Chapter 16 – Bunnies
Unknown dimension, Unknown location,
Buffy looked around the boiling pits of magma then to Stackhouse "Oops." She said.
Stackhouse glared at her "Oops?" he asked.
"Well it was my first time through a portal I created. How was I supposed to know it went to a hell dimension." She asked.
"Well you made it, you should know." Stackhouse told her.
"Really, well maybe. But let me close this one and make another to my quarters in Atlantis this time." She told him.
As Buffy closed her eyes and closed the portal which then disappeared Stackhouse said "And what's with the portal making? Do Weir and Major Sheppard know about this? Is that why you were allowed to come with the expedition to Atlantis?"
"It's new, not exactly and no." Buffy answered. "I'm a slayer, I have supernatural strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, senses, hearing, eyesight and healing power, I'm a mystical warrior for the Powers that Be. I fight vampires and such back on Earth. Have since I was 15, I was allowed to come here because of my experience. Yes vampires are real, yes Weir and Major Sheppard know. On top of that I had part of a mystical energy known as the Key inside me which allows me to open portals."
Stackhouse stared at her, Buffy ignored him and her eyes darted to a creature. "Don't tell me Anya was…" Buffy stopped her sentence and pushed Stackhouse to the ground and out of the way of two red beam coming at him. "…right." She finished. She threw a dagger at the bunny killing it and smiled down at Stackhouse only now seeing their compromising position.
Blushing she got off him and offered him her hand to get up, which he took.
"Was that…?" Stackhouse started to ask.
"Yes." Buffy replied.
"But that was…" Stackhouse said looking at the corpse of the creature.
"Anya always warned me Bunnies were evil, I guess she was right." Buffy told him her thoughts going out to the ex-demon. She missed Anya. Pushing the memories back she closed her eyes in attempt to concentrate but her eyes darted open when she heard movement. She took her dagger from the dead bunny and stared towards the direction the sound came from. To Stackhouse she said "Shoot anything coming towards us. I'll open a portal."
The creature Buffy had sensed earlier jumped into view but a quick shot from Stackhouse terminated it.
Buffy closed her eyes concentrated, reached inside for the energy of the Key and concentrated on her quarters in Atlantis. Another swirling green portal appeared and Buffy looked at Stackhouse now shooting bunnies coming at them from everywhere. She grabbed him before she jumped, so they both went through the portal at the same time.
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Atlantis, Control room,
"Incoming transmission from Kalen." A soldier told Kolya causing him to lower the gun aimed at Weir and walk over to the soldier.
"Kalen?" Kolya asked "What is wrong?"
"It's about the slayer. She escaped and left nothing behind but death and destruction while doing so." Kalen informed him.
"My father?" Sora asked who also heard the transmission.
"I am sorry Sora, he is dead. The slayer destroyed every bit of research we did on her and made sure there were no survivors. We only know she was responsible for all of this when we found our backup security recording. I'll send it to your location." Kalen said to them.
"Kolya! Kolya!" a voice interrupted and Kolya looked down at the radio where Major Sheppard's voice came from.
Sora ripped the radio from Kolya's hand and pressed the talk button "I'm going to kill her Major Sheppard. Your precious slayer may have escaped but she is as good as dead. As is your Dr. Weir."
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Atlantis, grounding station 3,
John stood there letting this information sink in then said "If you let Buffy escape I'd be more worried about what she's going to do when she finds you then when you find her. Ask the First Evil if you don't believe me."
"Go to Buffy's quarters." Dawn's voice echoed in his head.
"Dawn?" John asked looking around but not seeing anyone. He then grabbed his gun and life sign detector and headed to Buffy's quarters.
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Right dimension, Pegasus galaxy, Atlantis, Buffy's quarters,
Buffy groaned as she got up, she was on her bed and Stackhouse looked at her worriedly.
"You're awake, I was worried, you were unconscious when we got here. The portal closed immediately behind us." Stackhouse informed her.
"How long was I out?" she asked.
"About half an hour. I did some recon, the place is swirling with what I assume are Genii soldiers based on the description Major Sheppard gave me on their uniform." Stackhouse told her.
"Great." Buffy said getting of her bed and walking towards her weapons chest.
