Rating:PG-13
Chapter 23 - Balance
An almost imperceptible choppiness of the water level in the reservoir was the only sign three gliders were floating near it's ground and carefully rising towards the far end of the machinery which was distilling water from the underground river. The infrared sensors didn't show any living creatures in the factory, so the the ships abandoned the water and landed on a metal platform close to the exit which was one of the few places that wasn't covered by a web of pipes. In case they'd need to escape from the base they'd be able to reach the gliders within a few seconds. However a large pump was still hiding the ships from the sight of an accidental visitor of the hall.
According to the informations the Tok'ra gave them, the objective of their mission was in one of two laboratories somewhere to the south from the reservoir. It was a terminal with access to the main network Anubis used to communicate with his troops and ships. They hoped one of the databases will also contain informations about the set and it's purpose. Knowing the strength of Anubis army and locations of his other bases also wouldn't hurt.
Fortunately the corridor next to the reservoir was lacking any Jaffa and they got close to the lab without being noticed. However the room itself was protected by at least ten guards and there was no way they could defeat them without alerting the whole base.
"Any idea how we get rid of those guards?" Jack asked, observing the group of Anubis's soldiers, hidden behind one of the golden columns.
"What's up with the Goa'uld and the torches?" Buffy shook her head, watching the trays filled with some kind of burning material and not understanding why they use fire in a hi-tech base.
"Well, the first law the System Lords agreed on was that every Jaffa in every ship or base has the right to have a fireplace for his private barbecue." Daniel announced. "What? Is Jack the only one who can make silly inappropriate comments about the Goa'uld?", he added.
"Hey! My quips are cool." Jack objected.
"That's what you think." Faith poured oil on the flame.
"Guys." Buffy cut in. "I just meant that with so many torches, there has to be a first-rate ventilation system or we would soon suffocate. And perhaps one of the ventilation shafts leads to the lab."
"Our maps show the laboratories are completely isolated from the rest of the base's systems." Carter studied the holographic map the Tok'ra gave them. "There is only one way - we have to cut off the communication between these guards and the barracks. I think I can disable the switch controlling this part of the base."
"Ok, Carter and Daniel will destroy the control terminal. Teal'c and Buffy will take care of the guards here and I'll go with Faith to the other lab." Jack ordered.
"Bad idea." Buffy objected. "You should go with Teal'c and I'll go with Faith. You two are not used to work together."
"One slayer and one soldier in both groups is more effective." Jack explained his decision.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Buffy shrugged.
Faith and Jack left to the second research area, carefully looking for any soldier strolling through the corridors, but they soon realized the hallways were abandoned. The Jaffa probably took for granted no one would get so deep into the base without being noticed. They reached the other lab sooner then they expected and waited for Sam and Daniel to tell them they can attack.
"You should use a little less flaring clothes." Jack dropped a hint, studying Faith's black leather pants and jacket.
"Whereas your green outfit really blends with the golden hallways old man." Faith returned.
"At least it's practical." Jack objected. "And stop calling me that."
"We've switched off the communications." Daniel's voice put an end to their conversation. "We'll watch the entrance to this block in case another patrol would appear."
Teal'c, Buffy, Jack and Faith stationed themselves close to the Jaffa, who were still unaware of their presence and attacked the both groups at the same time. The guards were so surprised they lost half men before they fired a single shot and the rest was soon forced to fall back to the labs. Faith kept firing at the opened door to give Jack cover while he sneaked towards the entrance. He took out a Goa'uld grenade and threw it into the room, meanwhile Buffy and Teal'c did the same. A bright flash of white light and the sound of bodies falling to the ground indicated the way was free.
"We've found the terminal." Teal'c stated after he made sure all Jaffa were unconscious. Carter and Daniel quickly returned to the first lab to search the database, while Faith and Jack inspected the second room. Unlike the corridors, the room was lit by a sphere suspended from the ceiling. In the middle of the room was a metal bed shaped as a human body, with attached handcuffs and a few shreds of green cloth lying on it. An empty container the Goa'uld usually used to transport the symbionts was placed next to the wall. Faith spotted pieces of fingernails sticking out of the edges of the metal bed. She examined the edges closer and noticed there were scratches filled with dried blood.
