ENTER THE STALKERS 3: RAINBOW SLAYER

The Merry Prankster

Chapter Five: Operation Arctic Flare

***

317 Bryant Terrace

Sunnydale, California

2100 hours

September 21, 2000

(The Wandererverse)

Saint's confidence vanished as he recognized the look in his former teacher's eyes. Boy, is she pissed. I had better do some fast talking or I might not live to see tomorrow.

Backing up quickly, the young man tried diffusing the immortal's anger. "But JD, I can explain..."

The immortal detective continued advancing until she was two inches from his face. Looking over to St. Wolf, she asked, "Do you mind if I borrow your training room for a few moments? There are a few things Steve and I wanted to discuss with my daughter and former student in private."

St. Wolf stared at the Jedi-in-training, gracing him with one of his famous grins, "Sure, go right ahead. Just don't spill too much blood. It's a pain to clean up."

JD Heart nodded and turned back to Saint and Katie. She pointed at the door and ordered, "You two in other room right NOW!"

Katie and Saint looked to one another and quickly followed her instructions.

+++

Xander Harris watched the door slammed shut and pursed his lips. After a moment he turned back the others and said, "Twenty bucks has Saint breaking first."

Obi Wan smiled and reached into his pocket, "I'll take that bet."

Qui shook his head in resignation at the ongoing spectacle. Catching the other Jedi's attention, he chided, "You shouldn't take advantage of Anthony's misfortune like that."

"He did take the first shot with that comment on my Force skills," responded Obi Wan.

Faith added, "Lighten up, it's just a harmless bet. I'm sure that Anthony and Katie will be okay once they explain what happened."

Shaw raised an eyebrow, "Do you really believe that?"

Faith snorted, "Naw, not a bit. I just wanted to be nice this one time."

"Yeah, right."

+++

JD Heart and Steve Sloan followed the two teenagers into the training room. The two LA detectives were not in a good mood. Steve quietly closed the door as JD pointed at a couple of chairs and ordered, "Sit!"

"But JD, I can explain. Really," pleaded Saint.

"You have ten seconds to get into those chairs before I show you how unhappy, I really am." growled the immortal detective.

Katie and Saint looked at each other and quickly sat down. JD slowly walked over to the two and began her 'speech'.

Pointing to her partner, JD started, "You know, we were having a good day today. All of our paperwork was finished early, there were no new cases coming through door. In fact, it looked like we would have been able to leave early and enjoy a nice dinner. Then, I had an interesting phone call from one Horace Gordon. He was not a happy person. Being the caring person that I am, I asked him what the matter was. Imagine my surprise when he told me to turn on the television. Imagine my surprise to see you two spreading mayhem and destruction on the nightly news."

Saint and Katie shrank back into their chairs as the detective continued her speech. Finally, Saint had his break as the detective took a break. "But, JD we had no choice in the matter."

"Oh really, now what could ever force you into turning a California freeway into your version of Mad Max.?"

Katie spoke up, "But Mom, we were attacked leaving the theater and managed to keep the fight in an area that was secluded from the general public."

"You did do that." conceded JD.

Saint picked up on his girlfriend's argument, "JD, we pursued the leader of our attackers with the intention of identifying them. We had no prior knowledge that he had reinforcements waiting on the highway."

Katie nodded, "Those people were immediate threat that needed to be taken care of."

"And we did take care of them. We were able to limit the damage to a section of highway that had few bystanders."

"Those are valid points," conceded Steve. "However, there is still the matter of the TV News helicopter recording the chase."

Saint shrugged, "We got lucky with General Gordon being able to convince everybody that the chase was an elaborate stunt for an upcoming movie."

"You are right. You two were incredibly lucky to have Bureau 13 clean up your mess for you this time. But what about next time? Hell, if one of my officers had done what you two did out on that highway, he would have been placed on administrative leave. In extreme cases, the officer would have been kicked off the force. No, you two are not getting out of this. Not by a long shot."

Steve Sloan had been listening to one of JD's calmer talks and decided to add his two cents, "Honey, I think they are telling the truth about trying to limit the destruction. However, they do deserve to be disciplined. So, I was thinking about starting with taking their car and motorcycle keys for a couple of weeks."

JD nodded, "As of right now, you two are grounded. Steve and I will have a talk with Qui Gon to decide how long your punishment will last. So, until I say otherwise, your access to your vehicles will be limited to going to class or work. If I learn you have taken any side trips or unexpected errands. You will not be happy campers. Got it?"

Saint and Katie nodded and answered, "Yes maam."

"If you think that is all, you two are mistaken," warned the blond detective. "Because, I will be giving you two some increased instruction in hand-to-hand combat." Saint shivered as JD stared at him, "If you think I was a harsh teacher before, wait until we get back."

"Yes ma'am," responded Saint.

The Jedi-in-training was beginning to let out a sigh of relief at being able to limit the degree of punishment inflicted by his teacher when he noticed the gleam in her eye, Uh oh, I do not like that look on her face.

"In addition to the punishment I just handed out, you two are also going to be cleaning the house" ordered JD.

Katie looked at her mother and commented, "That doesn't seem too bad."