"Wait a minute are you sure you're up to this? I mean I know you told me you're this mystical warrior on Earth but you just awoke after opening two portals. Not to mention everything you must have been through back with the Genii." Stackhouse told her worried.
Buffy took out an axe, some stakes and a crossbow before she looked at Stackhouse. "Don't worry about me. Worry about them." She told him and as Stackhouse looked at her expression and started to, indeed worry about the Genii.
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Pegasus galaxy, Atlantis,
"We need to assess the situation and…" Stackhouse started.
"You go do that I'll got to the control room and take back our city." Buffy told him.
"You're crazy, there are too many of them, you can't possible take them all on." Stackhouse told her.
"I took on a whole lot while escaping their facility, I can handle it. I'm the slayer." Buffy replied.
"I'm not going to let you go there alone. I'll come with you." Stackhouse told her.
"Fine, watch my back." Buffy told him and with a loaded crossbow she was about to walk towards the room when her senses picked someone approaching her position and she raised her crossbow ready to fire.
John picked up two life signs around the corner. Tucking the detector away Major Sheppard held his gun with both hands and then jumped around the corner ready to fire.
"Jesus, Major we almost shot you." Stackhouse told him as he and Buffy lowered their weapons.
John lowered his gun walked closer to them and looked at Buffy, his eyes showing his concern as he asked "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, the Genii who held me captive are however not." Buffy replied looking at him briefly then back into the direction they had to take to get to the control room.
John studied her, worried at her lack of emotions "How did you get here without the stargate?" he asked.
Buffy didn't answer so Stackhouse did "She came to the evac-site by stargate then used her Key part to open a portal to a dimension with evil bunnies when we were unable to contact Atlantis. She then opened another portal to her quarters and passed out. When she woke up she was determined to get to the control room and retake control of Atlantis." Stackhouse reported.
"Are you done with the whole military reporting thing so we can get to retaking the city?" Buffy asked them.
Sheppard eyed Buffy still worried about her attitude, she didn't seem like the vulnerable Buffy or the happy Buffy or even the normal Buffy he had encountered before. She seemed to be all business now, no emotion. It worried him and made him wonder if she did this change often when she was slaying evil back on Earth. "Some guy named Kolya is in charge, they have Weir and McKay prisoner." He told them.
"Not for long they won't." Buffy told him.
"We can't just charge in without a plan Buffy." Stackhouse told him.
"Sure I can, they don't know I'm here, when they see me they'll freeze giving me plenty of time to take them out." Buffy told them.
"What about McKay and Weir, what if they get shot while we take out the Genii?" Sheppard asked.
"You get them, I'll distract the Genii." Buffy told them.
"How are you going to do that?" Stackhouse asked.
"I'm going to kill them." Buffy told him and then turned and started walking "That ought to distract them." She added.
Sheppard and Stackhouse watched her go "Sir, I'm worrier about her state of mind." Stackhouse told Sheppard.
"Me too." Sheppard told him then followed Buffy with Stackhouse not far behind covering the rear.
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Pegasus galaxy, Atlantis, Control room,
Kolya grabbed the radio back from Sora saying "your father will be avenged, but we need to focus on our mission here. Send more teams to get Sheppard." He told her.
"Sir, we've lost contact with 4 of our teams." A soldier reported to Kolya catching the two's attention.
"What?" Kolya asked walking over to him.
"I believe he said that you lost 4 teams." A voice said and the turned to it only to see the slayer use a crossbow to shoot three guards through the heart. She then pointed it at Sora, the soldier and Kolya. "You should have killed me when you had the chance." She told them. "Which one of you is Kolya?"
"I am, who are you?" he asked.
"That's the slayer" Sora said in venomous voice and grabbed her gun only to yelp out in pain when an crossbow bolt went through her hand causing her to drop her gun.
"The slayer? But how could she get here without use of the stargate?" Kolya asked only to hear gunfire as he turned he could see another military officer like Major Sheppard and Major Sheppard point their guns at them as McKay and Weir move behind them.
Buffy dropped her crossbow and grabbed her axe twirling it around in her hand. "Buffy?" Buffy could hear Weir's voice but ignored it as her eyes remained focused on Kolya, Sora and the soldier. She threw a stake at the soldier who looked down to see it stick out of his chest. Blood came out of his mouth as he fell forwards dead.
