If anyone is actually reading this story, could you tell me if it is flowing smoothly or not? I'm not satisfied with this; it may just be me and my perfectionism, but it may very well be a reasonable fear. Any constructive criticism is welcome, emphasis on constructive. If you're just going to tell me "Stryker sucks" or "go JD/S!" then don't bother; I know J/S rocks (less of a fan of D/S, though) and I know the majority of the populace thinks Stryker is a lame character that isn't worth a sentence much less a story. If people think characters are acting out of character, though, that's a whole other story and should speak up. I take everything into consideration; whether or not I agree with you just depends on what evidence you have to back up your belief.

Last tidbit of A/N: No, I don't like Kennedy. Kennedy is not right for Willow, and I just don't see her being a successful Slayer. Hopefully this is the last time you'll ever see me abuse the writer's privilege.


Next Day, Cleveland, Summers' Residence

Buffy Summers looked around her living room, nodding perfunctorily. Everything was perfectly normal. Just like a suburban living room in Cleveland, Ohio, was supposed to be.

Jabs of hunger made her turn and head to the kitchen, and she sighed pleasurably as she found her way unblocked by herds of people. Slayers, to be precise. And the food would be normal, not the Green Eggs and Ham sort that one usually found while Andrew was around.

After the town of Sunnydale collapsed into a crater, and with no other purpose, the large group had gone to Cleveland to watch over the Hellmouth there. Buffy would have been against going to another Hellmouth and restarting the cycle that was Sunnydale, but with an unlimited number of Slayers to share patrol duty, she had been won over.

Buffy thought that having several hundred Slayers would be a good thing, especially fighting the denizens of the dark and nasty. She soon learned, however, that with so many Slayers under one roof, egos and arrogance swelled uncontrollably. Faith's prediction that multiple Slayers weren't meant to coexist had further proof, and Xander found himself constantly employed to fix the stairs, kitchen, living room, or any room for that matter.

The heart of all the misplaced pride answered to the name of Kennedy, and it became clear that the newly-called Slayers were growing too dependent upon and too fond of their Slayer powers.

Everything had come to a head when Kennedy led a group of five newbie Slayers into a vampire nest with nothing more than a few stakes between them. Faith had to bail them out, but in the process they lost two newbies whose names Buffy had not even learned yet.

Needless to say, the Summers household was not serene and quiet that night.

Willow tried to defend her new love, but when Kennedy refused to take responsibility of her actions (instead blaming Buffy for not training them well enough), Willow reluctantly took Buffy's side. This made Kennedy exit in a huff, followed by a minority of other Slayers.

That night, the original Scooby Gang with the additions of Robin, Andrew, and Faith came to the conclusion that they needed to disperse the Slayers out across the globe now, rather than in a few months as they had been planning. Robin and Andrew volunteered to take the Slayers and give them basic training—Robin mostly took this responsibility; Andrew went to provide testosterone support for the former principal. Once the Watcher's Council was rebuilt and reformatted to better suit the needs of Slayers, the Watchers would head out immediately to their charges and begin formal training.

The next morning, the newbie Slayers found themselves to be relocated in pairs or larger groups, most of them to their former homes. Many faces were ecstatic, though some were understandably gloomy at the prospect of being sent back to the place they had nearly been killed, courtesy of the Bringers. Those particular Slayers were given a new locale, someplace far enough away that they could hopefully begin healing emotionally.

Kennedy, as it was to be expected, thought she would remain with Willow. She made a glib comment about "training Buffy to be the better kind of Slayer—Kennedy style," and Willow chose to defend her best friend, dumping her short-time girlfriend and informing her quite pleasantly that she would be taking a post in the westernmost region of Alaska. Buffy silently sighed her relief; Tara had been a much better girlfriend for the Wiccan.

After the few Slayers that were uncertain of the sudden move were appeased with sympathetic words and many chocolate chip cookies, they were ready to leave the Hellmouth. Robin and Andrew assured Buffy that they would ensure the region's safety before depositing a Slayer, so that a newbie wasn't forced to handle hordes of vampires without the proper training.

That had all taken place a month ago, and for that Buffy was grateful. Finding ways to scrape up money for Dawn's college funds was bad enough; add that to the growing trouble that was the Hellmouth, she didn't need PMSing Slayers in the mix.

As it was, her day was to worsen. Particularly when Dawn screamed somewhere in the living room.

