Title: Rebuilding
Disclaimer: I still don't own Buffy, Stargate, or Angel. All characters will be returned the their proper owners when I finish playing with them.
Xander and Faith headed towards the briefing room with one of the SFs as an escort.
"Ya know Xander, with all the cute guys here maybe I should rethink my career options," Faith's voice trailed off they turned the corner and saw a couple more men in BDU's.
"Don't think so Faith."
"Huh?"
"The military has a rule about fraternization."
"How would you know?"
"The Halloween that I spent as military guy."
"Okay so, I learn the rule."
"The rule is no messing around with anyone in your chain of command. And since we both know how well you follow the rules, you might want to think twice about enlisting. Do you really want to see the inside of a military prison?"
"Killjoy. Still, maybe I can get assigned to our Colorado branch, let Kennedy do a tour in Cleveland."
"You hate the baby slayers that much?"
"No, I hate Kennedy that much."
"Don't say that within Will's hearing."
"Bloom's off that romance. Why else would I be here?"
-----
In the briefing room, the introductions were shorter this time. Faith was to busy ogling Teal'c (no one even bothered to try the 'Murray' alias) and Dr. Jackson to pay much attention. As she would comment later, she was just the muscle, Xander could do the talking.
"Faith..." the general paused.
"Just Faith. I'm one of the last of the old-style slayers."
"Old style?"
"The Council used to remove Potentials from their families. Dropping your family name, just part of the drill."
"I see."
"Besides, there's this whole coolness factor. Cher, Madonna."
"Charo." The last comment was from Teal'c.
There were several people snickering when Xander suddenly closed his eyes.
"Ah, crap. Willow's pissed again."
-----
Willow and Riley left the infirmary after conferring with Dr. Warner. Two SFs trailed at a discrete distance.
Willow spoke softly to Riley. "I think the doctor's underestimating Buffy. We can probably get her out of here by tomorrow."
"I don't know Willow. She looks pretty wrung out."
"I've seen her come back from worse. Once, Angel nearly drained her and she was on her feet the next day."
"What!"
"He'd been poisoned, the only cure was a slayer's blood. Buffy pretty much forced him to drink her. Anyhow, the next day she was back at school planning to how to stop the mayor's ascension, a little shaky but mobile."
Their conversation was cut short as they reached the end of the corridor and the SFs got closer as they waited for the elevator to open. When it did, they got an unpleasant surprise when Colonel McNamara, formerly of the Initiative, stepped out. An onlooker would have been hard pressed to say who was more surprised but it was McNamara who found his voice first.
"Well if it isn't the anarchist and the little witch. No magic gourd this time? And where is the rest of your band of misfits? I'm glad to see that you're under already under guard." McNamara spoke to the closest SF. "You are taking them to a holding cell?"
One of the SF's spoke up. "I'm sorry, sir. I have orders to bring them to the general's briefing room."
"Who gave you those orders airman?"
"Major Davis, sir."
"Well, airman, Colonel O'Hare is ordering you to escort them to the brig."
"Colonel?"
"Do you have a problem with that order?"
"No sir."
The Colonel missed the warning signs of impending disaster as Willow's hair began to darken. Riley did not and tried to diffuse the situation.
"Sir, I don't think you understand the situation sir. General Hammond is aware of Miss Rosenburg's presence on the base."
"Oh, I think I do understand Agent Finn. You are in the company of a civilian insurrectionist, in one this country's most secure facilities. I didn't agree with letting you return to the military after the Sunnydale affair."
Riley, I'll take care of this.
Willow?
Yep. Just make sure our 'escorts' don't get in the way.
"You should have been shot for treason or sentenced to spend the rest of your life in a military prison. You're a loose ..."
What are you...
Riley's mind stopped for a minute. Fortunately, the guards were also having trouble processing what they had just seen so it really didn't matter. They had seen some weird stuff since being posted to the SGC but this was above and beyond. It wasn't every day they saw a colonel in the United States Marine Corps become a small, yapping, grey dog. Shorthaired of course.
As the small dog struggled to extricate itself from its former uniform, it continued yapping.
Willow knelt near the dog and tried to pick it up. After it lunged and tried to take a bite out of her, she conjured a muzzle on it. Grabbing the squirming ratdog, she stood. "I think its time I met the General. Uh, guys?"
"The briefing room is this way. I can't believe you did that."
"I don't fancy seeing the inside of a cell. Do you? Besides, I owe him for Oz. I'll turn him back, eventually."
As they stepped into the elevator, the witch's hair rapidly returned to its normal hue.
----
"Mr. Harris?" When the young man failed to respond, the general repeated himself.
"Sorry. A bit of information overload. Willow and Riley just had a run in with Colonel McNamara."
"There's no Colonel McNamara on this base."
"Well, that's the name he went by in Sunnydale. Fiftyish, greying hair, just under six feet tall, arrogant S.O.B. He headed up the Initiative after Professor Walsh was killed. I didn't realize he made it out. Sam?"
"Riley and Graham were told he was killed in action."
"Apparently he has friends in high places." The general knew he was getting an ulcer. "And how do you know he's here?"
"Willow. She's kind of telepathic."
"Telepathic?"
"She's not really telepathic so if you're worried about her eavesdropping into your mind, don't be. It's more of a projection of her thoughts. Most people need to be very close even to be on the receiving end. Her connection with Buffy and I is unusually strong so we don't need to be as close to 'hear' her."
"So she doesn't actually read minds?"
"She can if we want her to, we have to think at her. She's very careful about not opening mind her mind too much. A few years ago we found out about the downside of being truly telepathic. A friend nearly went mad because she couldn't block out other people's thoughts. Humans aren't able to cope with all the static."