Jack picked up one of the green scraps that had a writing on it. "Rob." Jack read the label. "Carter?", he used his radio to call Sam, "Can you check if there are any prisoners in the base? I think our friend Roberts is here somewhere."
"Wait a minute sir." Carter replied and began to browse the files. It took her a while to find what she was looking for. "There is a reference to an experiment. Anubis apparently tried to combine a vampire with a symbiont, probably to make them even stronger and to use them as hosts. The last test subject was Roberts and it seems he was the only who survived the merger."
"Great." Jack snorted. "That guy was a pain in the ass as a human and now he is some kind of super vampire snake head."
"We've finished downloading the files." Carter informed him. "We have the locations of two other Anubis's strongholds and also the names of worlds where he plans to recruit new soldiers. Quortoth and Pylea. I've never heard of them but the Tok'ra will hopefully know their stargate addresses."
Buffy froze as soon as she heard the two names. So Anubis didn't want just the demons from Earth, he planned to open portals to different dimensions and use them to bring here their armies. That's why the blood of the Key was so important for him. It didn't explain why there were two Earths though. Buffy made a mental note to beat the crap out of Whistler if he doesn't tell her what the heck was going on.
"Leave to the reservoir and wait for us there." Jack ordered. "Faith we should get out of here before someone will notice the guards are not responding and check the communication.", he added. "Faith?" Jack turned around to find out Faith was gone.
"Damn it!" Jack swore. Jaffa and slayers. They're all the same. They all have this stupid melodramatic revenge thing going on. "Carter, you better hurry." he called the others. "I'm afraid the snakes will soon find out they have some uninvited guests."
"What happened O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.
"What should I say? I've sort of lost my faith in the theory that says we won't be detected." Jack quipped.
"I'll help you find her." Buffy suggested as soon as she realized Faith went after Roberts. If they were in a graveyard and he was just a vampire she would sit down and make bets on how long it will take her to stake him, but this was a completely different situation and she was afraid her sister slayer will lose control and make a mistake.
"Negative." Jack disagreed. "You're not a pilot and if Faith gets hurt, who will fly the glider? Carter will pilot the second ship and you'll leave with her now. That's an order." Jack decided and switched off his transmitter to be able to concentrate on his surroundings.
"I don't have to follow his orders." Buffy stated, not ready to give up so easily. "I'm going anyway."
"Buffy Summers." Teal'c addressed the blond slayer. "Don't you think Faith didn't ask for your help because she needs to face Colonel Roberts alone?"
"No Teal'c." Buffy shook her head angrily. "She went after him alone, because she is stubborn and pig-headed as I used to be and it will get her killed. I have to help her."
"I'm afraid that's not an option anymore." Daniel announced after he peeped into the hallway and put a new magazine into his P-90. "They're coming."
Teal'c threw away his weapon and run to his glider. He jumped into the cockpit, activated all systems and flew the ship close to the entrance to the reservoir. Buffy, Daniel and Sam realized what he was about to do and quickly left the area near the door. Hidden behind large pipes which covered most of the floor they waited for Anubis's soldiers. As soon as the Jaffa appeared in the passage, Teal'c started to fire at them from the glider's cannons and didn't give them a chance to get inside.
Faith walked through one of the halls, carefully watching shadows in every corner. She knew Roberts or possibly some other vampire was close. The feeling Giles always described as a slight tingle was now roaring like a bull in her head. Besides Buffy, Faith was the only slayer able to sense demons without seeing them. She wondered if Willow's spell didn't make the other slayers somehow weaker then they should be.
Faith knew leaving Jack and looking for Roberts wasn't dangerous only for her but for the rest of the team as well and she hoped SG-1 will be able to stop Buffy from helping her, because she wanted to fight Roberts alone. Faith had never promised to anyone to go after the murderers of her friends, she hadn't sacrificed a sheep and hadn't sworn a bloody revenge to the gods of slushy involutions, but she felt she owed his death to Lin and Tsu, their parents and also herself.
