Author: Bobby Cox smeghead_76@dodo.com.au
Disclaimer: Some of the characters are mine. Some aren't. The 'verse in which this is set, however, belongs to Peter F. Hamilton (the 'Night's Dawn' trilogy 'verse). There may or may not be characters and situations belonging to ME productions and the team that writes Buffy. I'm just covering my arse there. No money will be made from this, but if someone *thinks* it's good enough to make money, I'd be flattered :)
Summary: This is a parallel story to 'In Their Shadow' by rei_ite (and later on, myself), and provides back-story for Xander's activities on Earth. Basically, vampires and the Light Bringer sect - a Satanic cult (no, really!) - are starting to bump heads with each other in the Downtown section of the Los Angeles arcology. Normally, the authorities wouldn't pay too much attention to something like this.
However, when the fighting spills over to the Uptown sections...
AN: The follwing text formats will be used for datavises and affinity:
Affinity will be represented as such: AffinityDatavises will be represented as such:{Datavise}
'It is the finding of this Tribunal that Field Watcher Rupert Giles has fragrantly disregarded the laws and traditions of our Council, by involving outsiders in the fight against darkness. Previously, this had been tolerated because he kept the numbers of outsiders involved to a minimum. But when he and Slayer Summers recruited and trained the graduating class of 1999 at Sunnydale High School, he abused our tolerance for the last time.
'Accordingly, Rupert Giles and the so-called "Slayerettes" are declared excommunicatus perpetuia [trans: "forever banished"]. Rupert Giles is to be stripped all of ranks, titles and positions within the Council. He is to be barred from access to our libraries and sources of supply.
'We acknowledge the views of those among us who favour a more permanent solution, but Slayer Summers' track record in averting the End of Days has so far been beyond any other Slayer in history. She will return to us in time.
'This finding will take effect as of today, the second day of October, in the year nineteen-ninety-nine.
'[Personal note: I would have preferred that bitch Summers killed, but this is almost as good. Either she gets killed by a vampire or demon, or she comes crawling back to us, in which case I will enjoy making her suffer. No matter what happens, we come out ahead. QT.]'
- Council of Watcher Archives (1999)
Council of Watchers Headquarters
Westminster Dome, London arcology
7th June, 2614 (GMT)
Stalking through the corridors of the ancient building near the heart of London, Alistair Travers was incensed. How dare that bitch treat him like that? Especially after all he'd done for her, too - given her a home, provided for her, guided her training... only to turn her back on him on the word of a group of renegades!
Her over-reaction to the Cruciamentum clearly showed her lack of maturity. Granted, the Cruciamentum was dangerous, but it was also a vital test of a Slayer's abilities. A good Slayer should be able to perform even when she was at a disadvantage. The fact that Slayer Baker had run headlong into a situation that nearly cost her her life was another indication that she still needed to be guided.
And now she was in the hands of the so-called 'Slayerettes' - Alistair snorted at that - which meant that she would now be hopelessly corrupted. Which was a pity, since she'd shown some potential.
Dammit, didn't those fools realise that the reason the Council stuck with tried-and-tested methods wasn't because they were 'hidebound' as the 'Slayerettes' claimed. No, the reason the Council stayed with their methods was simply that they worked. Using new methods simply because they were new was the height of folly. What if they didn't work? Death would be the best result if that happened.
Granted, energy weapons had proven effective, and were making their way onto the approved equipment list, along with neural nanonics, but these things had to be accepted carefully, and integrated into already-existing tactics. Discarding everything that had been used previously simply because it didn't exactly fit in with new equipment ran the risk of discarding order for chaos.
And order was needed now, more than ever.
Up until now, vampires and demons had been only found on Earth. However, given the disruption of the Second Dispersal, it was more than possible that they could spread to the other planets which now shared Earth's orbit, or worse, to the other planets of the Confederation. Given that there were only two Active Slayers at any one time, such an event could prove catastrophic.
The idea that conventional military forces could be equipped to deal with vampires and demons simply never occurred to him.
The Council of Watchers was mankind's protection against the forces of darkness, and he was part of it.
Like all those who suffered from delusions of grandeur - if Cat had been present, she would have said "Delusions of adequacy, more like" - the contradictions inherent in his thinking didn't faze him for a second. How could they? He never considered them.
The fact that the traditional attitude of the Council towards the Slayers was more like property than concern for the young women that had been placed in their care didn't concern him either. Like all who thought as he did, he was convinced it was "for their own good".
Alistair paused at the set of doors, fighting the temptation to scratch his nose. The medical nanonic was doing an admirable job of repairing the bone a cartilage that had been smashed when Slayer Baker had rammed his head into that table face-first, but it itched like blazes. The sickening CRUNCH of impact still rang in his mind when he allowed himself to think about it, along with the derision he'd received from her, as well as 'Slayer' Piper - some quick research before the meeting had acquainted him with the names of the 'Slayerettes' - and 'Watcher' Goldsmith.