When Buffy tore in, she found the demon known as Whistler reposing on the couch.

"Whistler," Buffy Summers slammed the demon up against the wall of her living room as she threatened, "what the hell are you planning, which loved one am I supposed to kill this time that I'm not going to kill even if it takes my soul to prevent it, and what do you think you are doing, coming back into my house like some cutesy little puppy?"

"Buffy," Dawn Summers, the Slayer's sister, placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered soothingly, "he can't answer you if you cut off his air supply."

The demon nodded wildly and pointed at Dawn, encouraging her point. With a frown Buffy let him go, and Whistler made a show of taking deep gasps of breath before straightening up. "Now, is that any way to treat a guest?" he asked.

"Eat your hat," Buffy retorted. "Now why are you here?"

"Well," Whistler leaned against the fireplace mantle, toying with a picture frame of the Slayer and her friends, "there's a problem. A big problem. And it's heading to Earth to cause some mayhem and very possibly create another apocalypse."

"Um, can we say 'overdone' and 'duh'?" Xander Harris said, giving Whistler a glare with his one eye.

"Yes, yes, but here's the good news, Slayer: You ain't going to have to do it alone. There's two other groups that are fighting alongside you."

Buffy quickly glanced at her comrades. They lined the living room in strategic locations: Willow, her Wicca powerhouse, stood farther from the entrance to give her time for her spells; Giles, Buffy's Watcher and father-figure, stood at the mouth of the entrance to delay any entries with his remarkable abilities; Xander stood opposite the older man, armed with an axe; Dawn stayed a bit behind her, just like Buffy preferred it; Faith, the other Slayer, stood by the window, relaxed but ready for a rumble. They all had wary looks on their faces, though Dawn seemed more interested in Whistler's clothing than his errand.

"Who are they?" Buffy asked suspiciously. "The others that are supposed to. . . fight with me? More from the Initiative?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Though one group is military-based, they aren't like the Initiative. They have a more interesting job."

"That's. . . not reassuring," Willow pointed out.

Whistler stopped toying with the picture frame, turning to face Buffy directly. "Yeah, well, you'll get to meet them soon enough. We, meaning the three that look after each group, decided to make Cleveland the rendezvous."

"You mean Cleveland as in here?" Xander gulped.

Whistler nodded. Buffy fumed. "And you were planning on telling me this when?"

"Now. Oh, don't get your Wonder Bra in a bunch, Slayer. The secrets are going to have to come out if there's to be any team unity. And I'm not bringing any untrustworthy demons," he added before Buffy could ask. "Though it's not for lack of trying. Those Gachnar demons refuse to cooperate after you crushed their leader into mush." He cocked his ear to the ceiling, then smiled. "Ah, here comes our first group now."

There was a flash of light outside, and with a 'stay here' look, Buffy went to the door. Looking to make sure everyone was ready for the worst, Buffy opened the door wide and slid into a defensive mode.

On her doorstep stood four people, blinking and looking about bewilderedly. One man with glasses turned to her and said, "Oh. Hello."

Buffy stared. These are the people that are supposed to help me? "Hi."

An older man with gray hair also turned his attention to her. "We're looking for the 'Save the World Committee,'" he said. "I don't suppose you would be one of the members?"

Eyeing them warily, Buffy invited them in, leading the way into the living room. They carried in two large black boxes, depositing them in the foyer before entering. Buffy assured Giles and Xander they could lower their guard. The last man of the group, a dark-skinned man with a strange gold emblem on his forehead, gave them a cursory but cautious glance.

"Alright, now we're on a roll," Whistler clapped his hands together and advised, "Let's spare the introductions for when we're all here. Saves time and energy."

"You can take the couch," Dawn piped up, taking that her sister was not trying to shove stakes or swords into any of them as a sign that they were okay people. "You want anything? Soda, coffee?"

"That's alright," the gray-haired man smiled thinly, and the sole woman of the group grinned slightly.

With that, the eleven waited in the living room, avoiding each other tenaciously. Finally, after twenty minutes, Faith turned to Whistler and demanded, "When exactly was this third group supposed to show up, Whistle-Boy?"

Whistler shrugged. "I dunno. Rayden was always one to make an entrance. And don't call me Whistle-Boy."

