"Karma of Powers" by Shadow Master aka Ryley Breen
(BtVS/Gundam Seed/Gundam Seed Destiny/Gundam Wing/?)
[YAHF but only to get things moving
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material that will be written about in this drabble/short. They are the property of their creators and associated businesses. I am making no profit off of this. I am doing this because I enjoy writing and others seem to enjoy reading what I have to write. Therefore keep the lawyers on their leashes and your fingers away from the speed dial button on your cell phones. I can assure you have nothing that would come even close to the fee you'd be demanding in your lawsuit.
Note: This story came about because of a lot of things: seeing the dubbed version of Gundam Seed Destiny, being a fan of Gundam Wing, being a fan of BtVS and wanting to figure out a way to bring them all together in a way that would be both entertaining and feasible. It took awhile and I needed to review information in and download the relevant episodes for viewing but eventually I came up with a possible plot that met the two above requirements (at least I hope it did). In any case this will occur before and during the Halloween episode of BtVS but this will only be about ten percent YAHF since it was the only way I could think of to hook everything up in my plot. In the Gundam Seed universe this would take place around episode 20 of Gundam Seed. I don't wish to give exact dates since that would restrict me in terms of plot and possibly lead to conflicting facts.
Keep in mind that this is intended to just be a short/drabble with only the majority of mistakes and errors ironed out. If this idea receives enough votes from you the readers to convince me to turn it into a full fledged fanfic one day (I have a lot on my plate so I cannot say when exactly I will be able to get around to it) I will do my best to ensure that the number of mistakes and errors are reduced as close to one hundred percent as I can manage.
In any case I hope that you enjoy what you are about to read. Now on with the show…
&&&&&&&&&&&&
Karma of Powers
Realm of the Powers That Be, Shortly After the Defeat of the Master
"How in the name of the Creator did this happen!?" Exclaimed one of the revered group of celestial beings known collectively as The Powers That Be.
"How did that one mortal, that one normal mortal, manage to defy a prophecy we spent centuries putting into motion!?!" Asked another member partially in disbelief and partially in anger.
"We're still having our fate thread analysts and probability managers looking over every scrap of information leading up to the fracture point," spoke a more rational member of the group. "So far all signs show that for a period of twenty hours prior to the destined event, he somehow managed to slip out from his predetermined Fate track. At the time this happened we weren't all that concerned since he was just a normal human with no skills or abilities that would interfere with our designs. All our projections showed that at the very most he would become lost in the underground cave network beneath Sunnydale and barely escape to the surface later on after being pursued by numerous demons. Never in any of out scenario projections did we have him coming anywhere close to the event site, much less revive Slayer Summers."
"Well obviously someone in probability projection missed a variable because our plans for the next five years have been turned to ash like a lowly, dusted vampire! Not only that, but the one Slayer has now become two since the Slayer genes in former potential Kendra were activated the moment Slayer Summers was clinically dead!" The first speaker yelled, obviously not liking one bit that such carefully laid out plans had been rendered worthless.
"I'm afraid things might be even worse than we suspect, my comrades," spoke a calm and soothing voice from the seat of highest power among them.
"What do you mean, Chairwoman?" Asked the rational speaker, who outlined the overall situation.
"As soon as Slayer Summers was revived, I contacted our precognitive division to determine what the most likely path would be for the Earth if the mortal Alexander LaVelle Harris continued to 'slip' from his Fate track at crucial points along the way," the Chairwoman replied, sounding genuinely troubled and that had the others worried considering her usual stoic state. "So far they predict that not only will Slayer Summers exceed the maximum set lifespan for a Slayer by four years but the mortal Harris will also play a key roll in the destruction of no less than four high level threats over the next five years alone. The most troubling of the predictions is a violation of the most sacred process, the cycle of life and death that could potentially grant our main enemy enough purchase on the mortal plain to pave the way for its full return."
"You don't mean!?" Gasped one of the members in fear.
"The First Evil," exclaimed the one who had been so angry at the destruction of their plans.
"Yes. While the precognitive division states that he was only one of four people responsible for the violation, it was also clear to them that it was his continued presence in Sunnydale coupled with the possibility of future unforeseen actions on his part that allowed the situation to develop that far," The Chairwoman said, managing to reclaim most of her former stoic state. "While I know that our plans for humanity and Earth as a whole might be construed by some of our more compassionate brothers and sisters as being harsh and in some cases outright cruel, it is all for the greater good. We have been fighting against the forces of darkness since Lucifer first drew a weapon against the Creator and have been directing the forces of light ever since. We have both the wisdom and experience to guide the struggle to the best possible outcome for all who dwell within the light. Therefore we must now take action that I had hoped we would never again have to take against one of the Creator's children. We must remove Alexander 'Xander' Harris from the face of the Earth if not that very dimension."
"W-while I agree that we must take action, Chairwoman, you know the Creator's position on such actions. He made it rather clear the last time we did what you propose that the free will of mortal kind was never to be so blatantly usurped by us again," the Summarizer said with distinct unease at where things were going. "He even reiterated our original mission statement which stated that it was our job to organize the forces of light to fight as one in the fight against the darkness rather than let them act independently of each other. If we do something like that again, we might not escape punishment so easily."
"I am fully aware of the Creator's fondness for allowing the mortals to 'find their own paths' and what our mission was in the beginning, however that mandate was created millennia ago and circumstances have changed since then and not necessarily for the better. If we are to win our struggle against Lucifer and his dark brood, exceptions must be made and, if necessary, certain rules must be bent," the Chairwoman said firmly, never once losing her composure. "Fortunately for us, though, an opportunity has arisen on Earth that will allow us to remove Harris without invoking the wrath of the Creator. A chaos mage named Ethan Rayne has arrived in Sunnydale and plans to cast a spell Halloween night to transform all who buy something from his store into what they wish to portray. If 'by chance' Harris were to be transformed into something suitably impressive and remained so for, say, ten minutes after the spell has been broken, then we would have to take action to restore the balance."
