""I found it," Dawn bounced into the library where Willow, Buffy, and Andrew were seated around the table. "Well I didn't exactly find it, but I know where it is."
""That's nice," Willow flashed a smile at Dawn and the turned back to Buffy. "I don't understand it, why's she coming here?"
"Who's coming," asked Dawn, still obviously excited by her discovery but somewhat diminished by Willow's reaction to it.
"The new head of the Council," answered Buffy. "We have to decide how we're going to handle this."
"Big deal." Dawn rolled her eyes, and took a seat next to Andrew. "Some stuffy Brit is coming and nobody wants to hear what I found."
"Well," came a voice from the door. "I can't speak for the rest but this stuffy Brit would like to hear what you found."
Instead of speaking, Dawn just stared at the newcomer, as did the others. Flanked by Xander and Giles, the new Head of the Council was completely identical to Willow Rosenberg.
"Rowena Travers," said the newcomer, entering the room and claiming a seat. Xander took one next to her while Giles moved to stand beside a book shelf. "I dare say that I own something made out of tweed, though it has been some time since I wore it."
Rowena fixed her eyes on everybody sitting at the table and then returned her attention to Dawn. "Now you say you found something?"
"Well, er, uh," Dawn felt herself redden and cast her eyes around the table for help. "You see Xander asked me to find the Garden of Eden and, uh, I did. Well, somebody else did but I checked his research and I think he's right so I didn't actually find it but I know where it is."
"Where would that be?"
"In the Adj Chay valley, ten miles north of Tabriz. That's uh in Iran." Dawn pulled a map out of the papers she was carrying. "See, the Bible says that the Tigris and the Eurphrates rivers had there start there. See," Dawn pointed the rivers out. Rowena leaned forward for a better look. "The Bible also says there were two other rivers that got their start there, the Gihon and the Pishon"
"But see," Rowena pointed to the two rivers. "They're called Gaihan Aras and this one is called Kezel Uizun."
"But there's more," said Dawn, recovering some of the excitement she had lost. See, here, this area, east of the Adj Chay valley, it's Noqdi, the Land of Nod, where Cain was sent."
Rowena sat back down and steepled her fingers. "Excellent, but why did this person think that this valley was the Garden of Eden?"
"There's an account of a man, a Sumerian, who went back, looking for gold and Lapis Lazuli for a temple. It's on a tablet in the Museum of hr Orient in Istanbul and is really old and describes the path to Eden and."
Rowena held up a hand, stopping the flow of words. "You have done an excellent job, and have convinced me that this is indeed the Earthly location of the Garden." She smiled. "At first we were concerned at Mr. Harris' choice of an assistant, but you have more than exceeded our expectations."
Dawn preened.
"Uh," Willow held up a hand. "Why do you have to find the Garden of Eden?"
Rowena frowned. "Well I suppose no harm will come from telling you. We have come into possession of an artifact that we believe should be returned there."
"You mean we get to go to Eden," asked Dawn. "Cause that would be so cool."
"Given the current state of affairs between the US government and the government of Iran, that might not be advisable, to say nothing of cultural differences that may prove difficult to surmount while keeping the mission secret. Made doubly difficult because humans can't touch the artifact, for some reason."
"Cultural differences," asked Kennedy. "You mean like the way they treat women?" She snorted. "Surely where're some Slayers over there that can help."
"There are no Slayers in Iran." Rowena's statement was flat and stilled everyone. "That is there are no active Slayers. The ones we found we had to smuggle out of Iran before they could be killed. There are others, but they prefer to remain unknown."
"But.."
"A bullet will kill a Slayer just as easily as it will kill anyone else human."
"You mean..."
Rowena sighed. "Mankind, and I use the term in its most generic way, has two means in which to deal with things they don't understand. They will worship it or they will fear and they will try to destroy the thing they fear. Even if it means losing their own lives in the process."
"But we thought when we released their power we made the world a better place.'
"You may have, but you can't expect the change to come over night."
"I thought this was the twenty first century," said an unnamed Slayer.
"Which means," Rowena asked, but never gave a chance for an answer. "The major difference between man today and man in caveman times, again I use the term in its generic sense, is that we got better toys. "
"Well if you hadn't suppressed the powers..."
