GATE CRASHER'S – CHAPTER 2
"Now that we're all here, what was Rome all about Daniel?"
"Well, it seems that the archivists found a scroll that tells quite a story. It seems that aftera Pharaoh sacked Solomon's temple,theEgyptiansremoved several articles of historical significance, including the 'vessel of the word'. Apparently the remaining priests and temple guards shadowed the army, and in a bold move stole the article back, but since they were in Egypt, they had no way of getting back to Israel, so they took it through the 'Eye of the Heathen God'."
"The Stargate, in other words"
"Exactly, and on the scroll are five symbols, all of which are on the Stargate."
"Only five" Sam asked "why wouldn't they put the last one on there?"
"I don't know the theory is that it's hidden or encoded in some way, both the archivists and I are going to work on it."
"And if we figure it out" Jack asked.
"Then they want us to go get it."
"You said it was the 'vessel of the word', what exactly is that" Sam asked.
Daniel had been dreading this question, a lot "we believe it signifies the Ark of the Covenant."
"You've got to be kidding, please tell me you're kidding Daniel" Jack looked like he was going to stroke out at any second.
"No, I'm serious, and that's not all."
"What else could make this better" Jack asked, his voice defining sarcasm.
"When, if, we go; they want to send two of their people with us."
"You can't be serious Dr. Jackson" General Hammond spoke at last "they want to send civilians through the Stargate".
"That's what they want, and I can understand why, an article of that historic significance, a record of God speaking directly to a person; in terms of religion it doesn't get much bigger than that. Of course the church is going to want to keep it out of civilian and military hands."
"I find myself confused" Teal'c commented "how did they know such a journey would be necessary. Did you inform them of the Stargate's existence Daniel Jackson?"
"Well no, it seems that they already know about the Stargate."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but they did, and they didn't press for information so I've got to assume that they already know everything they need to."
"So in addition to all the usual stuff we have to deal with, now you're telling us that there's a leak somewhere, and they've told the Catholic Church all about us, we have to figure out a symbol hidden on a scroll over two thousand years old, and then determine if we are gonna Indiana Jones something with tourists along for the ride. Have I left anything out" Jack huffed.
"No" Daniel said "that's pretty much it."
"Good" Jack said "I hate the unexpected."
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Just as the sun was coming up, two people were slogging through Indonesia's rainforest, neither of them were happy about it either.
"Why does it have to always be somewhere so nasty, couldn't they be on the plains or in a nice, normal, dry, forest, why is it always the jungle or mountains or caves or desert?"
"You mean like 'Demon House on the Prairie', probably because everyone would know about it then, it has to be nasty just to keep the normal people away. Plus, I think they like nasty stuff like this. Seriously, how many demons that live in the real world are garbage men or sewer workers, stuff like that?"
"Good point I suppose; are we there yet?"
"You know the answer to that as well as me, but we are close."
"Do you think the Stargate people will let us tag along?"
"Probably, especially once they dig into the stories about the Ark, they'll want us along as a safety valve."
"Will they make us go through that ridiculous training?"
"Probably, they'll want to prove that we're out of our depth, that way we'll just shut up and let them do it without interference."
"Should we act inept then?"
"No, but maybe we shouldn't go full tilt either."
"I can live with that."
"So what is it that Giles said is going on?"
"It's not an end of the world ritual, but it should make these things darn near impossible to kill."
"Well that's not good, and they need human sacrifices to do it?"
"Yeah"
"So, how do you want to play this? Do we just stop the sacrifices and leave them be, or burn the damn thing down."
"The first I think, the stars won't be in the right alignment for another 35,000 years, so not a big threat after today."
"So you decoy and I snatch?"
"Well you are faster than me, so sure."
"OK, here's my pistol and reloads, now don't get dead."
"You either, I love you Bella Alba."
"I love you too Mi Cuore."
Then the two of them went to work.
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It had been two weeks since Daniel and Jack's trip to Rome, and SG1 had just gotten back from P4W-X33, a planet that was the source of dispute between two of the Goauld. The population had been practically exterminated, but they had found a few survivors. Now the question was to help them, relocate them or ignore them; Daniel was glad it wasn't his decision to make. Once back, he had showered and slept, and now he was relaxing. Well anyone else would have called it intense research, but he found it relaxing. He was currently sitting in the cafeteria looking into the mythology surrounding the Ark of the Covenant, and honestly what he was finding was scary as hell.
"What's so engrossing Daniel" Sam asked from behind him.
"I was researching the 'item' we discussed a couple of weeks ago, and now I'm not sure we should go get it even if we're able to figure out where it is."
"Why not?"