"Won't the Creator simply order us to use our powers to return the Harris mortal to his original state or perhaps do so himself?" The Summarizer asked, wanting to make sure that the Chairwoman had all the angles worked out before committing to anything.
"We will say that, due to the chaos magic used in the transformation and the unexplained reason for the altered Xander Harris remaining, that it would be dangerous to take premature action. We will say that instead we will remove Harris from that plane of existence and study his altered condition thoroughly before taking any steps to restore him to his natural state. That would be the reasonable course of action to take and it has the mortal's best interest at heart," the Chairwoman replied, making the reasons sound perfectly reasonable and practical. "That should be enough to appease the Creator's interest enough for him to resume his other duties and not look upon us so closely. Once his gaze is no longer fixed upon us, we will get rid of Harris completely by casting him into the nexus of realities. He will either be obliterated by the conflicting energies of that realm or he will be deposited into a reality he cannot possibly return from."
"Still, we will have to play this very carefully, Chairwoman. The Creator is no fool and will certainly see our true intentions if any mistakes are made in how the situation is handled," said the being who first opened the topic up for discussion.
"Agreed, however we have been making plans and constructing strategies against adversaries for centuries untold, so I doubt we'll make such mistakes," said the Chairwoman with utmost confidence. "Begin with the preliminary measures and, once finished, begin moving the chess pieces. It will all come together in the end. Yes, it will come together, I'll make sure of it."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Unknown Location, Unknown Realm Running Alongside the Buffy 'verse
"Well, well, well! Finally! That board of bores finally comes up with an idea that is somewhat interesting!" Came a voice from behind The Creator, who was far more aware of what his subordinates were up to then they would ever believe.
Of course they couldn't help it for he/she was as far above them as they were above most mortal species and so it was literally impossible for them to do anything without him/her knowing. He/she merely allowed them the illusion that it was within their abilities to conceal things from him/her, since it would make interacting with them a little easier. Now, though, he/she had to wonder if she had been giving them a little too much leeway when it came to leading the forces of the light against the darkness. This was the second time that they were contemplating going against his/her decree that the mortal races be allowed to exert their own free will. The last time it happened, he/she had been forced to put into motion the Reformation of his/her followers on Earth, causing her eventual desire for a unified Earth to be set back considerably. Add to that the fact that his/her 'cousin' from the reality five continuums over was now interested in how things were going and that could only mean that things were about to get interesting.
Or chaotic, since the two often went hand-in-hand when he was around.
"Oh, don't be so upset, my dear cousin. I assure you that I have no intention of making your job any harder than it already is with this reality," His/her cousin said, sounding almost sincere if it wasn't for the grin he had on his face. "I just thought that maybe we should let them have their little bit of fun, so long as we get to determine the ending. After all, I am sure you are aware of the troubles your Earth will be facing in the coming years and having an unexpected ace dealt to you might come in handy."
As much as he/she hated to admit it, the next few years for Earth would be difficult, especially with regards to threats not of that world. He/she had seen the initial projections and, while the end result did favor the light, the number of deaths, both civilian and champion, were significant. He/She had discussed this with his/her advisors and, based on the data they had, they agreed that the planned route was the most beneficial to the light possible. Considering, though, that the data came from divisions under the control of the Powers That Be, he/she had to wonder at the reliability of such information. Seeing what his/her cousin was implying, he/she agreed that with a little tweaking the scenario devised by the Chairwoman could be made to greatly improve the results of the next few battles between the light and the dark. However it would take precise timing in order to reroute the ending before the council known as the Powers That Be could interfere in anyway. While he/she was more powerful than all of them combined, to use more than a sliver of his/her power on the mortal plane would create great disruption of the natural balances that existed therein.
Such was the price of possessing the Power Almighty.
"If it would make things easier on you, I'd be happy to lend a hand," His/her cousin said with 'genuine' honesty. "While I'll admit that my powers aren't in the same league as your own, I do have a talent for disrupting the plans of beings who think they're in control."
He/she had to grant him that. After all, he'd even managed to trick his own family into accepting certain changes while making them think that they'd consented of their own free will for their own reasons. Add to that the fact that he/she was the only one who knew he was in this 'neck of the woods' and the Powers That Be would be completely taken by surprise when he popped out of nowhere to spoil their plans for the mortal Xander Harris. So, after a moment's consideration, he/she gave her cousin permission to handle the matter as he saw fit so long as he didn't get too carried away.
"You won't regret this, 'dear cousin'! I promise," he said, and with a snap of his fingers, he vanished in a flash of light to go about his mission.
I already am cousin. He/she thought as her omniscience immediately enlightened him/her on how bad things could go with her cousin at the wheel, I already am.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ethan's Costume Shop, Two Hours Prior to the Start of the Chaperon Assignment
When it rains, it fuckin' pours!! Xander thought angrily as he mentally counted down the three things that had transpired to ruin his day considerably.
First there was the fact that he'd gotten roped into being a chaperon for a bunch of ankle biters from the local elementary school. He'd had planned to just be a couch potato at the Summers home, enjoying a few award winning horror flicks while sneaking a few handfuls of the sweets Mrs. S would probably have by the door. He'd even done some preliminary work on a plan to get Buffy so scared by one of the movies that she'd glomp onto him without even knowing what she was doing. He knew it would take something pretty out of the ordinary or perhaps genuinely scary to provoke the necessary but he had made sure his movie selection would do what he wanted it to. Now though thanks to the Troll Snyder he'd have no choice but to trash his plans and endure what was likely to be two hours of brats asking him annoying questions and running all over the place with him chasing after them. It would of course only get worse as more and more sugar got into the brats' systems and while he would never speak out against all forms of sugary goodness even he had to admit that the substance was dangerous in the wrong hands. In any case he had his task for the night and would do his best not to snap at the kids no matter how hard they tap danced on his last nerve.
