A/N: Thanks for all the reviews everyone.

Chapter 3: Trans-- what?

Terminal City, Seattle, 2020

"Er Buffy?" asked her sister. Buffy didn't reply. The rest of the Scooby gang exchanged bemused glances. Max and Buffy made an interesting pair. Max was much taller than Buffy, but they had similar build. One fair, the other dark. But they had the same set of their mouths, the same serious stare.

Suddenly Max took her hand away. There was an awkward pause. Xander tried to help out by filling in the silence.

"SoMax, is it? How's it hanging? I mean-- in the sense that--"

"Excuse him", Anya interrupted, speaking to Max in a confiding tone. "We used to date, and since we broke up he's been a little wacked. Mostly he doesn't know what he's saying. My friends tell me I'm better off without him."

Max smiled politely but distantly. Buffy was still mute. Dawn realised that someone normal should say something.

"Mole mentioned something about getting us settled in", she began. "Maybe we couldsit down somewhere, and you could fill us in on the, ersituation?"

Max seemed to snap out of it. "Sure. That I can do. There's one spare fold-up bed left, and there's some room out the back. It's pretty chaotic around here, as you can see. There's a pile of blankets in that corner." She pointed.

"Thanks", said Buffy vaguely. Xander took her arm, and the Scoobies walked away.

"Wait!" came Max's voice. They turned around. "I don't know your names. What series are you? I don't recognise any of you from Manticore."

Buffy paused and turned around, still looking a little spaced out. Dawn wracked her brains for something to say. These people seemed to think they were from some kind of cult orsomething, and if she told them they weren't, would they still be friendly?

While she was thinking, Anya commented, "What is this Manticore place people keep on telling us we're from?"

Dawn gave a mental groan.

Max frowned. Suddenly she was standing behind Dawn. Dawn blinked. "How did you get" Dawn was cut off when Max pulled Dawn's neck forwards and lifted up her hair, none too gently. "Buffy?" Dawn squeaked. The grip on the back of her neck was very strong.

"No barcode," Max commented grimly. She whirled Dawn around to face her. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Spies? Did White send you?"

"Don't touch my sister like that," Buffy said evenly.

Max whirled around to face her.

"Who are you people?" she demanded angrily.

"I could ask the same about you," Buffy snarled, walking towards her. For a second they stared each other down, fists clenched.

"Hold on!" Xander exclaimed, stepping between them. Buffy and Max glared at him. He winced slightly at their identical scowls, then continued. "Obviously there's something weird going on here. We need to erwork out some issues. Is there somewhere we can go that's a little more quiet?"

"Fine," Max said quietly. She turned around and led them outside.

"Ok," Buffy said once they were assembled outside the main building. "I'm Buffy, this is my sister Dawn and my friends Anya and Xander. We don't know what you're talking about with the wholebarcode, soldier act, but we're humans, and by all account, so are you. So do you care to explain?"

Max blinked at her. "Hhow did you get in here? Why did Mole think you were soldiers?"

Buffy shrugged. "I dunno, we were fighting, and then I was surrounded and they started calling me soldier, and then we were taken here."

Max looked very confused.

"Ok, I'm just gonna give it to you straight up, then," she said quietly. "I don't usually do this but I kinda feel you can be trusted. Don't ask me why." Buffy nodded.

"This is Terminal City, transgenic headquarters. All of us in here, including me, are transgenics. It's not safe for you to be here. You heard about all the lynchings and arrests. You can leave now and we won't harm you. I promise."

Buffy blinked at her. Xander, Anya and Dawn all looked very bemused.

"Transwhat?" Buffy asked.

"Transgenics," Max repeated, slower. "Genetically engineered soldiers, " she added, meeting only blank faces.

"Youdon't know? What, you don't have a radio?"

"Sure we have a radio, but we haven't heard anything about these transthingemys," Dawn said.

Max frowned. "Ok well I'll explain, but you have to tell me why Mole thought you were one of us. He wouldn't make a mistake like that easily."

