Rainbow Over Sunnydale Chapter 17
by Joe Black
Disclaimer: Red Storm and Tom Clancy own Rainbow and Characters. Joss Whedon owns Buffy and Characters. Anyone else belongs to me. I make no profit of the following except to have a little fun.
Spoilers: Buffy to present. Rainbow to Bear and the Dragon.
Authors note 1: I am adjusting the Buffy time line slightly, moving things back about a month. This fic starts right after 'Never Leave Me'.
Authors note 2: I can't seem to get Fanfic to accept any special formatting so anytime that you see '*' it means that the speaker is speaking a foreign language. If you see '[*]' it is the persons thoughts.
Notes to Reviewers:
LMiC2001: But you reviewed. So thank you.
Catlimere and Ack: Here you go.
Dorothy: I originally I gave them last names because I felt it would attract less attention if I did. People having only one name on a passport would tend to attract attention. After I picked them though it accord to me I could do something with it. Glad you and others liked it. I'll try my best to keep it coming.
Thanks to all that reviewed. Constructive criticisms always welcomed. Flames cheerfully ignored.
Campsite 22
Mesa Alto National Park
Outside Sunnydale CA
26Oct2002
0915 hours
Dr. Sandra Sanchez was a thirty-seven year old woman with long black hair, and a pleasing face. She was a widow with two children. She and they were currently stuck up a tree by something or rather something's that she wasn't sure were real, or rather by things that she didn't WANT to believe were real.
A drunk driver had killed her husband Pete four years ago. She had been halfway through her internship when this happened and between the trauma of Pete's death and trying to raise Thomas and Brieanna she had almost washed out of the program. Thankfully her advisor had been very understanding and had managed to shepherd her through to completion. She had received her M.D. only six months late.
She had been practicing in LA when she had learned of an opening on the nightshift at Sunnydale General for a trauma surgeon. Sandra had investigated and found that housing prices in Sunnydale were more than reasonable and the local schools had a good rating. She put in for the job. She was shocked when she was hired after a single interview.
She had quickly found a four-bedroom house that she could afford and had just finished moving in on Friday. Sunday would be her first night at work, while Monday would be the first day of school for Thomas and Bri.
Money had been tight after Pete's death. He had some insurance but it wasn't enough to cover everything, and the drunk had been a drifter with no insurance or assets. So she and the kids had started going camping in the local state and national parks. It was a cheap way to get out of the apartment on weekends that she wasn't on call.
Sandra had decided that since they had been largely unpacked that this weekend they would go out and check out what the camping was like at one of the local parks. It had been a while since money had been an issue but the three of them still enjoyed going somewhere that there wasn't a building in sight.
They had hiked up to this campground from the highway and found a campsite. Once Thomas and Sandra pitched their tents Sandra had sent the kids out to explore the local area while she set up for dinner. She laid out the rocks for the fire they were going to have later in the evening and placed the cooler and cooking utensils next to it. Thomas had offered to help but she sent him to watch over his sister.
It only took about a half-hour to set everything up and then the three of them went out and did some real exploring. Brieanna had a rather extensive collection of the plants from around the LA area from their many trips; she managed to add a couple new ones. Thomas collected rocks. He also found a number of different specimens. Brianna sniffed, "I would rather carry my flowers back down than your rocks."
"That's cause you're a girl," Thomas returned, rubbing a hand through his sisters black hair.
They got back to camp and Sandra started the fire. Once it was hot enough they had a weenie roast. After dinner with marshmallows roasting they started talking. It had become traditional that on these trips after dinner they would talk about what had happened since the last fire. Even if they had talked the subject through at home, they would go over it again in more detail.
Sandra told the kids about the hospital and the staff that she had met. Thomas talked mostly about a guidance councilor that he had met at the orientation he had attended today. Sandra had been a little disturbed at the apparent youth of this councilor. She wondered what qualifications or certifications someone that young could have. She would call or go over and see this woman and decide for herself.
That was assuming that she and her kids got out of this current mess. That thought brought her back to present, She looked up at the top of the hill were the large boulder that whatever these things where congregated at. When Bri had done her business just after dawn Sandra had got her first good look at these things. Well that was a bit of stretch but they had come close enough for her to get a good 'look' at. They were either transparent, or they were chameleons. She thought the latter because she could see no internal organs. It had sniffed around where her daughters refuse had landed then returned to the rock.
When the man had run into the campsite last night and screamed that she and her kids needed to get up in tree's she had assumed that a bear of mountain lion was after him. The look in his face though convinced her to listen to him. She had grabbed Bri and screamed for Thomas to climb. The man had rushed to Thomas and had almost thrown him up into the lower branches of a tree. He had then started climbing himself but had not gotten half way up when something had grabbed him around an ankle. Sandra had been looking right at him when it happened but had seen nothing. The man had simply yanked off of the tree and to the ground. Something that she still could not see had then picked him up and shaken him like a terrier would a rat. She could still hear his neck breaking.
"Mom," Thomas called, "What are these things?"