"That includes the spirit pens and don't think about calling a maid service," added the blonde detective.

Steve Sloan looked at JD and asked, "Honey, Are you sure that your not part psychic? "

JD gave her former student an evil grin before responding, "I just know his twisted mind. Because that is exactly what I'd do."

Steve smiled, "Like teacher, like student."

"Pretty much," allowed his partner.

Katie slapped her forehead, "That reminds me. I've got that guys license plate."

"We had better get Willow on it. Although, it's likely that the guy registered under an assumed name, it's worth a shot," conceded Saint.

JD nodded in agreement, "I wouldn't mind finding out who would have the nerve to attempt to kill my daughter."

"I assume you have something special planned for that person or persons," offered Steve.

JD gave an evil grin, "Let's just say I will be putting all of my 15,000 years experience into it."

Saint leaned over to Katie and whispered, "Remind me to never get you mom really angry."

"Don't forget Arty and friends," responded Katie

+++

Xander looked at the opening door and alerted the others, "They're coming out!"

Shaw looked over the two teenagers and observed, "They appear to be in one piece."

Faith could not let the opportunity slip by so she cracked, "Hey Saint, how did it go? Can we expect you to be standing around for your butt to grow back?"

Saint sighed, "Actually, JD was in one of her better moods. She only chewed part of our rears."

Katie simply shook her head and walked over to Willow. "Hey Willow, think you can track down who was driving the car we were chasing?"

The Wiccan took the slip of paper from her, "I can search the Department of Motor Vehicles and see who owns the car. As far as anything else, we'll just have to take it from there."

***

MV Petromech Chesapeake

Tokyo Harbor, Japan

0200 hours

September 22, 2000

(The Wanderverse)

The terrorists had barricaded themselves within the superstructure and threatened to kill all hostages and blow up the ship if the authorities did not meet their demands. In desperation the Japanese government had turned to Rainbow to end the crisis. Now, two teams of Rainbow operatives crept from their starting positions at the bow of the ship.

Santiago Arnavesca, leader of Blue team quickly eliminated the terrorist moving along the port side gangway. Reaching the portside hatchway, he crouched down and made sure that the rest of his people were in position.

We have only a couple of minutes to take down the terrorists once I give the 'Go Code' thought the Spanish team leader.

Meanwhile Red Team had also reached their position and waited patiently outside the starboard hatchway. Upon reaching the position, Red Leader radioed Santiago and let him know that they were ready to go.

The Spanish operative was reaching for the hatch as he transmitted, "Alpha GO!"

+++

While the other operatives crept into position, Yellow Team took up position on top of a nearby container. Karl Haider and Einar Peterson were the sniper backup for the mission and were assigned to take out anybody on the bridge once the assault went down.

Karl crept to his assigned position and rested his PSG-1 sniper rifle on the raised lip. Within seconds, the Austrian Rainbow Operative was pointing the rifle at the ship's superstructure. Peering into the scope, Karl moved the crosshairs between each of the three terrorists occupying the bridge. A sweep of the bridge revealed that there was something recently added to the ships controls. There, on the bridge, was a menacing box. In the center of the box was a red button. Karl did a quick mental evaluation, Okay, we have three Tangos on the bridge. Primary target is the guy manning the ships controls. Secondary target is the man next to the doorway followed by the remaining Tango.

Deciding where to place his first shot, Karl reached up and keyed his mike, "Sights are hot."

+++

Kazimiera Rakuzanka, Red Team's Polish operative, crouched next to the starboard hatchway opposite Blue Team. This being her first command during an operation, she was understandably nervous about how she would perform. She quickly shook off any misgivings and waited for the 'Go Code'.

Red Team was through the hatchway and on to their objective two seconds after Santiago gave the go code. Well here goes nothing thought the Polish operative as she ducked through the open hatchway.

+++

His crosshairs settled on his primary target, Karl waited patiently for the command to kick off the operation. A moment after getting the go code, the Austrian squeezed the trigger. The 7.62mm round punched through the glass and slammed into the terrorist's chest.

"Tango Down."

+++

Santiago rushed into the corridor, his MP-5 submachine gun at the ready. The first terrorist was bringing up his Kalashnikov to his shoulder when Blue Team turned the corner. Louis Loiselle, following right behind Santiago, quickly pumped three 9mm rounds into the terrorist, throwing him across the corridor.

"Tango Down"

+++

Kazimiera blinked as she watched the first terrorist go down. Taking off down the corridor, she turned a corner and was at the door leading to the stern. She held up one hand, motioning for the team to halt. The door was cracked and she took a quick glance towards the stern.

A terrorist had been posted near an outside ladder, smoking a cigarette. He was looking out over the stern and hadn't noticed the operative peeking around the door. He quickly paid for his inattention with his life.

+++

Less than three minutes had passed since Santiago gave the go code and Blue Team was waiting outside the bridge. Red Team was on the outside catwalk near the compartment where the hostages were being held. The terrorists had not been expecting the quick assault and the ones guarding the hostages still had no idea that they were under attack.

Kazimiera crouched near the hatch and softly spoke into her microphone, "Red Team in position."