Buffy paused. She didn't know what to say. Obviously Max had trusted them with a very personal secret, and she felt like she should do the same, but she still wasn't sure.

"Ihave some fighting skills," she said lamely. Max raised an eyebrow.

Buffy made a hard decision fast.

"I'm a vampire slayer," she admitted. "Being stronger and faster than the average human is one of the few perks that comes with the job."

Max rolled her eyes. "Vampires? Slayer?" she asked, taking a few involuntary steps backwards.

"Wait!" Anya cried. Max looked at her disbelievingly.

"She's telling the truth," Anya said earnestly.

"Whatever," Max said, but she didn't move.

"Look," Buffy began. "I know it's hard to believe, but hey, you asked, and whatever you're trying to tell us sounds pretty crazy too. I know it's hard to believe that vampires and demons exist but we're not crazy. Believe it. Anyway, you promised you'd tell us about this trans"

"Transgenic," Max said softly, with a hint of a smile. "I'm still kindaabsorbing your news but I said I'd tell you about transgenics, so I will," she said.

"Wait", interrupted Xander, who'd been uncharacteristically silent until then. "Before you spill the beans I've been looking around, and I think I know this town pretty damn well, but I have no idea where we are right now." He turned to Buffy. "Buffy, I know this sounds dumb, but maybe some alternate universe thing is going on here. We're not in Sunnydale, these people think we're some kind of demon or or alien thing and--"

"I told you, you're in Terminal City", Max interrupted. "Seattle, the United States of America, Earth, the Universe" She snickered, but stopped abruptly when she saw the looks on the others' faces.

Anya was the first to speak. "Seattle?" she cried. "What are we doing in Seattle?"

"Aliens?" said Dawn. "Who said anything about aliens?"

"Holy crap! " exclaimed Xander. "I knew following Spike was a bad idea."

Buffy took a deep breath. "All right, everyone", she said. "Wait a second. You're missing the point here."

"What point?" asked Xander. "Buffy, we're in Seattle. Sunnydale's sewers are pretty comprehensive, but they're not that good."

"Yeah, I get that we're not in Sunnydale anymore", said Buffy. Then, remembering her glimpses of the deserted street they had traipsed along with Mole earlier, a sudden thought hit her. "Hey, waitWe know where we are, but the question is, when are we? I mean, what year is this?"

Max was silent for a second, knowing that her answer could freak them out. "The year is 2020", she said slowly and carefully.

"Holy crap," muttered Xander again.

"How did this happen?" asked Dawn. "Did we accidentally walk into a time travel machine or something?"

"Wait", said Max. "When are you from? I mean, what did you-- where you are, what--?"

"We're from Sunnydale, California, the United States of America, Earth, the Universe" Buffy replied. "And yesterday--or today, I'm not sure-- the year was 2003."

They all stared at each other in bewilderment. Finally Max spoke. "Listen, the most important thing right now is to get you guys out of Terminal City. If you're human, the nuclear radiation could harm you. Us transgenics have a natural immunity. One of the few perks that comes with the job," she added, with a satiric sideways glance at Buffy.

"What nuclear radiation?!" said Xander. "Why didn't you say something before?"

"I didn't know who or what you were", replied Max. "You might have noticed, I've got a lot of things to deal with right now. Anyway, you've only been in here 20 minutes. Only a long period of exposure could seriously harm you. Look, you obviously need some help sorting this all out. That's not exactly my job, but I have a friend who can help you. He's human, like you. I'll take you to his place now. I just need to make a quick phone call first. Stay here. I won't be a sec."

Leaving Buffy, Dawn, Anya and Xander standing there helplessly, she disappeared back into the warehouse.

Thanks for reviewing everyone!

Lisette - You reckon we made Max a bit Mary-Sueish? Hmmm. But she isn't a Mary Sue, so that changes things. Glad you liked the update.

Ranlynn - Wait and see ;)