The second thing to ruin his day was the fact that Buffy had 'saved him' from Larry in front of the 'sometimes-working-sometimes-not' soda machine. It had started out like most of his encounters started out with Larry but this time around he'd planned to score some beaucoup respect points from his fellow students by standing up to the jock. It had been going pretty good until her Slayerness showed up and manhandled the linebacker off of him and intimidated the caveman into retreating. However it did the complete opposite of what he'd hoped the situation would do for him by making him look like a sissy man in front of the entire school population. They'd now think that he was so weak that he needed a girl half the size of Larry to protect him rather than do it himself. The worst part of it all was that Buffy didn't even realize that she'd trampled all over his manly pride, she actually thought she was doing him a favor, and just now aborted her heartfelt apology in order to gush over a frilly dress she was probably going to wear for Deadboy.
That of course led to problem number three: the fact that the asshole at the army surplus store had sold the army fatigues he'd specifically asked to be set aside from him. He'd come across the outfit when he'd decided to prepare for the possibility that Willow and Buffy might want to spin by the Bronze for the Halloween party there. He'd had a costume idea all planned out that would come nicely under his twenty dollar budget with enough left over for a package of Twinkies. Now with the fatigues in the hands of someone else he had twenty dollars but now no idea how he could use it to put together a worthwhile costume.
That was what he was doing at the moment, walking up and down the rows of costumes looking for something in his price range while inspecting the various prop bins to see if inspiration would hit him. So far he had nothing since most of the costumes he'd be satisfied wearing were at least fifteen dollars over the amount of money he had. If inspiration was a young woman then she was giving him the silent treatment big time at the moment. He was about to leave to see if Party Town had some leftovers that some rich fop neglected to pick up and that they might be willing to let go for twenty dollars just to get rid of it when he spotted the spark of inspiration in the distance. It was a bin of odds and ends that caught his attention because when he combined them with what he had at home in his room it formed an uber-cool costume idea. What he saw was what looked like a Star Trek Comm badge and next to it in the bin was a handful of pieces that looked like they came from Star Trek and Gundam model kits. Plastic bags with stickers were also present and obviously went with the model pieces plus something that was probably meant to be a drop pod of some kind for some show. He couldn't be certain but he figured that if he used the pieces to make one whole Gundam model that it just might be able to fit inside the toy drop pod. One after another pieces began to fall into place for him as far as what his costume would be and what he could use to make it.
I'll need this and this! Hmmmm, maybe that but a different type. He thought as he began to pick the odds and ends he wanted from the bin, I've got the tank top and jeans at home as well as the jacket but I'll probably need to check the wig section of this place since his hair color is different from mine.
It took about ten minutes but eventually he was able to find everything in the store he wanted, even the wig, and surprise of surprises the shop owner was willing to let it all go even though the total came up to almost three times what had on the cash register. When he brought this up the owner said that since his store was new in town he needed good word of mouth more than he needed money at the moment. That certainly seemed plausible to him but something in his Sunnydale senses was telling him to be wary around this man. Then a thought struck him that while a certain level of paranoia was healthy in Sunnyhell being too paranoid would only cause problems for him in the long run. So despite his better judgment he would ignore his inner danger sense and accept the shop owner's generosity as just that rather than something more devious.
With that he walked out the door with the pieces to his costume eagerly looking forward to finding out if his idea could indeed be brought into being.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The Council Chambers of the Powers That Be, Same Time
"He's taken the first piece of our plan," The Summarizer reported to her colleagues arrayed around her.
"It was a near thing to place those feelings of inspiration, those ideas, in his head as well as quiet his Hellmouth-developed caution," stated the one who had been so upset that the plans he and his comrades had made were rendered useless by Harris' actions. "If we had exerted any more of our power on him it would have attracted too much attention on both sides. I suppose it's a good thing he has such an undisciplined mind, otherwise he might have been able to resist our efforts or at least suspect someone was influencing him."
"I think you overrate mortals just a bit, my friend. While I will admit that there are a select few mortals capable of sensing or perceiving our actions when they are close enough, there is nothing in Harris to suggest he is one of these few." Said another with some derision since he considered the very thought that a mortal could oppose their will insane, "In any case, all we have to do now is make sure that events proceed according to plan and that means making the change that Harris goes through as potent and complete as possible. The more it appears the change will not go away on its own, the more our actions will appear to be justified in the eyes of the Creator."
There were murmurs of agreement throughout the entire group, since they all believed that their plan would work especially since the first part worked out so well.
"For now, though, it is a waiting game until the mortal Ethan Rayne enacts his spell with Janus. Once that is activated, we can use our power to influence the changes done on Harris and tailor them to meet our needs." The Chairwoman stated in order to remind her subordinates that they still had a ways to go before achieving their goal, "I suggest that you all review your parts in the next stage and prepare well for it. We will only get one chance at this so we must do it with complete perfection."
More murmurs of agreement filled the area and not one speck of hesitation was present in their voices.
Such behavior is to be expected considering that aside from one other incident all of their plans have gone exactly the way they wanted without the slightest deviation.
For they were the Powers That Be and they were always right.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Watching From a Corner of Subspace Nearby
"Those arrogant fools! Hahahahahahaha! They act like pompous Romulan senators complimenting each other over their latest political conquests," chuckled a man with thick black hair dressed in red and black clothes. "How little they realize where they stand in the great scheme of things. They are mere desk jockeys thinking they can run things however they like without any concern that they might get caught. How amusing it will be to prove them wrong!"
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Walking the Streets of Sunnydale's Residential Area, Just Before The Janus Spell
Well this could have gone better! He thought to himself as he guided his group of kids down the street to the next house.
