Of course, Buffy had forgotten that it was still daytime. She flung open the door to the warehouse and the resulting spill of LA sunlight caused Angel to leap back with a snarl.
Buffy winced apologetically. "Sorry, honey."
A black SUV with Giles at the wheel thundered up to the warehouse entrance, followed by Graham in a bland rental car. The back door of the SUV opened and Willow jumped out with a large blanket. She made a beeline for Angel.
"Brought the blanket back down from from the roof. Thought it might come in handy, seeing as how it is still daytime."
Meanwhile the three military guys seemed to be questioning how Graham had managed to get their car running without the keys.
Buffy caught the words 'Willow' and 'magic' and strode up to them. "We don't have time for this, guys. Follow Giles. We can do the explaining thing once we lose the soldier boys." As the other men were climbing into their car, Buffy looked at Graham steadily. "Can we trust you?"
Graham looked back, equally level. "Yes, ma'am. For Riley."
Buffy nodded once. She swept the little group with a fierce look. "See you soon."
She got into the SUV with her friends and both cars took off.
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Daniel could hear Jack grinding his teeth. The last few hours felt like a betrayal of Samantha Carter. Somewhere out there one-fourth of SG-1 was in need of rescue. And now they seemed to be stuck in someone else's bizarre drama.
The blonde was an amazing fighter, Daniel would grant her that. She looked like something out of a kung-fu movie, all flips and jumps and rolls. But he still wasn't sure why everyone seemed to think that she had some sort of mystical power. She had taken on the Marines in hand to hand combat. Big whoop. Give him a staff weapon or a zat any day.
On the other hand, there was something about her that made him nervous. He couldn't place the feeling, it was like being attracted and repelled at the same time. He instinctively felt a little panicky at the thought of getting too close to her, for any reason.
"What do you think, Jack?" Daniel was quiet.
"She's fine." Jack said automatically. Daniel understood. Carter had to be fine. SG-1 got into trouble and got out. That was part of their job description.
"I mean about...her."
Jack flashed a grin. "She's actually named Buffy?"
"She is a great warrior, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c was firm. "With her help I have no doubt that we will indeed be able to rescue Major Carter."
"She's so young..." Daniel trailed off, unsure. The Slayer made him uneasy for some reason. He felt...very strange...almost...he couldn't place it.
"She kicked butt, Daniel." Jack pointed out. "And she's taking this on even though that prick Bering tried to do her wrong." He thought for a minute. "I kinda like that Giles guy, too."
Daniel cocked his head. "Even though he looks like a geek?"
"Not all geeks are bad, Daniel." Jack said seriously. "Some of my best friends are geeks."
Daniel grinned at him.
The fourth passenger piped up.
"Buffy and I haven't always seen eye to eye, sir, but she'll do the job." Sgt. Miller had elected to come with the military group.
Daniel was sensing that he wasn't all that thrilled with the big dark haired guy.
"What was up with that 'Angel' guy, anyway?" he asked the Sergeant, who was fiercely concentrating on not losing the "W&H" license plate snaking through the Los Angeles traffic. "What was with that whole jump-back-and-growl thing?
"Didn't like the sunlight."
"Oh." Daniel thought about that. "Why?"
"Vampire." Came the terse reply.
"Of course." Daniel murmured, sitting back in his seat. "Why didn't I think of that?"
The SUV pulled into a narrow alley, drove under a metal roll-up door into a car repair shop, and screeched to a stop. There seemed to be someone waiting for them. The redhead jumped out of the SUV with a delighted squeal. As they rolled to a stop next to the black car, Daniel eyed the short red-haired boy fiercely hugging Buffy's red-haired girl friend.
They looked kind of like a matched set.
Giles had emerged from the SUV as well and was unpacking several crates and moving them into a blue van. A dark-haired guy in his early twenties was helping him. He wore casual clothes and looked about the same age as the red-head and the Slayer, but his mouth looked grim and one eye was covered with an eyepatch.
Sgt. Miller and SG-1 got out of the car and hovered uncertainly.
"Sir? I should..." the young Marine gestured towards the unpacking and Jack nodded permission.
SG-1 looked at each other. Buffy was walking toward them and Daniel was just about ready to introduce them all, when there was a bang and a snarl. Everyone spun around.
The kid with the eyepatch had dropped the crate he was carrying and was standing, tense and uncertain, staring at Sgt. Miller. The Sergeant was crouched in a fighting stance, his weapon drawn and pointed at the short red-haired kid.
The red-haired guy was also in a fighting stance, his whole body tense. He was hovering protectively in front of the girl who seemed to be trying to talk him down. Giles and Angel were standing near; both looked like they were ready to launch themselves into the scene.
