Part 7: Hell Is Quite Cold This Time of Year
Their guests were locked in the training room and guarded by all available Slayers not named Faith, Buffy, or Kennedy. The three Slayers who did not pull sentry duty were in the partially renovated kitchen with Xander, Willow, Giles, Robin, Dawn, and Andrew discussing the situation.
Originally, Andrew wasn't supposed to be involved, but he insisted on joining the Kitchen Cabinet since, according to him, he was an expert on all things aliens. He added that because their five guests claimed to be aliens, he should be the brain trust.
"You're not an expert," Xander countered. "You've never even seen the original Battlestar Galactica. That makes you a amateur at best and a poseur at worst."
"Hey! I plan to watch the new mini-series on SciFi," Andrew insisted.
"You mean that travesty? The one where Starbuck is a woman? Nooffenseladies, but you've got to be kidding me," Xander said with a dismissive wave. "Besides, you can't watch it because we don't have cable. Someone thinks TV rots the brain."
"One word," Andrew said with irritated display that included crossed arms and a twitchy left eye, "Kazaa."
"I love it when you two serve as Exhibits A and B to bolster my 'no cable' stance," Robin dryly said.
"Besides, they're not technically aliens," Willow pointed out, "They said they were all human. They even look it. Although I think I need to dig up a crystal so I can read their auras to be sure. I still haven't gotten the hang of the whole squint-and-look-for-the-colors deal."
Kennedy hugged the redhead. "That's my girl. Tell her to activate every Potential in the world, and she can do it with a giggle and a wink. Ask her to do something any two-bit carnival fake claims she can pull off with ease, and she fumbles in a clinch."
"We're not focusing on the crisis at hand," Robin interrupted. "They could pose a threat."
"Robin? Did you meet the same people we did?" Buffy asked.
"Robin's right," Xander said.
"Robin's…" Buffy began. She looked suspiciously around. "Is it me, or did the temperature just plummet in hell?"
"When you're right, you're right," Xander said with absolutely no trace antagonism. "I don't know if you noticed, but it seems like their group is organized like a military squad."
"Okay, see? I don't get where you're seeing that," Buffy delicately said. "Speaking of someone who's actually dated a soldier as opposed to getting possessed by one, I'm pretty damn sure that if anyone in Riley's squadron acted the way our…our…prisoners…guests…whatever they are…did, they'd be fed to the subterranean hostiles."
"She's right," Robin said. "I don't see the military angle. Frankly, I was thinking they could be demons in disguise."
"Look, I know you guys think I'm bordering on nuts," Xander firmly said, "but think about this. Everyone in their group has a specialized, assigned task and titles to go with. You've got a Watcher, a witch, a Slayer who's armed to teeth…"
"Shit! We forgot to take away her weapons," Faith interrupted.
Xander sighed. "Can I finish? They also have a medic. I don't know about you, but the fact that they've got someone actually trained to take care of the ouchies? Puts them one up on us. We've never had a doctor in our pocket, which is really stupid because it's a really good idea."
"And where are we going to recruit this doctor?" Robin asked.
Xander shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just saying maybe we should think about it."
"This is all well and good," Giles interrupted, "but that leaves that Ms. Tikri woman. Care to explain what mysterious purpose she serves?"
"Oh-oh, Giles dislikes one of 'em already," Dawn commented.
"Look, I can't figure out where she fits in, either," Xander admitted. "And all their bickering aside, I bet you ten-to-one that when the chips are down, they could be one dangerous crowd."
"And we all know that if Xander the Great agrees with me on their threat potential, I'm probably something resembling right," Robin said.
Xander flushed at the man's tone, looked down, and said nothing.
"Actually Robin, that is correct," Giles cut in while Xander looked up in surprise. "Both you and he do tend to tackle problems using different methods and if the both of you have concluded that they could pose a threat, albeit for different reasons, then it is highly likely that they do."
"Freezing. I'm telling you, absolutely frigid," Buffy commented. "Bet there's snowball fights going on right now."
"Frankly, I find Xander's reasoning quite impeccable," Giles continued as if Buffy hadn't spoken. "In addition, he certainly has more circumstantial evidence to support his supposition." He held up his hand to prevent Robin from interrupting. "Note that I didn't say you were wrong, just that we have no evidence that you're right. It is possible these are demons and it is possible they are using the promise of revealing the future to lure us into a trap."