He'd shown up at Buffy's place, all dressed up in his costume ready to amaze her with his resourcefulness and creativity. After all, it's not an easy thing to put together a great costume on such a limited budget, but he'd done it and done it well as far as he was concerned. The first thing he'd done when he'd gotten home was assemble the model pieces into the shape he wanted. It was a bit difficult, since many of them belonged to completely different model kits, but with a little ingenuity (plus liberal use of a serrated knife) he'd managed to get everything to look just right. The hard part had been to get the glue to set faster since he didn't have the time to wait the normal amount of time if he wanted to get to Buff's house in time to meet up with them. He'd used a combination of his mother's blow dryer and the kitchen stove to harden the glue and then used a box of permanent markers to color the model with the colors that best matched what he was going for. This was painstakingly done so he wouldn't have to worry about people making fun of him for doing such a crappy coloring job on the model. Once the model was complete, he carefully placed into the drop pod making sure that while it might have been a snug fit model pieces wouldn't snap off due to the cramped quarters. With the prop part of his costume done he quickly put on clothes associated with his character before slipping the brown wild-haired wig on his head. He knew he'd be a little off because of the color of his eyes, but he hadn't seen any costume contact lenses in the store and hadn't had time to ask the store manager. If anyone asked he'd make something up like he was on an undercover mission that required brown eyes or that he'd contracted some kind of eye condition. The Federation communications badge he put out in plain sight and already had a half-baked explanation for its presence should anyone ask.
Unfortunately when Buffy had seen his outfit, she had been utterly clueless about who he was supposed to be and that was after he said he was Heero Yuy with the whole 'reporting as ordered' schtick the pilot was known for. He'd kept his voice cold and business-like and only gave that up once he realized it was useless on the blonde Slayer. He'd then explained the background of who he was supposed to be in the hopes that it would inspire a little more respect as well as understanding. He explained that he was the Heero Yuy from a few months after Gundam Wing Endless Waltz and that he had been asked by Relena Peacecraft to investigate the disappearance of several ships. An area near the edge of the maximum range of their transports had claimed several long range exploration ships that been assigned to investigate a mysterious energy reading detected by the nearest colony. While there were no signs of the ships having been destroyed all attempts to re-establish contact with them had failed and both the colony as well as Earth governments wanted answers. Reluctantly Heero had agreed to the mission and along with a reconstructed Wing Zero the pilot had set out for the area in question. The reason for restoring Zero had been a precaution in case the cause of the missing ships turned out to be more than the transport ship could handle with its moderate armaments.
When the transport ship arrives they find the missing ships dissected and the bodies of the crews scattered around in the vacuum of space. They begin a preliminary investigation with Heero going out in the Wing Zero to take a closer look at the damage to the ships. In the end it was the fact that he was not on board the transport ship that caused the unexpected confrontation to last more than a few moments. With a ripple-like distortion in space an unfamiliar craft came into being that was larger than anything known to Gundam Wing universe. While not approaching the size of the mobile fortress Libra it made the transport look like most mobile suits did to the colonies. Without warning the unknown ship, which was in fact a D'deridex-class warbird from the Romulan Empire of Star Trek fame, began to lay siege to the transport ship by carefully targeting its primary systems. In response to this Heero went on the offensive but even with a direct hit from his twin barreled buster rifle all he managed to do was provoke a few discouraging blasts from the warbird. It was only when he managed to detonate one of its torpedoes at a critical point when it passed through the deflector shields did matters improve. It temporarily disrupt the stability of the shields giving Heero a chance to get through them and attack the ship directly without the energy barrier getting in the way.
The battle quickly turned in favor of the Wing Zero since not only did it have the destructive potential to seriously damage the ship but also it was too fast and maneuverable to hit. Eventually the Romulan in command of the Warbird decided to take desperate measures to save his ship by activating the device used to come to the Gundam Reality in the fist place. It created a massive spatial distortion easily twice the size of the warbird and while the Romulan craft was able to navigate despite the energy pulses the distortion sent out the Wing Zero wound up getting knocked about like a rag doll. Convinced that the small but dangerous craft would be pummeled into oblivion by the energy pulses the Romulan commander decided on two final actions. He would destroy the transport vessel that had brought the Gundam to the area to maintain the anonymity his mission here required and he would return home for repairs. However thanks to Heero's cool analytical thinking coupled with the Zero system the pilot was able to predict this and in an act that spoke well of his skills he fired one final shot from his buster rifle. This shot managed to trigger a cascade in the Warbird's main reactor preventing the Romulan commander from destroying the transport but also causing the spatial distortion to become increasingly chaotic. As a result both the Warbird and the Gundam get pulled into it, leaving only the transport to carry the news of what happened back to the colonies and the Earth governments.
When Heero woke up he found himself aboard a Federation starship heading towards DS9 with the face of the newest version of the EMH program leaning over him. After a brief misunderstanding Heero got informed by the ship's captain that they found him drifting inside his heavily damaged Gundam near the DMZ along with the remains of a Romulan Warbird. A Q&A session followed in which Heero gave very guard responses since didn't trust the other unknown military man any farther than he could throw the Wing Zero one handed. It took a few unscheduled disappearances for him to independently confirm what he had been told but eventually he was satisfied that what he was seeing was not a fabrication nor that these people intended him harm. It was about this time that he realized he was losing his audience so he just summarized the rest by saying that some bad guys decided to make mobile suits of their own using the Wing Zero as a base idea. As a result Heero felt obligated to put a stop to them and with the help of the starship crew the Wing Zero was not only repaired but upgraded with twenty-fourth century technology. Everything from pulse and beam phasers to deflector shields to a mini-cloaking device got installed in the new Federation Wing Zero along with a tri-barrel buster rifle capable of hitting with the same punch as a Defiant class starship. With his character summary and background delivered he waited to see what Buffy's response would be.
