Thanks to RickW22, Bunny-Butler, Ruth and S.M for the reviews.
Ruth: No, Dawn trapped everyone in the house by making Anya's vengeance demon friend cast a curse, which she had to repeal because she also trapped herself. Also, Tonks is back this chapter, so don't worry you'll hear from her.
Anyways, that's all so on with the chapter!
Chapter 14
Buffy returned to the room where they had been debriefed the day before with Dawn in tow and a big smile on her face. She had managed to stay sober enough to avoid a hangover, and she was still happy about having a normal date with a relatively normal guy, something she hadn't had in years. Most of the other Slayers and Scoobies had already arrived. Most were milling around guessing what today's little 'field trip' was. Buffy saw Xander, Faith and Robin at the back of the room and decided to head over and talk to them, while Dawn met up and talked with some of the other Slayers.
"Hey guys." Buffy greeted warmly.
Faith turned to look at her and smirked. "Hey B. How'd the date go last night, you get any?"
Buffy frowned. "Faith it was a first date."
"So I'm guessing no." Faith replied.
"How did you even know about it?" Buffy asked.
Faith shrugged. "Was pretty obvious. You two were like all over each other."
"Does everyone know we went on a date?" Buffy asked despairingly.
"Yep, pretty much." Xander replied, fixing her with his now unreadable gaze.
"What's the big deal B?" Faith asked. "Looks to me like you got yourself a nice catch. He's hot, plus he's breathing, something I guess you don't have a ton of experience with."
"Not true." Buffy answered pointedly. "I went out with Riley for a while."
"Wow, an astounding one for three." Xander replied mockingly.
Before Buffy could fire back a retort, the door opened and Lt. Haley, Daniel, and Teal'c walked in. "Good morning everyone." Daniel greeted, giving Buffy a quick smile. "Today, we're going to be doing something a little different."
"What does that mean?" Kennedy asked.
"We are going on a trip to a training site." Lieutenant Haley replied. "We'll be staying there for two weeks, during which we'll be running an intensive boot camp and training regimen. Judging from your previous performance, I'd be surprised if any of you have trouble with this, but when we're done you'll all be qualified to fight Anubis."
"So when do we leave?" Xander asked.
"We leave immediately, XanderHarris." Teal'c replied. "But first you must all be issued BDUs."
"BDUs?" Dawn echoed.
"Battle Dress Uniforms." Daniel clarified. "Just come with us and we'll get you fitted. You won't need to bring anything, everything will be provided for you when we get to the training base. Anyways, follow me and we'll get you all fitted." Daniel opened the door and stepped out into the hall, leading his large troop along with Teal'c and Lieutenant Haley downs the corridors of the SGC. After only a couple of turns they reached their location. Daniel opened the door and held it opens for his group. Buffy walked into the large room and realized it was both a laundry room and uniform outfitting room. Along one wall were racks and racks of dress uniforms, on-duty shirts and jackets, and what were unmistakably BDUs. The BDU seemed to be made up of a pair of what looked like hiking boots, loose fitting pants that could be suitable for colder weather, a long sleeve jacket, a black utility vest, and either a hat or a helmet.
"These men will help get you fitted." Daniel said, directing everyone's attention to several enlisted men who began talking to the girls then retrieving the appropriate size off the racks of BDUs. Once a girl had been given her BDU, she was directed to one of several dressing rooms to change.
One of the men came over, asked Buffy her height and shoe size, then returned a moment later with a BDU for her. Buffy took the change of clothes and went into one of the unoccupied dressing rooms. Buffy quickly took off her clothes, folding them into a neat pile and placing her shoes on top. She then pulled on the green pants and black t-shirt and laced up the new boots, which were surprisingly light given their look. Buffy pulled on the jacket, which was also quite comfortable and gave her complete range of motion, and sported a strange upside down V on one arm patch and a badge that said SG-X on the other. She then took a minute to examine the vest. Tapping on it, Buffy realized that other than being a utility vest, it contained plates of some kind of armor, but arranged them in such a way so she could still move freely. Buffy put on the vest and fastened the clips that held it tight to her, then threaded her hair, which she had tied in a ponytail, through the hole in her hat and examined herself in the mirror. Buffy was surprised how well the clothing fitted her, it was loose and left her free to move but didn't look too big for her. Buffy picked up her clothes and walked back into the fitting room, where one of the fitting men took her clothes for her.
Buffy looked around at the other Slayers, and was surprised by how much more professional they looked now, all dressed the same and ready for battle. Xander also looked very military. He was wearing the same clothes as then, except he had also received a pair of very cool looking sunglasses that hid his obsidian eyes. Daniel, Teal'c, and Lieutenant Haley were all wearing the same pants and jackets but not the vests.
