A/N: Thanks to: Lynsi, lakergirl, lolitaro, X5-467, nelita, luvspike/alec, and Khassa! You guys rock!

As for yer questions...I really don't know if Jensen Ackles is acting in Smallville...I really haven't seen him on the show... And in this story...Alec's one of Manticore's top soldier!!! Yeh! Go Alec!!!

Chapter Five: Truth

Rupert Giles paced in front of the group of Potential Slayers that were scattered around the living room, waiting for him to speak. Dawn sat among them, along with Andrew, Robin Wood, Willow, Xander, and Anya. All of them were wearing the same anxious expressions.

He had arrived in the Summers' home after conducting an incomplete research on the First Evil, only to find it empty of the current Slayers that was in need of the said information. Two current Slayers that were in grave danger. As he had read from one of the books he had kept safely under the shelter of the Magic Box, a certain ritual had to be performed before the First could be granted its full power. It was similar to a Summoning. No, it was a Summoning. A very difficult and complex Summoning that required very powerful magic. As far as he knew, the only magic that was capable enough of completing the ritual was dark magic. Even darker magic than the ones Willow had succumbed herself in a few months ago.

Unfortunately for him, the book had a sort of enchantment on it, wherein it vanishes into dust the minute you finish reading it. And he, not being that good at memorizations, was trying his best to recall the contents of the book.

"The ceremony entails a sacrifice," Giles said from memory. He had stopped pacing to look at his silent audience. "A sacrifice involving the blood of someone worthy enough."

"Buffy," Robin supplied, understandingly.

"Faith," Willow added, nodding. "Only a true Slayers' blood could be worthy enough."

"But that's where you're wrong," Giles said thoughtfully. "The Hellmouth is located in Sunnydale High, and it is firmly shut down by a sort of circular metallic disc. Am I right?"

"Right," Robin confirmed. As Sunnydale High's principal, he had committed to memory every inch of the school. The school that stood on top of the Mouth of Hell. The very reason on why Robin applied for the job. He was, what he called himself, a freelancer raised by his mother's Watcher. His mother was a Slayer. "It's embossed with several icons. I can't really remember what."

"I do," Xander said, with a slight shudder. He had once been hung above it once by a beautiful demon girl that used his blood to try to open the Hellmouth. The demon failed of course. "There's a star in the center of it, and their a triangle in the middle of the star. That's all I can remember."

Something clicked. "That's it!" Giles exclaimed, clapping his hands together in anticipation. "That star is known as the Pentacle. A symbol considered both divine and magical. It is the sign of beauty and perfection of the sacred feminine. Probably the reason why they need women to be sacrificed. Somehow, the Pentacle inscribed on the Hellmouth is acting as a keyhole. And they will use the blood of women as the key to open the Hellmouth."

"What's the ceremony called?" Willow asked, interestedly.

"The ritual is called the Trimmagetron. The Blood of Three." He paused and looked up into the terrified faces of the Potentials. "They need one more."

"The questions is," Robin said, his gaze roaming around the sea of slayers. "Who?"

It was then that Anya, the ex-vengeance demon, spoke up for the first time. She had remained silent all throughout the entire conversation, which, in Giles' book, was an impregnable feat. "They already have the third sacrifice." She said in an exasperated tone, as if they should've known this all along.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Giles yelped, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets. Maybe she was still a vengeance demon. Good glory, he almost had a heart attack there. "Who?"

"A chimera," Anya said matter-of-factly. "You know, those supersoldiers you see on TV?"

"Chimera?" Giles echoed blankly. He didn't watch a lot of TV, not anymore, anyway. He found nothing useful within that box of entertainment that everyone seemed to have taken a liking to. He relied more on books, written hard copies that spoke of nothing but the truth. The media of today's generation seemed to focus more on lies and rumors, and gossips. All of which that he, a man of old age, had no use of.

"Transgenics," Willow said, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Their on international news. They're supposedly very dangerous."