"That's…interesting." Was what he got and he could tell that Buffy had to think before choosing that last word.
From there on until they all got to the school he was pretty much in an annoyed mood since Buffy didn't appreciate the minor accomplishment he'd managed with only twenty dollars. Willow wasn't much better but at least she knew what he was talking about when he mentioned Heero Yuy, Gundams and Romulan Warbirds. However everything she knew was pretty much what he had related to her in the past so was only a little more informed than the blonde Slayer had been. Still when he got to the student lounge he had resolved to put on his best smile and had hoped that at least the brats might know who Heero Yuy was and what Gundams were. Sadly his hopes were dashed and to make matters worse there was one brat in particular that took special pleasure in driving him nuts with either endless questions or surprisingly good insults. That pretty much led him to where he was now and that was using all his strength to keep from strangling the kid while escorting the others to one house after another. Looking at his watch he saw that he had about forty-five more minutes before he had to start herding the ankle biters back to the school. However listening to the kid rattle off another question he couldn't answer without getting into trouble later he wasn't sure he could last that long.
All of a sudden a wave of energy rippled outwards across Sunnydale and when it hit a select few a transformation occurred causing them to become not who they were but who they pretended to be. No longer did Alexander LaVelle Harris stand on the street cursing his bad luck. Instead Heero Yuy, dimensionally displaced Gundam pilot, scanned his surroundings and attempted to comprehend what exactly had just happened to him. The last thing he remembered was being on Risa to meet with an informant who had information on where Section 31's main mobile suit production facility was located. Now he appeared to have been transported to a planet that looked a lot like Earth, the Earth he was from, but he didn't drop his guard so much as an inch. With all the technology he had encountered since being transported to the Federation he knew this could be anything from a fabricated environment to a holodeck of some kind. A growl from his right cut off any further deduction and when he turned to look at the source of the primal sound he was surprised to see a small vicious looking alien leaping at him with claws extended. With skill honed through training and experience he dropped backward and used the creatures own momentum to throw it clear to the other side of the street. Both he and the creature quickly reoriented themselves but one look in his eyes was apparently enough to convince the creature that he was not facing prey at the moment but instead another predator. With a final growl of anger the small hostile creature scampered off in search of prey leaving him to resume trying to figure out where he was and why he had been brought here.
Withdrawing his type 2 hand phaser from its holster beneath his jacket, he set it to heavy stun and decided to relocate to a more defendable location before planning his next move. Thus, with precise yet swift steps, he began to make his way down the street and out of what appeared to be the residential area of where ever he was.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Realm of the Powers That Be, One Hour Later
"I believe it is time to build up the suspense in preparation for the big finale, my fellow Powers." The Chairwoman said with a satisfied smile as they watched Harris aid their altered Slayer in evading the demons that sought to kill her in her weakened state, "Harris has still not summoned the 'Gundam' and without that, the Creator will never sanction his removal from the mortal plane."
"Not to worry, Chairwoman. I anticipated that something like this might happen so I ensured that the appropriate incentive would be at the ready should it become necessary to use it." Stated the Summarizer with a voice filled with confidence, "Observe."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Warehouse District of Sunnydale, Same Time
"Prepare to fall back. We won't be able to hold out much longer against in these conditions." He ordered calmly as he used a shotgun he had appropriated from the back of a police squad car to blow the kneecaps off of an approaching demon.
It had been an unusual night for him to say the least and consider what he had encountered and done as a Gundam pilot that was no small feat. Even the beings he encountered after being displaced into the Federation's reality lacked the ferocity, the malevolence that these 'demons' exuded. He had encountered them at random in the beginning when he had attempted to locate a strategically sound location to evaluate the situation at but that had changed when he'd encountered the hologram of the redheaded young woman. He'd assumed that she was like the EMH program on Voyager in that she was as close to sentient as a collection of photons could be and that she possessed a mobile holographic emitter somewhere on her person (although he had been unable to locate it despite fact little fabric made up the clothes she was wearing and what was there was skin tight). There had been a brief period of mistaken identity, possibly as a result of some damage to her program, but eventually she began to make sense and explained the situation. According to the hologram a diplomatic delegation that had been meeting on Risa had been abducted by Section 31 for the purpose of turning them into sleeper agents by manipulating their sense of reality. This was apparently done via neurogenic implants and a cutting edge holodeck so that the subjects could be attacked from two different sources.
The hologram, who identified herself as Willow, had been slipped into the simulation by a deep cover Federation Intelligence operative both to keep tabs on things and look for a way to shut the system down from the inside. When he asked her to summarize the progress she'd made so far with her secondary objective she stated that Section 31 had been thorough in their construction of this holodeck. None of the usual controls could be accessed from the inside and as far as she could tell the program had been made with certain safeties in place that prevented use of holographic objects to disrupt the system. In short they were locked inside with no visible means to escape and that meant they had only one choice: they had to keep the delegation alive as long as possible until Starfleet could locate them and shut things down themselves. Thus he had become a part of a group of four (five if you included the hologram) that Willow insisted made up the entirety of the delegation and spent the better part of the last hour evading hostile threats. Sadly that had come to an end five minutes ago when a large group of enemies approached them and blocked their every effort at retreating through the appearance of additional members at all the primary escape routes. The only bit of good luck that he'd had was finding the shotgun in the back of the police car and he only had one more box of shells before the weapon's use went from projectile weapon to blunt object. That had been why he'd told the others to begin to fall back and while the only place they could fall back to was the nearest warehouse it was better than nothing.
However just as he was about to move in closer to the delegates in order to ensure he could not be cut off from them easily an object falling from the sky caught his eye. It looked to be a staff of some kind with a crescent moon shaped piece of metal at the top with a ruby embedded in the of the quarter mood shaped piece of steel. At first he didn't pay it much mind since it would not land in the immediate area and did not look like it was a serious threat. He was half turned away from the direction he'd been looking when all of a sudden a violent earthquake began to shake up the area and as he looked back in the direction of the falling staff he saw a chaotic storm of energy lashing out in all directions where he'd predicted the staff would land.