He snorted again. Goldsmith might have shown potential as a Research Watcher, and his name had been on the list for Potential Watcher, with the possibility of becoming a Field Watcher if the Potential Slayer assigned to him had been Called, but he had thrown it all away, because of his feeling put-out that his proposals for training new Watchers and Slayers had been rejected for being 'hasty, ill thought-out, and unlikely to work'.
That, and his weakness regarding the Cruciamentum. Alistair snorted for the third time. Didn't the man understand that they were fighting a war for humanity's very survival? Comparisons to the possession crisis didn't occur to him, and if they did, he would have dismissed them. The cause championed by the Council of Watchers had divine blessing, and as such, was far more important. Not to mention the fact that the possessed had been defeated, even Capone, who had badly frightened the Confederation.
He knocked, and was answered with a deep, sonorous, "Identify yourself to the Inner Council of Directors of the Council of Watchers."
Straightening with pride, he responded, "I am Alistair Travers, Field Watcher, and I have been summoned to give testimony regarding the events in the Sunnydale Dome of the Los Angeles arcology since the thirty-first of May."
"Enter, Field Watcher Travers, and present yourself to the Inner Council of Directors of the Council of Watchers."
The doors swung open - seemingly under their own power - and Alistair stepped into the room where the true power of the Council of Watchers resided. He felt a small thrill run through him as he stepped forward to the designated place for those giving testimony. As a descendant of one of the greatest Watchers in the recorded history of the Council, he was almost guaranteed a place at the table that filled the other end of the room. Barring disaster, that was.
Owen Michelson, the current Director-General of the Council of Watchers pressed a couple of buttons on the panel at his place. "This room is now warded against eavesdropping, both mystical and technological," he said with an almost audible sneer at the word 'technological'. "The Inner Council of the Council of Watchers is now in session. We are here to discuss the events in the Sunnydale Dome of the Los Angeles arcology since the thirty-first of May."
He paused before continuing. "Whatever passes within these four walls is to remain secret until the end of time, unless approved by a two-thirds majority."
That was more a formality than an actual warning. Everyone present in the room knew their power and privileges rested on what was decided here remaining secret. Even Alistair knew this, although he currently had fewer privileges than anyone else present.
Michelson's gaze turned to Alistair. "For millennia, the duty of leading the fight against darkness has rested on us, and through us, the Slayer. Even when the rest of humanity fell aside from that task, we remained true, continuing to fight on in secret. As the years passed, and humanity in general forgot about what was lurking in the darkness, ready to consume them, we remained true.
"It was decided then to ensure that the fight against the darkness remained secret, to avoid the mass hysteria that would ensue if the fight ever became public knowledge.
"And now you report that not only have you lost your Slayer to the renegades, but the secret war is no longer secret? Explain yourself, Watcher Travers."
Alistair tried to hide a grimace. The exposure of the fight against darkness was due to events well beyond his control, but the defection of Slayer Baker to the renegades could be blamed on him.
"On the thirty-first of May, Slayer Baker reported that she had engaged a group of vampires, approximately thirty in number. She also reported that the engagement was accidental and that she was attempting to break contact.
"Given that all Slayers who have encountered a group of vampires numbering more than twenty have been either killed or turned, I instructed my neural nanonics to ignore any further communications from her as a precaution. To my surprise, two days later, I received a message stating that Slayer Baker had survived the encounter, and been rescued by the renegades, along with instructions for a meeting at which 'her future would be discussed'.
"I sought instructions from my Regional Co-ordinator and was granted permission to attend, with the date set at the seventh of June. However, on the second, a brisk three-way street battle broke out between a large group of vampires led by Master Vampire Jonsson, the local coven of Light Bringer cultists and the Los Angeles Police Department, with heavy casualties on all sides.
"I attempted to discover more, but was only able to ascertain that Jonsson was planning something momentous. With no other alternative, I attended the meeting with the renegades, and was met with nothing but rudeness.
"Attempting to retrieve Slayer Baker, I was threatened quite graphically and when the renegades informed Slayer Baker of the Cruciamentum, I was assaulted and threatened again, once more quite graphically." Alistair somehow resisted the urge to scratch his nose once again as he recounted the tale of how he came to be injured.
"What evidence do you have to support your story?" he was asked by the Director of the Research Directorate.
"Neural nanonic files, recorded in sensevise format, of the events in question." Alistair opened a channel to the room's dedicated processor and datavised the files across. Although the Council's attitude towards technology could be best described as 'disdainful', they were forced to admit that neural nanonics could be useful tools.