"I don't know honey," She told her oldest. "You're the predator expert."
"I've never read or seen anything like this before," He told her mother.
Sandra thought about the implications of these things and she started to sweat. These could not be natural creatures. They must be some kind of genetic experiment. She started to wonder if 'Ranger Broadman' was coming up here to save her family, or make sure that they never told anyone what they had seen. She had been panicked when she first called in. She couldn't remember exactly what she had said, but she was pretty sure she had mentioned invisible wolves or something similar. When Ranger Broadman had gotten in contact with her she could detect no evasion, nothing to indicate he was humoring a mad woman. She had contemplated calling her family, but if these were people who were willing to make her immediate family disappear she doubted that they would have any qualms about adding her extended family to the list of missing people. She had thought about it a while, now with the ranger at the bottom of the trail and heading this way she would have to act if she were to have any bargaining chips if she needed them. Coming to a decision she pulled out her cellphone and noted that thanks to the rangers suggestion that she only turn the phone on from 10 to till 10 after the hour she still had three bars showing power left. She entered a number and waited. After a bit she said, "Yes operator, could I have the number for the Sunnydale Press please?"
1630 Revello Dr.
Sunnydale CA
26Oct2003
0953 hours
"What does he want?" Clark asked.
"He seems to have found some old posts I did about the watchers council. Here see for yourself," Willow said as she turned the laptop around.
Clark scanned the message it said,
'Dear Ms. Rosenberg,
My name is Bob Holtzman. I am a reporter for the Washington Post Newspaper in Washington, DC. I am doing a story on the bombing in London that seems to involve a group called The Watcher's Council. I found a couple of posts that you did on the subject and are the only person that I have so far found that seems to personally know anyone on the council. I was wondering if you would be willing to give me an interview either in person or over the phone. Please let me know one way or the other. I can be reached either at this email address, or at (202) 555-5012 {Ext.106.}
Thank you,
Bob Holtzman.'
"Damn," Clark said with feeling.
"That about sums it up," Willow agreed.
"What did you write?" Clark asked.
Willow thought for a moment, "I don't think I wrote that much the couple of times I posted. We had just finished having Travers and his stooges put us through the wringer. We had been trying to get some info out of them about Glory. I was looking for some dirt to use on them if we ever had to do business with them again when I came across this site that made the Watchers Council sound like the second coming of Machiavelli, and well I got a little cranky." Willow finished.
"What exactly did you write?" Clark wanted to know.
"I don't remember exactly but it was along the lines of 'you guys are jerks and don't have a clue what you are talking about." Willow replied.
"Is there anything else out there with this pen name?"
"Yeah a couple other things, but I haven't used it in a year or so." Willow said.
"Okay you just can't mail him back and say he got the wrong girl," Clark replied thinking.
"Maybe I could email and tell him I don't want to talk to him," Willow offered.
"Wouldn't work, that would ring the dinner bell for him. Holtzman would be out here so fast that he would suck half of the Washington Press Corps with him." Clark said.
"You sound like you know him," Will said.
"Something like that," Clark agreed, "He has a reputation around DC."
"What do I do then? I'm a lousy liar!" Willow exclaimed getting panicky.
"Relax Willow," Clark told her. The others who where ambulatory started to come in to see what had Willow worked up. "Send him back a response and say that you would be happy to talk to him, but insist that it be a face-to-face. I doubt that his editor will front the money for airfare on such flimsy evidence as a post on a web site. Unless there is some other reason for him to come out you might get a few more emails, just keep insisting on a face-to-face. Give it a week or two and this will blow over."
"Okay, I'll get a reply off to him now," Willow told the ex-spy.
A knocking came at the door then. Anya being closest answered it. Out side she found a big rugged looking individual with a Zappata mustache. "Yes?" She asked measuring the man on the porch.
The man produced a wallet and opened it. Inside were his picture and a badge. "I'm Inspector Pat O'Day of the FBI, I was told that I supposed to meet General Clark here."
"John," Anya called, "the FBI guy is here."
"Thanks Anya," Clark said, as he went to great the newcomer.
Pat for his part looked a little relieved when Clark came into the foyer. "John good to see you," Still waiting to be invited in.
"Come in Pat," John said.
Pat looked at the blonde who had got the door strangely and came in. "Dan said that you would give me a full briefing when I got here, how about we go out on the porch and discuss it?" Pat suggested at seeing how crowded the house was.
"Sure," Clark agreed following the other man out of the house.
Clark got out on the porch and shut the door. O'Day was about to say something when Clark put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion. He opened the door quickly again and was looking down into a pair of big blue eyes. "You know Dawn it's generally considered impolite to listen on other people's conversations."
"Dawn!" Willow called from the dining room, "come away from the door!" Dawn went grumbling.
"That's okay Dawn," Anya said, "It was a good try."
Clark closed the door and turned to Pat with a smile on his face. Pat for his part cocked an eyebrow at Rainbow Six and said, "Okay what's going on? Dan called me at 5:15 this morning and told me to hurry down here for a prisoner pickup. Add to that the strange conversation I had with my wife last night, a conversation that I think if we both had access to a secure phone link would have been bizarre, I have to wonder what's going on back in Washington!"