+++

The third terrorist dove behind the control consol as soon as the second terrorist dropped to the floor dead. Karl swung his rifle after the remaining terrorist. Not getting a clear shot, he transmitted, "Blue Leader, Third Tango hiding behind the control consol. Sights are cold."

Santiago clicked his mike, "Roger, message received. All teams stand by."

+++

Karl sighted on the control consol, seeking the remaining terrorist. Okay buddy, what's on your mind?

Takeda Sengoku was not having a good time. Within the space of thirty seconds both of his friends had been killed by an unknown shooter. He looked up to the control box and realized what he needed to do. Now is the time to end the contest. I may die, but at least I can send one last message to the world.

Taking a deep breath he jumped up and reached for the red button.

+++

Karl spotted some movement from the consol and got ready, "Sights are hot. I'm taking the shot."

+++

Takeda heard a loud crack and paused for a second. That pause was just enough time to allow the bullet to reach him before his hand reached the detonator.

Karl watched as a puff of red vapor erupted from the Japanese terrorist. As the final terrorist slid towards the deck, he transmitted, "Tango down. Bridge is clear. I say again, bridge is clear."

+++

Santiago reached for his mike, "Message confirmed. All units Go!"

The two Rainbow teams leaped into action. Blue team raced across the bridge. Louis Loiselle, one of Rainbow's French team members, veered towards the control consol and kicked Takeda's body away from the box.

Kazimiera dove into the radio room as soon as she heard Santiago's message. There were two terrorists guarding the hostages. One of them was bringing his weapon up to kill the hostages when the Polish operative fired a short burst, hitting him with two hollow points. The second terrorist was quickly dispatched by Renee Raymond, who had followed Kazimiera into the room.

Santiago got into the radio room just in time to see the final terrorist go down. Deciding that everything was under control, the Spanish operative opened a channel to the command post, reporting "Blue leader to CP. Hostages and boat have been secured. All Tangos have been accounted for and taken care of. Blue Leader out."

The Spanish operative looked over to Kazimiera, ordering "Escort the hostages to the extraction point. We'll stay here until EOD arrives to defuse the devices."

The Polish operative nodded, "Roger". Looking over to her people she relayed, "All right you heard the man. Let's get these people out of here."

+++

Heart Residence

Los Angeles, California

September 22, 2000

0900 hours

(The Wandererverse)

Saint stumbled into the kitchen. Through half opened eyes, he noticed everybody else had beaten him to the breakfast table. At least they left me a seat

"Well look who's decided to rejoin the living," quipped Katie.

"They should outlaw mornings," moaned Saint.

Jessica handed Saint a cup of coffee which was gratefully accepted. Savoring the flavor, the young man sat with eyes closed for a moment. Qui Gon was pointing out something in the paper and Saint asked, "What are you looking at."

"It would appear that another terrorist attack has been thwarted," responded the Master Jedi. He handed the paper to his apprentice, "Take a look."

Saint accepted the paper and began reading the main story.

OFF TOKYO COAST, JAPAN (United News International) - Members of the Japanese Defense Force engaged in a battle with terrorists aboard an oil tanker off the Tokyo Coast. While reports are still sketchy, the military forces were able to recapture the ship and eliminate the threat. The terrorists claimed to be dedicated environmentalists, and threatened to detonate the oil-filled ship unless their demands were met. Japanese officials confirm that the threat is ended, but will not comment on the forces used in the assault.

Japanese officials refused to speculate on what might have been had the terrorists succeeded in their goal of destroying the oil-laden tanker. Unofficial sources pinpoint not only massive damage to marine life, but severe damage to Tokyo coastal institutions, including several sea-cooled nuclear reactors in the area.



Finally, he looked up and intoned, "I may be stealing Obi Wan's favorite line but I have a bad feeling about this."

"That is exactly what Qui Gon said when I showed it to him," answered JD Heart.

Steve Sloan finished refilling his coffee and commented, "Based on what has happened over the last few weeks, I would recommend that we keep an eye out for anything else that may be unusual."

"I agree. I will also give St Wolf a call," added Qui Gon. "I have a feeling that if he doesn't already know about it, he would like to be informed."

+++

Abandoned Missile Base

Somewhere in Uzbekistan

1500 hrs

September 22, 2000

(Wandererverse)

Omar Hussein reached over and turned off the television. Returning to his seat, he sat back and pondered the news reports. That didn't take long, No, not at all. Oh well, I never expected that group of amateurs to last long against the commandos. All I needed was to time how long it took for the counter-terrorism group to save the day from the initial incident. He spent a couple of minutes going over some paperwork when someone knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Omar's aid, Ivana Onatopp, walked over to her boss and said, "Sir, we just got word from our agent. He said to tell you that everything is going according to plan."

Omar nodded, "That is very good. Tell Mr. Morden that he has my approval to advance to the next stage of our plans."

"Yes sir, I'll get right on it. Was there anything else?"

Omar waved her out of the room, "No, that will be enough."

The leader of Department Satan waited for his secretary to close the door before turning to his next problem. That was easy. Now, all I have to do is tell my mysterious benefactor that I managed to get all of his contributions destroyed within a couple of days and need a new batch. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a electronic device that vaguely resembled a gameboy and pressed a button. This communication device that lady gave me had better work. There's something I just don't trust about that female.