Taking a step back, he awaited judgement, as the Inner Council accessed the recordings he had made.
The Director of the Training/Watcher sub-directorate spoke up. "Field Watcher Travers, although you have made errors of judgement, these can be attributed to your relative inexperience. You have performed adequately, under trying circumstances." When none of the other Inner Councillors spoke up, Alistair had to hide a sigh of relief. What happened to Watchers who had been judged to have failed in their duties was unknown, but the subject of nasty rumour. But that would never happen to him - he was a Travers, dammit!
"You could not know the reason behind why the secret war is no longer secret. We will now rectify that lack of knowledge, so that you may continue to play your part.
"According to our sources within the Los Angeles Police Department, the information came from Tranquillity - more specifically, the Lord of Ruin. Not only that, the information was passed on to the Confederation Assembly."
Forgetting himself, Alistair gasped. "But, that would mean..."
"Yes, that would mean that, unless individual governments acted to suppress this information, it will become common knowledge across the Confederation. Our sources have also revealed that not only are the Los Angeles Police Department is now actively hunting for vampires, but other law enforcement agencies are doing the same. It remains to be seen how effective this is.
"Not only that, but both the Govcentral military and the Edenists are committing military resources, along with the Confederation and the Lord of Ruin."
Once again, Alistair's shock was greater than his ability to overcome. "Bitek constructs? Serjeants? Here?" Alistair wasn't particularly religious, but he agreed with the Church's proscription of bitek. Humans were humans, dammit, and while refining via geneering was permissible, affinity was creating a 'master race' of telepathic humans who were trying to become immortal in body, not in soul. When people died, they should go on to whatever faced them, not try to linger.
Director-General Michelson nodded. "Correct, Field Watcher. But that is not the worst of it. According to our informant, the source of the information was Alexander Harris."
Alistair thought he recognised the name. All Watchers studied the history of their organisation as a matter of course, but Alistair took a special interest in the events of the late twentieth century. After all, his ancestor had been involved in those events.
"You mean the Alexander Harris who was involved with Slayer Summers? But that's..." He cut himself off before saying 'impossible', since after the possession crisis and the transportation of the Confederation, 'impossible' had taken on a whole new meaning.
"Our main point of concern is not the potential impact of Harris' actions - although reports from the time indicate that, at times, his contributions were decisive - but his potential as a rallying point. He might be presented as an example of what an 'ordinary' person can contribute to the fight against darkness, even without enhancements such as Artificial Tissue muscular augmentation and weapons implants."
Alistair fought a sneer. That was one of the things Goldsmith had suggested - more like demanded - that the Council adopt, arguing that if the Slayer Gift enhanced normal human strength and reflexes, AT implants could only increase that. Those suggestions had been rejected because of the unpredictability of mixing technological and mystical enhancements.
Not that he'd seen it that way, of course.
Another potential point of concern had been if a boosted human had been turned by a vampire. Vampires were far faster and stronger than a human, even when the human who had been turned hadn't been boosted. How strong would a vampire inhabiting a boosted human be?
Michelson continued, "This concerns us because of the potential for disaster. It is likely that the troops committed by the military will be ill-equipped for the enemies they will face, and their equipment may fall into the hands of our enemies. That would be a disaster, as you can imagine."
Alistair tried not to shudder as he imagined the results of vampires and demons equipped with modern weaponry. It wasn't easy.
"Unfortunately, we do not know Harris' location," the Director of the Research/Intelligence sub-directorate said. "The file containing the data taken from the debrief nanonics implanted in him indicates that his last known location was Tranquillity, but it cannot be assumed that he remains there. It is the opinion of the Intelligence sub-directorate that it is likely that he will arrive on Earth before this crisis is resolved, however."
Michelson nodded agreement. "Our actions on Harris' arrival will be decided in another session," he stated, and the other members of the Inner Council nodded agreement.
"There is one point of consolation, though," the Director of the Research/Intelligence sub-directorate said. "According to our sources, the vampire and demon populations remain fragmented and un-coordinated, particularly within the Sunnydale Dome of the Los Angeles arcology. If they were to start co-ordinating their activities, I fear to think of the possible results."
****
Vampire nest
Dome Four (Hollywood Dome), Los Angeles arcology
8th June, 2614 (Pacific Time)
"Let me sum up your proposal," the Master Vampire of the largest vampire group in the Hollywood Dome said. "I ally myself with your Master, and in return, share in the spoils of whatever he's cooking up - you won't tell me what it is, other than that it'll result in good things - and our two groups will co-ordinate our activities.
"I also agree to a mutual-defence pact, meaning that he can call on my strength in times of need, and that I can call on his strength when I need it."