Was it some kind of seismic device? He thought as he focused on keeping his footing.
His ignorance concerning the nature of the staff was soon remedied as a large golden armored creature with wings sprouted up from ground zero of the energy storm until it reached a size slightly larger than Epyon had been. This combined with the monster's immediate acts of violence solidified its status as a threat but when his mind attempted to devise a means of dealing with the threat he was at a loss. While the violent earthquake and the sudden appearance of the giant monster had scattered the demons formerly pursuing the delegation he was still without a viable weapon to deal with an enemy of that size.
"Pendragon to Heero Yuy! Respond!" Came a voice from his com badge that he hadn't expected to hear considering where he was.
"I'm here Captain." He said after touching his badge to activate his side of the connection.
"Good! We've just arrived with a Federation task force and are currently fighting Section 31's forces. What's your situation?" asked the Captain professionally as sounds of bridge chatter and explosions echoed in the background.
"I've managed to keep the three delegates and the hologram alive but a new problem as just cropped up. Two minutes ago a staff fell from the sky in the holodeck and caused a monster to grow in size considerably." He replied summarizing the current situation, "Current weaponry is insufficient to deal with it and aside from staying out of its range I don't have any other ideas to keep the delegates from being killed."
"Don't worry! We have a solution ready to deliver." The Captain stated with satisfaction, "Tell the delegates to get as close to you as possible. We're going to drop the Wing Zero as close to you as we can."
"Drop it? You mean we aren't underground or in a structure?" he asked with minimal surprise in his voice.
"No. It looks like a conventional holodeck was insufficient for what Section 31 was planning. Instead they constructed a force field dome a mile in diameter and are using that to create a large scale simulation." Replied the Captain over the com line, "The defenses around it are tough but Commander T'Pring has installed enhanced multi-phasic shielding around the drop pod. It should make it through both the defenses and the dome around you without difficulty."
"Understood." He said having faith in the skills of the crew of the Federation starship Pendragon.
Turning to the three delegates he chose to relocate to their position rather than get them to come to him since the one in the noblewoman's dress was too frightened to move an inch. As for the man in black he looked like he would stick close to the noblewoman no matter what so if she wouldn't move then neither would he. The young woman in spandex obviously was one of those that followed the will of the majority, high class to the hilt, which meant that she would stay with the other two. So instead of wasting time trying to convince them to come to him he would go to them. What he would do once Wing Zero arrived was something he had to consider since he could not be in two places at once. While it was true that most of the human sized creatures had fled once the giant one appeared he could not discount the possibility that they would return once he started fighting the giant one. Realistically that would be the perfect moment for Section 31 to minimize their losses by killing the delegates before the task forces breached their defenses entirely and rescued them. While this would be officially a failure as far as their mission to turn the delegates into sleeper agents it would eliminate some major pieces of evidence.
However the large creature is the greater threat. He thought as the sound of conflicting forces manifested above him, I'll just have to finish the creature quickly.
As the sound of conflicting forces reached its peak the 'sky' above him opened up to reveal Wing Zero's drop pod against a crimson sky. However this lasted only for a moment because once the pod had cleared the hole it sealed itself back up with surprising speed. He filed what he saw away in the back of his mind though as the pod impacted on the street forty feet in front of him. Right now he had to board his Gundam and dispatch the giant creature now approaching his position before Section 31 could fully react to the change in circumstances.
"Stick together and stay on guard." He told the delegates in the hope that they would obey, "I'll finish this quickly."
Without further words he ran as fast as he could towards the pod and once there sought out the control panel that would allow him to open the pod. It took ten seconds but it felt longer as he could feel each ground shake each time the giant took a step and it was definitely getting closer by the second. Tapping in his access code he watched at the pod opened up like a flower blossoming to reveal the Wing Zero standing proud as though telling him that it was ready for whatever battle he needed its strength for. Hopping up to the floor of the pod he pressed the hidden button on the foot of the mobile suit causing the cockpit to open up and lower the grapple line. As soon as it came within range he placed his foot in the stirrup and activated the mechanism that would retract it bringing him up to the level of the cockpit in seconds. Turning in the direction of the approaching monster he could tell that it had caught on to what he intended to do for it had picked up its pace considerably and had its huge sword ready to cut his Gundam in two. With a hop and quick reorientation of his body he landed in the seat of the cockpit causing the hatch to automatically close.
"Initiate emergency activation sequence. Authorization Herro alpha two three nine." He said knowing that the audio receptors inside of the suit would pick up his voice and obey his command.
Like the mobile suit had a mind of its own systems came online one after another at a much faster rate than could be accomplished by human hands. It was because of this that he was able to pull Wing Zero's beam saber from its sheath and ignite it in time to block the blade of the attacking monster. Without even waiting to take satisfaction in the beastman's shock he made his Gundam deliver a powerful shoulder check forcing the monster to scramble to remain on its feet. Deciding to make it even more difficult for the monster wearing golden armor he let loose with a full barrage from both his beam and pulse phasers. This did the trick as it caused the creature to actually cry out in pain as it fell to the ground but even before the dust settled the beast was back on its feet ready to launch an attack of its own. Fortunately for him the man beast's technique was sloppy and easy to anticipate so he had no trouble bringing his shield up to block the energy attack unleashed as the monster slashed with his sword. Firing up his atmospheric thrusters he lifted into the air until he was sure he'd clear all of the rooftops in the area then flew forward to deliver a slash of his own with his beam saber. The creature managed to get its sword up to guard in time but it was clear from the images on the screen that Wing Zero was at least twenty percent stronger than it was. Using this to his advantage he quickly twisted the Wing Zero's position so that the enemy's blade would slide off it quickly causing the creature to lose its balance faster than it could compensate. Then with a swift downward vertical slash the beast man's sword hand was severed causing both detached limb and the giant sword to fall to the ground.