"Ladon." Kolya said his hand moving for his gun but he paused seeing Buffy move her finger at him left and right.
"Uh uh" Buffy said to him but Sora ignored her and moved her uninjured hand to her hand only to yell out in pain and hold up a bloody stump at the place her hand had been.
Buffy grinned "Naughty Sora. Shouldn't play with guns." She said to the woman.
"You evil Bitch!" Sora called and yelled again as Buffy axe hit the arrow still in her other hand "You killed my father! You cut off my hand!" Sora yelled looking at Buffy with angry tears.
Buffy shrugs at the woman "Is that supposed to make me feel guilty. Me? who you pumped full of all kind of drugs, who you experimented on, who you tortured with your invasive medical procedures, keeping me conscious just to see how much pain I could take before passing out. Whose legs your scientists broke with a sledgehammer just to see how I feel heal them. I am supposed to feel guilty for defending myself in the war you started against me?" Buffy laughed humorlessly.
"You were captured for study and from that moment on were property of the Genii." Kolya said causing Buffy's fist to connect with his face followed by her foot hitting him in the chest, an audible crack of ribs could be heard as Kolya flew back against the wall.
"I am no ones property." She told him. "You picked the wrong woman to start a war with. You think you have it bad with Wraith?" she asked walking closer to him and putting her foot on his injured ribs "I slay Wraith, I slayed all kinds of evil you can't imagine. I defeated your supposed Goddess before. I will again. I may not have my friends or an army of slayers to back me up this time but all that is needed is me. You guys are its minions, weak, no special powers. Even Major Sheppard and his soldiers can take your pathetic excuse of an army. You think yourself something greater by carrying out the First Evil's plans. It has bringers and the Wraith as her minions. You are the most expendable to it. But you made your choice and by that choice you made me your enemy. You have no ethics, what you did to me…what you planned to do to these people here in Atlantis. It tells me enough." Buffy grabbed a stake.
"Buffy behind you!" Sheppard warning was unnecessary as her slayer senses had already warned her of someone moving closer behind her.
As Buffy lifted her foot from Kolya and imbedded the axe into Sora's stomach. She sliced through Sora's stomach and turned her eyes back at the spot where Kolya had been just in time to see a gun pointed at her. Buffy rolled out of the way and felt the bullets velocity sore just past her skin. As she got to her feet she yelped as something impacted into her stomach, she ignored the pain and threw the stake at the gun which flew out of Kolya's hands.
Buffy looked at her stomach seeing blood. Coming from there she held one hand against it, keeping pressure on the wound as her eyes darted to Kolya who had drawn a sword, her sword. "That's mine." Buffy told him.
"You are amazing, you're shot and still you fight. You could have been a real asset to the Genii." Kolya told her.
"Too bad you screwed that up." Sheppard said coming at Kolya gun raised.
"I have to get to grounding station 3 to repair the damage if we're going to save Atlantis." McKay told them.
Suddenly more gunshots sounded and Buffy felt 2 other bullets impact into her. In the background she heard someone call her name. She lay there on the ground feeling the weird sense of déjà vu. Had it not been in her own backyard some years ago that Warren had shot her close to her heart. Willow had saved her life then, but she had died again briefly before that. Willow was in another galaxy right now. She couldn't help her…maybe it was for the better. She could finally rest again. Go to Heaven again.
She blinked as she saw a figure end over her saying her name, 'don't worry John, I'll be alright where I'm going. I'm sorry I can't help more but I have done enough for Earth in my lifetime.' Buffy thought but she felt to tired to say it out loud. The world faded and Buffy felt herself slip away.
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Pegasus galaxy, Atlantis, Control room,
"I'm sorry John, she's dead." Weir announced after checking Buffy's pulse. A sadness hung in the air.
"I don't want to interrupt, I liked Buffy too but we are on a deadline here. We need to get to grounding station 3 so I can fix it and unlock the last pylon so we can use the storm to power up the shield." McKay told them.