Once everyone was ready, the group left and proceeded down the tunnels of the SGC. Once they reached the elevator, they were split into three groups, with Teal'c, Lt. Haley, and Daniel leading one respectively. Once everyone had made it onto level 28, Daniel led them down a few more corridors until they were standing in front of a large pair of blast doors.
"What is this?" Rona asked. "Is there a train we take to the base or something?"
"Something like that." Daniel answered. He swiped his card on the wall and the door slid up to reveal a large room that was dominated by a ramp that led to a large ring. The symbols along the outer edge of the ring were spinning, and five of the seven amber chevrons spread out along the ring were lit up. As they were watching, the symbols stopped spinning, and one of the unlit chevrons locked into place and let up. "Chevron six engaged." Came a booming voice through the loudspeakers. Daniel led the large group to the bottom of the ramp as the symbols stopped once again, and the last chevron locked into place. "Chevron seven, locked." Said the voice.
Buffy almost jumped back as a blast of what looked like water came flying out of the ring towards them, however it stopped and the pulled back in, settling into a gently rippling blue surface that resembled vertical water.
"So how far are we going on this little field trip?" Robin asked.
Daniel smiled. "About halfway across the galaxy. The Stargate is connected to the beta site right now, a full time training facility we have running. Just walk into the 'gate, there will be people on the other side waiting for you."
"Pretty cool eh Dawnie?" Xander asked, looking down at Dawn who was standing beside her.
But Dawn didn't answer, she was staring at the Stargate, totally mesmerized.
"Dawn?" Buffy asked, nudging her sister.
"Yeah. Sorry." Dawn mumbled in reply, not taking her eyes off the Stargate.
"Okay, let's get going." Lt. Haley said, walking up the ramp and standing at the event horizon. "Just walk right through."
The Slayers and Scoobies made their way up the ramp. Xander stopped at the top for a second, looking at the event horizon. He poked his finger into it, pulled it out, then shrugged and walked through. The other Slayers and Scoobies followed him through, followed by Teal'c and Lt. Haley. Soon the only ones left on the ramp were Daniel, Buffy and Dawn, who had yet to take her eyes of the 'gate.
"What's it like?" Buffy asked Daniel, looking in awe at the shimmering surface.
Daniel shrugged. "It's a piece of cake." He then took Buffy's hand and the three of them walked into the gate and off the planet.
~~~~~~~
Osiris, in her new Slayer body, knelt before the throne of Anubis. "My lord, I bring great news and an opportunity."
"You have changed hosts." Anubis declared. "For what reason?"
"My lord this is one of the Slayers I mentioned to you earlier." Osiris explained. "She possesses great strength and speed, and is far superior to a normal host."
"Impressive." Anubis answered. "You have done well Osiris. I assume this is the great news, what is the opportunity?"
"There is a large gathering of people in a desert on the same continent as the Stargate, in a place I believe the Tau'ri call Reno." Osiris informed him. "They are there for some kind of sporting event. It presents a tempting target for attack, and I have determined that the magically enhanced Tau'ri is not there."
"I have already determined that one Tau'ri alone cannot complete my task." Anubis replied dismissively. "He requires a long lost artifact of great power, one which we must help find. However it is believed to be somewhere on the Eastern continents."
"Should I prepare an attack my lord?" Osiris asked eagerly.
"Prepare a full aerial assault." Anubis commanded. "I want Reno leveled in two days time."
~~~~~~~
Hammond looked up from his paperwork at the sound of a knock at the door. "Come in."
The door opened and Tonks poked her head in. "You wanted to see me General?"
"Ah yes, Ms. Tonks. Come in, have a seat. How's life without magic?" Hammond asked warmly.
Tonks walked into the large office and took a seat in front of Hammond's desk. "It's very strange." She answered. "Seems like so much more work, but some of the things that technology has given you are incredible. I especially like the computer."
Hammond smiled and nodded. "Good to hear you're adjusting well. One of new staff members, Ms. Willow Rosenberg, said that Anubis will be searching for a magical artifact of some type. Apparently no one on the planet is quite powerful enough to complete his ascension."
Tonks nodded. "Yes sir. I agree with her, no one is quite powerful enough to do something like that."
"Ms. Rosenberg is under the impression that even she, the most powerful witch in the Western Hemisphere, would be unable to perform this without a specialized artifact."
Tonks thought for a moment. "I can't think of any off the top of my head."
Hammond nodded. "You've been brought up to speed on our new recruits I assume?"
"Yes sir." Tonks replied. "Quite amazing that I have never heard of Slayers. Well, I've heard of them but I always assumed it was just stories."
"Until the Slayers complete their training, I'm hesitant to send you into a potentially hostile situation." Hammond said.
"Sir I'd just like to point out that I'm a fully trained Auror and a Metamorphmagus. I can take care of myself." Tonks protested.