"Curse you!" Roared the beast man as it spoke for the first time.
"If you didn't want to get hurt then you shouldn't have come here in the first place." He said allowing the audio receivers and the external speakers to carry his voice to the monster, "Now it's too late to turn back."
However the battle was quickly reaching the point that he designated as 'too long' and he knew he had to finish this quickly or risk allowing one of the delegates to come to harm. So with a swift movement of the controls he had Wing Zero deliver a powerful side kick to the monster sending it tumbling a full twenty blocks away. With smooth motion he removed his tri-barrel buster rifle from its holster in the shield and took aim at the creature intending to end the fight with this final blow. Watching as the crosshairs on his HUD shudder for a bit before settling on the monster and turning green thus signifying a positive target lock. With no hesitation he fired unleashing a blast capable of matching a Defiant class starship's phaser banks in terms of power but at the same time with accuracy one would only expect from a precision sniping weapon. As though it were made from matchsticks the blast tore a gaping hole in the center of the creature and with a final grunt of pain the monster fell to the ground before detonating in a violent explosion.
I'd better get back to the delegates. He thought as he prepared to maneuver the Wing Zero back towards the warehouse district.
Sadly it was at this time that things changed course in more ways than one.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Ethan's Costume Shop, Same Time
"Now, tell me how to break the spell." Giles commanded icily after delivering a solid kick to Ethan Rayne's ribs.
"Janus! Break the statue!" Ethan forced out as the act of speaking was only making his cracked ribs hurt even more.
Without wasting any time the Watcher walked over to where the bust of Janus with the glowing jade eyes rested and picked it up before sending it crashing down to the floor. Like piece of glass it shattered as it hit the floor and as a perfect ripple the focused energy shot outwards with the intention of undoing all the alterations it had made to those affected by the spell. However there were greater forces than Janus at work this night and they too would have their say in how it came to an end.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Realm of the Powers That Be, Same Time
"Now my friends! Use your power to ensure that Harris does not revert back to his former self!" ordered the Chairwoman as a green glow began to surround her as she put her vast power to use.
As one they acted and replaced Janus' power with their own in order to ensure that the fictional character Heero Yuy remained in Sunnydale thus keeping Harris locked within his own body. The timing had to be perfectly in synch with the wave of energy released by the destroyed bust of Janus and could only last while the wave remained at a potent enough level to mask their own powers. They all knew that if their timing was off by even a fraction of a second the Creator would detect their hand in matters ruining what they were attempting to do. Fortunately millennia of experience aided them well and by the time the ripple began to die off they had infused both the Gundam and Harris with enough energy to maintain the transformation for at least an hour before it broke down. That would be more than sufficient to convince the Creator why Harris had to be removed from the mortal realm and from their path for good.
As expected they had planned, executed and accomplished their plan perfectly.
After all they were the Powers That Be.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Atop a Water Tower, Sunnydale, Ten Seconds Later
"Well I think we've let them have their little bit of fun. I'd stick around and watch you teach those fools a lesson, but I think its best to get Xander where he needs to be," stated the man in red and black as he looked at the towering humanoid machine
He/She looked at her cousin and nodded in agreement that it would be best to remove Alexander from this reality before he/she confronted her ambitions subordinates. However he/she conveyed to him the seriousness of the task he was about to undertake and how he/she expected the young Harris lad to be returned in the agreed upon state. It would be difficult enough to put together a replacement council to take over the Powers' responsibilities while he/she dealt with his/her insubordinate underlings. The only thing that would make it worth it would be the advantage Xander would give the side of light upon his return when the time came to handle threats not of the Earth but of outer space. The champions in Colorado were satisfactory but from what he/she could foresee their rate of development technology-wise would put them short of the mark by the time the Ori came. Infusion of mobile suit technology and other machines from the reality his/her cousin had told him/her about would even the playing field nicely. He/She didn't want him to get carried away with his little bouts of amusement and ruin everything.
"Don't worry, my dear cousin! I promise that by the time I return your precious Alexander to you he will be more than up to the tasks you set for him." His/Her cousin declared with actual sincerity much to his/her surprise, "Why, if all my plans work out as I hope they do, I may even return with a little extra help for you."
While he/she didn't like the sound of that, he/she reluctantly gave his/her cousin permission to leave and, with a snap of his fingers, both he and his charges vanished in a flash of light.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Cosmic Era Universe, Aprilius One, Lounge of the Amalfi Home, Noon
"That was wonderful, Heero! You really sound wonderful with Nicol when you play." Romina Amalfi said as the duet between her son and his friend came to an end.
"Thanks, Mrs. Amalfi. It took me a while to get it to sound just right, but I think I've pretty much mastered that piece now." Heero said as he began to put his flute back in its case, "I'd better get going though. They need me to look over and set up the equipment down in the theater district before tonight's show."
"Are you sure you can't stay for just one more song?" Nicol asked with disappointment, since it was clear he had enjoyed the duet, "I managed to finish the first half of my composition and I want to see how it sounds."
"I wish I could, Nicol, but tonight's the big debut and if something goes wrong, it'll be my butt in a sling when it's all over." He replied conveying that he really did want to stay but that he had other obligations.
"Are you sure it's not because it's Meer's first play in a leading role?" Nicol asked with a bit of mischief in his eyes.
"It's not because of that at all!" He protested but it was obvious from the look on both Mrs. Amalfi and Nicol's face that they didn't believe his words for a moment.
"Well, in that case, I suppose you can go for now. Just make sure to pick up a bouquet of flowers to give her after the show." Mrs. Amalfi said with a bit of mischief in her eyes as well, "After all, a girlfriend expects those sorts of things especially on important days like this."
