"Always a good place to start."
"There are big space monsters, or something, that have bamfed into orbit --"
"Not orbit."
"Huh?"
"Someone would have noticed something suddenly appearing in orbit. I like your original Oort Cloud idea."
"Like?" Dawn's eyebrows shot up.
Lex shook his head ruefully and gave her a tiny, tight little smile. "Not really."
"Check. How long does it take to get from the Oort Cloud to here, I wonder?"
"Depends on the speed, of course. Hand me that soldering iron, please?"
"I really appreciate your help with this."
"Keeps my mind off... things. Like why the Kents and your sister don't answer the phone. It might prove extremely helpful, as well, vital even, if our worst suspicions prove correct."
"We need some sort of nearer, less-depending-on-catching-them-at-just-the-right-moment detection thing. That is also not broken."
"There are telescopes, both land and space-based, which might very well detect any possible ships. Not just anyone has access, however."
The two worked in silence for a few moments.
"You know, everybody in the Astronomy Department just loves Clark."
"I bet. Is it time to try phoning again?"
"It's only been five minutes. Don't people in Smallville, like, go outside and stuff?"
"I could've driven there by now."
"Lex. She's the Slayer. It's not like you being there would help. Sorry. Tactless. But you know what I mean."
Lex sighed and tested another circuit.
The screaming had stopped some time ago, but Joe kept driving.
After longer than Mulder thought reasonable, they came upon a battered pickup truck stopped in the road, its way blocked by a fallen tree.
"Stay here," Stonetree cautioned. Of course, Mulder ignored him.
The two ex-cops got out of Knight's left-behind Cadillac. They cautiously approached the stalled truck. Mulder swatted at some local insects in irritation.
The truck was stuck halfway in the ditch. Apparently the driver had failed to turn it around. There was a young blonde woman cradling a little kid in the driver's seat.
"Get out, and we'll help you with your truck!" Stonetree shouted.
The driver shook her head, and the kid looked at them with big scared eyes.
"She's allergic to the bugs!" the little blonde yelled, barely audible through the glass. "Can't you kill them out there?"
"Hold on!" Mulder yelled back. He made his way back around to the Cadillac's spacious trunk and rummaged through his sparse belongings. Ever since that whole ugly cockroach incident, he'd made it a point to travel with... Ah ha!
"Whattaya got?" Stonetree rumbled over his shoulder.
"Bug spray," Mulder said, raising the canister triumphantly.
The can of RAID made short work of the strangely aggressive lightning bugs, and the woman gingerly opened the truck door and got out. "Thanks," she said warily, cradling the toddler against her hip. "Who are you guys, anyway, and what are you doing here?"
"Could ask you the same thing..." Mulder began, but Stonetree cut him off.
"We're looking for the Kawatche Caves," he rumbled. "You know where they are?"
Wordlessly, still sniffling, the little girl pointed.
Buffy wished that Cara hadn't just answered these two weird old guys' question right away. Okay, yes, they had killed those stupid bugs for them, and she could tell they at least weren't vampires, but it still might have been nice to have a minute's thought before getting involved. On the basis of the fat guy's peculiar little hat alone, they definitely counted as strangers-not-to-talk-to-after-dark.
She tried to salvage the situation. "Well, guys, thanks for the pesticide and all. I gotta get this little one home."
The big-and-tall guy wasn't looking at her. He addressed Cara instead. "Can you show us the way, child? It's very important."
"What's so important that two grown men need a little girl to help them?" Buffy asked indignantly.
The younger guy looked a little embarrassed. "It's the end of the world."
Bollocks. Buffy shifted Cara on her hip and rolled her eyes. "We're in," she said, resigned.