"Ms. Tonks I can't send you into any situation when you have no means to kill someone." Hammond replied sternly. "You're a very valuable asset, but I want you to work in collaboration with the Slayers. So until they have completed training, I would like you to assist Mr. Giles and Ms. Rosenberg in finding this artifact before Anubis does."
Tonks nodded dejectedly. "Yes sir."
Hammond smiled. "Don't worry Ms. Tonks, I won't keep you stuck in a library for long, but for now I think this is where you can help us the most."
Tonks nodded again. "I understand sir. I'll get started helping them."
Hammond nodded. "Dismissed." Tonks stood up and left the office, heading back to her quarters to get some books before she went to start on her new assignment.
~~~~~~~
Willow and Giles were discussing the artifact that Anubis was now looking for. "Well it can't be the Scythe." Willow said confidently. "I have a good idea what that thing is capable of."
"And I think we can count out Dawn as well." Giles added. "She's a dimensional gateway, and clearly that has no bearing here."
A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. The door creaked open and an attractive young woman with shoulder length blue hair poked her head in. "Mr. Giles and Ms. Rosenberg?"
"Yes, come in." Giles beckoned. "May we help you?"
Tonks, holding a large stack of books walked unsteadily into the room and nearly knocked over a lamp trying to keep the pile from falling over. Giles quickly got up and took some of the book from her.
"Thanks." Tonks said. "My name's Tonks. General Hammond asked me to help you with your research."
"Oh, wonderful. We certainly could use another hand. Have a seat." Giles said warmly.
Tonks added her books to the piles and sat down, looking at the books strewn across the large table she sat before.
"I haven't seen you around." Willow commented. "Are you new here?"
Tonks nodded. "You didn't read the file?"
"We've had a lot on our plate." Giles confessed.
"I've been transferred here from the Ministry of Magic in London." Tonks informed them. "I'm part of a new muggle-wizard exchange program. They sent me here to help with infiltration of Goa'uld ships, although it seems I'm going to be helping in other areas too." Tonks said, eyeing the pile of books unhappily.
"Ministry of Magic?" Willow asked. "I thought it was just a coven."
"What?" Tonks asked incredulously. "We may not have the population of the United States but we certainly are more than a coven!"
"I think we may not be on the same page." Willow said. "Since when did Wicca have a governing body?"
"Oh you're a wicca!" Tonks exclaimed. "Wow, I've never met one before."
"There's more than just wicca magic?" Willow asked, confused.
"Oh yes, as far as I'm aware there are three types." Tonks confirmed. "There's wicca, wand magic, and Ninpo. Wicca draw their power from the world around them and don't use a wand. They are rare and in most cases have limited power, but the exceptions are vastly powerful. Wand users use wands as a way of channeling their own internal magic. We live segregated from the rest of the non-magical humans, who we call muggles. Most of us are pretty powerful, and it seems to be genetic in most cases."
"What's that last one you mentioned?" Giles asked.
"Ninpo." Tonks replied. "An extremely rare type of magic limited to ancient ninja clans. Like wand users, they channel their own power but don't use a wand to do it. As a result they are unable to perform most spells, only three or four." Tonks said. "All of them are very destructive and powerful, but lack much in the way of control, and are draining to perform."
"You know," Giles said thoughtfully. "You may have just provided the answer we are looking for." Giles grabbed a book near the bottom of the pile and flipped through it quickly, suddenly stopping and looking at a description. "The Dark Dragon Blade. An ancient weapon said to be made from the bones of the extinct Black Dragon. For thousands of years it has been lost, said to be protected by a powerful ninja clan that is bound to guard it for eternity. Through a series of rituals it is said that the wielder and the weapon merge and become the devil incarnate."
"That sounds like it could be it." Tonks said with a nod. "But where is it?"
"Well, if it's protected by a ninja clan we can assume somewhere is Asia." Willow reckoned.
"Oh wonderful." Giles murmured. "We've narrowed down the search to the largest land mass on the planet."
"The only thing I don't understand is if it will even work for Anubis." Tonks said thoughtfully. "I mean he's non-corporeal. He can't even hold the sword without his cloak on."
"We can't take the chance." Giles decided. "I will consult the remaining Watchers, see if they know anything. Why don't you two get some lunch."
Willow and Tonks got up and headed for the cafeteria. "So, tell me more about this wizarding world." Willow said.
~~~~~~~
Buffy emerged with Daniel and Dawn on the other side and looked around. The Stargate sat in a valley in which the beta site had been built. Around the small cluster of barracks and portable buildings lay a mountainous evergreen terrain. "This is an alien planet?" Buffy asked, evidently a little disappointed.
Daniel gave her a half smile. "Yeah, since most of the planets with a Stargate were designed for human or human like habitation, most of them resemble Earth."
