Chapter Sixty Seven: The Power Begins to Flow
Hit and run, that was the chosen tactic. The slayers were capable of moving at great speed and sustaining it for a long time. Immediately the lights went out they moved and they moved very fast. All three were eager to get back to what they were born to do: slay the demons and vampires.
Amy had told them what she had seen of vampires and demons gathering in Sunnydale. The plan was for the slayers to do something about it. They would conduct a series of sweeps through the town, cutting down vampires and demons as they went. Cut, chop, stab or stake as appropriate, don't wait to see if the victim was dead or only injured but hit hard and then move on straight away.
They had decided not to bother burying or hiding the bodies that don't turn to dust. That would all have to be sorted out later. As Buffy had pointed out there were bigger issues at stake (!) at the moment. They had to spend as much time as possible killing as many enemies as they could. The clean up brigade to restore confidentially to the business of slaying and magic would be able to restore things at leisure the next day. Either that or nobody would be alive to bother about that sort of thing or indeed about anything else.
As they swept through the darkened town the slayers cut down any isolated individual demons or vampires. They also hit a few small groups but for the moment they bypassed a couple of larger gatherings. What they were doing was intended to give the impression that there were slayers everywhere and that none of the underworld denizens could feel safe.
The word would soon go round. This was the slayers' town and the slayers were back in business. Any vampire, monster or demon who wanted to stick around would soon be in a world of trouble. Just as the word had gotten around to gather in Sunnydale perhaps the word would just as quickly go around that it was no longer a good place to be.
Buffy, Faith and Kennedy could have waited until the magic users had finished what they were doing and could take part in the cleansing of Sunnydale. But that was not the way the slayers operated. The business with the Stargates and the Hellmouth was not something where their assistance would be required; at least not if all went to plan. And slayers were not chosen so that they could sit around waiting for help while others got on with the job.
Buffy led the way. She had known Sunnydale for longer than the others but both Faith and Kennedy also knew the not very large town pretty well. They were all familiar with the places where vampires and demons were likely to lurk and aimed to take in several of these locations on each sweep. On the whole the underworld creatures were very predictable in their choice of where to ambush victims and where to hang out.
The first sweep was completed successfully. The slayers had kept closely together with Kennedy acting as rear guard and finishing off some of the fallen monsters that had been struck down by Buffy and Faith. Altogether they must have killed twenty or more paid up members of the demonic fraternity and about a dozen vampires.
"Where next?" asked Faith, when the slayers finished their run in a park on the edge of town. Like the others she was not yet out of breath and, being Faith, was still very eager for more action. "How about we stop by Willy's to see what's happening there? Maybe its time we closed him down completely. And we can get a drink at the same time."
"I thought he went out of business after we shut down the Hellmouth?" asked Kennedy. "I thought most of his regular customers were staked or chopped up or whatever?"
"He closed down but not for long. He's now found new premises," said Buffy. "But I know where he is, Willow found out."
"I know it too," said Faith. "Let's go." She set off at a fast trot only to come to a halt almost immediately. Like the other slayers she had fallen silent in response to the unmistakable sound of gunfire from some streets away.
"That can't be demons," said Buffy. "They don't use guns."
"Maybe it's the local police fighting the demons?" suggested Kennedy.
"After all these years doing nothing?" said Faith sceptically. "I don't think so. Anyway, that sounds like automatic fire. That's got to be the military."
"Might be some of those secret agent guys," said Buffy. "The ones helping Wolfram and Hart. Or some soldier boy friends of theirs."
"But who are they firing at?" asked Kennedy. "I thought the secret agent guys were working with Wolfram and Hart?"
Buffy shrugged. "I doubt Wolfram and Hart control every sort of monster that's arrived in Sunnydale," she said.
"If they're fighting the monsters they might have bitten off more than they can chew," said Faith. "Bullets only annoy vampires and most sorts of demon."
"We'd better go look," said Buffy. "See if they need any help."
"Because?" asked Faith, unconvinced. "Aren't they the bad guys? Can't we just let them kill each other?"
"If it's humans against demons we're on the side of the humans," said Buffy. "Don't matter if they are secret agent guys, it's our job to protect humans. Anyway even if the bad guys are giving the orders it doesn't mean the guys with the guns are bad. They're just doing their jobs."