"You're all hopeless!" He said with mock anger even though there was a rueful grin on his face, "See you later, Nicol! I'll try to come by for one more duet before you get sent back out to the front lines."
With that he walked out of the Amalfi home with flute case in hand and jacket zipped up to the top. It was only once he exited visual range of the Amalfi home that he allowed his true self to come to the surface rather than the Heero Yuy personae he, Xander Harris, had crafted for himself. It had only been eight months since he arrived in this reality but already PLANT was beginning to feel like home to him even though he knew it wasn't. His home was another reality away and despite his efforts to come up with a way to go back to where he belonged, there were two major obstacles standing in his way. The first was the fact that despite the advances that the Coordinators possessed some of the most advanced technology in this dimensions Sector zero zero one, it didn't come close to what he needed. They hadn't even developed the technology to leave their own solar system and as long as the conflict with the Naturals on Earth continued, it was unlikely they would any time soon. The other obstacle was the fact that his Gundam, the Federation version of Wing Zero, was operating at twenty percent of its maximum power output and, at best, could be raised to one quarter of its full power if he left it to charge long enough. That was because of the fact that the majority of the power it had been using during the wackiness of Halloween had come from the spell itself.
Now that I'm no longer in my home dimension and therefore beyond Janus' reach, I lack the fuel necessary to bring Wing Zero's more advanced systems online. He thought to himself as he strolled down the busy city street towards the theater district, The deflector shield, the cloaking system and the warp drive would consume too much energy too quickly if I tried to use power from the secondary power supplies. As it stands, even fully charged the secondary power systems can only power the propulsion systems, the motor control systems and the weapons for about forty-five minutes before they're completely drained. In short, the Wing Zero isn't much better off than the ZAFT mobile suits in terms of combat time.
It had been one of the first things he had tried to come up with once he was satisfied that his false identity had been accepted by the PLANT government. He had spent almost every free moment he could get between his jobs and sleeping trying to concoct an alternative fuel for the Gundam that would bring it up to full power. Unfortunately, dilithium crystals and deuterium were still unknown to the humans of this world as well as the potential energy that could be released from a matter/anti-matter reaction. That, of course, wasn't stopping from continuing his search to this day but it had been months since he had started looking and he had nothing to show for his efforts. If things continued down this road, he might have to reconsider getting some outside help but he really hoped it didn't come to that. While he trusted the Amalfi family and Meer Cambell as friends, he wasn't sure how they'd react if he let them in on the existence of the Wing Zero. While the bond of friendship was strong, he worried that it might not be strong enough to stand up against things such as duty and loyalty to PLANT. If they decided that his Gundam was something that needed to be brought to the attention of the government and the military, he'd have no choice but to initiate Wing Zero's self-destruct program.
If they choose to reveal Wing Zero to others, you should just kill them. Came a thought from the remnants of Heero Yuy that still resided in his mind, Destroying the Gundam should only be considered a last resort option.
He pushed that part of himself away, rejecting its suggested solution, since he would never consider killing the friends he'd made in PLANT unless his own life was at stake. Nevertheless, it was definitely a risk that if he revealed the existence of the Wing Zero to anyone else there was a good chance that ZAFT would catch wind of it and attempt to capture it. After all, while there were some mobile suits that were massed produced by ZAFT, he had heard from Nicol that recently his squad had come into possession of mobile suits with capabilities far beyond the average Ginn or Goohn unit. The pilot wasn't able to reveal more than that due to the secrecy of the matter but it was enough to tell him how valuable Wing Zero would be to them. Even with its problem of fuel it was made up of twenty-fourth century Federation technology and that made it centuries ahead of anything anyone else had. To the military brass and those in the government it would be like the proverbial Holy Grail of mobile suits. They wouldn't hesitate to take it from him once they discovered its existence.
Returning his focus to the area around him, he was thankful to see that even with his head in the clouds he'd been able to navigate his way to the theatre district without any difficulty. Heading along his usual route for getting to the Cherry Blossom theatre he spotted a flower vendor selling his wares off to the side and apparently doing well. It was then that he remember Mrs. Amalfi's suggestion and while he still didn't like how she'd toyed with his affections for Meer he had to admit she was right about the flowers. Tonight was Meer's big night and he knew one way or another she'd deserve a bouquet of flowers for her performance tonight even if the acting critics crucified her the next day. Walking over he checked his pockets to see if he'd have enough money for a decent sized bouquet and still have enough money for a snack later after his work was done. Between his job assisting Amalfi family's gardener and his back stage work at the theatre he barely had enough money to pay for his apartment so he couldn't afford to indulge himself in extra purchases too often. Add to that the fact that he poured what funds he could into the 'restore the Wing Zero' fund and he was pretty much broke most of the time. Still his years of squeezing every ounce of fun he could out of the money he was able to 'borrow' safely from his parents back in Sunnydale served him well. Another month or so and he'd be able to afford to take Meer out on a real fancy date and not have to worry about skimping on anything.
"I'd like a dozen roses please." He said after examining what the vendor had to offer and making his choice.
"An excellent selection, young man. I'm sure your lady friend will appreciate them." Said a voice he'd been expecting to hear soon but at the same time hoped that he'd never have to encounter the owner of the voice.
With a sigh he looked up and saw a man that looked to be in his forties with black hair, blue eyes and a smile on his face that practically screamed 'trickster'. From facial features to body type it was exactly the way it had been portray in the TV shows and while the being in front of him might not be wearing a red and black Starfleet uniform it was definitely him. With a sigh, he decided not to go with his usual response to people with the vendor's personality type and just find out what the man wanted. Anything else would just provoke the jackass into doing something bigger, better and definitely more troublesome later.
"What do you want, Q?" Xander asked trying to keep any potentially offending emotion out of his voice just in case.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&