"Because if only half of what I'm reading is partially true, 'It' makes a Hydrogen Bomb look like a popgun. Here, take a look at this" he said, sliding the book over to the Major.
She read for a moment, the skeptical look on her face being replaced by one of fear. "This can't be right, there's no way this could be true."
"Do you really want to take that chance, what if even a bit of it is true, huh; what then."
"Well according to this we'd be dead after just touching the thing, not to mention what it could do if we knew how to activate it."
"Exactly, but the alternative is to leave something this powerful laying around and hope that some System Lord doesn't find it."
"So what you're saying is that it's too dangerous for us to get, but it's too dangerous to leave where it is. So what do we do?"
"I think we need the two people from the Vatican, they would be the ones that know the most about this thing, what it does and how to handle it. If we ever figure out where this thing is we need to get it, and we'll need them to help us get it."
"Jack and Hammond are gonna love that."
"I know, but I don't see any alternative."
Sam noticed a CD case that was in with all of the books and papers her friend was carrying. "Is this the CD they helped cut."
He held it up; it was his copy of 'Angels of Light and Darkness' by the Faithful Remnants. "Yeah, these are the two kids that escorted us around Rome" he said this while indicating two of the people on the back.
"They look young" was all she said.
"True, but you want to see something weird, take a look at the credits section."
Sam opened the case up and looked at the insert "what am I looking for?"
"Look at the names."
"OK, Ian, Janice, Dawn, Buffy, Clem Oz, Faith, Whistler; so?"
"No last names, not for them or for anyone credited, and when we were in Rome, none of their papers had a last name listed."
"So you think all of these people work for the Vatican?"
"No, I just think its weird is all. And you know what else is weird, I still feel like I've seen them somewhere else, but I just can't place them" he shook his head in frustration.
"Well, weirdness aside, when are you going to tell Hammond your conclusions about us needing their help?"
"When we figure out the last symbol, everything's moot until then."
"Well, let's take a look at this scroll then" Sam said with a smile.
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They were flying back to Rome on a plane. It sounds like a common thing, but for the two of them it was anything but common. It was time off the clock, and that was why Dawn loved it. On the plane there would be no interruptions, no sudden calls; it was a guarantee that nothing would interrupt their time together. That was the only complaint that Dawn had about their relationship, the lack of uninterrupted time together. Sure, they were almost together constantly, but to have some time where they weren't on some mission or another was rare, and therefore precious to her. On the flight, they talked, not about consequential things, just chatted as though they were just friends that had bumped into one another. Even the in-flight movie and a nearly inedible meal didn't put a damper on either their conversation or their mood. Finally landing in Rome, they made it back to their apartment without losing too many clothes and eventually spent the night quietly in each others arms. The next morning they slept in late and called the Cardinal, to see if any progress had been made in finding the last symbol. Sadly, they were still on square one; but with that business out of the way, they day was free before them. They were having breakfast in a little open air bistro on the Piazza della Rotunda when Dawn's phone rang; this was not a good thing. The only people that had the number were Buffy, Faith and Giles, so any calls were pretty important, and usually involved a lot of fighting. Tentatively, she answered "hello".
"Dawn, where are you two?"
"Rome, we just got in last night, what's the what?"
"We've got a situation in Berlin, we think a slayer might have been turned, we're going but we could use your help, can you two be there?"
"Ian can find out and we'll get back to you in about half an hour, OK?"
"Yeah, no problem from this end, and thanks Dawnie."
"Hey, what are sisters for. I'll be back soon."
"OK, bye"
"Bye Buffy"
She hung up the phone and turned to her partner "they think a slayer may have been turned in Berlin, they're going in but could use a bit of firepower, can we help?"
Ian looked back at his wife and thought for a moment "let's finish up and head back to the apartment, I'll make the call from there."
"Sounds like a plan" Dawn replied, and they finished their breakfast as though nothing was happening. They strolled hand in hand back to their apartment and walked up. As soon as the door was closed Ian dropped down into a basic lotus position and closed his eyes, he was contacting the Archangels to see if he would be permitted to assist the slayers.
"We have been requested to help" he asked "may we?"
He waited, and finally Michael answered back "you may."
"Can she be saved?"
"No, her soul is no more; she willingly gave it up and now her place is assured."
"It cannot be restored?"
"If it was taken from her unwillingly, it could be, but she gave it up; it is true that she was tricked, but ultimately it was her choice."
"I will have to use Gabriel's dagger, won't I?"
"That will be likely."
Ian sagged, aware of what he would probably have to do "thank you" he said to the Archangel.
"Take care little brother" his/her voice answered back "you will be needed elsewhere soon."
"We will" he answered and broke the connection.