The Stargate shut off, and Dawn shook her head as if trying to clear it. "Whoa, that things makes me feel weird." She said, adjusting her hat.
"Weird?" Buffy asked, a note of concern in her tone. "Weird how?"
"I dunno." Dawn answered. "I feel connected to it somehow."
"Hmm." Daniel said. "I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that before. Some people can sense the gate, but only because they have had naquadah added to their blood."
"Oh well, probably nothing." Dawn said, shrugging it off. "We should catch up."
Daniel nodded and led them to the congregation of Slayers that stood in front of the barracks building. Daniel walked to the front and faced them with Teal'c and Lt. Haley.
"Welcome to the beta site." Haley said, motioning around the clearing. "This facility was designed specifically for training SGC recruits. In the two weeks you're here, we'll be putting you through a wide variety of training."
"The training will not only prepare you to fight the Goa'uld, it will also give you the skills you need to survive in any battle situation." Daniel added. "Here you'll be trained in wilderness survival, helicopter insertion, basic first aid, and even a live fire battle training exercise using Intars."
"Despite your abilities you may find this training to be most tiring." Teal'c added.
Haley nodded. "Teal'c is right. We'll be running this on almost the same level as a special forces boot camp, which means lots of physical work and very little rest."
"Any questions?" Daniel asked. No one put their hand up. "Good, then we should get started."
"What, now?" Xander asked.
"Indeed." Teal'c said.
"We'll start today off with a five mile jog." Haley said. "Just follow us." Haley turned and started to jog alongside Daniel and Teal'c. Most of the Slayers groaned, but started to follow, and boot camp officially began.
~~~~~~~
"I'm bored." Jack whined. He, Harry, Ron and Hermione had completed their tour of the castle, pointing out to Jack the trick steps and nuances of the castle and had gone to the Great Hall for lunch. "No Goa'uld, no Spacemonkey or Carter to bug, no TV, no hockey..."
"Hockey?" Ron asked, and Harry shrugged.
Hermione snorted. "An idiotic muggle sport made up mostly of fighting."
Jack gasped. "You take that back, that's blasphemy! And you two, you don't know anything about hockey?"
Ron shook his head. "I grew up with wizards."
Harry shrugged. "Heard of it, don't know anything about it."
"But this is England. You guys spawned Canada for cryin' out loud!" Jack exclaimed. "And you're like next door neighbours with Russia! How can you know nothing of the greatest game on the planet."
"We just play Quidditch here." Harry replied. "That's the best game on the planet."
"You can't say that without ever having seen a hockey game." Jack countered.
"You can't say that without ever seeing Quidditch!" Harry shot back.
"Can too."
"Can not."
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Stop it!" Hermione burst out. "You're like a couple of five year olds."
"Girls just don't get sports." Harry and Jack muttered in unison.
Before Hermione could retort, Dumbledore appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "Colonel." He said. "May I have a minute?"
Jack nodded and got up. The two of them walked into the room behind the great hall where Harry and the other champions had met when his name came out of the goblet of fire two years ago. "Anyone have any extendable ears?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head and Hermione gave them both a scathing look. "Honestly you two. If it was something they wanted us to know, they would have invited us."
Meanwhile Dumbledore had closed the door and turned to Jack. "Colonel, I have a couple of matters to discuss with you. Firstly, I have been informed by Tonks that our allies are under the impression Anubis and possibly Voldemort are searching for some kind of artifact. Apparently Anubis needs it to complete his ascension."
"Okay, so what does that have to do with me?" Jack asked.
"That means their attention will be diverted." Dumbledore explained. "I was hoping that were you going to implement the defenses now would be the time to do it."
"Hide all the guns while their back it turned." Jack agreed. "Yeah I think I can manage that."
Dumbledore smiled. "Good, I was also hoping you could have it done before the term starts."
"Should only take a couple of days." Jack replied. "So what's the other matter?"
"Well I thought that since the Ministry has agreed to this exchange program it may be a good idea for us to do something to strengthen muggle- wizard relations right here in the school, as many wizards consider themselves above muggles." Dumbledore explained. "I'm afraid that as much as I know about the wizarding world, my experiences with muggles are rather limited. Would you have any suggestions?"
Jack broke into a smile. "How about muggle sports?"
End chap 14
So, can anyone guess what the event at Reno is? I'll give you a hint. It happens once a year at the end of August, and Reno is the only place in the world where this very dangerous sport (popular in the 1930s) still happens. To anyone who hasn't noticed, I seem to have crossed a bit into the realm of the new Ninja Gaiden game. This won't be a full blown cross, I just thought adding another magical element was cool and the Dark Dragon Blade fits the description of my artifact perfectly (plus I got the game for my b-day and have been playing it a lot). And for anyone wondering, Ryu Hayabusa will not be making an appearance. Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review!
