Part 5: The Invasion Blueprint Was Plan 9 From Outer Space
The first hint something was wrong was a bright light. Somehow, don't ask him how, Xander managed to dive for the closest person, in this case one Buffy Summers, and drag her from her chair to the ground.
Step two was something that sounded like a thunderclap followed by a shockwave that pressed all three of the room's occupants to the ground.
Buffy was, naturally, the first on her feet, while Xander and Giles grabbed on to the closest chair and dragged themselves upright.
"What just…" Xander began. He stopped and regarded the odd assortment of people tangled in a heap in the center in the room.
"I'm really getting sick of this," a female voice whined.
"Why is it I always get the foot in my waist packet? Why?" a British male voice complained.
"I can't see! Did we make it?" a youngish female voice asked.
"Anyone hurt?" a male voice asked.
"Only any hope of impressing them. No worries," a female voice assured everyone.
"Ummm, they kinda look human," Buffy said.
"I think they shop from the dark side of the Twilight Zone though," Xander said. "What the hell just happened?"
"My guess is a dimensional portal." Giles's glasses were askew as he desperately rubbed his temples. "Ahhh, yes. I can tell summer vacation is at an end. I've been conked on the head good and proper."
"I understood that." A head belonging to a brunette female popped out of the pile. She spotted the three of them and grinned. "And I just heard the concussed battle cry for Watcher Honorias everywhere. Alexander Lavelle Harris I presume?"
Buffy and Giles jerked their heads around to face one very confused looking young man.
"Lavelle?" Buffy asked.
"Ummm, I'm Xander, I mean, Alexander Harris," the guy in question volunteered. "I didn't get the head injury. Giles did."
"Lavelle?" Buffy insisted.
The brunette female's grin disappeared, as if upset the wrong man got injured. "Oh. Unh. Hi! 'Scuse me." She struggled to pull free from the group. "Heh. You're probably wondering, ummm, about my team here." She tripped and fell flat on her face.
"Lavelle," Buffy commented with a puzzled frown.
"Enough with the middle name already," Xander hissed.
"Well, you certainly seem to be…" Giles stuggled for the right word.
"Futched up?" a man volunteered as he yanked free of the group, metallic object clutched firmly in his hand. He bent over the brunette woman as she struggled to her feet, but she slapped him away and jerked her head to the rest of the moaning people.
Buffy, Giles, and Xander exchanged glances.
"I'm not going to ask," Xander said. When Buffy and Giles raised their eyebrows, he added, "Aww, hell. Yes I am. 'Futched'?"
A youngish girl with long black hair and shining dark eyes exploded out of the group and ran a few steps before stopping short. "Wow!" she exclaimed with glee. "Wow! Wow! Wow!" She turned to the confused trio. "Is Faith here, too? Can I see her? Can I see her?"
"Well, let me see, we have a group of very, very…" Buffy's voice trailed off. "Well, people here asking for you and Faith. By name." She looked at Xander, amusement twitching her lips. "Friends of yours?"
"There is an explanation for this. Really, there is," the brunette woman said as she finally got to her feet. She grinned a please-don't-kill me smile. "And as soon as I make sure my people are…ummm…" She leaned aback and whispered to a man holding his head, "What's the word again?"
"Ookee," the consultant gritted back.
"Right. As soon as I make sure my people are ookee, I'll be able to think of something that actually resembles sense in a way that it's probably not going to make any sense whatsoever…" her voice trailed off. She looked back at the hyper young girl backed by a grumbling group struggling to find its feet. She looked forward to the speechless, stunned people in front of her and smiled a very weak smile. "Ummm, I've seen vids from ancient Tara, for training purposes, you know? So I think at this point I either say, 'We come in peace' or 'Take us to your leader.' Does any of that make sense to you?"
"Great. Just great," Xander folded his arms. "We're being invaded. Only we attract the gang who can't shoot straight."
"Thank god," Buffy said. "I don't think I could handle a guest spot in a serious episode of The X-Files."
The young girl walked slowly up to the native trio, stopping short when she sensed Buffy tense. She tilted her head, as if trying to figure the three of them out. "You know, Harris-rah-sen, sir, no offense or anything but, well, I've seen likenesses of you and, well, I guess going by those I thought you'd be taller."
TBC…