Author's note-Yes I know I have another story out there but this has been running around my head for months.I wanted to put it down before I lost it.I might jump from one story to another in my updates.The background is that Xander was one of the 4400 that appeared suddenly in the field after the "comet" exploded.If you haven't watched the 4400 it might not make sense.In this story Xander vanished two days after the events in third seasons episode Faith,Hope and Trick.
Disclaimer-I own nothing from Buffy or the 4400.Most people would more than likely laugh at me if I asked for money because of this.
Title-Xander and The Other 3,399
Chapter 1
"Hello my name is Captain Judy Lawson," said the woman in the Air Force uniform as she came into the room and sat down on the other side of the table across from the only other person in the room.
"Just so you know, the reason I'm here is because we are still interviewing everyone that was involved in this little...uhhh incident I guess you might say," said Captain Lawson as she reached over and turned on a recorder that was sitting on the middle of the table "Could you state your name and where you're from for the record, please."
"Uhhh Alexander Lavelle Harris,Sunnydale California" said Xander his voice breaking a little nervously.
Xander hated that his voice sounded that way but to be honest that's what the seventeen year old was, nervous. Because it's not just everyday that you open your eyes to suddenly find yourself out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by a couple of thousand people. Especially when the last thing you remember was that you were outside your home standing alone in the dark.
Not to mention the fact that although he had committed no crime the US military has kept him locked down on some military base for over a week. All of this had made him...well lets just say that Xander Harris was not a happy camper right at the moment.
Yep no matter how you sliced it this was a strange and screwed up situation that Xander had found himself in. And that was saying a lot considering everything he had seen growing up on a Hellmouth.
"Mr.Harris..."
"Could you please call me Xander," said Xander interrupting the Air Force officer "When you call me Mr.Harris like that I want to look over my shoulder to see if my dad is standing there frowning at me."
"Ok Xander," said Captain Lawson smiling "Maybe you can be the one to tell us how it was that you and all those other people suddenly appeared in that field?"
"Look Captain to be honest with you I don't have a damn clue as to what's going on here," said Xander shaking his head "The last thing I remember was taking my girlfriend Cordelia home after me and her along with a few of our friends got done patrolling..."
"Hold it just a second," said Captain Lawson holding up her hand with a puzzled look on her face "Patrolling?"
"Ohh yeah..." muttered Xander thinking that in his nervousness he might have said a little to much.
"Well that's what me and my friends back home call going out on the town and looking for cool parties," said Xander quickly thinking on his feet.
"Oh ok," nodded Captain Lawson "Please continue."
"Well after 'patrolling' I walked my girlfriend Cordelia home and than headed back for my house. I was in my back yard just about to walk in the house when the next thing I know I was standing in that field along side a whole crap load of other people."
"And you have no memory of anything that happened in-between those two events?"
"No its like I told you people before," said Xander shaking his head "One moment its dark outside and I'm in my back yard and the next second the suns up and I'm standing in a field along side a whole bunch of people."
"Ok Xander this question my sound a little strange to you, but please answer it" said Captain Lawson getting a serious look upon her face "Could you tell me what the date was when you were standing in your back yard right before you suddenly found yourself standing in that field?"
"The date?" asked Xander confused.
"Yes, what was the date when all that you just mentioned transpired?"
"Uhhhh October twentieth."
"And the year?" asked Lawson.
"The year?" asked Xander now very confused.
"Yes, Xander.What year was it when what you mentioned happened?"
"The same year it is now. Nineteen ninety-eight."
Captain Lawson sighed and looked down at her lap before looking up and speaking softly "Xander this maybe hard for you to accept, but the year is no longer nineteen ninety-eight anymore."
"It's not?" asked Xander now completely lost in this conversation.
"No Xander.I'm afraid the date now is June fourth..." said Lawson pausing a second before dropping the bomb "...Two thousand and four."
"WHAT!"
Captain Lawson held up her hands as the two Air Force security guards rushed into the room after Xander's rather loud outburst. After motioning for the two men to put away their drawn weapons Captain Lawson turned back to Xander who was now up and pacing the room.