Seconds later, Discord appeared in front of his desk. With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "You needed to talk to me?"

With a forced politeness, Omar replied, "Yes, I need to contact our friend in the other universe."

Discord had been observing the assaults on the Section Seven operatives and knew exactly why he wanted the connection. "Let me guess. You broke your presents and need some new toys to play with."

"Not in those exact words. But yes, I need a new batch to replace my losses. Can you put me in contact with him?"

"Very well, but I am not an operator. You cannot use me every time you feel the urge to place a call. However I will put you two in contact," rebuked the minor goddess. She waved her hand and another communication device appeared on the desk. "Just press the button and you will be talking to our other friend. And on that note, I will be leaving."

Without any fanfare, Discord vanished from the room.

The button gave off a soft red light as he pressed it. Seconds later a blue three-dimension image of a hooded old man appeared right above the device. The old man appeared to turn around and look Omar in the eye.

"What have you to report," commanded Palpatine.

The Department Satan leader snarled, "What do you mean by that? I am not some lacky you can order around at will. You have no authority on this world. In fact, if it wasn't for our mutual friend YOU would have never discovered this Christopher's location much less be able to contact allies on this world."

The Dark Lord, sported an evil grin as he responded in a gravelly voice, "Very well, Master Omar. What did you want to talk to me about."

In a subdued voice, Omar admitted, "Well, there was something about those battle robots you had sent over here."

"Yes"

"We used them in a recent operation designed to weaken the power of the 'Wanderer' by eliminating some of his allies while they were split up."

"So, what was the problem?"

"It turned out that these allies were more powerful than previously thought. In fact we later learned that each of the three groups had at least one Jedi knight, or someone with a laser sword. To make a long story short, Every battledroid was lost in the operation."

A look of sheer rage filled Palpatine's features that caused Omar to become frightened even with the distance between them. With a snarl, he accused the Department Satan leader, "You managed to get every single battledroid I sent you destroyed in a couple of days?" At the other man's answering nod, he continued, "Let me guess. You want more battledroids to replace your losses, don't you?"

"Yes, that is correct. With a greater number I'm sure victory can be achieved over our enemies."

"You assume too much. I am not some charity where you can get the items you requested for free. No, there is a price to my aid. You can consider it insurance on my part to ensure that my investment pays off."

Omar didn't want to ask, but he did. "What is this insurance policy you want me to take out?"

Palpatine's image appeared to shift over to make room for a second figure to emerge. "This is my apprentice 'Darth Agonius'. He will accompany my next shipment of droids and be my representative on this Earth."

"Wait a minute, we didn't agree on having any apprentice coming over here when we set up our partnership," argued Omar.

"True, but we also didn't agree to having you throw away my assets on ill planned schemes with days of receiving them. No, if you want my aid, then you will have my representative as part of that aid. Besides, you could say I'm sending even more capable units with him."

"What are these more capable units you are referring to?" asked Omar.

"Very simply, battle droids that are faster, triple the firepower of the earlier units, and each has it's very own energy shields. Thus your enemies will have a difficult time dealing with this threat."

Omar slumped back into his chair in defeat, "All right, send this Agonius fellow with your shipment. I look forward working with him."

"I'm sure you will, I'm sure you will," sneered the Sith Lord as he cut off the connection.

Omar stared at the communication device for a few seconds, "I'm beginning to regret ever agreeing to work with that man."

+++

Discord appeared in what resembled a Classical Greek temple. She quickly walked over to a pool of water and stood beside Strife.

"Well, how did it go?" asked Strife.

Discord grinned, "Exactly to our plans. That fool doesn't realize that his days in control of this Department Satan are numbered. It won't be long before Darth Agonius is in control and turning that pathetic group of inbreds into something more threatening to 'The Wanderer'.

"But aren't you afraid of Ares finding out about this? I mean the other groups are sure to notice the presence of the battle droids and this Sith. St. Wolf has several Amazons working with him. Hell, this Christopher fellow is dating one of the Amazons. What the Amazons know, Artemis knows. In case you haven't noticed, Ares has started making peace with his sister. Don't you think, she will tell him about this? Not to mention the fact that Horace Gordon and Merlin will also find out also. That is, if they haven't already. I tell you sis, you had better be very careful on this one," warned Strife.

The goddess brushed him off with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry; I've covered my tracks very thoroughly on this one. Ares will not find out that we are behind this."

"What's this 'We' paleface? Either way I'm out of here. I don't want to be around when Ares finds out," responded Strife as he vanished.

Discord looked at the recently vacated spot for several moments before turning back around, muttering, "Coward".



***

Heart Residence

Los Angeles, California

1515 hrs

September 22, 2000

(Wandererverse)

Jessica Jade walked over to the phone, yelling "I GOT IT!"

The teenager picked up the phone, listened for a few moments before telling the other person to hold on a minute. Resting the phone on a nearby kitchen counter, she walked over to the stairs and yelled out, "Anthony, Phone!"

A voice wafted from the upstairs, asking "Who is it?"