"So long as they see it that way and don't try to shoot us," muttered Kennedy. "We're slayers but we're not bullet proof."
As Buffy set off at a run to lead the way towards the sound of the gunfire Faith exchanged a glance with Kennedy and shook her head before following.
"It all depends on which demons and which humans doesn't it?" asked Kennedy quietly as she and Faith picked up speed to keep with Buffy.
Faith shrugged and smiled in reply. "Not for Buffy, not for any slayer I suppose," she said. "With one or two exceptions demons are bad, humans are good, until we have reason to find out differently."
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"Is everybody alright?" asked Giles looking around the garden. As he did so he mentally counted off all the members of their party. Everybody had made it and they all seemed to be in good health or rather they had not sustained any injuries apart from a few cuts and bruises.
For the moment there was nobody else in sight, not as far as could be seen in the moonlight. No demons or vampires and nobody who might have arrived in those military helicopters which they could still hear but which seemed to be becoming more and more distant every moment.
"Most of those demons weren't interested in fighting," said Angel. "The vampires and the demons are just waiting around for the Hellmouth to open. The word's got out. It always does. They're here to party and maybe meet a few old pals from the underworld. They don't want to die before all the fun begins."
"And why should they fight you anyway?" asked Xander trying to sound innocent. "They know you and Drusilla are vampires as well. They probably think you're on their side again. They must have as much trouble as we do knowing which side you're on this week."
Angel scowled at Xander but didn't respond. Everybody knew that Xander wasn't complimenting Angel on deceiving the enemy but was again implying that Angel's loyalties were uncertain. But even Xander knew that they wouldn't have gotten through the sewers filled with demons and vampires had Angel and Drusilla not been with them.
"Well for whatever reason that was a lot easier than expected," said Wesley breaking the silence. "We seem to be somewhat ahead of schedule. Unless of course the Hellmouth has already been opened."
"It hasn't," said Drusilla. "I think I'd know if it had been opened. I'd feel it. It won't be long but it's not quite time."
Wesley nodded. He still found it odd having an intelligent conversation with Drusilla. It was somehow easier accepting just Angel as a special case. But two or three special cases raised the issue of whether the watchers and slayers should try to rehabilitate vampires rather than simply kill them. But that's an argument for another day he thought with a glance at Giles.
"Hey!" called a loud voice from nearby. "Who are you people and what are you doing here?"
The speaker was dressed in military fatigues and carried an automatic weapon and a flashlight. He was walking up the path to the house and was accompanied by three other men, similarly dressed and armed. Angel and the group had come up through the sewers into the grounds of the Sunnydale Slayer HQ. When they arrived the grounds had looked empty but now it seemed that the military was patrolling. Of course at first sight it was not at all clear whose military was involved.
"We live here," said Xander. "Who are you and what are you doing in the grounds of our home?"
"Put your hands up," ordered the speaker, an officer by the bars on his shoulder. As he did so he aimed his weapon at Xander. His companions spread out behind him and pointed their guns at the group. "I'll be asking the questions."
"No you won't," said Connor who suddenly moved forward and began striking out with hands and feet at the military patrol.
The soldiers lost valuable moments trying to get their weapons to work. But the grounds of the Slayer HQ, like the building itself, were spell protected. Guns would not work there. So the soldiers, despite their unarmed combat training, provided little resistance to Connor and were soon all lying unconscious on the ground.
Giles looked at the unconscious soldiers lying in front of him. Should Connor have done that he wondered? Probably yes he quickly concluded. They can't be acting for anybody on our side. General Hammond and his troops were not scheduled to be in Sunnydale, at least not yet and maybe not at all if everything went to plan. And anyway he thought, even if they're friendly we don't want to be detained for questioning or locked up 'for our own safety.'
"OK, what's done is done," said Giles. "Let's go inside, see what's happening there and if possible take over the defences of this place. If there's one patrol there'll be others before long. We don't want them coming in the house."
"Connor, since you knocked them out you're the one to stay here and watch these men," ordered Angel. "We can't leave them at the mercy of any passing demons. But when they wake up tell them to get out of here before you come inside."