"You...you...can't be serious!" said Xander in mid pace and not looking at Lawson.
"Yes Xander I'm afraid that I am serious and that the year now IS two thousand and four."
"But but that can't be," stammered Xander as he stopped pacing and started to look at his reflection in the two way mirror that ran down one side of the room "If I've been gone for six years like you say than how come I can't remember those years! Why haven't I aged a single day!"
"We don't know why you can't remember your missing years or why you didn't age Xander," said Lawson "It seems that none of the people found with you have aged since you've been gone. And some of the people that were found along side you have been missing for a hell of a lot longer than you have. Some have been missing for decades."
"Decades?" Xander asked as he turned to look back at Lawson.
"Yes Xander decades. One little girl that was with all of you was reported missing by her parents while on a picnic in 1946. While another man was reported MIA during the Korean War," said Lawson shaking her head "Where all of you have been all these years and why none of you have aged a day is just another piece of this giant puzzle we find ourselves trying to solve."
"Well, you want to know what I think?" said Xander suddenly as he turned to face Lawson "I think that this is all just some kind of stupid joke!"
"A joke?"
"That's right you heard me a joke," said Xander nodding his head "I'm sure that Cordelia had to throw a lot of her daddies money around to pull this off but that's all this is, a joke! I mean with the help of Willow and Buffy yeah I can see it happening!"
"You hear that Cordy you can come out now! Buffy,Willow!" said Xander as he turned to look back into the large two way mirror and begin shouting "You pulled a real good one on old Xander here!"
"Giles, Oz! Come on guys the jokes over!" shouted Xander "Why don't you guys come on out so we can go home now! I do have to give you credit though this was one hell of a good practical joke!"
"Xander I'm afraid that your friends are not here and that this is no joke" said Captain Lawson softly getting the man's attention "So could you please sit back down?"
Reluctantly Xander returned to his seat while Lawson moved her head for the two guards to go back to their post in the hallway.
Captain Lawson watched sadly as Xander sat back in his seat and than laid his forehead down on the table. Even though it felt like she was kicking a hurt puppy Lawson knew she had to continue with the interview.
"Xander after you gave us your name last week we ran it through the database and found this," said Lawson sliding a case folder over to Xander's side of the table.
Lifting his head up off the table,Xander took the folder and opened it. The inside of it was full of info on him, it had copies of important documents like his birth certificate along with a copy of his school and medical records. But what caught his eye the most was the Sunnydale police missing person form that was sitting on top of the file for all to see. It had his picture along with his stats and the information and date of his last known sighting.
"I have to admit that we were a little shocked when we went looking for your file. Do you have any idea just how many missing person cases the Sunnydale police force has on its record books," said Lawson shaking her head "It might have taken us months just to shift through them all before we found your case file. But lucky for us your military file that was attached to it made it pop up right to the front of the list."
"What military file? I have a military file?" asked Xander looking up from the file hoping with everything he had that Uncle Sam hadn't tracked the rocket launcher he had stolen back to him and his friends.
"It seems that during part of the time that you were missing someone close to you had some pull within a now disbanded military group called the Initiative. Whoever this person was most have pulled in a lot of favors because your file was red tagged for all military units in the US armed forces to read. I guess they did this in hopes that whoever read your file would keep an eye out for you and recognize you if they saw you."
Xander had no clue who or what the Initiative was nor no clue on who it was on their inside that might have wanted to find him.
"Xander as you no doubt know by now that the courts have ordered us to release all of you...uhhh returnees," said Lawson "So is there anyone you'd like for us to contact for you? Someone who could come and get you?"
Xander was quiet for a second before letting his shoulders slump in defeat "I've really been missing for six years?"
"Yes Xander you have" said Lawson nodding her head in sympathy as she watched Xander looked down at the table "So is there someone we can call for you?"
"Yes,if she's still alive and you can find her" said Xander raising his head up to look at Lawson "I'd like for you to contact a woman named Cordelia Chase for me."
TBC ?