"Whoa, hold up," Faith said. "I don't know about you, but I definitely heard that Catherine-rah chick say they weren't going to be telling tall tales out of school. Seems to me that they've instituted the good old 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."
"This should be good," Kennedy remarked. "Can you see it now? 'Hi. We need your help but, shhhhhh, we can't tell you with what or, shhhhhh, how bad it is, but in fact, we can tell you…wait, wait, can't tell you that either. Sorry. Now about that helping hand.'"
"Or they could drop 'hints' about the future and make it sound like a slip of the tongue or an inadvertent revelation," Robin countered. "They could lay out all these tantalizing tidbits…"
"Like Reece's Pieces in ET," Andrew nodded sagely.
Robin shot Andrew a glare, "As I was saying, they could use those hints to encourage us to take certain actions or make certain decisions that we wouldn't normally do or make."
"So what are you saying? We should just kill them?" Dawn asked.
"What if they're legit?" Faith asked.
"I can't believe you're even entertaining the idea that they are," Robin said.
Faith rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't know what the hell I think, but I do know this: I'm not in love with the idea of repeating past mistakes, if you get my drift. I'm not about to lay the Slay on them until I get something resembling proof one way or the other."
"All in favor of Faith's motion to figure out the real deal? Raise your hands," Xander announced as he put his hand in the air. "Do I get a second?"
"Since when do any of you follow Roberts Rules of Order?" Robin asked.
The response was hands from the three Slayers, Dawn, Giles, and Andrew joining Xander's in the air. The former high school principal sighed. "Fine. A reluctant unanimous, then. But I still say we need to keep a very close eye on them."
"So? We just schedule a Slayer honor guard," Xander said. "Make sure we've got three of the girls on 'em at all times."
"Xander? Given your earlier arguments, I'm rather confused by the overkill," Giles said. "Three? Wouldn't two be more efficient?"
"Giles? Did you see Ruda? I don't know about you, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to fight her if she got pissed at me," Xander said. "Then again, I'm not a Slayer, so maybe we should ask the experts."
"Overkill," Kennedy stated. "Ruda's young. I could take her."
"Three's good," Faith said. "That many weapons? My bet is she knows how to use 'em. And personally, I don't think she's going to be wicked happy if we try to take 'em off her, either. So I say we let little Ms. Hyper keep her shiny toys and watch her for trouble."
"Lucky me. I get to be the tie-breaker," Buffy frowned. "I think three's overkill, but I'll go with better safe than sorry. Bonus, if Robin's right, three is going to be a hell of a lot better than two."
"Actually…" Giles began thoughtfully. He shook his head. "It's rather foolish. Forget it."
"What?" Robin asked.
"Well, it seems to me that our new Slayer friend seems to be somewhat, how can I delicately put this? In awe of Xander and Faith."
"She is? Me?" Xander asked.
"It could be an act," Robin stated.
"Thanks a lot, hun," Faith said sourly. "Love you, too."
"Look, I know we all saw her practically fall to her knees in front of you," Robin said. "But you have to see that's pretty unlikely that people from the future would be worshipping you."
"Not really," Faith said with a licentious smile. "You fall to your knees in front of me every night."
"Well, now there's a mental image I really wanted in my head," Xander groused.
"Right there with ya," Willow agreed.
"The fact is, we don't know what is likely or not likely at this point," Giles corrected. "Both Xander and Faith were addressed by the same title of '-rahsen.' Given that we know the -rah half of the word means leader, we can safely assume that -rahsen means something similar."
"Oooo, look at that. I can just feel an ulcer coming on," Xander said uncomfortably.
"If, as you suggest Robin, they are putting on an act, they have to play those roles to perfection," Giles said. "Which means they will most likely show Xander and Faith, and to an extent Buffy…"
"Not sure that Ruda girl likes me," Buffy interrupted.
"Which is why you won't be paired with her," Giles said. "But, it seems they are inclined to show the three of you respect, if only to cement any lies they might be telling."
"Giles? Are you suggesting somewhere in all those nice big words that Buffy, Faith, and I are on permanent babysitting duty?" Xander asked.
Giles fought a smile. "Why yes, I do believe I am. We'll leave the Slayer honor guard for those that aren't in your tender, loving care."
"Have I mentioned that you've come up with a bad plan?" Xander asked.
"Amen," Robin said.
"Hell's now at absolute zero," Buffy said. "We should pack our ice skates and go visit."
TBC…