"So" Dawn asked him.
"We're off to Berlin" he replied "but the others won't like what I have to say."
"And what is that?"
"That this is a straight kill, not a capture" and he proceeded to tell her what Michael had said.
"Buffy is gonna go ballistic when you tell her that, you know that don't you."
"Yeah, I know it; but it has to be done."
"Well, let me call her and then we'll get going."
Dawn called her sister back and found out that the group of slayers would be in Berlin in an hour, so they got their weapons together and caught the 'express' to Berlin.
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They were waiting at the private hangar as the jet with the slayers group on it. They watched as Buffy, Faith, Jenn (who was both a slayer and a witch), Rona, Vi, Xander and Giles.
"So" Dawn asked "what can you tell us?"
"Not much" Giles replied "we lost contact with Ingrid's watcher almost a week ago. We sent another slayer and her watcher to investigate and he was killed and she was badly beaten, but escaped. In a moment of lucidity, she told us that Ingrid had been turned, and so we came here."
"Are you here to capture or kill her" Ian asked.
"Well, we'd like to capture her if possible and try to restore her soul."
"That's not gonna be possible" Ian replied. He didn't want to tell them this, but allowing them to try and just capture the rogue would only get them hurt or killed.
"How do you know that" Buffy asked a bit angry at being told what to do.
"Because she willingly gave her soul up, she wanted to be sired. She wasn't tortured or forced, she willingly gave it up, and there's no coming back from that."
The rest of the group was silent, thinking about what Ian had just revealed. "Remarkable" Giles said "and you know this how?"
"Michael" Ian replied.
"You absolutely sure about this Goldilocks" Faith asked, emotion making her voice huskier than usual "there's no way whatsoever to pull her back."
"I wish to God there was Faith, but she's made her choice, true she was probably tricked into it, but she made it just the same. Now she has to face the consequences."
Xander had broken away from the group, now he walked back and said "Will should be here soon."
Dawn understood instantly that Will had been back with the coven researching ways to restore the girl's soul, once that was not a possibility, they wanted her here.
Both Dawn and Ian felt the power flare and soon Willow was standing with them, looking a little flustered. She immediately rounded on Ian "you're sure there's nothing we can do?"
"Sadly yes, I'm sure."
"Any idea how it happened" Buffy asked.
"She must have wanted it to occur" Giles answered "its part what makes a slayer a slayer, if a vampire tries to turn a slayer and the slayer is unwilling, then she simply dies without being turned."
"Why would a slayer want to be a vampire" Jenn asked.
"Best guess is some vamp pulled an Angel and convinced her it was some forever love kind of thing" Buffy said "by the time she found out the truth it was too late."
"Enough chit-chat" Faith said "let's find her and dust her and get the heck out of here."
"Sounds like a plan" Xander said "we one group or we split up?"
"Two teams I think" Giles said "Buffy, you take Faith, Jenn, Willow and Xander and search the various cemeteries for a clue as to where they are; I will go with Ian, Dawn, Rona and Vi and we will check out a couple of demon bars I know of and see what we can find. Whichever group finds them first, contact the other and we'll hit them as one group, agreed."
Everyone agreed to Giles plan and they set off. As they were making their way downtown, Giles sidled up to Ian and said "when the time comes . . . . ."
"I'll take care of it, if you don't or can't" Ian said "and I understand your reasons". None of the slayers would be able to stand killing one of their own, Willow wouldn't for other reasons. Xander and Dawn would be able to, but it would cost them a lot; no, Ian and Giles were the true killers in the group, the ones willing to take the pain so that others would not have to.
Giles just nodded at the young man, and went back to lead the way.
They struck pay dirt at the first demon bar they came to, not surprisingly called 'Holle' which is German for Hell. Ian had masked his essence on the way there, although the slayers were easily detectable, but once he stepped inside, he let his angelic self out. The result was inspirational, most of the demons bolting for the exits at inhuman speeds. A few remained behind; Dawn figured that they were too drunk, too stupid, or looking to make a reputation. Leaving the girls to cover them, Ian and Giles walked up to the bar. Giles handled the 'questions' by letting Ripper come out to play a bit. By the time he and the bartender were done, they knew the location of every major vampire nest in the city; including the one they wanted. Ian gave Dawn the address and she pulled out her cell phone and called her sister. She asked if Will could do a spell to mask their essences so the vamps would have no warning. There were a few moments of silence while Buffy was talking to Willow, then she came back and said it would be done in less than five minutes. Agreeing to meet in front of the nest in fifteen, they sisters hung up. The five hunters left the bar and went to meet up with the other half of their group.