"Wait," Xander said to his ex-fiancée. "How do you know all of this?"

"I have my sources," Anya said haughtily.

"Why would they want a transgenic?" Robin wondered out loud, looking as confused as Giles felt. But just about.

"I suspect that there is a rivalry between these chimeras and the Breeding Cult," Giles said. "They call themselves the 'Familiars'."

"Aha!" Xander exclaimed. "That's it! Those Familiar guys! They're in charge of getting rid of the transies!"

"Are these," Giles paused uncertainly. "—transies, good, or bad?"

"They used to be bad," Willow said, shrugging. "But they aren't now."

"Good enough for me," Giles said, standing up and heading over to the chest in which Buffy kept all her weapons. A few Potentials perked up as he threw it open revealing a numerous assortment of swords, crossbows, and daggers. "Take your pick, everybody. We're heading out."

Alec stared down expressionlessly at the lifeless body of Ames White. A pool of blood surrounded his head, the neatly-placed bullet hole a perfect circle on the middle of his forehead. His scarlet robes intermingled freely with the Familiar's blood, and Alec savored in the horrendous sight.

White was right, he was a killer. He may not be proud of it, but that was what he was made to be. It was in his genes. It was what he was trained to do. And look where that brought you. A taunting voice mocked in the back of his head as memories of Rachel flooded into his thoughts. You killed Rachel...

"You killed him," a shocked voice said from behind him. He spun around to see the two unconscious bodies of the thugs White had brought with him. Buffy's hazel-brown eyes were wide with revulsion as she shook her head slowly. "I can't believe it."

"With good reason," Alec said flatly.

"Does that even matter?" Buffy asked, angrily. "You just ended that man's life. He may not be an innocent, but he may have a family waiting for him at home. Kids waiting for their father whose never coming back to them."

Alec laughed mirthlessly. "He killed his own wife," he said, recalling what Max had told him, months ago when she had one of her infamous encounters with White. "And would've sacrificed his own son as well, if it wasn't for Max."

Buffy said nothing.

It was Spike who spoke up. "You're one of them transgenics, aren't you?"

"Glad to know that I'm recognized," Alec said wryly, not surprised. They were after all, on worldwide news. Fame seemed to have been popular in Terminal City. It seems that they couldn't get enough of their gorgeous faces.

"Transgenic?" Buffy repeated vacantly, confusion evident on her face.

"Do you not watch the news, pet?" Spike asked incredulous and amused at the same time.

"I don't have time for TV," Buffy snapped impatiently.

"They're genetically enhanced supersoldiers," Spike supplied helpfully. "I saw the barcode on the back of his neck."

"Explains the killing spree then," Buffy said disgustedly.

Alec reigned in his temper, and replied in a calm voice. "I didn't choose to be what I am," he said. "I grew up in a military base, Buffy. I knew nothing of the world outside. All I knew was that if I didn't follow orders, I'd be taken away to be dissected."

"Dissected?" Buffy echoed, paling.

"If a tool doesn't work the way you want it to, you take it apart to find the inaccuracy." Alec replied emotionlessly. He didn't like to be reminded of his past life as it brought back too many horrific memories. Too many.

Buffy was silent.

"People change, I guess." She suddenly said, refusing to meet his gaze. "But you know what they say, you're past always catches up to you. Tonight, must be one of those moments." She smiled at Alec. It was restrained, but nevertheless, it was genuine. And that was enough for him.

"So," Alec said, much more cheerful than before. "Are you going to tell me anything about yourself?"

Buffy smiled again. "Maybe later. But right now, we gotta find our friends."

"I think I know where they are," Spike said. "Sunnydale High. That's where the Hellmouth is."

"Hellmouth?" This time, it was Alec's turn to be confused.

"We'll explain on the way," Buffy said, preparing to leave. "We don't have much time left."

A/N: To all of you who have read Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", I think you'd know where I got the whole Pentacle thing. :-) And I made some of the Trimmagetron stuff up...anywayz, please review!!!