Ruth: No, Dawn trapped everyone in the house by making Anya's vengeance demon friend cast a curse, which she had to repeal because she also trapped herself. Also, Tonks is back this chapter, so don't worry you'll hear from her.
Anyways, that's all so on with the chapter!
Chapter 14
Buffy returned to the room where they had been debriefed the day before with Dawn in tow and a big smile on her face. She had managed to stay sober enough to avoid a hangover, and she was still happy about having a normal date with a relatively normal guy, something she hadn't had in years. Most of the other Slayers and Scoobies had already arrived. Most were milling around guessing what today's little 'field trip' was. Buffy saw Xander, Faith and Robin at the back of the room and decided to head over and talk to them, while Dawn met up and talked with some of the other Slayers.
"Hey guys." Buffy greeted warmly.
Faith turned to look at her and smirked. "Hey B. How'd the date go last night, you get any?"
Buffy frowned. "Faith it was a first date."
"So I'm guessing no." Faith replied.
"How did you even know about it?" Buffy asked.
Faith shrugged. "Was pretty obvious. You two were like all over each other."
"Does everyone know we went on a date?" Buffy asked despairingly.
"Yep, pretty much." Xander replied, fixing her with his now unreadable gaze.
"What's the big deal B?" Faith asked. "Looks to me like you got yourself a nice catch. He's hot, plus he's breathing, something I guess you don't have a ton of experience with."
"Not true." Buffy answered pointedly. "I went out with Riley for a while."
"Wow, an astounding one for three." Xander replied mockingly.
Before Buffy could fire back a retort, the door opened and Lt. Haley, Daniel, and Teal'c walked in. "Good morning everyone." Daniel greeted, giving Buffy a quick smile. "Today, we're going to be doing something a little different."
"What does that mean?" Kennedy asked.
"We are going on a trip to a training site." Lieutenant Haley replied. "We'll be staying there for two weeks, during which we'll be running an intensive boot camp and training regimen. Judging from your previous performance, I'd be surprised if any of you have trouble with this, but when we're done you'll all be qualified to fight Anubis."
"So when do we leave?" Xander asked.
"We leave immediately, XanderHarris." Teal'c replied. "But first you must all be issued BDUs."
"BDUs?" Dawn echoed.
"Battle Dress Uniforms." Daniel clarified. "Just come with us and we'll get you fitted. You won't need to bring anything, everything will be provided for you when we get to the training base. Anyways, follow me and we'll get you all fitted." Daniel opened the door and stepped out into the hall, leading his large troop along with Teal'c and Lieutenant Haley downs the corridors of the SGC. After only a couple of turns they reached their location. Daniel opened the door and held it opens for his group. Buffy walked into the large room and realized it was both a laundry room and uniform outfitting room. Along one wall were racks and racks of dress uniforms, on-duty shirts and jackets, and what were unmistakably BDUs. The BDU seemed to be made up of a pair of what looked like hiking boots, loose fitting pants that could be suitable for colder weather, a long sleeve jacket, a black utility vest, and either a hat or a helmet.
"These men will help get you fitted." Daniel said, directing everyone's attention to several enlisted men who began talking to the girls then retrieving the appropriate size off the racks of BDUs. Once a girl had been given her BDU, she was directed to one of several dressing rooms to change.
One of the men came over, asked Buffy her height and shoe size, then returned a moment later with a BDU for her. Buffy took the change of clothes and went into one of the unoccupied dressing rooms. Buffy quickly took off her clothes, folding them into a neat pile and placing her shoes on top. She then pulled on the green pants and black t-shirt and laced up the new boots, which were surprisingly light given their look. Buffy pulled on the jacket, which was also quite comfortable and gave her complete range of motion, and sported a strange upside down V on one arm patch and a badge that said SG-X on the other. She then took a minute to examine the vest. Tapping on it, Buffy realized that other than being a utility vest, it contained plates of some kind of armor, but arranged them in such a way so she could still move freely. Buffy put on the vest and fastened the clips that held it tight to her, then threaded her hair, which she had tied in a ponytail, through the hole in her hat and examined herself in the mirror. Buffy was surprised how well the clothing fitted her, it was loose and left her free to move but didn't look too big for her. Buffy picked up her clothes and walked back into the fitting room, where one of the fitting men took her clothes for her.
Buffy looked around at the other Slayers, and was surprised by how much more professional they looked now, all dressed the same and ready for battle. Xander also looked very military. He was wearing the same clothes as then, except he had also received a pair of very cool looking sunglasses that hid his obsidian eyes. Daniel, Teal'c, and Lieutenant Haley were all wearing the same pants and jackets but not the vests.