The plan was pretty basic; Ian, Dawn and Jenn went in the back, Rona, Vi and Faith went in the roof, and the Scoobies went through the front door. Once the groups were in, they realized that someone had been busy, because there were a lot of vampires. The three teams were working pretty steadily through them, Ian and Dawn having the easiest time of it because they were used to fighting much tougher demons, and they all seemed to arrive at the central room at the same time. There sat Ingrid, young and blond and beautiful, and next to her was a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Xander. He was young, dark and muscular, with wavy black hair. There were also about twenty other minion vamps with them, guarding their king and queen.
Without much of a pause, the groups attacked. The minions were dropping pretty quickly when the boy/leader went after the group he thought was most susceptible to him, Rona and Vi. He figured that one attractive slayer had already succumbed to his charms, why not two more. He was shocked when they attacked him without hesitation, and even more shocked when Vi staked him without blinking. Had he known that the two girls were a couple, he might have made his play for Jenn or Faith, but he didn't know and now he was dust. At the sight of him exploding into nothingness, Ingrid went berserk. She attacked Rona and Vi with an almost unbelievable fury; rendering both girls unconscious in less than ten seconds. She was then assaulted by both Buffy and Faith. Ingrid was holding her own, actually she was doing a little too well, it was as though her strength had been multiplied by being turned instead of the vamp strength and slayer strength being added together. Both of the chosen two were getting in some good licks, but they were taking them as well. Ian could see that despite everything, they were holding back; they still thought of her as a slayer, as someone they had failed, not as a soulless killing machine. Realizing that one or both of them would be hurt badly before the vamp/slayer was dusted; Ian did what he felt he had to do. Slipping in between Buffy and Faith, he ducked a punch with a move that would have made a snake gape in disbelief, then rammed Gabriel's dagger into her chest. Her back arched in agony for an instant, then she turned into a gray statue and this exploded into dust as the demonic force controlling the body dissipated. Then there was silence. Dawn grabbed Ian, and together they healed as much of the damage as they could, after all that was what they did.
As they were leaving, Ian took notice of a pentagram that had been scrawled onto one of the walls. He looked at it for a second, and then it hit him, the sixth symbol, he knew where it was. Smiling secretly at Dawn, they headed out with the rest of the group. Neither Buffy nor Faith would speak to him after they left the building that the vamps had been using. Once they were a block away Xander pulled out a little transmitter and pushed a button. The explosion rocked the buildings for blocks, but ultimately only one structure was destroyed, and it was the one they wanted gone.
"Soldier Boy memories or did you learn that on your own" Ian asked his friend.
"A little bit of both actually, it started out as memories, but I got interested so now I'm learning about this stuff on my own."
"Cool, so that was C4 or something like it?"
"Just my home-made version of the stuff. It's really not that tough to make once you have the recipe."
"Good to know Xander" I replied "and all this time I thought Willow was the chemist of the crew."
"You know me" Xander quipped "I'm just full of surprises."
Ian looked around as his conversation with Xander wound down. They (except Dawn and Giles) were all giving him the fish eye. Definitely not in the mood to deal with it, Ian decided that removing himself from the situation was probably best. So taking Dawn's hand he said "it's been fun guys, but we've kinda got something already on a front burner, so we need to leave". Then before anyone could respond or protest, he concentrated on Rome, and when he opened his eyes, that's where they were.
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Dawn stepped back from Ian and gave him a nasty glare "why the quick goodbye"?
"No one was really happy with the fact that I capped the vamp/slayer, so rather than force them to think about it while I was around I left."
"I could tell they were upset, but you should have stayed to explain it to them."
"And tell them what 'you guys weren't trying so I had to do your dirty work', no Bella Alba, I don't think they were ready to hear that. Nor would I ever want them to hear that, they were having a tough time working through the guilt of having the girl turned in the first place."
"So you decided to become the focus of their anger" Dawn said; a spark of pride in her voice.
"It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Now they'll have time to heal. Besides, I had another reason for hurrying back."
Her eyes grew inquisitive "and what might that be Mi Cuore"?
"Here's a copy of the scroll, do you remember how we noticed that some of the letters in the middle were poorly done, well what if it was intentional. Watch" and with a pencil he quickly connected the symbols, creating a five point star "now look at the middle 'the eye of the heathen god' as the scroll put it."
When Dawn looked at the pentagon in the middle she could vaguely make something out, but then, like an optical illusion, a symbol jumped out at her, "that's it" she said, and flung her arms around her husband. "Now all we need to do is get this to Colorado and remind them of their promise."
"True, but they won't be happy about us coming along, remember that; they're going to look for excuses to leave us behind."
"I know, but like you said, they'll realize that they need us, so they're stuck with us."