Hammond filed the information away for a future time. At the moment, he was more concerned about the identity of the Initiative leader and what action Miss Rosenburg might take.
"GeneralHammond, Colonel O'Hare fits XanderHarris' description."
Hammond been certain that during his absence from the SGC Kinsey had taken the opportunity to put his own people in place. A number new personnel were brought in while Dr. Weir had been in charge. Most of them had been just as rapidly transferred out when he returned but O'Hare was one that he hadn't been able to remove. With Colonel O'Neill out of commission, he had been under intense pressure to keep the colonel on. Now he might just have the proof he needed to have him removed.
"Hi guys."
Willow, Riley, and two SFs entered the briefing room. Willow held a small chichuahua in her arms.
"What's that dog doing here?"
"You're in charge here?" Willow set the dog down on the table. When he looked to bolt, she glared at it. The dog sat down, growling behind its muzzle.
"I'm General Hammond."
"Well, this dog is one of the Initiative's finest." With a wave of her hand, she turned the dog back into a Marine, albeit one with a muzzle and nothing else on. "Oops, forgot the clothes." She wasn't, however, inclined to provide any.
Xander rolled his eyes while Faith took a brief look at the furious, naked colonel.
"Well, that's a disappointment."
Daniel and Major Carter were finding it difficult not to laugh at her comment. They both detested the man for his overbearing attitude and this certainly would take him down a few notches.
General Hammond ordered the SFs to remove O'Hare/McNamara from the room and find him some clothes after placing him in a holding cell.
"I don't suppose you'd care to tell me how you did that?"
"I'm a witch. I used magic. And no," she said as she saw the blonde woman open her mouth, "I'm not going to explain any further. So, I'm going to assume that you didn't know about the colonel."
"I had my suspicions that he was a plant but no proof. I still don't have the proof."
Xander spoke up. "General, I'm pretty sure that if you examine that tape closely you'll probably find your proof."
"Perhaps. At least I have probable cause to have him locked up for now." He looked at the assembled group. "Miss Rosenburg, I understand that you wanted to speak to Dr. Warner."
"Riley and I spoke to him before McNamara turned up. Warner thinks that Buffy will be okay. I'd like to get her out of here as soon as possible. The colonel may not be the only danger to her here."
"I assure you that Miss Summers is in no danger."
"So says the man who had my friends shot." Willow glared.
Support for the beseiged general came from an unexpected source.
"Will, Xander explained that he was fed bad intel."
"Faith, I appreciate that he used what he thought was non-lethal force, but it was still his decision that put Buffy's baby in jeopardy. The sooner we are out of here the happier I'll be."
"And the safer everyone else will be."
"I heard that Xander."
"Faith's right, don't be so hard on him. No permanent harm was done. Buffy and the baby are going to be okay. But you are right about leaving here. JT is not a happy camper and I'm betting that he'll want to get out Buffy out of here as soon as possible."
An airman interrupted the meeting, handing a message to General Hammond.
"Agent Finn, are you aware of an 'impending apocalypse' in LA?" He passed the note to Finn.
"No, sir. Willow?" He read the brief note.
"There's nothing scheduled for another five years."
Carter leaned over to Daniel, "a scheduled apocalypse?"
"Maybe JT can explain it," he whispered.
"Our seers think it has something to do with Wolfram & Hart."
"Deadboy's at it again. Riley can I hitch a ride?"
"Sure. General, can we requisition some transport to LA?"
"Yes, but can you explain what's going on?"
"Willow?"
"You go on ahead, I'll fill them in. How about I meet you at the Hyperion?"
"That'll do. Sam, Xander, Faith, you're with me. Sir." The four left the room.
"Miss Rosenburg, will you explain what's going on?"
"Wolfram & Hart is a demonic law firm. If you ever wondered how some people could get away with just about anything, they probably had Wolfram & Hart on retainer. Angel, or as Xander likes to call him, Deadboy, is the current CEO and an old boyfriend of Buffy's. He has a mixed record. He's helped save the world and tried to destroy it. It used to depend on whether or not he had a soul at the time. He worked with us in '97 to save the world only try to send it to hell a year later after he lost his soul. Buffy saved the world by that time by sending him to hell instead. When he came back, he had his soul again and helped us stop another big bad in '99. After that, he went to LA and started Angel Investigations, fighting the good fight. A year ago, he was offered Wolfram & Hart. We don't know why he took it but after that, we just didn't trust him or any of his associates."
"And you think that he's trying to end the world again?"
"If he's lost his soul again, yes. And as the head of Wolfram & Hart he'd have the resources to do it. "
"Can he be stopped?"
"Probably. As I said, Buffy stopped him once before. Faith is almost as good and she's got more back up than Buffy did. If he still has a soul, it could be that things may have just spun out of control. In that case, the odds just got even better."
"You're serious aren't you?"
"This isn't the first apocalypse we've tried to stop and it probably won't be the last. We've lost a lot of people over the years and we will lose more. We may laugh and make jokes about it but we know what the stakes are."
"I see."
"I doubt it. Our world is something that most people need to see before they can believe and even then they try find ways not to believe. You've only seen a very small portion of our world and even now do you believe what you have seen? Or are you trying to find scientific reasons for everything?"
"Point taken."
"Dr. Jackson, I've read some of your work and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to spend some time with you. Maybe the Council can arrange to borrow you from time to time. If your early work is an indication of your potential, we'd really like you on board even if only on parttime basis." She turned back to the general. "I'd appreciate it if you'd let Buffy know where we are heading. Oh, and by the way, you do realize that the guy with the mark of Apophis isn't quite human don't you?"
With that, Willow disappeared.
"Well, that was interesting."