Once everyone was ready, the group left and proceeded down the tunnels of the SGC. Once they reached the elevator, they were split into three groups, with Teal'c, Lt. Haley, and Daniel leading one respectively. Once everyone had made it onto level 28, Daniel led them down a few more corridors until they were standing in front of a large pair of blast doors.
"What is this?" Rona asked. "Is there a train we take to the base or something?"
"Something like that." Daniel answered. He swiped his card on the wall and the door slid up to reveal a large room that was dominated by a ramp that led to a large ring. The symbols along the outer edge of the ring were spinning, and five of the seven amber chevrons spread out along the ring were lit up. As they were watching, the symbols stopped spinning, and one of the unlit chevrons locked into place and let up. "Chevron six engaged." Came a booming voice through the loudspeakers. Daniel led the large group to the bottom of the ramp as the symbols stopped once again, and the last chevron locked into place. "Chevron seven, locked." Said the voice.
Buffy almost jumped back as a blast of what looked like water came flying out of the ring towards them, however it stopped and the pulled back in, settling into a gently rippling blue surface that resembled vertical water.
"So how far are we going on this little field trip?" Robin asked.
Daniel smiled. "About halfway across the galaxy. The Stargate is connected to the beta site right now, a full time training facility we have running. Just walk into the 'gate, there will be people on the other side waiting for you."
"Pretty cool eh Dawnie?" Xander asked, looking down at Dawn who was standing beside her.
But Dawn didn't answer, she was staring at the Stargate, totally mesmerized.
"Dawn?" Buffy asked, nudging her sister.
"Yeah. Sorry." Dawn mumbled in reply, not taking her eyes off the Stargate.
"Okay, let's get going." Lt. Haley said, walking up the ramp and standing at the event horizon. "Just walk right through."
The Slayers and Scoobies made their way up the ramp. Xander stopped at the top for a second, looking at the event horizon. He poked his finger into it, pulled it out, then shrugged and walked through. The other Slayers and Scoobies followed him through, followed by Teal'c and Lt. Haley. Soon the only ones left on the ramp were Daniel, Buffy and Dawn, who had yet to take her eyes of the 'gate.
"What's it like?" Buffy asked Daniel, looking in awe at the shimmering surface.
Daniel shrugged. "It's a piece of cake." He then took Buffy's hand and the three of them walked into the gate and off the planet.
~~~~~~~
Osiris, in her new Slayer body, knelt before the throne of Anubis. "My lord, I bring great news and an opportunity."
"You have changed hosts." Anubis declared. "For what reason?"
"My lord this is one of the Slayers I mentioned to you earlier." Osiris explained. "She possesses great strength and speed, and is far superior to a normal host."
"Impressive." Anubis answered. "You have done well Osiris. I assume this is the great news, what is the opportunity?"
"There is a large gathering of people in a desert on the same continent as the Stargate, in a place I believe the Tau'ri call Reno." Osiris informed him. "They are there for some kind of sporting event. It presents a tempting target for attack, and I have determined that the magically enhanced Tau'ri is not there."
"I have already determined that one Tau'ri alone cannot complete my task." Anubis replied dismissively. "He requires a long lost artifact of great power, one which we must help find. However it is believed to be somewhere on the Eastern continents."
"Should I prepare an attack my lord?" Osiris asked eagerly.
"Prepare a full aerial assault." Anubis commanded. "I want Reno leveled in two days time."
~~~~~~~
Hammond looked up from his paperwork at the sound of a knock at the door. "Come in."
The door opened and Tonks poked her head in. "You wanted to see me General?"
"Ah yes, Ms. Tonks. Come in, have a seat. How's life without magic?" Hammond asked warmly.
Tonks walked into the large office and took a seat in front of Hammond's desk. "It's very strange." She answered. "Seems like so much more work, but some of the things that technology has given you are incredible. I especially like the computer."
Hammond smiled and nodded. "Good to hear you're adjusting well. One of new staff members, Ms. Willow Rosenberg, said that Anubis will be searching for a magical artifact of some type. Apparently no one on the planet is quite powerful enough to complete his ascension."
Tonks nodded. "Yes sir. I agree with her, no one is quite powerful enough to do something like that."
"Ms. Rosenberg is under the impression that even she, the most powerful witch in the Western Hemisphere, would be unable to perform this without a specialized artifact."
Tonks thought for a moment. "I can't think of any off the top of my head."
Hammond nodded. "You've been brought up to speed on our new recruits I assume?"
"Yes sir." Tonks replied. "Quite amazing that I have never heard of Slayers. Well, I've heard of them but I always assumed it was just stories."
"Until the Slayers complete their training, I'm hesitant to send you into a potentially hostile situation." Hammond said.
"Sir I'd just like to point out that I'm a fully trained Auror and a Metamorphmagus. I can take care of myself." Tonks protested.
