Teaser
Giles and Dawn are walking down the hall of the Slayer Academy in Rome. The hall is constructed of red brick with a very high vaulted ceiling. Massive globe lights hang down every 20 feet along the corridor. Giles' and Dawn's footsteps echo off the walls. Occasionally, a young slayer hurries quietly by them, but for the most part, they are alone.
"I'm glad you could come, Giles," Dawn says. "I really don't know what to do about this."
"Of course I came, Dawn," Giles says. "When something involves Buffy, or for that matter you, nothing could keep me away. You said Buffy is the only one among you who appears to be experiencing the deaths of other slayers?"
"That's correct."
"Perhaps it has something to do with Buffy having already been a slayer before Willow's spell," Giles says. "Have you contacted Faith?"
"Already thought of that," Dawn says. "Faith's off on some secret mission with her new Initiative buddies. Of course, the person I talked to wasn't willing to tell me anything, but Willow's trying to contact Riley telepathically."
"He's becoming quite the novice sorcerer, isn't he?"
"Yes he is. At any rate, we haven't heard back from Faith yet. But frankly, I'm not hopeful we'll learn anything from her anyway. I would think that Riley would be calling us if anything like what's been happening with Buffy happened to Faith."
"You're probably right," Giles says with a sigh.
Giles stops walking and looks at Dawn.
"You know that I have already had concerns about your….multiplying talents."
"Of course," Dawn says. "Join the club. That old axiom about absolute power corrupting absolutely? Definite worries for me there. I've already been through that whole thing with Willow, and the last thing I want to see is a repeat of that starring me as 'Dark Dawn'."
"I assure you that's really not the source of my concern," Giles' says.
"Well, it's the source of my concern," says Dawn. "Do you know I don't have to even look at the subtitles for Bollywood movies anymore? Everything's coming too easily for me now: Slaying, witchcraft, languages, homework…everything."
"Yes, well, there is someone else we could talk to," Giles says. "About Buffy and about you. This person knows more slayer lore than anyone else alive."
"Really?" Dawn says. "I thought that would be you, or maybe even me nowadays."
"No, no," says Giles. He is clearly nervous. "This person will know more, but she hasn't talked to me in over thirty years. She still won't want to talk to me. But she may want to talk to you."
"Who are you talking about?" asks Dawn.
"Edna Giles," Giles says. "My grandmother."
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
The jeep is stuck in the mud on a narrow logging road. Dense rain forest is on either side of the road. Four men, all in DRC military uniforms, are working to dig and push the jeep out. They finally succeed, their clothes covered in mud, and the soldier in the front passenger seat of the jeep, obviously the man in charge, pats the driver on the shoulder, who immediately stops the jeep and turns off the engine.
Subtitles translated from Lingala:
"Stop the jeep here," the commander says, holding a cigarette in his left hand. "We will expend less energy walking than by digging this jeep out of the mud every half kilometer.
"Joseph, Mark. You two take point. Patrice, Georges, you stay to the rear. Paul, you stay with me. The logging camp should only be three kilometers distant."
As the men walk along the road, Patrice grumbles to Georges.
"Walking in this mud will take hours."
"So would trying to drive through it," Georges replies.
There is a rustling in the forest in the distance. A low rumble, probably from a forest elephant, is heard. Also the scream of a chimpanzee.
"Hearing meat reminds me of how hungry I am," Patrice says. "We ought to go in and shoot something."
"There will be meat in the camp," Georges replies. "The lieutenant will not stop to allow you to shoot something, butcher it, and carry it three kilometers. There is only about three hours of daylight left. We need to keep walking."
The lieutenant, cigarette in his mouth, turns and glares at Georges and Patrice and makes a cutting motion in his hand, obviously designed to tell the men to be quiet. When he turns around again, his eyes widen.
"Where are Joseph and Mark?" the lieutenant asks. He turns to Paul, only to find he's now gone too.
The lieutenant waves Patrice and Georges forward. They jog up to the lieutenant's position.
"Where is everyone?" Georges asks.
"Probably out looking for meat," Patrice says.
"No," says the lieutenant. "First they were here, and now they are gone. And now we are being watched."
The other two men bring their rifles to their shoulders. The lieutenant pulls out his pistol, cigarette still in his mouth. There is a quick and quiet rustle, and then Georges is gone as well.
"What? What is happening?" Patrice whispers fearfully. "FDLR?"
"No, they wouldn't go this deep in the forest," the lieutenant says. "Not enough profit in it. Now stay alert."
As the lieutenant finishes speaking, something moves very fast. Patrice doesn't even have time to look before he vanishes, pulled into the forest so quickly all that is seen is a blur that lasts a millisecond or two.
The lieutenant looks around.
"Patrice?" he whispers around his cigarette. He remains calm, and moves to the center of the road. Our view changes to within the forest, looking out to the road at the lieutenant. Suddenly, very rapidly, we move towards him. He turns, raises his gun…
…and there is a gunshot. Our view switches to the treetops where a flock of African Grey Parrots flies off at the sound of the shot. Then our view returns to the road. There is no sign of the lieutenant except for his cigarette, which is falling to the road in slow motion. It is still lit. When it hits the wet ground, it goes out. Our view moves back. The forest is silent.