"It's Willow and she's saying something about having the information you wanted."

"Thanks I'll take it in my room," responded Saint.

With that Jessica returned to the kitchen, picked up the phone and waited for Saint to pick up. Once he was on the line, she hung up and went back to studying for her test in trig.

+++

Saint motioned for Katie and Obi Wan to have a seat while he answered the phone.

"Saint here, what did you dig up?"

"It took some time and effort but I was able to track down your escaping villain. Turns out that the car was a rental registered to an Amanda Huggenkiss."

"Let me guess, that was only a cover name. Cause I know that was no woman we were chasing after."

"True, it was a false name and it turned out that the company name your person provided on the rental agreement was a Cheatham Imports. Going through various sources, I learned that the company is in fact a front for The Marsh Refining Company."

Saint started rubbing his chin in thought, "Marsh, Marsh. Wait a minute, I've heard that name before. Now where was it." He turned back to Obi Wan, "Hey Obe, does the name Marsh ring a bell?"

The Jedi thought for a moment, "I seem to recall, that name mentioned when Willow filled us in on the Deep Ones."

Willow had been listening and confirmed the Jedi's observation, "Obi Wan is correct, The Marsh family was one of the main targets for that raid on Innsmouth back in 1928. It appears that the descendents began moving back home and reopened the Refining Company back in the sixties. But that's not the really good part."

"Go on," pressed Saint.

"Prior to the government raid back in 1928, Innsmouth had already begun to decline. Prior to the middle eighteen hundreds, Innsmouth was your normal mid-sized New England sea port. There were a decent number of factories during the industrial revolution and the town had a large fishing fleet. All that changed when a Captain Obid Marsh returned from the South Pacific. The factories began closing and leaving town. The number of ships entering the harbor decreased to the point that the town lost it's Port-of-Entry status around 1880. In fact, the only business that was making any profit was the Marsh Refinery. During this same period, the people in the surrounding towns began reporting strange occurrences, people disappearing. There were even sightings of several unnamed monsters. The residents of the town began taking on what became known as the Innsmouth look. Eventually, The Feds launched that raid which uncovered evidence of human sacrifices, worship of dark deities, and things they refused to identify."

"Thanks for the history lesson, Will. But do you have anything more recent?" asked Saint.

"Oh yeah, since the Marsh's reopened the refinery, there have been an increased number of missing person reports to surrounding police departments. Fishermen from nearby Kingsport have reported seeing strange creatures."

"Thanks Will, you've been a great help. I owe you one." Replied Saint as he hung up.

Obi Wan and Katie exchanged worried looks. With a resigned sight, the Jedi asked, "Anthony what are you up to?"

Saint walked over to window for a moment before responding, "How do you feel about a quiet New England vacation?"

+++



VC-20B

200 miles East of Hawaii

1600 hours

September 22, 2000

(The Wandererverse)

Rainbow Six should have been a happy man. His team had just successfully defeated yet another terrorist attack with no friendly casualties but something just wasn't right. The two latest terrorist attacks should never have happened in the first place. Both groups involved in Los Angeles and Tokyo were small time with little experience. There is no way they could have pulled off those operations without some serious help.

He sat down in his seat and opened his briefcase and began looking over the latest intelligence from various free world agencies. The attacks are taking place too close to one another to chalk up as coincidences. If this keeps up I will have no choice but to ask for help. John took a sip of coffee before settling on his course of action, Well, The operation is over, I'll be in the area, and Cherokee did invite me over to his place. Now is as good a time as any.

+++

317 Bryant Terrace

Sunnydale, California

1610 hours

September 22, 2000

(The Wandererverse)

Steve St. Wolf pulled out some invoices, he had brought back from the antique shop and began looking them over. He had just gotten to some 17th Century French silverware when the phone rang.

"Hello, St Wolfe residence."

"Cherokee, it's Clark. I thought I'd take you up on your offer."

"I take it that your little problem in the Far East has been taken care of?"

"You could say that. In fact, I could use your input on some things I have been going over. There's something strange about all that's been happening lately."

"I'll be glad to help you anyway I can. Where are you exactly?"

"Oh, just about 15,000 feet above Hawaii in an Air Force VC-20. I should reach the 'Left Coast' sometime tomorrow afternoon."

Steve, thought back to the capacity of Sunnydale's airport, "Don't bother going through LA. Just land at Sunnydale Airport. You can park your bird at Iverson Air. Before you ask, all I'm going to say is that he's been a very good friend."

"I'll tell my pilot to do just that. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Before you go, just give me call when you land. I should have somebody waiting to drive you over here. In any case just drop a line."

"Thanks, bye."

+++

Buffy Summers walked into the office and pointed towards the phone, "Who was on the phone?"

"John Clark. He's going to be dropping by tomorrow to go over current events and get the low down on our local Jedi Knights."

"You want me to have Saint and Obi Wan here, so you can introduce him to your 'little brother?"

"Oh yes," grinned the Wanderer.

The slayer leaned over her boyfriend and commented, "You do remember that JD grounded Katie and Saint for the foreseeable future?"

