Title: Rebuilding
Disclaimer: I still don't own Buffy or Stargate. All characters will be returned the their proper owners when I finish playing with them.
"General Hammond?"
The General looked up from his desk.
"Come in Dr. MacKenzie. Take a seat. There may be a situation developing that needs your attention." Hammond leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk. "How much do recall about Col. O'Neill's psychological profile?"
"He had an intense loyalty to his team and he held himself personally responsible every time something happened to one of them. From his records, I would venture to say that after his son died and his marriage broke down, he basically substituted his team for his family."
"And if something threatened that his family?"
"I wouldn't want to get in his way." MacKenzie sized up the General. "This isn't an academic exercise is it?"
"No. Due to an unfortunate series of events, I may have endangered the life of his pregnant girlfriend. She was injured by a zat."
"Major Carter?"
"What?"
"I am aware of the base gossip sir. The Colonel's name wasn't linked to anyone else's before that last mission. I take it that he has revived?"
"No, the Colonel is still in stasis. It's his clone that I am worried about."
"I thought the clone had died."
"No, Thor was able to fix him. We let out that he died for his protection. Only the President, myself, Dr. Frasier, and SG-1 were aware that he survived."
"So, he starts a new life after losing his old one only to have his pregnant girlfriend shot and his new life possibly destroyed. Before I had some leverage when dealing with Col. O'Neill, he could be ordered to at least attend counseling. You can't order a civilian. You and everybody involved might want to consider leaving the planet."
"This is not a laughing matter."
"I realize that General. However, I don't see how I can help. You know as well as I do that O'Neill despised me and my profession, especially after I misdiagnosed Dr. Jackson. Seeing me will only make matters worse. The best suggestion I can give you is to keep your distance from him. If SG-1 wasn't directly involved with the incident, keep them around him. They'll provide a sense of security that he won't find with you or the base personnel in general."
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It had only taken eight minutes for Agents Riley and Sam Finn to reach the lobby. A nondescript man at the desk turned to greet them.
"I'm Agent Barrett. Your bill has been taken care and the car is waiting."
Riley and Sam followed him to a waiting limo.
"Nice perk."
"I need to brief you before we get to Dulles. I'll be staying in DC trying to track down the whereabouts of the leak."
"Any idea who it is?"
"It looks as if he or she may have been connected to Vice-President Kinsey."
Riley turned to his wife. "He was the senior civilian member of the Initiative advisory board. He was in agreement with Dr. Walsh about terminating Buffy."
"So was a chance to take care of unfinished business?"
"Lots of unfinished business. Kinsey has had it in for those running another top secret project for years. He attempted to remove the general in charge of the project at least three times that I am aware of and briefly succeeded twice. The resulting flack of the most recent attempt, which has been entirely behind the scenes, has pretty much killed his political future. I'm guessing that when he found out that they were interested in Miss Summers the temptation to get rid of her and/or them was too great to resist."
"So, where will we be headed?"
"You will be flying to Peterson Air Force Base. You will be met by Major Paul Davis who will escort you to Cheyenne Mountain."
"NORAD? You have Buffy locked up there? Are you nuts?"
"She's actually at another nearby base." Barrett leaned back against his seat. "Besides, its very secure base."
"Which probably explains why Xander contacted Willow for backup."
"Willow Rosenberg."
"Yes, and trust me, you do not want to cross her. Normally, she's a really sweet kid-a computer whiz with a thing for magic. A couple of years ago she got into some really dark stuff and when her girlfriend was killed she went off the deep end. She hunted down the guy that pulled the trigger. One of my former team members had been keeping an eye on events in Sunnydale. According to his sources, she literally skinned him alive and then went on a rampage."
"And then went on a rampage?" Barrett lost his color. "And she's not locked up?"
"Xander talked her down before she killed anyone else and one of her friends got her into rehab. The local authorities never found out since she incinerated the body so she was in the clear."
"But obviously you knew. So why is she still free?"
"I don't think there is a prison that could hold her, at least not a conventional one. Besides, she's more useful free than in prison. It's not like our government hasn't allowed similar things before."
"Agent Barrett, do you have any idea where Willow is?"
"She flew into Miami two weeks ago. She then headed to Daytona for a couple of days. We haven't been able to trace her movements after that."
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Faith was packing an overnight bag when Willow came in to her bedroom.
"So, B's in trouble?"
"Probably. Xander hasn't checked in with Giles since yesterday."
"So where are we headed?"
"Some military base in Colorado."
"Mmm, boys in uniform."
"Boys with guns. And probably holding Xander, Buffy, and her new boyfriend."
"B's got a new boyfriend? Since when?"
"Yesterday she did a two year tour of a hell dimension. She brought the guy back with her."
"So, bloodsucker? Demon?"
"Human."
Willow passed Faith a small packet.
"What's this? New ID?"
"Just in case the military types are on the lookout. We are going as sisters, Amy and Anna Sweet."
"Ah, Will, this photo might be a problem."
Willow grinned. "Already taken care of. Check the mirror."
"Cool. How long will it last?"
"A day or so unless I reverse the spell. I figure that the big problem will be the security at the airport. Too many civilians around if we get caught. Once we are in Colorado, I'll change us back."
A voice called up from downstairs. "Your taxi is here."
Faith grabbed her bag and followed Willow downstairs and out of the house.
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JT, Xander, and SG-1 had set up camp outside of the infirmary after Dr. Warner had banned them banned from the infirmary itself. He did promise to let them know as soon as Buffy stabilized. Carter had sent an SF for some chairs and coffee for the vigil.
Xander went into a light sleep fairly quickly, not finding the hard chair much of problem. JT held onto his cup of coffee, letting in grow cold as he stared at the infirmary door. Daniel attempted to talk to him on several occasions only back off as JT gave him a cold look. Carter didn't fare any better before she and Teal'c were called away to the General's office. Xander woke up as Dr. Warner opened the infirmary door.
"Miss Summers is stable and the fetus is doing well. She's asking for JT."
JT and Xander both rose but the doctor would only let JT in. "Only one visitor for now. Dr. Jackson, you and Mr. Harris might want to get some food or some sleep."