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Milky way galaxy, SGC,
"She's dead." Faith whispered feeling an emptiness and a sense of loss. She looked at her team mates, her eyes landing on Willow and Colonel Carter briefly then saying "I have to make a phone call." And with that said she left SG-1 and walked away to call Giles and ask what she was supposed to do now. Telling Willow will be difficult…and telling Jack…Faith knew about his son Charlie's death and the happiness the General felt with discovering he had a daughter. Her death will crush his spirit. Feeling a heavy weight on her Faith continued to walk while trying to hide her emotions from anyone who she passed.
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A Heaven dimension,
Buffy felt the familiar feeling of Heaven, she didn't have form but she was still her. She felt at peace, complete again.
"Buffy" a voice said and Buffy drifted towards the voice. She couldn't really see but sense the source of the voice "Dawn" she said and the two touched each other.
"I've missed you." Buffy told her.
"I've missed you too Buffy. But you're not supposed to be here again, not for a while anyways." Dawn told her.
"But I did my part. I've done more then enough, I don't want to leave here again." Buffy told her sister.
"I know, but without you Atlantis will fall. The First Evil will rule the Pegasus galaxy and sent it's army to Earth. The loss of you will suffer the morale on Earth and cause Faith, Willow, Xander, Giles, your father and many others to fall." Dawn told her.
"But It's not fair, why can't someone else be strong this time. I don't want to go back to that Hell where I have to be strong all the time and fight wars. I killed so many Genii, humans…I'm done. I died, again. Let me be at peace." Buffy told them.
"Living is hard Buffy, you know that. But life isn't Hell. You were beginning to see that even after the thing with the Immortal. You were allowing yourself to feel love again." Another voice said and Buffy sensed another familiar presence.
"Mom" Buffy said reaching out to the presence.
"Oh Buffy, I've missed you. I love you so much and I'm so proud of you." Joyce Summers said to her daughter.
"I don't want to leave here mom." Buffy told her.
"Buffy, you are special. Going back isn't going to be like before. It's going to be your choice, for once. But see what fate your friends will fare too if you don't go back to save them." Joyce told her.
Images washed over Buffy and she could see a giant tidal wave hit the city, McKay being too late to activate the shield. The Genii soldiers still in the city having slowed the small group down enough to be too late to activate the shield.
"But How can I change things?" Buffy asked.
"You…what's that?" Dawn said and looked to see two shapes traped in some sort of energy field.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked.
"Someone is yanking 2 souls out of Heaven." Joyce said. "I recognize this from when Willow ripped you from here."
"Not on my watch." Dawn said and her form flew towards the souls but when she reached then the souls were gone.
"Where are they? Who did this?" Buffy asked.
"Some other dimension…I see…bunnies?" Dawn asked confused.
"I know that dimension, I went there by accident with Stackhouse." Buffy told Dawn.
"But how would they know how to raise the dead and who were resurrected in the first place?" Joyce asked.
"Maybe your presence there affected the situation more then you thought Buffy. Those souls, they were Anya's and Tara's souls." Dawn told her.
"This is my fault…I have to go, I have to save them." Buffy said determination settling in.
"Having part of the Key inside you will allow you to return to your body if you focus on the power. But you have been using the Key a lot lately. I don't know if you can be much help to Anya and Tara in your present state…you'll need help. And the only one who can help you is the one I trapped in time and exiled from Fred's body….Fred!" Dawn called and another shape came towards them.
"Who are you?" Fred asked.
"I am the Key, also known as Dawn or a Power that Be. I saved your soul and trapped Illyria in time and exiled her from your body." Dawn introduced herself.
"I uh thank you." Fred replied.
"Illyria is needed. Do you object if I return your body to her so she can help Buffy save the lost city of Atlantis?" Dawn asked.
"Wait Buffy, the slayer?" Fred asked.
"Yeah I dead again." Buffy said.
"Oh." Fred said then asked "Do you think she will listen?"
"She will or she will return to her prison." Dawn told Fred.
"Well if it helps the slayer, and since I'll still be here I don't have any objections." Fred told her.
"Then let it be done."
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Right dimension, Pegasus galaxy, Atlantis, Control room,
Buffy felt a flash then pain then the all too familiar sensation of not knowing where she is as she weakly got up. She saw feet and weakly got herself up to see Dawn standing there. "Cross your fingers" Dawn told her and white light with swirling green energy around it began to glow in the room.
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