"In that case I'll call JD first and talk her into pausing their punishment until after the meeting with Clark. Since this is official business, she shouldn't have any problems with it. Besides, knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't drop by herself so she can see her old friend being set up."

Buffy thought about that last point for a moment and commented, "Taking the punishment she handed out into consideration, it's likely she'll drive them herself. I'll be there also. After all as your second in command, I should be present at such meetings. Besides I want to see the look on his face when you identify Saint as your little brother."

"It will be something."

****



Novotel Ruwl

Muscat, Oman

1000 hrs

September 23, 2000

(Wandererverse)



The young man walked into the dining area and scanned the area. One of the first things that grabbed his attention was the lack of guests. Apparently, a lot of people have decided to stay home during the latest round of terrorist operations thought the tall, unassuming gentleman. He quickly spotted the object of his search sitting near the back of the room.

There Arab, sitting at the table, was reading the newspaper while waiting for his contact. A shadow fell across the paper, causing the Arab to look up. The unassuming gentleman greeted the other with a warm smile and asked, "Mr. Bakr?"

Khaleem Abu Bakr, nodded in confirmation and replied, "Mr. Morden, why don't you sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

Morden sat down and held up his hand, "No thank you. I have already taken care of my thirst before coming here."

Khaleem nodded, "Very well, I was intrigued with your phone call last week. Of course I checked out your story with my other contacts. They had some very interesting things to say about you."

"Not bad, I hope."

"No, they were excellent references. In fact, they said that you had this amazing ability to get what was needed to where it was needed. That said, why did you want to meet with me?"

Morden rested his head in his hands, "I discovered through our mutual friends that you had started a civic group dedicated to cleansing your country of Western, particularly American influence."

The Arab's eye narrowed in suspicion, "Even if that was true. I fail to see why that is of your concern."

"Well, lets just say my associates have dedicated to helping people like you when they are just starting up. In fact, they have directed me to ask you, what do you want?"

Surprise covered the Arab's face, "What do I want? What kind of question is that? What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I assure you I am legitimate. As far as what kind of person I think you are. I see a person who is going places and when he gets there my associates want to be on your good side. Now back to my original question. What. Do. You. Want?"

"What I want is to run the foreign devils out of the entire Middle East. I want to restore this country and the region to Allah and the true faith. But first, I want to do something that will get my group recognized as a serious force by the countries of the world."

"That is exactly what my associates are prepared to help you with. Now I ask you to narrow down your answer to what you truly want."

"I want enough chemical or biological samples to contaminate the water supply of the country. Oman is small but will make a valuable lesson to the Western puppets ruling the countries over here. I will show them to be the spineless cowards they are or destroy the country they rule."

"I understand. I will relay your request to my friends and you will get your supplies." Morden began to get up and paused as if he forgot something. "There was one thing that I forgot to mention. There was one small thing my people want in return for their aid."

Suspecting blackmail, Khaleem asked, "And what is that?"

Morden smiled, "Just your good will and friendship. After all, one can never have enough friends."

***

317 Bryant Terrace

Sunnydale, California

1300 hours

September 23, 2000

(The Wandererverse)

JD took a quick look into the rearview mirror as she pulled into the driveway. The two teenagers in the back seat were not happy. Katie leaned over to Saint and stated in a quiet voice, "This is all your fault. If you weren't driving like 'Mad Max', we wouldn't be in this embarrassing position. Do you realize how much grief we are going to be handed when the gang sees JD driving us to Wanderer's place?"

Saint looked over to Obi Wan who only shrugged to his unspoken question. Finally, he warned, "Just let it go. At least, we are able to drive to work and school without having to be chauffeured by your mom."

Katie turned away from her boyfriend, ending the conversation with, "I'm not talking to you!"

The Jedi -in-training shook his head and muttered, "Women".

+++

Saint took one last look at the front door and slowly got out of the car. With a resigned sigh, he followed the others into the house.

"Hey Katie, I see you now have 'mommy' driving you places," commented a smirking Xander.

Katie's face turned a deep red and was about to give the Scooby a piece of her mind when she heard her mother call out. "Katie, get over here, Wanderer has something to share with you and your boyfriend."

Katie turned to follow her mother when she paused and told Xander, "You got lucky this time, Zeppo. Next time, I'll be talking to Cordy about getting even."

Xander smiled, "Gee, what do you think you can do?"

Katie matched the grin, "You know my mother. You know who my godfather is. Lets just say, the apple does not fall far from the tree and leave it at that. Bye."

Xander took one last look at the retreating Amazon, "Gulp".

+++

"Okay Wanderer what was so important that you had to have me use one my day off to chauffeur the children up here?"

Steve St. Wolf looked over to his partner and grinned, "Lets just say an old friend is dropping by later today and I wanted to offer him a proper welcome."

"Who is this friend?"

"Does the name John Clark ring a bell?" asked Buffy.

JD turned back to her former student and gave him one of her best, "When we get home, you're dead", stares. Turning back to the Wanderer, she asked, "Does this happen to have anything to do with that little altercation back at the museum?"

Steve nodded, "You got it. It seems that our mutual friend wanted to come by and talk about why I have a Jedi Knight on the payroll."

"Let me guess, you are setting him up?"