"Well Pat it's like this," Clark began. Fifteen minutes later he had finished and Pat was measuring him for a white coat. In the briefing he left out any mention of anything that Willow had done in the spring, concentrating instead on Buffy and what had happened in the graveyard last night.
"Okay I just want to make sure I got this. You are in town because this General who ran this top secret organization is convinced that Jack is THE Anti-Christ is on his way here to open a gateway to Hell that is under the local high school. Ding is off with a superhero who is a guidance councilor at this same high school, and the first evil that ever was is running around town kidnapping vampire friends of something called a vampire slayer?" Pat asked incredulously.
"Yeah that about sums it up." Clark agreed, enjoying the expression on Pat's face. "You going to need proof?" Clark asked, waving his bandaged hand in front of him.
"No. Well not yet anyway. I would like to actually see something supernatural before I completely believe though." Pat said.
"Well you are in the right place. I understand that this place is Disneyland to the demonic."
"Okay," Pat said moving on. "I'm supposed to check out the local office for Dan while I was here. He suggested that I take Ding and you as backup. Should we wait for him?"
"I don't know how long they will be. Last I heard they should just be heading up to the family now. It will probably be two or three hours before they can get back. I have an idea though where we can find some more backup. Come on in and I'll introduce you to everyone."
Clark and Pat reentered the house. Pointing out people he introduced O'Day to everyone, leaving Andrew for last. Pat pulled a card out of his wallet and began to Mirandize Andrew. Clark meanwhile went into the dining room where Willow was just finishing up her email to Holtzman.
"Willow got a minute?" He asked.
"Sure," she said as she hit the send button.
"Pat and I are going down to check out the local FBI office. I was expecting to take Ding along to help incase backup is needed. I was wondering if you could go?" He asked her.
"Not doing the magic much anymore," she began, "but if I can help sure. Just let me go up and get into something more buisnessy." She said as she got up.
O'Day meanwhile had decided that Andrew was secure enough with the rope, he didn't need to handcuff him yet. "John, can we at least drop Wells off with the local cops till we are done?"
"NO!!!!" Came out of Anya's, Dawn's, and Willow's mouths.
"They're that Dirty?" O'Day asked, thinking that maybe they needed to do a clean sweep of the town.
"We don't know Pat," Clark said. "But Buffy is afraid that this First thing would get to someone and he," nodding at Andrew, "would end up dead."
"Okay then, what do we do with him while we check out the local office?" Pat demanded.
"We could keep watching him," Anya volunteered. "Oh wait, are you going downtown?"
"Yeah," Clark said.
"Could I ride with you? I have an insurance adjuster coming in to look at the store. Hopefully I can convince him to pay for the damages."
"What happened?" Clark asked.
"When Willow went wonky she and Buffy had a fight in the store. The previous owner didn't insure against earthquakes and that was what the cops called what Willow did to the jail. So since it happened the same night the insurance company claimed it was earthquake related and refused to pay."
Clark could see Pat about to ask what had Willow done to the local jail and just shook his head. Pat saw the move and didn't ask the question.
"Okay, why do you need to ride with us?" Clark still didn't understand.
"Well you know, my ex-boss?" Anya said, nodding at Pat.
"Oh yeah, him," John agreed. "What good would being with me do though?" Holding up his hand.
"Well I don't think he would want to alienate you. You know in case he ever gets a chance to ask you to work for him?" Anya said matter of factly.
Pat was getting more confused by the second; everyone else seemed to understand what was going on, and it was a little frustrating being the only outsider. Clark just looked at him with I will explain later expression. Pat returned a yes you will look.
"Okay I still need somewhere secure to stash Wells then," He said.
"We can stash him at the Magic Box. There are a couple of cubby holes that he could fit into." Anya said. "I'm sure he wouldn't make any noise and ruin any chance I have of getting insurance money, right Andrew?" Anya said sweetly, with a hard glint in her eye.
"Ah noo," He said quickly, "I would be quiet as a mouse."
Clearly not liking it Pat agreed.
Willow came back down in business attire. Mid length blue skirts, a blue jacket with a light blue blouse, and low heel shoes. "Anytime you are ready General Clark," she said.
Pat looked at Clark; "This is your backup?"
"There's more to her than meets the eye. Plus with what goes on in this town she might be more use than Ding would be."
"How so?" Pat asked.
"She's a witch." Clark said, straight faced.
"I don't wiggle my nose though," Willow said mischievously at Pat's stunned look.
"Since everyone is going downtown, I would like to come too." Dawn requested.
"Okay," Willow agreed. "You probably shouldn't be left alone."
"Okay I'll just go and get my things," Dawn said as she headed up stairs.
O'Day untied Andrew and cuffed his hands behind his back and led him to the door. When Dawn came charging down the stairs Willow opened the door and headed out with everyone following her. "So John," Willow said with a small smile, "How much are you paying Buffy when she helps you out?"