The minion that Jonsson had sent to the Hollywood Dome nodded. "I am not permitted by my instructions to reveal my Master's plans. And a mutual-defence pact makes sense, given that the Los Angeles police are now starting to actively hunt our kind."
"Yes... you haven't said why the police are now hunting us." That has more than a minor annoyance. In order to remain undetected, he had been forced to relocate on no less than three occasions in the last week, more times than he'd moved in the last century.
Jonsson's minion shrugged expressively. "My Master does not know, but he suspects that it is the result of the attack launched on his headquarters by members of the Light Bringer cults, which drew a response from the LAPD."
The Master of the Hollywood Dome nodded thoughtfully. The Light Bringer cults had been a minor annoyance to him as well, but that had remained on the level of the occasional skirmish, which the LAPD had thought was part of the usual pattern of behaviour for criminal gangs. Their attitude had been along the lines of 'Criminals killing criminals? Great! We'll just make sure that no civilians get involved or caught in the cross-fire.'
It seemed that things were quite different in the Sunnydale Dome, however. Either Jonsson had fallen foul of a more aggressive Magus, or he had drawn the Magus' ire by turning cult members, the Master Vampire mused.
"I won't commit myself until I speak to your Master, but your proposal has merit," the Master Vampire stated.
Jonsson's minion nodded agreement. "My authority does not extend to signing treaties in my Master's name. I am only authorised to obtain expressions of interest and extend an invitation to open negotiations."
What Jonsson's minion did not say - did not know, in fact - was that envoys had been sent to almost every major vampire group that Jonsson knew of in the arcology. Extreme care had had to be taken to ensure that word of the meetings did not reach the ears of either the LAPD or the Slayers.
Also not revealed was the second part of Jonsson's plan - a drive to increase his numbers with people taken from the upper levels of the Sunnydale Dome, based on the assumption that police patrols in those areas had been reduced in order to increase numbers the Downtown sections.
So far, it seemed to be working.
****
Commercial district, Mid-level district
Sunnydale Dome, Los Angeles arcology
8th June, 2614
Even though it was late at night, the shopping area bustled with activity.
With a population of fifteen million, and people working shifts twenty-four hours a day, there was always a steady stream of shoppers to ensure that the stores remained open around the clock.
But now there were patrons with darker purposes in mind.
Jonsson had dispatched tis group with strict orders - grab people from crowded areas, where it would be easier to select the appropriate victims, render them unconscious, and return them to the lair to be turned. And avoid police patrols at all costs.
Jonsson knew that the surge of people being abducted would raise a large red flag in the LAPD AI, and the cause would be fairly obvious to the authorities. He was fairly confident, however, that this would present them with a dilemma - there would be pressure placed on them to increase patrols in the affected areas, which would mean that resources would have to be deployed from other areas, possibly even from other domes.
If police resources were redeployed from other areas of the Sunnydale dome, he would simply send his snatch-and-grab teams into those areas. And so far, his diplomatic overtures to other vampire groups seemed to be going well, as his envoys were returning with expressions of cautious interest in his proposals.
For a species that was as naturally paranoid and suspicious - particularly of each other - as vampires, getting them to even consider an alliance was a good sign. At least none of his envoys had been returned as dust in a jar.
All this meant that, if police resources were redeployed from other domes, that would create a window of opportunity for the vampire groups in those domes to act.
Of course, there was military intervention to consider. Jonsson was mildly surprised that the Govcentral and Confederation armed forces hadn't already been deployed to the Los Angeles arcology in force. Then again, there was the fact that re-equipping and some training would be required before they could be truly effective. That was another window of opportunity.
Which was why he was dispatching eight-strong groups of vampires on these snatch-and-grab missions.
This particular group had had success tonight. Six of the eight had unconscious men and women draped over their shoulders, and the alarm had yet to be raised. The leader of the group scanned the bustling crowd, searching for suitable victims.
There.
A young couple, both in their late teens, strolling casually along, while all around them people studiously ignored the pair, following Earth's obsessive culture of privacy. As they approached the service corridor where the vampires were lurking, the leader nodded to the vampire standing next to him, the only other vampire in the group who had not selected a victim for the night.
As they passed the corridor opening, two pairs of arms blurred out, grabbed the couple, and dragged them into the corridor. Before they could shout - either in protest or to raise the alarm - infuser patches had been slapped on their necks, and the powerful sedatives had been infused into their bloodstreams, resulting in unconsciousness.
Satisfied with the results from the night's work, the leader led the group deeper into the labyrinth of service corridors and maintenance areas that wormed their way through the building, the first stage in their journey back to the lair.
Back in the public concourse area, from the high ceiling, the lens of a security sensor glinted as it kept its never-ceasing vigil. It could not respond to events, could not even raise an alarm.
All it could do was send the information it recorded back to its human overseers. It was up to them to respond to the images they saw.