"Hit it right on the nose. So, I thought I'd have Anthony, Obi Wan, and Qui Gon waiting nearby when I tell Rainbow Six about 'my little brother'. It should be a sight."

"I'm in. You want the kids to wait in the computer room until called?"

Steve nodded, "That's the plan. Qui Gon will be by later. He had a couple of errands to run with Anakin and Brian."

The blonde detective smiled, "Let the games begin."

+++

"I'll get it!" yelled Buffy as she got up to answer the front door. Standing on the porch was a short older gentlemen who appeared to be in his fifties. "Hello, I'm looking for Steve St. Wolf. Is he in?"

The Slayer waved him in, "We've been expecting you. Steve is in the study. I'll take you to him. Oh, by the way, my name is Buffy Summers."

Rainbow Six, took her hand and responded, "Nice to meet you. I'm John Clark."

Buffy led Clark to the study and let him in. Steve St. Wolf and JD Heart were looking over some papers when Rainbow Six walked in. Wearing a big smile, Steve walked over to his guest and shook his hand"It's good to see you again. How long has it been?"

"At least a few years, I thought you had been killed and was surprised to learn that you were in charge of your own little play group. There's just one thing I wanted to know?"

"Yeah what is it?"

"Who in their right mind would let you have your own private army?"

Steve gave his old friend an evil grin, "I think you already know that answer."

Clark laughed and turned to JD and stopped, "My God, you haven't changed a bit. It's been almost twenty years and you still don't appear to older than twenty. My wife would do anything to find out how you managed to accomplish that."

JD smiled and gave her old friend a brief hug, "The women in my family have always aged well. How is your wife doing? I haven't seen her since just after your marriage?"

"She's doing great and my daughter has gotten married to my second in command."

"John, why don't you and JD take a seat?" Steve recognized the look on his friend's face and told him, "Don't worry about JD. She's part of my organization and is cleared to handle the information you are bout to hear." Steve then turned to Buffy and asked, "Honey why don't you get a couple cups of coffee for our guests."

Clark waited until the Slayer left before asking, "What are you doing playing house with a teenager? My God, she doesn't look older than sixteen."

Steve held up his hands, "Hold on there partner. Buffy is older than she looks. She is a college student as well as my second in command. Trust me, everything is on the up and up."

Clark looked back at JD, "I guess she's like JD and is another woman who ages well."

Buffy had walked in just in time to hear Clark's last remark. Handing him his coffee, she commented, "You don't know how right you are. Besides my mom is cool with this so don't worry about it."

Clark nodded and waited until the door was closed. Turning towards the Wanderer, he asked, "How did you managed to get hold of a reject from Star Wars?"

JD grinned as she waited for the fireworks to begin. This should be good for a laugh.

Steve was waiting for his friend to take a drink before innocently asking, "Now what has my little brother done this time?"

JD and Buffy began laughing their heads off when Clark spewed the coffee.

A stunned Rainbow Six sputtered, "Your. Little. Brother? You mean there's a younger version of you running around?" He looked over at the laughing women then back to the Wanderer, who nodded. Clark slumped into his chair and moaned, "And I thought one Wanderer was bad enough. Now, there's two of them."

Steve let his buddy stew for a while before letting him off the hook. "Actually, he's not my sibling by birth. I just sorta adapted him unofficially since he is acting like me."

"I'll accept that. Now that you had your laugh, are you going to tell me how you managed to get a Jedi knight on your team?"

"I'll do better than that," responded Steve. Turning towards the hidden camera, he yelled out, "You can come in now."

"You have some kind of intercom built in here?" asked Rainbow Six. He was starting to ask another question when the door opened and in walked Saint, Katie, and Obi Wan. His face got pale as he recognized the other Jedi Knight, "Oh Shit."

+++

Steve introduced the newcomers to his guest, "John, I'd like to introduce, Anthony 'Saint' Christopher, my unofficial little brother. The young lady in the middle is Katie Heart, the daughter of your old friend sitting over there. Last, but not least, is Obi Wan Kenobi. Yes, he's the same Obi Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars movies."

Clark began shaking his head in disbelief, "Okay, how did you get your hands on a character from the movies?"

Saint held up his hand, "Actually, Steve had nothing to do with it for once mind you. I'm the reason behind my friend coming to Earth and that's not all."

Clark closed his eyes for a second, "That's not all? What else are you going to hit me with?"

Saint felt a presence in the Force, Qui Gon and the kids arrived right on time. The Jedi-in-training waited as the front door opened and Buffy yelled out, "We're in the study! Come on in."

Clark's mouth hit the floor as he recognized the older gentlemen joining them, No. It can't be…

Saint shared an evil grin with Steve as he watched the color drain from Rainbow Six's face. "I'd like to introduce my teacher and mentor, Master Qui Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker. Did I mention that Qui Gon is training me on how to use the Force and become a Jedi Knight in my own right?"

Clark responded in a quiet voice, "No, I think you skipped that part." Regaining his composure, he directed, "If we are through with the shocks, can someone explain WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Saint looked over to the others. Finally, he took a deep breath, "It all started with a rescue mission gone wrong……."