"Ms. Tonks I can't send you into any situation when you have no means to kill someone." Hammond replied sternly. "You're a very valuable asset, but I want you to work in collaboration with the Slayers. So until they have completed training, I would like you to assist Mr. Giles and Ms. Rosenberg in finding this artifact before Anubis does."
Tonks nodded dejectedly. "Yes sir."
Hammond smiled. "Don't worry Ms. Tonks, I won't keep you stuck in a library for long, but for now I think this is where you can help us the most."
Tonks nodded again. "I understand sir. I'll get started helping them."
Hammond nodded. "Dismissed." Tonks stood up and left the office, heading back to her quarters to get some books before she went to start on her new assignment.
~~~~~~~
Willow and Giles were discussing the artifact that Anubis was now looking for. "Well it can't be the Scythe." Willow said confidently. "I have a good idea what that thing is capable of."
"And I think we can count out Dawn as well." Giles added. "She's a dimensional gateway, and clearly that has no bearing here."
A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. The door creaked open and an attractive young woman with shoulder length blue hair poked her head in. "Mr. Giles and Ms. Rosenberg?"
"Yes, come in." Giles beckoned. "May we help you?"
Tonks, holding a large stack of books walked unsteadily into the room and nearly knocked over a lamp trying to keep the pile from falling over. Giles quickly got up and took some of the book from her.
"Thanks." Tonks said. "My name's Tonks. General Hammond asked me to help you with your research."
"Oh, wonderful. We certainly could use another hand. Have a seat." Giles said warmly.
Tonks added her books to the piles and sat down, looking at the books strewn across the large table she sat before.
"I haven't seen you around." Willow commented. "Are you new here?"
Tonks nodded. "You didn't read the file?"
"We've had a lot on our plate." Giles confessed.
"I've been transferred here from the Ministry of Magic in London." Tonks informed them. "I'm part of a new muggle-wizard exchange program. They sent me here to help with infiltration of Goa'uld ships, although it seems I'm going to be helping in other areas too." Tonks said, eyeing the pile of books unhappily.
"Ministry of Magic?" Willow asked. "I thought it was just a coven."
"What?" Tonks asked incredulously. "We may not have the population of the United States but we certainly are more than a coven!"
"I think we may not be on the same page." Willow said. "Since when did Wicca have a governing body?"
"Oh you're a wicca!" Tonks exclaimed. "Wow, I've never met one before."
"There's more than just wicca magic?" Willow asked, confused.
"Oh yes, as far as I'm aware there are three types." Tonks confirmed. "There's wicca, wand magic, and Ninpo. Wicca draw their power from the world around them and don't use a wand. They are rare and in most cases have limited power, but the exceptions are vastly powerful. Wand users use wands as a way of channeling their own internal magic. We live segregated from the rest of the non-magical humans, who we call muggles. Most of us are pretty powerful, and it seems to be genetic in most cases."
"What's that last one you mentioned?" Giles asked.
"Ninpo." Tonks replied. "An extremely rare type of magic limited to ancient ninja clans. Like wand users, they channel their own power but don't use a wand to do it. As a result they are unable to perform most spells, only three or four." Tonks said. "All of them are very destructive and powerful, but lack much in the way of control, and are draining to perform."
"You know," Giles said thoughtfully. "You may have just provided the answer we are looking for." Giles grabbed a book near the bottom of the pile and flipped through it quickly, suddenly stopping and looking at a description. "The Dark Dragon Blade. An ancient weapon said to be made from the bones of the extinct Black Dragon. For thousands of years it has been lost, said to be protected by a powerful ninja clan that is bound to guard it for eternity. Through a series of rituals it is said that the wielder and the weapon merge and become the devil incarnate."
"That sounds like it could be it." Tonks said with a nod. "But where is it?"
"Well, if it's protected by a ninja clan we can assume somewhere is Asia." Willow reckoned.
"Oh wonderful." Giles murmured. "We've narrowed down the search to the largest land mass on the planet."
"The only thing I don't understand is if it will even work for Anubis." Tonks said thoughtfully. "I mean he's non-corporeal. He can't even hold the sword without his cloak on."
"We can't take the chance." Giles decided. "I will consult the remaining Watchers, see if they know anything. Why don't you two get some lunch."
Willow and Tonks got up and headed for the cafeteria. "So, tell me more about this wizarding world." Willow said.
~~~~~~~
Buffy emerged with Daniel and Dawn on the other side and looked around. The Stargate sat in a valley in which the beta site had been built. Around the small cluster of barracks and portable buildings lay a mountainous evergreen terrain. "This is an alien planet?" Buffy asked, evidently a little disappointed.
Daniel gave her a half smile. "Yeah, since most of the planets with a Stargate were designed for human or human like habitation, most of them resemble Earth."
