Usual disclaimers...

Don't own Buffy (unless you count some boxed DVD sets), don't own Early Edition. No money is being made, and I'm treating the characters with the utmost respect.

Rated PG-13 for violence and mild swearing

Chosen Ones' Anonymous

Part V

Gary sat on a park bench on the college campus, staring out at the lake. Two large gym bags, stuffed with today's weapon purchases, were at his feet. He kept the paper open, trying to look harmless and innocent. Explaining bags of weapons to campus security was not on his to-do list. He shivered, as the weather had turned cold. That was a bit of luck. If the weather had been nice, the lakefront park would have been filled with students playing frisbee and catch, or just hanging around. He flipped to the front page again. The article has changed already. Willow had managed to hack into various and sundry computers and send the other schools' groups on earlier tours. The handful of students from Sunnydale High were the only ones on this trip. The long list of casualties was gone. Unfortunately, his new friends now comprised the short list of casualties. Willow was downcast. What else could they do?

"It means there's still something we have to change," responded Gary. They agreed that they still had to be there; something was coming, and they could not allow it free run of the city. And so he was here, watching the waves on the lake and fretting and wondering when Svengoolie was going to show up and start doing color commentary.

The group came around the corner. Buffy spotted Gary and gave him a barely perceptible nod. They were accompanied by a short, smartly dressed woman, a representative of the admissions office, no doubt. "And here, you can see, is the university's lakefront park. If the weather were a bit warmer, you would see many students enjoying a little down time here." She turned to look out at the lake. "Of course, we have an unparrelled view of Lake Michigan and..." she paused in confusion. There seemed to be something bubbling out of the water. Gary shivered, and it had nothing to do with the cold. He bent to the gym bags and started unzipping them.

All of sudden a great, ugly reptilian head popped up out of the water. It had a long neck, and seemed to be attached to an enormous body, still partially hidden by the water. The group of teenagers pelted towards Gary. He dumped the bags' contents out on the grass. Willow and Cordelia both grabbed crossbows and took up positions by nearby trees. Buffy grabbed the longest sword in the bag. Oz grabbed a slightly smaller sword and followed Buffy as a respectful distance. Giles hauled the stunned college woman away from the creature.

The creature came closer to the land. The front two legs scrabbled for purchase on the rocks of the breakwater.

"What is it, Giles?" yelled Buffy. "A dragon?"

"Not quite sure," yelled Giles. He had managed to drag the woman to Gary's bench and sat her down in it. "Sorry, please keep back," he said to her. As he grabbed for a sword, he hollered to Buffy, "And no, I'm not sure what is the best way to kill it."

"OK," said Buffy. "I guess we'll go for the ever popular beheading then. That ruins just about everyone's day."

Gary stared at the approaching creature in disbelief. "What the hell is that thing?" he asked of no one in particular.

"It would appear to be a mythical beast," said the woman next to him. "Quite extraordinary." Her tone was casual, much too casual. Gary turned to look at her pale face. He pulled off his jacket and draped it around her. "Please don't go into shock," he prayed. He heard a howl of pain and turned towards the fight.

The creature had dragged part of its body onto land. He could see that it was bleeding from one leg. Buffy danced away from it, waving her sword. "Pretty slow, aren't you?" she taunted it.

The enraged creature snapped at her. She easily dodged it. It curved its neck back for another strike. Suddenly, it jerked back. Gary though it could see a bright red spot just under the monster's jaw.

"I'm so good," he could hear Cordelia exclaim.

"I think that was my shot," argued Willow.

"I don't think so," retorted Cordelia as she struggled to fit another bolt into her crossbow. Gary shook his head. Kids. He returned his attention to the battle.

The monster was now bleeding from several places. Buffy, Oz and Giles were all darting here and there, keeping the creature confused. It jerked back again, this time with a dart just above the eye. It howled and shook its head. Buffy took the opportunity to take a running leap, and, with one blow, swept the monster's head off its neck. Buffy twisted away from the spray of dark blood. Gary turned away. He could hear Cordelia say, "Euww!" The monster's body slumped on the rocky beach, and the head rolled several feet before coming to a rest at Giles' feet. He looked at it with distaste.

"Very well done Buffy." he said, as he started to wipe the blood off his sword. "Why don't you rest, and we'll dispose of the head." He took a long look at the enormous body on the shore. "That, on the other hand, is going to present something of a problem."

The others gathered around Gary, putting their weapons back in the bags.

"Well, that was easy," said Willow happily. Usually there's more fighting, and injuries, and stuff like that."

Buffy bounded up to them, bouncing up and down with unexpended energy.

"We came, we slayed, we party!" Buffy cried out, brandishing her sword. Gary smiled and reached into his back pocket for the Paper. He wondered how the Sun Times reporters were going to cover this. He unfolded the Paper and hissed. Buffy darted a look at him. "What's up, Gary?"

He turned the Paper so she could see it. "California Librarian Slain at Lakefront." Buffy's face went white. She turned and screamed, "Giles!"

Her note of panic jerked Giles away from his study of the monster. He started running towards her when, incredibly, the monster's neck twitched. The body jerked again, and the neck swung out and caught the man in the back, throwing him forward into the park bench. Giles' head hit the seat with a crack, and he slumped down to the ground.

"Oh great, what a surprise," said Cordelia in long suffering tones. "We're in trouble, and Giles is unconscious, again."

End part 5

Author's note: Hey, it's not a real episode of early Buffy unless Giles gets knocked on the head!

For non-Chicago residents, the Son of Svengoolie show is one of those late night horror film television shows with cheesy commentary and really painful puns thrown in. Before there was Mystery Science Fiction Theater 3000, there was Svengoolie!