Buffy reversed course, striding over to the two red-heads, glaring.
"Oz! You must chill." She was talking in a fierce but low tone. The kid - Oz - didn't take his eyes off of Sgt. Miller, but Daniel could see he was listening.
Daniel kicked Jack in the ankle.
"Ow." Jack complained, looking confused. Daniel jerked his head at the situation.
"Oh. Right." Jack raised his voice. "Stand down, soldier."
Sgt. Miller didn't respond. A strange noise was rumbling just under earshot, and it took Daniel a minute to figure out what it was.
The red-haired kid was growling.
"Jack..." Daniel muttered.
"I said, stand down, Sgt. Miller." Jack walked over and stood on the other side of the fracas, mirroring what Buffy was doing with Oz.
"What's he doing here?" spat Oz. His voice seemed a little thick.
"He's part of this mission." Buffy said quietly. She turned to Graham. "Graham, stop. Just look at me."
His crystal blue eyes flickered but he didn't look away from Oz.
Buffy raised her voice, gave it an edge. "Graham. You said I could trust you. For Riley."
There was a slow heartbeat. Daniel felt himself growing tenser, wondering whose side he should fight for if the shit hit the fan. Maybe if all these wacky people killed each other there would still be time to go rescue Sam.
Graham Miller shifted his gaze to Buffy's face, breaking the stare-down. Oz kept his eyes on the Marine, and he was still growling softly, but the tension started to ease out of his body.
Sgt. Miller and Buffy looked at each other for another moment, then Sgt. Miller said softly, but with hate in his voice, "For Riley."
He picked up the crate in front of the dark-haired guy, and carried it to the van. The girl Willow - pulled Oz away to the other side of the garage. Angel and Buffy exchanged a look and the big dark man followed Graham, keeping his body between the Marine and Oz.
"What the hell was that?" Jack asked Buffy. He kept his voice soft and she came over to stand next to the three of them. She shook her head, looking tired.
"Racial discord." At their collectively raised eyebrows she sighed. "You really don't want to know."
"I would like to know something." Jack said flatly. "There seems to be a lot of history that no one bothered to brief us on. If I'm going to be trusting you and your cadre of kids here, a little context might help."
"Hey!" Eyepatch kid said belligerently. "We're here to help you. We may not have buzz-cuts and jackboots, but we've been fighting demons longer than you knew they existed. Show a little respect." He turned and stomped off, snarling "Back off, Deadboy." at Angel.
Angel came over to where Buffy and Sg-1 stood.
"I apologize for Xander." Buffy was saying, "he's a little..."
"Randomly hostile?" Angel said.
Buffy was quiet for a moment. "That last battle...we lost a lot of people. Including Anya." She looked at Angel. "and Spike."
There was a beat of silence. Angel nodded.
"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "I didn't know about Anya."
"Buffy?" Giles called. Everyone turned.
"It's time." He said quietly. Sgt. Miller was in the van already, staring out the opposite window. Xander, Willow, and Oz waited quietly by the SUV.
Buffy turned to SG-1.
"I know this all seems freaky. Get all your stuff into the van. We're going to go to a safe house, somewhere we can talk out this situation." She turned to return to the van, then paused and looked back at them.
"Whatever's out there, I will find it." She said quietly, but her voice held no doubt at all. "I'll get your friend back. I promise." She moved off.
Daniel looked at Jack, then at Teal'c. Teal'c looked at the others and headed for the van.
Daniel kept his eyes on Jack.
"Battle?" he said softly.
"What the hell are we doing, Daniel?" Jack sounded lost.
Daniel instinctively leaned toward him and caught his eye, trying to project hope.
"Saving Sam, Jack." He prayed Jack would believe him. "We're saving Sam."
"Hey." They all turned. The kid with the eyepatch...Xander....was standing there. He sounded less angry, more conciliatory. "I know we're not Semper Fi and all, but trust Buffy. She gets the job done."
"Like we have a choice." Jack muttered, and followed him into the van.
Angel stood at the driver's side of the now empty SUV. "Buffy." She looked back at him. "Be careful."
She nodded and the blue van screeched out of the garage, leaving the vampire behind.
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Oz drove quickly and competently, resolutely ignoring the presence of the young Marine in the back of the van. Buffy hoped to god that Graham would ignore his obvious fear and hatred of werewolves long enough for them to get some answers. She had the sinking feeling that they were running out of time.
Angel had promised that his friends would keep the Initiative off their backs. Buffy was not so keen on this whole Wolfram & Hart thing, they pretty much seemed evil to her, but Angel said they had a lot of pull. There was bound to be something that Wesley and Gunn could come up with that could keep the Marines busy.