The Stargate shut off, and Dawn shook her head as if trying to clear it. "Whoa, that things makes me feel weird." She said, adjusting her hat.
"Weird?" Buffy asked, a note of concern in her tone. "Weird how?"
"I dunno." Dawn answered. "I feel connected to it somehow."
"Hmm." Daniel said. "I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that before. Some people can sense the gate, but only because they have had naquadah added to their blood."
"Oh well, probably nothing." Dawn said, shrugging it off. "We should catch up."
Daniel nodded and led them to the congregation of Slayers that stood in front of the barracks building. Daniel walked to the front and faced them with Teal'c and Lt. Haley.
"Welcome to the beta site." Haley said, motioning around the clearing. "This facility was designed specifically for training SGC recruits. In the two weeks you're here, we'll be putting you through a wide variety of training."
"The training will not only prepare you to fight the Goa'uld, it will also give you the skills you need to survive in any battle situation." Daniel added. "Here you'll be trained in wilderness survival, helicopter insertion, basic first aid, and even a live fire battle training exercise using Intars."
"Despite your abilities you may find this training to be most tiring." Teal'c added.
Haley nodded. "Teal'c is right. We'll be running this on almost the same level as a special forces boot camp, which means lots of physical work and very little rest."
"Any questions?" Daniel asked. No one put their hand up. "Good, then we should get started."
"What, now?" Xander asked.
"Indeed." Teal'c said.
"We'll start today off with a five mile jog." Haley said. "Just follow us." Haley turned and started to jog alongside Daniel and Teal'c. Most of the Slayers groaned, but started to follow, and boot camp officially began.
~~~~~~~
"I'm bored." Jack whined. He, Harry, Ron and Hermione had completed their tour of the castle, pointing out to Jack the trick steps and nuances of the castle and had gone to the Great Hall for lunch. "No Goa'uld, no Spacemonkey or Carter to bug, no TV, no hockey..."
"Hockey?" Ron asked, and Harry shrugged.
Hermione snorted. "An idiotic muggle sport made up mostly of fighting."
Jack gasped. "You take that back, that's blasphemy! And you two, you don't know anything about hockey?"
Ron shook his head. "I grew up with wizards."
Harry shrugged. "Heard of it, don't know anything about it."
"But this is England. You guys spawned Canada for cryin' out loud!" Jack exclaimed. "And you're like next door neighbours with Russia! How can you know nothing of the greatest game on the planet."
"We just play Quidditch here." Harry replied. "That's the best game on the planet."
"You can't say that without ever having seen a hockey game." Jack countered.
"You can't say that without ever seeing Quidditch!" Harry shot back.
"Can too."
"Can not."
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Stop it!" Hermione burst out. "You're like a couple of five year olds."
"Girls just don't get sports." Harry and Jack muttered in unison.
Before Hermione could retort, Dumbledore appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "Colonel." He said. "May I have a minute?"
Jack nodded and got up. The two of them walked into the room behind the great hall where Harry and the other champions had met when his name came out of the goblet of fire two years ago. "Anyone have any extendable ears?" Ron asked.
Harry shook his head and Hermione gave them both a scathing look. "Honestly you two. If it was something they wanted us to know, they would have invited us."
Meanwhile Dumbledore had closed the door and turned to Jack. "Colonel, I have a couple of matters to discuss with you. Firstly, I have been informed by Tonks that our allies are under the impression Anubis and possibly Voldemort are searching for some kind of artifact. Apparently Anubis needs it to complete his ascension."
"Okay, so what does that have to do with me?" Jack asked.
"That means their attention will be diverted." Dumbledore explained. "I was hoping that were you going to implement the defenses now would be the time to do it."
"Hide all the guns while their back it turned." Jack agreed. "Yeah I think I can manage that."
Dumbledore smiled. "Good, I was also hoping you could have it done before the term starts."
"Should only take a couple of days." Jack replied. "So what's the other matter?"
"Well I thought that since the Ministry has agreed to this exchange program it may be a good idea for us to do something to strengthen muggle- wizard relations right here in the school, as many wizards consider themselves above muggles." Dumbledore explained. "I'm afraid that as much as I know about the wizarding world, my experiences with muggles are rather limited. Would you have any suggestions?"
Jack broke into a smile. "How about muggle sports?"
End chap 14
So, can anyone guess what the event at Reno is? I'll give you a hint. It happens once a year at the end of August, and Reno is the only place in the world where this very dangerous sport (popular in the 1930s) still happens. To anyone who hasn't noticed, I seem to have crossed a bit into the realm of the new Ninja Gaiden game. This won't be a full blown cross, I just thought adding another magical element was cool and the Dark Dragon Blade fits the description of my artifact perfectly (plus I got the game for my b-day and have been playing it a lot). And for anyone wondering, Ryu Hayabusa will not be making an appearance. Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review!
