Major Carter was in her lab adjusting the warrior's armor on a mannequin when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She called. The door opened to reveal Colonel O'Neill who stepped inside. "Oh, mornin' Sir. Everything go well?"
"Yeah. The geeks at Area 51 are probably drooling over the ship as we speak. It looks like a custom job. This guy probably built it to suit his specific needs. So maybe it will have some new toys for us to play with."
"Good." Sam got that look in her eyes that told Jack she was in the place she went when fantasizing about science stuff.
"I hear that I missed a little excitement while I was gone. Somethin' about a new soldier?" Jack picked up a small dart rifle from the table beside him and began examining it.
"Yes. This new warrior managed to cut through both Ramius and Tilgath's jaffa and kill Tilgath. Ramius himself escaped but just barely. He was still there when Teal'c and Bra'tac showed up. Dad and I examined the body and it's definitely a goa'uld. The current theory is that Annubus created it as a replacement for the Jaffa. And from what Bra'tac tells us, these new warriors have killed at least three other minor goa'ulds. Most likely he's doing it to absorb their troops and resources for a battle with the System Lord Fleet. That's probably why he sent Ossiris after Khandouf.
"O.K. Now I have another question. Why are you playing Dress Up with that dummy? You're a little old to be playing with dolls aren't ya?" Jack teased.
Sam let out an exasperated breath. "The armor the warrior was wearing absorbs all energy based weapons and the impact force of projectile weapons." She explained as she walked toward him.
"If this armor is so impenetrable, how did Teal'c and Bra'tac bring him down?"
"They didn't. It died of pulmonary failure."
"What!" He couldn't believe it.
"Yes Sir." Sam confirmed her earlier statement. "The host appears to have been genetically designed with some serious medical flaws and even the symbiote wasn't able to keep it alive for long. He would've killed both of them if he hadn't had the heart attack first. Not only that but now we think that the host was created dead then given life by some Ancient healing device. Daniel believes that there is another device in a Goa'uld temple in Honduras, so Hammond sent him and Dr. Lee there to find it. I've been working on a way to capture one of these warriors so we can interrogate him."
"With a dart gun?" Jack held up the gun to emphasize his disbelief.
Sam took the weapon away from him. "The material is woven. So something small and sharp---." Sam took aim and fired at the Mannequin; then smiled at the results. The dart was imbedded in the dummy's torso. "---Like a dart with a trinium needle can get through."
"That might work." Jack looked impressed then changed the subject. "What about Willow? Any word from her or news about this slayer person she's bringing in?"
"Not since we left her after the spell. I imagine that the next time we do see her she'll have the slayer with her."
"That'll be fun." Jack sounded pessimistic.
"You think this girl will be a problem?" Sam half asked half stated.
"Well the name Slayer does tend to make one concerned doesn't it."
"I guess we'll find out soon enough."
*** *** ***
A small Leer jet taxied up and parked in an area of the tarmac reserved for private planes. Willow had to wait next to her rent car as the engines powered down before the door opened and Kennedy appeared in the doorway. The slayer easily bounded down the few steps to the ground and met her witch halfway between the plane and the car with a tight embrace and a very long, passionate kiss.
Willow swooned when Kennedy finally loosened her hold but kept her arms around the redhead's waist. "WOW! Making up for lost time ain't'cha." She teased her girlfriend while lacing her fingers behind the girl's neck.
"If you wouldn't stay away from me so long I wouldn't need to make anything up." The slayer playfully shot back.
"Maybe, but then if I didn't go away, you wouldn't have kissed me like that."
"Sooo, you're saying if I kiss you like that more often you won't go away again?"
"Maybe." Willow smiled.
"Excuse me Ms. Willow but we need to unlock the trunk to load the luggage." A member of the flight crew interrupted.
Kennedy dropped her hands from the witch's waist and Willow fished in the pocket of her jeans for the keys and held them out to the man without taking her eyes off her girlfriend. "Here ya go."
The man took the keys then left the girls alone to load the luggage.
"So." Kennedy had a bright tone, replacing her hands. "I'm here. You gon'na tell me what the big bad is?"
"I'll tell you on the way." Willow said as she took her girlfriend's hand and started to lead her to the car.
"On the way where?'
"It's a military base in Colorado Springs."
