the only worth to anyone. She was wrong but that was what she would believe no matter what we tell her, I was not looking forward to the fallout of this- and wish vehemently that Giles or Joyce were here to take care of them both, but they weren't so I knew I would have to be that shoulder for them both. Luckily I have two- one for each slayer and boy would I need them.
I will get back to that but that is in it's own time and place- and this is not it.
Anyway- the girls had been busy- I suppose that because they were feeling ill they wanted to be able to do something, I had realised at that point that they were not ill at all- just normal- like me before the chaos wave, but I was damned if I was gonna be the one to tell them about it. But then again who the hell else would, the watchers would drop them like hot potato- for the first time I realised what it was to be in charge of the gang, how Giles and Buffy had done it all those years was beyond me.
Damn I was so tired now- so much had happened in so little time, I didn't think I could take much more. I needed a break- something to take my mind off it maybe just a lie down would help, or a walk outside the compound. I requisitioned a high velocity rifle with Kevlar rounds and went outside the base for a while, I needed to think, to clear my head after everything that had happened in the last few weeks.
Well there was a time for everything and as a lot had been done already so I decided I could go off-duty for a few hours al least just to keep thinking. So I left for the small forested area close by, I knew my soldier skills could keep me alive long enough to get hep from the base if I really needed it that badly.
For the first time I allowed myself to really dwell on what had happened to Sunnydale and the rest of the country, half the major cities were gone wiped off the face of the planet and now the mouth into the worst hell you could imagine had been opened. My mind blanked totally then it finally let the emotions I had long bottled up burst out, my home was gone- Willow, Anya, Dawn everyone I cared for in that crappy little town were gone. I started to crack up- the loss overwhelmed me again and again, I collapsed onto the ground my arms in front of me holding me off the ground.
I couldn't breath, it was like my body had forgotten how to work. Wave upon wave of pain and anguish washed over me, my brain had frozen all I could see was my friends faces and the explosion I saw- my imagination showing me the faces of those I loved as they were destroyed by the blast. Screams of help pleading me to save them- and me unable to do anything to help them, to stop the pain.
They trusted me and I failed them- like always I was the Zeppo the useless one- I didn't deserve to survive, I don't deserve to live. Every one of them could have done so much more in this fight- more than I could ever hope to do, all I could do was build a few buildings and generally end up getting in the way of the slayers and the fighting that they would lead. I never should have left, I should have got Giles or Willow to get faith they would have been able to do so much more than I ever could- I FAILED THEM and THEY WERE DEAD.
I screamed at the world until my voice was hoarse- I screamed a pain and horror that came from the depths of my soul, I cried until my eyes were red and sore. The last I remember is repeating over and over again that I should have died with the others- I should have died to save all the others. Then I collapsed into a heap- emotionally and physically drained to the point I was no longer capable of thought, blackness enveloped me and I slept.
I woke up sometime the next day, my first thought was 'oh hell, what is some demon has got me' followed by- 'why is my chest heavy'. Well looking down I saw two very beautiful faces sleeping on either side of my chest, Buffy and Faith had obviously been looking over me while I slept, I felt a right idiot- I could have been killed out there. Worse than that I had allowed myself to lose it right when I needed to keep myself intact, with that damn hellmouth etc I was needed as a leader and what had I ended up as- a blubbering idiot that could have gotten himself killed by collapsing outside the only save place in the state.