She studied the three soldiers in the van as surreptitiously as possible. The older one Jack - looked like he really needed to blow something up. He sat next to Graham, both of them staring out of the window like they were pretending they were somewhere - anywhere - else.
The big Black guy was looking at Oz, head cocked to the side. Angel had told her that he didn't smell completely human. Buffy remembered the Initiative Col., so sure that this was a demon. They would see what happened when he passed through the wards Willow had erected over the safe house. Buffy hoped he was on their side. He looked like he could do some damage; she really wasn't looking forward to having to fight him should he turn out to be evil.
The younger guy, the proto-Giles, was looking at her. She felt again that weird sense of connection. She remembered his face in her dream, looking out of her mirror. They sat as far away from each other as they could in the cramped confines of the van and he seemed just as eager as she to avoid an accidental touch.
God, just let them not have to switch bodies. She was so over that scenario. Plus, being a guy? Ew.
They pulled up to the safe house and drove into the garage. They got out. Oz triggered the garage door, hiding the van from sight. Xander, Oz and Giles and Graham began unloading the van and taking the crates into the house through a connecting door. Willow and Buffy stayed back and gestured to the three military guys.
"Willow's warded the house. Once the crates are in you guys are going to have to walk through the wards. If any of you are evil, now's the time to raise your hands."
She stood back to let the small procession through.
Her heart sank when the Black guy stopped at the doorway, putting a hand to his stomach.
"O'Neill." His voice was rich and deep. He sounded puzzled. "I find I am unable to pass the doorway."
"For cryin' out loud!" Jack was obviously reaching the end of his patience. He whirled around to glare at proto-Giles. "Daniel, we're wasting time!"
"So." Buffy interrupted, throwing her hands up. "What are you?"
They all looked at her. She returned the look, exasperated.
"I mean it. This house is warded against evil. Evil can't come in. You can't come in, therefore..."
"Buffy, I don't think he's evil." Willow said uncertainly.
"Of course he not evil!" Proto-Giles...Daniel said indignantly.
"How can he not be evil? Look at him. He's like Wood's much, much bigger cousin."
"Um..Buffy?" Willow said, puzzled, "Wood wasn't evil."
Buffy thought for a second.
"All right. Point."
"But there's something...inside him..." Willow continued, talking over the other man. Her eyes narrowed and she began to run her hand slowly over the big man's body, her touch about an inch away as if she were petting his aura.
Jack caught her hand. He looked dangerous for a minute.
"What are you doing?"
"Let her go." Buffy sounded just as dangerous. Dreams or no dreams, if this guy didn't let Willow go he was going to end up broken in half.
Willow looked down at her arm, then up at him.
"I'm trying to figure out why the wards won't let him pass." After a searching look, he let her go. She turned back and began feeling the air again.
"Junior." Though the older man was still looking at Willow, Daniel nodded as if the statement was directed to him. Daniel looked at the Black man, who also nodded, but just once.
Daniel stepped up to Willow and began talking in a low voice, soft blue eyes looking through his glasses.
"Teal'c is a Jaffa, a genetically altered human. They are bonded from puberty with a member of a different race, a Goa'uld symbiote in its larval stage." A brief pause. "I guess Goa'uld are about as evil as it gets. That could be the problem." He nodded at the other man. "Show them, Teal'c."
The big Black man raised his shirt and the sight of his abdomen caused everyone's eyes to widen. There was an "X" in it, like a wound, criss-crossing the tender flesh of his belly. Willow and Buffy exchanged grimaces.
"OK." Willow said slowly. "I guess I can handle...yahh!!!"
A snake-like creature poked its head out of the wound in Teal'c's stomach and hissed at everyone.
"Gah." Buffy said, recoiling.
The snake retreated back into Teal'c's stomach. Willow and Buffy looked at each other, then looked at Teal'c stomach, than looked at each other again.
"Ooookay. Will?"
Willow looked vaguely nauseous, but she said haltingly. "I think I can...um...well..."
"Will, we don't have all day."
"I'm thinking!"
Willow was quiet for a moment.
She raised a hand and muttered some Latin words. Teal'c looked startled.
"Try the wards now."
Teal'c walked forward a bit gingerly, one hand pressed to his stomach. He passed through the doorway this time, and the other two looked at Willow, amazement clear on their faces.
She shrugged. "I put it to sleep."
"Symbiotes don't sleep." Daniel said flatly.
"And yet..."" Teal'c's deep tones sounded mystified.
"Let's argue this one inside, shall we?" Buffy indicated the crates and everyone took one, emptying the van. They followed her into the dark cool interior of the safe house.