"Woooaah! Hold up." Kennedy stopped dead in her tracks; her firm grip on Willow's hand causing the older girl to stop too. "A military base? Are you NUTS? I may not have been around at the time, but I've heard stories ---."
"Believe me, I was afraid of the same thing at first. But these guys aren't the Initiative. They'd never even heard of it before I accused them of being part of it."
"Can they be trusted?"
"Not completely. Not yet anyway. But they know more about what we're up against than we do and they seem to want the same thing we do." Willow tried to sound convincing.
"Do they know about us? What we are I mean?"
"They know I'm a witch and that you're a slayer but they don't know exactly how powerful we really are. So don't show them more than you have to but don't hold back if it comes down to it either."
"Alright. But if they try to go all Mad Scientist on me I'll ---."
"And I'll be right there with ya. But right now there's a bigger bad than the military out there and working with these people is the best way to fight it. Believe me when you hear what I have to say you'll understand why."
Kennedy shrugged. "If you say so. Now let's go so you can tell me exactly what we'll be teaming up against."
The two lovers resumed their walk to the car.
*** *** ***
SGs 1 and 3 entered the gateroom just as a wormhole engaged. Then they looked up at the control room as General Hammond addressed them.
"You have a Go. Your mission is to capture one of these new warriors and bring him back for interrogation. Now good luck." He commanded over the loud speaker.
"Yes Sir" Jack answered then led the way up the ramp and through the 'gate.
*** *** ***
"I want an Isolation room ready the moment they arrive with the prisoner." Hammond ordered Dr. Frasier as they entered the woman's office.
"Yes sir. It'll be ready. Any word on ---." The ringing phone interrupted her. "Yes?" the doctor answered when she picked up the receiver. "It's for you." She held it out toward the General.
He took the phone answering. "Hammond." then listened for a few seconds. "Very well, I'll send an escort for them." Then he hung up and faced the doctor. "They're here."
"Willow and Kennedy?" Frasier asked to confirm what she already suspected.
"Yes. I'd better meet with them."
"Sir, I would like to attend if that's o.k."
*** *** ***
Willow and Kennedy rode the elevator in silence; however, Kennedy noticed that Willow appeared to be a little more at ease than she, herself, was. The two, armed airmen standing on both sides and behind them didn't help her nerves any either. If the fact that they were walking right into the middle of a top-secret military base wasn't enough to rattle her nerves then the story that her girlfriend had told her on the drive down was. Aliens were trying to destroy the world. If it hadn't been Willow who told her and her dream a few nights ago she wouldn't have believed a word of it. But she did have that dream; and Willow was the one to tell her. Now she was glad that her lover had insisted on doing that face to face. Willow had tried to associate aliens from other planets with people from other dimensions; and that helped some but this was something that was going to take some getting used to. The elevator slowed down and the slayer slipped on a confident mask preparing for what she would see when the doors opened.
*** *** ***
General Hammond and Dr. Frasier were waiting when the elevator opened to reveal Willow and a small brunette girl with slight Latino features who looked even younger than the redhead. The two women stepped off the elevator followed by the two airmen escorting them and before either the General or the Doctor even knew it the brunette sounded off. "So. Where are these aliens Willow told me about?"
"Kennedy. Be nice." Willow reprimanded.
"I'm afraid Teal'c and Bra'tac as well as the other members of sg-1 are away on a mission right now." Hammond answered after recovering from the slayer's bluntness.
"Well. That sucks."
"This is General Hammond and Doctor Frasier." Willow indicated them with her hand as she introduced them. "And this is Kennedy, The Vampire Slayer."
"Nice to meet you Kennedy uh." Hammond let the greeting hang as to ask for a last name as he held his hand out to the girl.
"Just Kennedy." She shook the General's hand then the doctor's.
"That'll be all." Hammond told the airmen. Willow and Kennedy both watched as they left. "Now if you would come this way, we can talk more in here." Hammond took the lead while the three women followed.
Hammond entered the briefing room and held the door open until everyone was inside then closed it. "First off I'd like to thank you for helping us locate the Ashrak's ship." Hammond began as he walked to his seat.
"I'm assuming that you found it then." Willow was seated to the immediate left of the General's usual place, with Kennedy next to her.
"Yes, we have scientists studying it now." Hammond took his seat. "Secondly, I talked to the president again. He's given the green light for both of you but before we go any further I need to know if you've come to a decision on whether or not to join us?"