"There would be no more Slayers," Rowena snapped back. "Do you think the opposition would not have actively killed every Slayer they could find, or every woman, family, they thought would produce a Slayer? Either that or the Slayers would have to band together and become humanities rulers, or as bad, in their own way, as the opposition in order to ensure their survival." Rowena glared around the table. "Perhaps the Council erred on the side of caution, keeping the line to one Slayer to a generation, keeping her isolated, secret. But the world survived more apocalypses than you have had a hand in stopping."
If Buffy hadn't activated the Slayer we wouldn't have survived."
"No one is arguing that," said Rowena calmly. "Right or wrong, that act does have consequences. Consequences such as this." Rowena took a newspaper out of her case and tossed it on the table. "The New York Times," she informed them. "The front page story is of a gang fight in Central park, actually more of a massacre. A surviving member of the losing gang told the police that it was three girls that did most of the damage"
"They could have been vampires," came a suggestion.
"We thought of that." Rowena admitted. "However the sun was not yet down when the fight occurred. No vampire could have been there."
"Demons," suggested Willow. "They don't have to be afraid of the sun."
"Perhaps. Which is why we want you to go to New York to investigate."
"Okay," Willow nodded. "I'll go cause we need to know. But what do we do if they turn out to be Slayers. But what do I do if they are? I mean jail held Faith, but she wanted to be there. I don't think jail's going to hold them if they don't."
"I don't know." Rowena sagged in her chair. "This isn't like anything we've ever had to face before."
"Okay, so Faith and I go to New York, look into this thing. What is the rest going to do?"
"Well I want to go to Eden," said Dawn.
"Dawn, you are not going," snapped Buffy. "So you can just forget about it."
"Why not? You heard her. That's talisman's gotta be carried by someone not human, and I'm not human. Well I'm human because the monks made me that way, but I'm not exactly human because I'm the key and..." Dawn trailed off and slumped down into her chair.
"Will the power of the Key negate the power of the artifact," mused Rowena, then shook herself out of it. It may come to that but there are other possibilities we should look into first before we do anything that might endanger your life. If there is no other option and if your sister agrees, then we'll see." Rowena leaned back in her chair.
"Now onto other business."
""That's nice," Willow flashed a smile at Dawn and the turned back to Buffy. "I don't understand it, why's she coming here?"
"Who's coming," asked Dawn, still obviously excited by her discovery but somewhat diminished by Willow's reaction to it.
"The new head of the Council," answered Buffy. "We have to decide how we're going to handle this."
"Big deal." Dawn rolled her eyes, and took a seat next to Andrew. "Some stuffy Brit is coming and nobody wants to hear what I found."
"Well," came a voice from the door. "I can't speak for the rest but this stuffy Brit would like to hear what you found."
Instead of speaking, Dawn just stared at the newcomer, as did the others. Flanked by Xander and Giles, the new Head of the Council was completely identical to Willow Rosenberg.
"Rowena Travers," said the newcomer, entering the room and claiming a seat. Xander took one next to her while Giles moved to stand beside a book shelf. "I dare say that I own something made out of tweed, though it has been some time since I wore it."
Rowena fixed her eyes on everybody sitting at the table and then returned her attention to Dawn. "Now you say you found something?"
"Well, er, uh," Dawn felt herself redden and cast her eyes around the table for help. "You see Xander asked me to find the Garden of Eden and, uh, I did. Well, somebody else did but I checked his research and I think he's right so I didn't actually find it but I know where it is."
"Where would that be?"
"In the Adj Chay valley, ten miles north of Tabriz. That's uh in Iran." Dawn pulled a map out of the papers she was carrying. "See, the Bible says that the Tigris and the Eurphrates rivers had there start there. See," Dawn pointed the rivers out. Rowena leaned forward for a better look. "The Bible also says there were two other rivers that got their start there, the Gihon and the Pishon"
"But see," Rowena pointed to the two rivers. "They're called Gaihan Aras and this one is called Kezel Uizun."
"But there's more," said Dawn, recovering some of the excitement she had lost. See, here, this area, east of the Adj Chay valley, it's Noqdi, the Land of Nod, where Cain was sent."
Rowena sat back down and steepled her fingers. "Excellent, but why did this person think that this valley was the Garden of Eden?"