Faith got inside another hall which was about twenty meters wide and long, was lit by torches and looked like a bigger version of the laboratory she left a few minutes ago. She walked to one of the empty beds and the storage tank standing next to it, but before she reached it, she heard the door she used to enter the hall close. Faith ran back and tried to open it but there was no control panel on this side of the wall.
"Welcome Faith." a voice echoed through the dim lit space of the hall. "You have no idea how glad I am you're here. This place is incredibly boring."
"Better be bored then dead." Faith replied, looking around and trying to figure out where exactly the sound was coming from. "Whoops. I forgot you're both."
"I was hoping we won't skip the insult-your-enemy part of the fight." Roberts laughed, stepping from the shadows right behind Faith and morphed into game face. "It will make killing you much more entertaining."
Faith turned around and tried to aim at him, but he grabbed her weapon and with a force no vampire ever possessed he wrenched it away from her hands and threw it against the nearest wall. Faith was stunned when she saw the impact distorted the almost unbreakable alloy the ASW was made of. She punched her opponent in the face several times, but it was like hitting a concrete wall and he didn't even flinch. Roberts caught her arm, twisted it behind her back and thrust her towards the wall. Faith used the kinetic energy to partially run up the wall and then she used a somersault to get behind him.
"Nice." Roberts smirked and clapped his hands, faking enthusiasm. "But I think we're forgetting something. You didn't tell me why you left behind the rest of your team and risked to come here. Still angry the poor Colonel killed those two slayers? Don't you realize he doesn't control this body anymore?"
"Just another reason to kill you." Faith snorted. "I'm a slayer. We kill your kind."
"Of course." Roberts laughed, finding her statement quite amusing. "You have always been an exemplary slayer, right Faith? You know, the others told me a lot about you. It's interesting how many times I heard the word 'murderer' when they described you."
Faith ran towards him and jumped into a flying kick, which Roberts easily ducked. As soon as Faith landed on the floor he caught one of her legs and tried to pull her closer. Faith expected this move, jumped again and kicked him into his temple with her other leg. He staggered a little, yet he quickly recovered and blocked the next kick aimed at his stomach. He threw a punch at Faith's head and even though she was fast enough to block it, the force behind the blow was so great it knocked her down. Faith rolled backward and stood up quickly, ready to keep fighting, but Roberts didn't continue his attack.
"She came to Sunnydale when she was sixteen. In the beginning she was fighting alongside Buffy and her friends, but she soon turned against them and joined the mayor." Roberts paused for a moment and then continued. "When she woke up from coma, Buffy was ready to help her, but Faith decided to have a little fun with Buffy's mother instead. That was my favorite part.", he added. "After she had escaped from prison, she joined the Sunnydale crew and trained the potential slayers. The first thing she taught them was how to get drunk and how to kick out their leader out of her own house. I think I'm beginning to like you."
"To get rid of Buffy wasn't my decision." Faith mumbled.
"I see." Roberts grinned maliciously. "Staying behind and just watching what's happening doesn't make you responsible, right? I guess your first watcher knows a lot about that. It's a pity she is too decomposed to share this wonderful experience."
Faith charged at him once more and Roberts pinned her against the wall. Using only his right arm he grabbed her throat and lifted her body so her feet couldn't reach the floor. Faith kicked him several times, without causing any real damage.
"And now?" Roberts leaned closer to Faith and whispered. "You think the situation is different, because you have changed. You think that people care about you, because you started to care about them, which is the greatest example of naivety I have ever heard of. News flash Faith. No matter what you do or how many times you help them, they'll always see you as the murderous bitch who tried to kill them."
Faith faked a punch directed at Roberts's eye, used the distraction to grip the thumb on his right hand and twisted it until she heard the bone crack. Roberts roared in pain, released her throat and wanted to punch her, but Faith was fast enough to avoid his fist and he only hit the hard wall. Faith delivered a high kick aimed at his armpit that would dislocate the shoulder of any average vampire, but once again her opponent proved to have much better endurance so she moved away a few steps and got into a fighting stance.
"Does this heap of shit have a point or are you just so stupid to think I'll join your side?" Faith spit out, breathing heavily. She didn't want to show any weakness, but she knew she had to come up with a plan soon. Roberts was stronger and also a little faster then she was. The Goa'uld inside him obviously sped up his healing rate, because the thumb she broke only a minute before was already fully functional, whereas her own body hurt all over.