"Whistler!" a loud voice yelled from within the house. That in itself put Buffy on guard; the thunder that coincided with the shout made it too paranormal to think of it as a simple intruder. Before she could settle into a proper guard a figure burst into the room.

The demon blinked and stared. "Rayden? Speak of the devil, what's the matter–"

Rayden's eyes scanned the room, but what he saw Buffy was uncertain of: the pupil-less eyes made her think he was either blind. . . or something else.

He apparently seemed satisfied with whatever he found. "Good, the rest are here. You want to know what is happening, I know," he interrupted before Giles could even part his lips. "For the time being settle for a practical demonstration and follow me. We have a problem."

Without another word he vanished. The sound of lightning striking made his exit eerier.

Buffy traded looks with her comrades, taken aback. The glasses-man asked, "Does he seem a little. . . strange?"

Whistler shook his head slowly. "He's flustered. Rayden flustered is never a good thing. You'd better go."

"Hold on," Gray-Haired man stood up from the couch. "How do we know we can trust that guy? Or you for that matter?"

"He's the Protector of Earth Realm," Whistler reprimanded. "Him attacking its inhabitants is an oxymoron. And now's not the time for paranoia. Now hurry, out back."

Uncertain, Buffy and her group led the way to the yard. Gray-Hair and his companions took time to stock up on weaponry before joining them.

Rayden was in the back, pacing in agitation. When the last person set foot on the grass he raised a hand and lightning jettisoned from his fingers. A blue circle roaring like a tornado formed in front of them.

"Go through!" Rayden hollered over the circle's sound. "You'll find yourselves in New York!"

"What are we fighting?" Faith yelled, holding a hand up to keep dirt from her eyes.

"Something not of this world," was Rayden's cryptic reply before he jumped through the portal.

"Well, wasn't that just informative," Gray-Haired man scowled. He turned to his team. "Alright, T-Murray, watch our six. Carter, you go in with me. Daniel, don't touch anything that has weird runes on it and for God's sake, try to stay in one piece."

Buffy took a liking to the man; he was a leader, like she was. Just with more formal training. Though she had suspicions about the 'Murray' fellow; he didn't seem like a Murray to her. "Willow, Xander, you're our back up, stay near the rear. Giles, Faith, you fight with me," she told her friends, then laid eyes on her sister. "You–"

"Are going," Dawn interrupted, hefting an axe she had swiped at the last moment. She rolled her eyes as the elder glared. "I'll be sure to watch my back, left, right, and front while sticking to Xander and Willow, okay Buffy?"

At any other time, Buffy would have thoroughly rebuked her and tied Dawn to a chair to keep her safe. The older Summers daughter knew, however, that her sister was as experienced as she was at her age. So instead of ordering Xander to keep Dawn safe, Buffy patted Dawn on the shoulder and said, "Okay, Dawn."

Grinning slightly at the stunned look on her sister's face, Buffy turned to the circle and was strongly reminded of three years ago, when she jumped off the tower in Sunnydale to save the world. Gulping, Buffy prayed that the ride was a smoother one and leapt.


New York

Colonel Jack O'Neill was not having a good day.

Of course, it all started last night when Daniel decided to call at eleven o'clock in the evening to inform him that Oma Desala had a mission for them. Then it snowballed from there when General Hammond had to throw some of his weight around to requisition firearms and other necessities.

Throw in a Senator Kinsey sticking his nose in business that he had no affairs sticking it in, the Tok'ra packing up and moving without so much as a heads up, the Goa'uld System Lords apparently taking some sort of siesta from their general worship tirade, a bright, flashy transporter beam, no time to set his VCR to record The Simpsons, another mode of transportation that made a person's stomach do twists, shake well, and Jack O'Neill had his recipe for a very bad day.

The circle that the Rayden character had created threw Jack into a dirty, wet street that smelled all-too-much like New York City. Jack looked up while his knees complained, and saw the blonde woman that had preceded him. If Jack remembered right, her name was 'Buffy'.

What kind of name is that, anyway, he groaned to himself as he stood.

He had the right idea to move out of the way; his second-in-command, Major Samantha Carter, fell through with as much grace as he did. Following her shortly was the brunette Buffy had called Faith and the old man identified as Giles.

Slowly, one by one, everyone came through. Even the oddly-dressed guy came through, the one called Whistler. He didn't strike Jack as the type who fought often.