"There's an account of a man, a Sumerian, who went back, looking for gold and Lapis Lazuli for a temple. It's on a tablet in the Museum of hr Orient in Istanbul and is really old and describes the path to Eden and."
Rowena held up a hand, stopping the flow of words. "You have done an excellent job, and have convinced me that this is indeed the Earthly location of the Garden." She smiled. "At first we were concerned at Mr. Harris' choice of an assistant, but you have more than exceeded our expectations."
Dawn preened.
"Uh," Willow held up a hand. "Why do you have to find the Garden of Eden?"
Rowena frowned. "Well I suppose no harm will come from telling you. We have come into possession of an artifact that we believe should be returned there."
"You mean we get to go to Eden," asked Dawn. "Cause that would be so cool."
"Given the current state of affairs between the US government and the government of Iran, that might not be advisable, to say nothing of cultural differences that may prove difficult to surmount while keeping the mission secret. Made doubly difficult because humans can't touch the artifact, for some reason."
"Cultural differences," asked Kennedy. "You mean like the way they treat women?" She snorted. "Surely where're some Slayers over there that can help."
"There are no Slayers in Iran." Rowena's statement was flat and stilled everyone. "That is there are no active Slayers. The ones we found we had to smuggle out of Iran before they could be killed. There are others, but they prefer to remain unknown."
"But.."
"A bullet will kill a Slayer just as easily as it will kill anyone else human."
"You mean..."
Rowena sighed. "Mankind, and I use the term in its most generic way, has two means in which to deal with things they don't understand. They will worship it or they will fear and they will try to destroy the thing they fear. Even if it means losing their own lives in the process."
"But we thought when we released their power we made the world a better place.'
"You may have, but you can't expect the change to come over night."
"I thought this was the twenty first century," said an unnamed Slayer.
"Which means," Rowena asked, but never gave a chance for an answer. "The major difference between man today and man in caveman times, again I use the term in its generic sense, is that we got better toys. "
"Well if you hadn't suppressed the powers..."
"There would be no more Slayers," Rowena snapped back. "Do you think the opposition would not have actively killed every Slayer they could find, or every woman, family, they thought would produce a Slayer? Either that or the Slayers would have to band together and become humanities rulers, or as bad, in their own way, as the opposition in order to ensure their survival." Rowena glared around the table. "Perhaps the Council erred on the side of caution, keeping the line to one Slayer to a generation, keeping her isolated, secret. But the world survived more apocalypses than you have had a hand in stopping."
If Buffy hadn't activated the Slayer we wouldn't have survived."
"No one is arguing that," said Rowena calmly. "Right or wrong, that act does have consequences. Consequences such as this." Rowena took a newspaper out of her case and tossed it on the table. "The New York Times," she informed them. "The front page story is of a gang fight in Central park, actually more of a massacre. A surviving member of the losing gang told the police that it was three girls that did most of the damage"
"They could have been vampires," came a suggestion.
"We thought of that." Rowena admitted. "However the sun was not yet down when the fight occurred. No vampire could have been there."
"Demons," suggested Willow. "They don't have to be afraid of the sun."
"Perhaps. Which is why we want you to go to New York to investigate."
"Okay," Willow nodded. "I'll go cause we need to know. But what do we do if they turn out to be Slayers. But what do I do if they are? I mean jail held Faith, but she wanted to be there. I don't think jail's going to hold them if they don't."
"I don't know." Rowena sagged in her chair. "This isn't like anything we've ever had to face before."
"Okay, so Faith and I go to New York, look into this thing. What is the rest going to do?"
"Well I want to go to Eden," said Dawn.
"Dawn, you are not going," snapped Buffy. "So you can just forget about it."
"Why not? You heard her. That's talisman's gotta be carried by someone not human, and I'm not human. Well I'm human because the monks made me that way, but I'm not exactly human because I'm the key and..." Dawn trailed off and slumped down into her chair.
"Will the power of the Key negate the power of the artifact," mused Rowena, then shook herself out of it. It may come to that but there are other possibilities we should look into first before we do anything that might endanger your life. If there is no other option and if your sister agrees, then we'll see." Rowena leaned back in her chair.
"Now onto other business."