"You should if you want to live." Roberts shrugged. "These people you call friends, they won't choose you Faith. They'll never choose you. So why do you keep fighting us?"
All of a sudden Faith got an idea how to kill him. Why didn't she think of it sooner? When you don't have a stake, use the second most effective means - fire. She ran to one of the torches, ripped it out of it's post and threw it at her enemy with all force she had left. The torch hit Roberts in the chest, missing his heart by an inch and he easily removed it. Meanwhile Faith got another two torches and was now holding one in each hand and circling Roberts.
"Because stopping now means I haven't learned anything." Faith replied with a glimpse of smile on her lips. "Are we going to finish this or what?"
"One thing you should know about the Goa'uld Faith." Roberts took out a Goa'uld hand weapon and aimed at her. "We're not into fair play."
A shockwave spread from Roberts's arm and sent Faith flying backwards before she had a chance to react. She dropped both torches and hit hard the wall behind her. The impact was so strong she almost lost consciousness and she felt her right arm was probably broken. With a clouded vision and not enough force to move away she saw the Goa'uld aim at her again and then ... he was knocked down by a stream of bullets.
Jack ran to Faith, helped her regain her footing and quickly dragged her out of the hall. He noticed the Goa'uld was still alive and the large amount of metal in his chest didn't seem to bother him. Jack fired at him again, but it only slowed down his recovery.
"He is a vampire." Faith reminded Jack. She took two of Jack's grenades, threw them into the room and hit the control button, closing the door. The corridor shook when the grenades detonated, but when Faith opened the door again she couldn't see Roberts anywhere. She doubted he was killed by the explosion and because they didn't have time or the necessary firepower to finish him, she at least destroyed the panel operating the door to make sure he wouldn't follow them. Supporting Faith's left arm, Jack carefully led them back to the reservoir.
"Are you going to be ok?" Jack asked, watching Faith's condition.
"Give me five minutes and I'll be good as new." Faith replied. "Thanks old man."
"Please remind me. Why am I helping you?" Jack shook his head in irritation.
"Because one day when you'll be too old to fight and your legs too weak to support your body, you'll be sitting in a comfortable armchair near the fireplace in your villa, sipping hot chocolate from your favorite mug and surrounded by a dozen of your friend's annoying grandchildren, you'll need something to brag about. That day you'll tell them with a great pride in your voice: I was there and I helped that crazy bitch to win a war."
"None of my friends has grandchildren." Jack stated, walking to the corner and making sure there were no Jaffa in the next corridor.
"So not the point." Faith smirked. "Perhaps you and Carter should work something out. Unless you have problems with your..."
"You finish that sentence and I swear I'll leave you here."
"Just trying to help." Faith apologized and followed Jack. They both were a little surprised there were no Jaffa in the hallways. Jack remembered he heard the sound of a battle when he left to look for Faith, but now the whole block was in silence and Jack hoped the rest of SG-1 and Buffy were safe and managed to escape from the base. He tried to use his radio to call them, but it seemed another signal was blocking the transmission. He saw the explanation why they didn't hear any fighting sounds when he reached the wide corridor which led to the reservoir. It was filled with bodies of dead soldiers and Jack didn't have to ruminate about what killed them, because there was a death glider hovering in the middle of the passage.
"I'm afraid we disobeyed your order to leave O'Neill." Teal'c welcomed him, opening the hood of his cockpit.
"Good choice Teal'c." Jack expressed his thanks. "Let's get out of here."
----
The journey back to Earth passed without any problems. The Goa'uld didn't detect the three Alkesh waiting for them and Faith was quickly recovering from her injuries. Buffy explained SG-1 that Quortoth and Pylea were demon worlds in different dimensions and promised she'll ask Angel and Connor to give them more informations about demons from these planets. Now she was heading to Giles's office with Dawn, because he said he needed to talk with them in private. As soon as they entered the room Giles made sure no one followed them and then closed and locked the door.
"Why the secret agent approach Giles?" Buffy quipped when she noticed how nervous her watcher was.
"Did Whistler tell you something useful?" Dawn wondered.
