War with The Gods

The Light. 15 minutes ago.

"You my boy, are the last of the 'true watchers' and so you cannot remain dead."

"You're talking in riddles grandfather. 'True Watchers'? What is that supposed to mean?" Wesley looked perplexed as his Grandfather looked on reveling in his grandson's confusion.

"It means, boy, that our family line is intrinsically linked to the Slayer line. Two of our ancestors made the first slayer after all."

The Dark Place. Now.

"Aren't you, like, dead?" Buffy asked.

"I swear, I had nothing to do with this one!" Xander almost shouted.

"You're one to talk about unexpected ressurections Buffy." Wesley retorted, "I'm here because I'm needed here. Tara over there is needed here also, but her physical form has, well, it's seen better days. So we had to borrow the nearest available dead form. I've been sent back to guide you through this situation. Something is wrong in Heaven, and we have to stop it." Wesley looked from Buffy to the others staring open mouthed at him. All except for Willow and Buffy2, who were transfixed by Kennedy, or at least Tara in Kennedy's form.

"This is Kate Adie making a special report for the BBC world service. The United Nations have disbanded. The shock news is reverberating around the world. In the past few minutes, US President Bush has announced that the entire faith of Islam is heretical. He did not however use that phrase. Here is the recording of the press call, I must warn viewers of a sensitive dispossition, it does contain strong language."

The image of the young woman vanished, replaced by an image of the press room of the White House, President Bush was at the podium addressing the nation. "...and I say to the people of America, we must rise up and destroy these heathen scum, wherever they are hiding. Yes, they are among us. I found 2 of them working in this very building this afternoon, I immediately had them executed as enemies of the state. Their faith preaches the downfall of ours. They must be brought to book, and that book, is the bible ladies and Gentlemen. I have been ridiculed by saying that my actions were the will of God, in the past, but now more than ever, I am resolute in my actions, the darkness of Islam will be wiped from this planet as we await the rapture."

"The entire world is screwed." Spike said as he switched off the small tv in the hotel room. "We're not going to win this one you know? We're well and truly buggered." He turned to his silent companion, "literally too, I thought this was supposed to be a twin room?"

"I tried for a twin room, but they didn't have any left. It seems everyone is flooding here trying to find redemption before the end. Anyway, you can sleep on the floor." Angel smiled as he rolled onto his side on the large double bed. The smile vanished as he felt the sheets rustle and a form getting into the bed beside him.

"Bugger that, we can top and tail." Came Spike's voice from the bottom of the bed. "I have to warn you though, I've been told that I kick in my sleep."

"I can take care of that for you, I've got a stake under my pillow." Angel's smile returned as Spike fell into silence beside him. Outside in the sunshine, the little town of Lourdes bristled with activity. What Angel had said was true, pilgrims from all over Europe had descended on the town in recent days, looking for redemption, for cures, for any sign that their God had not forsaken them during this time of madness.

"I thought I smelled something familliar."

Faith Lehane spun 360 degrees trying to locate the source of the strangely familiar voice. "OK, where are you, and who are you? I won't hurt you."

"Well, going by past experience with you Faith, I doubt that. Even without my memory of our last meeting, the crossbow in your hands kind of destroys any credibility you might have had."

"Robin?" Faith shouted, "you'd better get back here, something's out here with us."

"Maybe you have changed Faith. The Faith I knew wouldn't have called for reinforcements. Of course, the Faith I knew didn't have any friends, or reinforcements to call on." The mocking tone of the voice angered Faith beyond the telling of it. She spun again, like a trapped animal. The campsite was small, insignificant in the grand scheme of things lodged as it was in the middle of the Amazonian jungle. High trees surrounded the site, for miles around all there was were trees. up until this moment, Faith had found it relaxing.

"What's wrong Faith?" Robin Wood came darting out from the trees to Faith's left. "What's the problem?"

"You're a human?" The voice again.

"Last time I checked, yeah." Robin replied, "what are you?"

"Usually taciturn, but I keep that to myself mostly."

Robin smiled at the joke. He knew from the confused look on Faith's face that she didn't know what taciturn meant. But he didn't want to take the time to explain it. "Look, we're trying to save the world here, whoever you are. You here to help or hinder that?"

"Help, as always." Came the voice from behind the tent. Faith circled the small fabric structure and confronted a...wolf. "Uhm, if you're on the side of the good guys again, would you mind pointing that thing somewhere that's not in my general direction please?" Hearing the words coming from the wolf, Faith realised what had been odd about the voice, the snarl to it, she had thought it had been threatening, but now she realised, it was just the way a wolf would talk. She mentally chided herself for thinking about talking wolves, even with one standing in front of her.

"Give me a minute and we can talk without me getting a sore throat." The wolf darted into the tent, a few moments later a figure emerged pulling on a pair of Robin's jeans. "Hi again."

"Oz?"

"It's OK sweetie, it's really me. I'm back, and this time I'm never leaving you." Tara cradled Willow in her arms as she wept. "I'll be with you forever, no matter what. You're my always." Willows tears intensified as she heard the words.

Across the room an arguement was raging. "Yeah, who died and made you God? Well except for you and me a couple of times." Buffy was right up to Wesley's face, anger flaring from an unknown source deep within her. An unnatural hatred for Wesley, she knew he was evil, she knew it in her heart and her soul. Her hand was around his throat before anyone knew what was happening, "Go back to whatever hell you sprung back out of." Her free hand clenched into a fist and was raised to strike Wesley, he struggled to speak, but could barely breathe under the pressure of the Slayer's grip.

"Stop." The word, spoken by Tara, an innocuous word. But it worked. Buffy found she could not bring her fist forward to connect with Wesley, no matter how hard she tried. "Release." At the word, Buffy's hand released the former watcher. All eyes in the room darted from Tara to Buffy to Wesley. "Now sit down Buffy, we need to get you calmed down."

"And deprogrammed" Wesley added through gulped intakes of breath.

"Deprogrammed?" Giles asked.

The Light. 20 Minutes ago.

"You and Ms McClay here are among the very few who are unnaffected by the conditioning that every new arrival undergoes here. You are very fortunate. Tara here is immune, due to her, recent adventure with Azazeal, you my boy, were protected by your birthright. Your true power. I can't believe that your father didn't tell you any of this. Well, I suppose I have to start from the very beginning."

Wesley's grandfather lowered himself gingerly to the ground. "You Wesley. Are the last in a long line of inheritors. You have inherited more power than you can imagine. You see, your great great many thousand generations removed uncles were among a select group. A group of men, who called themselves the Shadow men."

Jerusalem.

It came so suddenly, no one could see it before it fell. Everyone could hear it coming, but they couldn't see it, until it was too late to react. The missile landed in the centre of the ancient city, the nuclear detonation came less than a second later. Burning white light radiated from the flashpoint. Everything within a ten mile radius exploded in flames hotter than any recorded, flesh, stone, bone. All gone in an instant. At 20 miles, the concussion was lessened, and the heat diminished, but the death followed, as strong as ever. Radiation, permeating the skin of every living creature it encountered. Skin sizzled and melted, sloughing off bone like tenderised beef.

A second flash of light erupted above what was once Jerusalem. If anyone had been left alive they would have told you that this flash was even brighter than the first. This flash did not bring radiation, or a concussive blast. It brought forth an army.

The army of the Light had arrived. Millions of them swarmed through the portal, ready to do the bidding of the Powers that Be.