"Damn you Rayden and your portals," Whistler was commenting as he rose to his feet, making Jack smirk. Looked like even the two buddies had issues with each other.

"So, where's the fight?" Faith demanded, strutting around with (to Jack's bewilderment) a sharp, pointy stick no longer than his forearm.

"Undoubtedly elsewhere," Giles answered the woman's question, straightening his glasses. "It would be bad luck to exit that. . . horrid vortex and land in the path of a down-swinging sword."

"O'Neill," Teal'c's voice brought Jack's attention to his right, away from the conversation. Teal'c had his head cocked and was listening intently to something. "I believe the fight is being waged on the other side of this building."

"Alright, Murray," Jack slid his P-90 into a more comfortable position and began to say, "Let's move out." He stopped when a high-pitched roar rang in the night air, shattering windows in the building.

"What the hell was that?" the one-eyed man known as Xander cried, uncovering his ears.

"Let's find out," Buffy said calmly, marching forward.

"Carter, get to the roof," Jack suggested, pointing up to the top of the closest building. "Anything gets too dangerous, snipe it."

Carter nodded sharply before taking off to the building's door, bringing with her the sniper rifle. With a nod to Daniel and Teal'c, Jack followed the petite blonde, trying to surreptitiously pass her with no success.

The group of ten rounded the street corner, the sounds of battle becoming louder and clearer. Human yells overlapped foreign roars, causing the group to quicken their pace. The mutual concern for civilians was in all their minds, with the exception of Whistler.

The reason for Whistler's indifference became apparent to Jack when he finished passing the building.

Six people were in the thick of the mess, but they weren't terrified or whimpering. They fought like crazy, using martial arts and other means to fend off the beasts.

Jack stared, having never seen stranger creatures before in his life. And considering his line of work, that said something.

They looked like elongated humans, with four appendages Jack hesitated to call arms, and stocky legs that supported the upper body well. The torso was thick and broad, covered in what appeared to be a black body suit. The head was a long oval shape, with two egg-shaped black eyes and a flat nose. The mouth seemed completely human, but periodically the inhumane screech vibrated out and made Jack want to cover his ears every time. How the six fought the things so close, Jack had no idea.

"You have any idea what these things are?" Jack asked Teal'c, wincing as another shriek deafened him.

"I have never seen the like before," even Teal'c grimaced at the noise.

"Ah well," Faith shrugged, having heard the answer while standing next to Jack. "A little mystery is always a blast." She bit her lip as a creature screamed. "But that damn noise is giving me a migraine."

"Willow, can you do anything about that?" Buffy yelled to her friend, who nodded with determination. Jack wondered what exactly the redhead meant to do, but started when her hair turned black with her eyes and she spouted something in Latin.

A black mist settled over the area, and while Jack could hear the screams, it had lessened in volume to a tolerable level. The six people continued to fight. A spattering of ammo made Jack look to the roof; Carter had joined the fight.

"Alright, slayage time," Buffy unhooked a rod from her belt and tightened her grip. To Jack's amazement, the rod grew in length and unsheathed a blade, revealing a scythe.

Buffy did not get her opportunity to slay, though, as an unperceivable force jostled them all back. The six in the midst of the fight were shoved fiercely away, level to Jack and the rest. The Screamers, as Jack dubbed the creatures, regrouped and charged for a fresh fight, murder glinting in their eyes.

"Sub-Zero, shield!" one of the six shouted.

An Asian man nodded and raised his hands, the heels of his palms touching, to the sky. A blue beam shot upwards and cascaded down in a dome shape, keeping the Screamers effectively out. The temperature, though, dropped noticeably.

"What's Stryker's ETA, Sonya?" the first yelled, paying little attention to the mass that was trying to break down the shield.

"Five minutes!" came the answer from a blonde woman.

"This won't hold that long!" the man creating the 'shield' informed them, sweat forming on his brow.

"Willow!" Buffy turned to her redhead-turned-brunette, "Can you do something to demolish the freaky guys?"

Willow squinted, then panted, "Something's wrong, something's drawing out my Black Magick, Buffy. I won't be able to control it much longer." As if to prove her point, a bolt of black lightning struck the ground near her, blasting a hole the size of a basketball.

A man with (Jack shivered) solid green eyes twisted his head, eyeing Willow. He detached himself from the six and grabbed Willow's hands. He whispered something to her that Jack could not hear, ignoring the increased pounding on the shield.