"Whistler explained me how I can decipher a prophecy from the Pergameon Codex." Giles informed them. "I'm the only one who knows about it and I expect you to keep it secret as well."
"I'm not going to like the prophecy, am I?" Buffy nodded. "So what's up?"
"Perhaps I should start from the beginning." Giles composed himself and taking a deep breath he started explaining what he discovered. "Everything what exists in the universe has it's opposite. From fundamental particles to Kain and Abel representing the Light and Darkness, these elements must be in balance and can not exist without each other. For thousands of years, the Good and the Evil were fighting against each other on our Earth and neither was able to win. The Powers That Be had overseen this battle and had made sure both sides were evenly matched. They helped the slayers and other warriors, because the Evil was usually a little stronger. However two years ago the situation changed. To be more specific, we changed it."
"Willow's spell." Buffy realized what Giles was about to say.
"Exactly." Giles agreed. "By defeating The First's army, closing the hellmouth and activating so many slayers the Good suddenly had a great advantage. That was never supposed to happen. The situation was so unstable it would have destroyed our planet within an hour. Meanwhile another dimension was experiencing the rise of a great force of evil - Anubis. The PTB decided to kill two birds with one stone and tried to restore the balance by bringing us here. They created a spell to make everyone believe we belong to this dimension and placed a stargate to the warehouse to give us a chance to defend ourselves from the Goa'uld."
"But they messed up the spell, right?" Dawn guessed. "I mean with the set and all."
"The PTB aren't omniscient or omnipotent and they overestimated their own magical energy. The transfer cost them all their powers and they weren't able to finish the spell." Giles read the translation of the prophecy. "That's why our solar system wasn't on the Tok'ra maps and why we can't contact them. Also the gates between dimensions remained partially opened and Anubis presumably wants to take advantage of these conditions. He'll use the set to bring here another planet and recruit the demon population of Quortoth and Pylea. According to the prophecy, he'll have the complete control over all inhabitants of these worlds as soon as he brings them to this universe which means he'll have several millions of demons on his side. The fact he used your blood somehow connects you with the set. There is no reference to the Key in the prophecy, but I think you were able to access the Key's energy every time he added another part to the set and your human form wasn't able to sustain so much power and you had to release it. The slayer half of Buffy probably protects her from experiencing the same conditions."
"So let me summarize this." Buffy interrupted him impatiently. "We messed up by activating the slayers, the PTB tried to make it better by bringing us here and soon Anubis will use the Scythe and the other artifacts to obtain a huge army of demons. Also we have no idea how we can stop him from using the power of the Key."
"I'm afraid this isn't our biggest problem." Giles announced with an expression that could hardly be more depressing.
"Really?" Buffy chuckled. "You can always come up with something even worse.", she added, but her smile faded when she noticed how serious Giles looked. "What is it?"
"The PTB's spell didn't save our world, it only delayed the apocalypse. The only way to save the Earth is restoring the balance and we have only several weeks to do it." Giles explained, picking up the last page of the deciphered translation.
"When only The One slayer is alive and the power that caused the destruction is gone, the balance will be restored.", Giles read the last sentence of the prophecy. "I'm afraid this means we have to kill all new slayers and Faith and Willow."
----
Willow finished downloading the informations Buffy, Faith and SG-1 acquired during their previous mission and activated the engines of her ship. The cloaked transport left the area in front of the warehouse the SWC usually used as a port and with it's maximum speed it spurted towards the clouded sky. When she reached the orbit, Willow brought the ship to a stop and looked back at the blue planet she considered her home, knowing she might never see it again. A glimpse of hesitation crossed her features, but then her face regained an expression of pure determination. She typed the coordinates of one of Anubis's strongholds into the computer and the ship entered hyperspace.
Willow had overheard the conversation between Giles, Buffy and Dawn an hour before. If she was the one responsible, the one who set all these events in motion, then she will be the one to stop them. She took out the some reports about Anubis, ruminating about her next actions and started reading. She blinked several times during studying the materials and a keen observer would notice that between two blinks the green in her eyes was replaced by deep black.
End chapter.
A/N Ok, the explanation is a little more weird then I originally intended, but I think this version is more interesting. Please review.