+++

"So let me get this straight. You were shot down, got sucked into an alternate universe where Star Wars is real, began training as a Jedi Knight, came back to Earth with some of the residents of that universe, and joined up with 'The Wanderer'."

Saint nodded, "That pretty much sums it up."

A weary Clark looked over to St Wolf, "Well, that answers the question about how one of your people was able to do a 'Luke Skywalker' back at the museum."

"The kid's been getting better since Shaw has started helping with the hand-to-hand training," commented Steve.

"Stephen is correct on that point. In fact, it will not be long before Anthony is ready to construct his own light saber," added Qui Gon.

"By the look on your face, I would say there was something else you wanted to talk about."

Rainbow Six paused before answering "Yes, there is. I take it that you have been paying attention to the recent outbreak of terrorist incidents lately."

Steve nodded, "My group has been monitoring those reports. There do seem to be an increase in attacks."

"At first, we weren't sure about any connection between the attacks. None of the groups pulling off the attacks have had any contact with each other and are in different parts of the world."

Qui Gon sat back and pondered the point for a moment, "Yet, those groups very inexperience appears to be a coincidence."

"You got it. Each of the more recent attacks have been carried out by groups that should not be able to pull off such operations. They are often small time local operations with very little experience."

"Yet, somehow they are able to get access to the resources to pull them off," concluded Obi Wan.

"That is what our intelligence guys have been able to ascertain. To top it off, we have begun noticing that the attacks are occurring more frequently in recent months. I have a feeling it won't be long before we start having multiple attacks in various parts of the world going off at the same time."

Katie thought about that point and asked, "But won't that leave you stretched out?"

"It would. Rainbow can only handle so many incidents at the same time before we are overwhelmed by the numbers involved," admitted Clark.

"So you wanted to see if Section Seven could help you out if that happens?" asked Steve.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm asking. If the bad guys do start the mass attacks, I'm going to need some help."

"You have my number. Just give me a call when you need my people and we'll be there" offered Steve.

"Thanks and if I know you will be happy to return the favor by grabbing my people to help with one of your 'Good Deeds'" quipped Clark.

Steve grinned, "You can count on it."

Saint was listening in when he remembered the information the Willow pulled up about their attackers. "Uh Steve, that reminds me. Willow was able to track down the bad guy that got away to a town called Innsmouth, Massachusetts."

Steve looked back to the teenager, "Let me guess, you want to take a trip over there and see what you can dig up on your own."

Saint nodded, "That is if JD would be willing to put off her punishment for a little while."

JD considered her former student's request, "Okay kid, you can go but when you get back, the punishment goes back into effect."

Katie moved over to her boyfriend and asked, "Okay, so when do we go?"

"You are not going young lady. You still have classes to attend and that's that" declared JD.

"What?"

Saint looked over to the Amazon, "Katie, you mother's right. You and Jessica still have your classes that you can't afford to miss. Besides, those fish creatures are involved in attacks that targeted all of us. They will become very suspicious if we all disappear from California and reappear in New England."

"So what's your plan?" asked Buffy.

"Simple, Obi Wan and I hop a ride to Massachusetts and do some low key investigating. If we find something, we pull back and call in reinforcements to deal with the threat."

Qui Gon smiled, "You know, I think that is the first plan I have seen you create that does not involve some reckless attack. I am pleased to see that you are overcoming your recklessness."

"Thank you Master Jinn."

"So when do plan on leaving?" asked JD.

"I've managed to get hold of a helicopter for next week. We'll fly out Monday. Counting refueling stops, I figure we'll reach New England sometime Tuesday. I can't get away any earlier since I have drill. They have me assigned to the pistol range to get requalified on the Baretta."

"I know I'm going to hate myself for doing this," muttered Clark. Handing the teenager a slip of paper, Rainbow Six continued "Some of my people will be nearby training with the local authorities. You already know Arkadi Novikov so if anything goes down, give him a call. I'll tell him to have his team ready, just in case."

"Thanks Mr. Clark. I hope I don't have to use this."

"So do I. But if you really are 'The Wanderer's little brother' as he claims, You will be calling."

Saint laughed, "You are more likely to be right about that."

TBC

Author's Notes: This month, a writer who provided a great deal of inspiration for my writing passed away at a far too early age. Tim Knight was the creator of the Shaw Hunter character and many of his suggestions were incorporated into "Enter the Stalkers 2:Scout's Honor" and "Rainbow Slayer". It was on his suggestion that I made Shaw Hunter one of Saint's newer teachers and like the character in my stories, I too learned a lot from Tim. I am going to miss his input and unique view on life. So, During the upcoming weeks, say a prayer for his family.

Chapter 6: The Shadow Over the Hellmouth will see the various evil doers becoming more organized in their assault against the forces of good. Expect to see the Sith take over Department Satan's leadership to the effect that the organization becomes a truly deadly opponent for Section 7 and Rainbow. Throw in raising an elder god and impeding apocalypse and times will be interesting indeed.

There was one question, I wanted to put before the readers. I was considering bringing in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to help avert the apocalypse. Do you think this to be a good or bad idea? As before all input and suggestions from readers are appreciated and help steer where this story is going.

The Merry Prankster