Jack's radio cackled. "Sir, rapid-ammo fire seems to be effective against these things, but I've attracted some attention. They're climbing up the wall and for every one I take out two take its place."

Though her voice was calm, Jack was not. He raised his eyes to the building Carter had situated herself on and found a thick clog of black covering the bricks. Flashes of light allowed him to locate her, and his stomach dropped. The distance between her and the enemy was lessening by the moment.

"We have to help her!" Daniel cried in his ear, spotting her predicament at the same time as Jack.

Just then a scream erupted from within their numbers. Turning, they saw the green-eyed man still holding Willow's hands, but Willow was no longer a redhead nor black-haired. Her black locks turned white, floating away from her face by an imperceptible wind. Her eyes stayed the same black, but the color shifted from hateful and cold to soothing and warm.

From her issued a wave of light tinted with yellow, sweeping past the shield and into the mass swarming against it. The Screamers's shrieks died away, and the bodies disintegrated. Willow closed her eyes and her hair snapped back to his normal color as she collapsed into the green-eyed man's arms. At the same time Sub-Zero lowered his arms as well, sweating and tired. The shield evaporated; the temperature rose.

The enemies on the ground were defeated, but that left the ones that had crawled up the wall to get at Carter. The flashes stopped, and Jack knew her ammo had run out. She had more magazines, but the precious moments it would take to reload would enable the Screamers to reach her.

He lifted his own gun to fire, but another beat him to the punch. A silver blur flashed through the Screamers, falling most of the enemy. Those that managed to cling to the wall had no time to scale any further as a human body slammed into them from above and knocked down the rest. Picking up his weapon—a baton—the man hit the still-living Screamers in the head. Red spilled into the street.

Movement nearer to him caused Jack to turn. The blonde woman reached up and pulled something out of her ears. "Well, Stryker has decided to finally join the party."

"So that's how you guys weren't keeling over in agony," Dawn piped up. What was apparent to the girl was unapparent to Jack, until she elaborated, "You wore earplugs."

"Quite useful," a beautiful brunette woman confirmed, pulling out hers.

A black man nodded in agreement. He eyed the large group critically. "So, you're the help Rayden was talking about?"

"Whoa," Faith raised her hands, insulted. "Who said anything about us being the help? You guys are the help."

Jack ignored the growing argument, still concerned with the other member of his team. "Carter, you alright?"

The answer came a moment later. "Fine, sir. The man. . . Well, you probably saw."

"Yeah, I saw. You coming down?"

"I'm on the last staircase. Be there in three minutes."

Nodding in satisfaction, Jack returned his attention to the others. Daniel and Teal'c had wisely stayed out of the growing antagonism between Faith and the black man. Daniel and the green-eyed man kneeled over Willow and checked her vitals, declaring to a hovering Xander and Buffy that she would be fine. Teal'c stood apart from the crowd, keeping a sharp vigil on his surroundings; nothing short of Star Wars and ice cream could make the man relax.

The first man from the six, another Asian, took out his own earplugs and smiled faintly at everyone, also ignoring the rising debate. "Thanks for coming here when you did. Without her," he nodded to Willow, "I'm not sure we would have beaten them."

Carter's figure slowly separated from the darkness of the building, joining them cautiously. "I took a look around the block, sir," Carter reported. "None surviving or forming for a second attack."

Finally, having taken his time to ensure the safety of his friends, Stryker approached his group, shaking his head at them. "You know, I really was looking forward to that vacation in Maui tomorrow. Had the tickets bought and everything."

"Maui's rotten this time of year anyhow," Sonya replied unsympathetically. "Does anyone have any idea what's going on?"

Everyone traded looks. "We're not entirely sure ourselves," Giles admitted in his British accent, taking his glasses off and rubbing them clean; the action reminded Jack of Daniel. "All we know is that something is threatening Earth's safety and our three groups are to protect it."

"So, in other words, we know absolutely squat," Stryker stated.

"Less than eloquent, but yes," the green-eyed man nodded. Upon closer inspection, Jack realized he was of Native American descent. "Rayden was about to transport us to get a full explanation, but the plans changed."

"Speaking of the deity," Whistler stepped forward, straightening his hat, "Any of you know where he is? I'd like to have a few. . . choice words with him."