"We've decided to work WITH you but not FOR you. If you get my meaning?" Kennedy decided to answer.
"I think I do yes."
"It's just that we're still a little wary about the whole military thing. But, these Goa'uld are evil and you know more about them than we do so yeah we're in." Willow filled in.
"I'm glad to hear that."
Dr. Frasier couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "Why exactly are you called a slayer?" She asked the newcomer from the opposite side of the table.
"Because that's what I am." Kennedy replied with a hint of sarcasm.
"But what does being a slayer mean?" the doctor rephrased the question.
"Exactly what it sounds like. Think of it this way. When you walk down a dark alley the last thing you want to meet is a vampire, or some other type of demon; when vampires and demons walk down a dark alley the last thing they want to meet is a slayer."
"So you hunt demons? Would you be willing to demonstrate your abilities?"
"I'm not some circus animal that performs when the trainer cracks a whip." Kennedy insisted.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you."
"Don't worry about it. If what Willow tells me is true then you'll have plenty of opportunities to see what I can do."
"Before we do anything, we need for you to get familiar with how things work around here. Our procedures and be able to use the equipment." Hammond interjected.
"Can we schedule that for later? Willow asked. "Right now we need to find a place to live. 'Cause, as nice as the hotel is I don't think it'll be good for a extended stay."
"We can arrange that for you if you like." Hammond offered.
"We appreciate that; but I think we'd be more comfortable with finding our own place." Kennedy said trying to be diplomatic.
Janet looked toward the General wanting to see his answer to the request.
"I think that will be acceptable. We could use the time ourselves to arrange some demonstrations and training with our various weapons and equipment. Also sg-1 should be back by then so you can meet them then." Hammond was looking directly at Kennedy now. "I know they're eager to meet you."
"Good. Tomorrow then?" Willow suggested with a smile and started to stand up.
"There's one more thing," Hammond's tone caused the witch to sit back down. "We must insist that you both sign a non-disclosure statement promising not to reveal anything you learn here."
"Now wait just one damn minute ---!" Kennedy started.
"No Kennedy, that's alright." Willow broke in.
"What do you mean alright! If they don't trust us at our word why should we trust them with our secrets!"
"Because, It's the only way they will let us help them." Willow tried to calm the other girl. Then she looked at the General. "But Kennedy does have a point. If we sign this non-disclosure statement of yours we want you to sign a statement saying that you won't try to exploit us or anything you learn from us in any way. After all we don't want a repeat of the Initiative."
Hammond thought about it for several seconds. "Agreed."
"Good, Ken, you o.k. with that?"
"Yeah." The slayer was smiling. "That sounds fair."
"In that case, I'll have the papers drawn up."
"Hold up." Kennedy spoke out. "If the alien guys aren't here, then can I at least see this stargate thing first?"
*** *** ***
The stargate loomed over them as Kennedy, Willow, and the two S.G.C. officers stood at the foot of the ramp. It was just like what she had seen in her dream; but Kennedy wasn't about to say that out loud. "So this thing is what the big fuss is about?"
"Yes, it is our greatest asset in fighting The Goa'uld as well as simply exploring the galaxy." Hammond verified.
"That's cool. I'm just glad that Andrew and Xander aren't here right now. They'd be going nuts."
"Who?" Frasier asked.
"Friends of ours. Heavy into the whole Sci-Fi thing. Especially Andrew." Willow explained. "He'd be driving us all up the walls right now if he were here."
"Oh." Was all the doctor said in reply.
"You ladies do remember what we discussed. You can't tell anyone about the stargate or anything else about this program." Hammond cautioned.
"Yeah, we get it. Don't worry. We know how to keep a secret." Willow acknowledged.
"Yes, I imagine you do." Hammond said with acceptance.
"Ken, we need to go if we're going to meet the realtor." Willow told her girlfriend after checking her watch.
"The slayer also looked at her watch. "Yeah, I guess so." She was disappointed. Then started toward the exit.
"Don't worry you can meet the aliens tomorrow." The witch tried to cheer her girlfriend up as the others followed them out the door. "They will be back tomorrow won't they?" she asked the General just to make sure.
"If all goes well, yes." Was the answer. "I'll have someone show you out and we can issue you security passes and sign the papers when you come in tomorrow." Hammond suggested.