The group of seven stared at him, all of them except one shrugging. Stryker said, "We don't like to know his whereabouts. That makes it all too easy for him to walk up to us and throw us into trouble. Such as now."

"Aren't you guys just thrilled about helping to save the world," Xander quipped, kneeling beside Willow.

Several from the seven and Jack himself scowled and exclaimed, "We didn't help save the world, we did save the world!" Then looks of surprise focused on each other.

"Maybe we should start from the beginning," Whistler cut in suavely, sensing a fight developing. "Better yet, let's find a place to get comfortable and talk this out."

Buffy glared at him. "Such as my place?"

"So nice of you to volunteer, Slayer!"

Buffy barely managed to rein in the desire to punch the demon when Faith said, "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but we're in New York, right? How're we supposed to get to Cleveland?"

Whistler paused. "Well, we find a way to contact Rayden and have him open a," he shuddered, "a portal for us."

The group of seven looked at one another. "I got him last time," Kitana reminded them.

"I'm still keeping an eye on the girl," the Indian gestured toward Willow.

"I wound up calling this insufferable ass," Sonya jerked her thumb at Stryker, earning herself a glare.

"I called Rayden the time before Kitana," Jax claimed.

"I'm not doing it," Sub-Zero informed them flatly.

Liu looked at Stryker. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Stryker sighed. "Fine. Two out of three. But if you win, you have to call him."

"Same here."

The two played two rounds, both of which Stryker won. "Crap," Stryker swore. He grumbled, kicked invisible dirt, and walked off, probably to have some privacy. Liu seemed to be unfazed, undoubtedly used to the man's idiosyncrasies.

A moan brought everyone's attention away from the sulky Stryker to a wakening Willow. She blinked a few times before realizing she was on the ground, looking up at Xander, Daniel, and the Indian. She squeaked, "I'm okay."

"That's good," Xander grinned as he helped her up. "We were worried we'd no longer have our babbling Willow to make the awkward voids even more awkward."

She smiled at that, but then spotted the Indian. "You. You helped me."

He grinned. "Nightwolf, to be more specific. But yes, I helped you. Otherwise your Black Magick would have made us all fried human beings. And I prefer living."

"Wait a minute," Sonya raised her hand. "Black Magick? You're joking, right Nightwolf? That doesn't exist on Earth."

The man raised a brow at her. "Oh yes, Sonya. Black Magick certainly doesn't exist on Earth. It has about the same amount of chances of existing here as, well, humans who can change into dragons."

Her look of triumph was brief; Jack narrowed his eyes as she sighed and conceded, "Your point."

"Hang on," Jack raised a hand, frowning at Sonya. "You're giving into this? This. . . Magick? Dragons? That's ridiculous."

"Jack," Daniel looked at him with that look.

The Colonel turned his frown on him. "Daniel."

"Jack." The look became more intense.

He shifted. "Daniel?"

A sigh came. "Jack."

Finally, he decided the archaeologist's argument had sound foundation. After all, he had seen weirder things enter the realm of actuality. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Fine, Daniel."

The man addressed as Sub-Zero snorted. "Americans."

Faith tilted her head at him. "Better watch out. I might take that as an insult and decide to kick your ass back to whatever country you came from."

Sub-Zero barely granted her an eye roll. "I know a Thunder God who has taken a liking to stealing my chow mein and throwing me in a war every couple of months. Pardon me if I'm not frightened."

A shouted expletive made everyone turn sharply. Stryker was storming back to the group, a dark look on his face and muttering under his breath. Jack suspected it was nothing the youngster Dawn should hear.

"Damn you, Liu," Stryker told him as he rejoined them.

He blinked. "What'd I do?"

"I'm not sure, but damn you anyway. Rayden opened a portal on the other side of the street," he added at their inquiring looks. "Said these others would know where it would be."

Jack traded looks with his comrades and shrugged. "Alright, then. It's a 'Just follow the yellow brick road' moment. Murray, if you'd do the honors of watching our six, I'd feel much safer."

As everyone fell into pace, unconsciously drawing nearer to those they knew best with the exception of Teal'c, Jack heard Stryker mutter, "If he's a Murray, then I'm a Ron Perlman."


If anyone can catch the inside joke hidden somewhere in this chapter (hint: within at least the last 5 lines) then you're just as much a DOTR fan as I am. Be proud. Or afraid. Whichever you choose is most appropriate.