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Apophis didn't waste any time. As soon as he received the reports of unusual activity being detected on Kallistien he gave his orders. And unusual activity it certainly was, unusual and probably threatening. A massive power source of unknown origin had suddenly begun registering on the instruments of all of the Goa'uld fleet.
Readings on their instruments had gone from nothing to off the scale with no gap in between. This was almost certainly not a natural phenomenon, even on a planet as strange as Kallistien. As well as reporting to Apophis what they had detected the ship commanders at the same time gave him their almost unanimous opinion that the power source they were detecting most likely marked the location of some sort of weapon which would be used to defend the planet.
The new power source was not in the same place as the focus of the force that had previously caused so much trouble. But that didn't mean it wasn't the same sort of thing or something even more dangerous. If it was something to do with Kallistien magic then most likely it was something the Goa'uld fleet would not be able to combat.
There were no witches on any of Apophis's ships except for those imprisoned on his flagship. Those witches were no longer co-operating, something Apophis intending doing something about in due course. But for the moment there was no prospect of any sort of magical defense by the Goa'uld fleet.
Apophis's officers were worried that their ships would very soon be attacked or trapped by a force from which they could not break free before crashing. Apophis was of the same opinion. Maybe the weapon used previously had simply required recharging and was now up and running once again. Maybe the Kallistien witches had just needed to take a break and were now back working again.
But even if the danger was not as serious as before nobody suggested waiting to find out. Apophis confirmed the orders he had previously issued if such a threat arose again. In response all of his ships turned away from the planet and sped at full speed away from Kallistien on course to leave the star system as quickly as possible. As soon as they were able they would jump away.
Since Apophis in his flagship had remained on the edge of the system he had the best chance of getting away. But he wanted to save his fleet as well if at all possible so on his orders the fleet not only headed away from the planet but scattered in all directions as it did so in an effort to minimise the effect of any weapon that was targeted on them.
But Apophis did not intend this retreat to be any sort of a defeat. If he couldn't control Kallistien then nobody would. As his ships turned away they followed their orders and discharged all of their remaining missiles directly towards the power source down on the planet. The combined firepower would be enormous, even more so since the entire barrage was timed to arrive and detonate at the same time.
This massive attack might be sufficient to destroy all life on the planet forever or even blow the planet to dust. If Apophis couldn't control the magic planet and the witches living there he did not want to take the chance that somebody else would be able to do so.
In particular Apophis did not want the Kallistians to provide any help to his enemies, Goa'uld or non-Goa'uld, in the future whether willingly or unwillingly. And anyway he might just kill O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 at the same time as he destroyed the planet. If SG-1 were stuck on the planet without a working Stargate they would die along with everybody else. Personal grudges always figured highly in the motives of the Goa'uld.
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Down on the planet the Key was now fully active or at least that is how things looked to those watching. Power from the energy source at the center of the witches' circle now shot up into the sky in a solid, bright, emerald green column about the width of a large tree. The sound of the energy stream was a modest hiss, punctuated by occasional loud cracks and bangs as large sparks shot up and out from the column at irregular intervals. As the column rose higher and higher it spread out and gradually turned the whole sky emerald green.
Vala had walked away from the circle of witches and was now watching from what she hoped was a safe distance. She was torn between wanting to know what happened next and getting to a place of safety. But as she stood and watched the green energy pouring up into the sky she wondered whether anywhere on the planet would be truly safe from whatever happened next. Had she escaped to this planet, this universe, only to be present when it was destroyed?
One moment Vala had been talking to Dawn as they had walked through the park in that other version of Kallistien. The next moment the two of them had found themselves elsewhere standing in a large woodland gathering of people, most of them women.
"Is this the place you've been trying to get to?" Vala had asked Dawn. Dawn had not responded. "Is this your home universe?" Vala asked but even as she asked she realised that it was a stupid question. Dawn would not be able to answer that straight way.
Vala hoped that the expected jump to Dawn's original Kallistien had now happened just as they had planned. Otherwise this was just the next version of Kallistien in the series that Dawn was already visiting and Vala might just have joined Dawn on her possibly endless journey from world to world.
What had surprised Vala was that the relocation was immediate, with no transition or 'special effects' by way of worm holes or portals. One moment they were back there, the next they were here, with no transition of any sort.
"Dawn?" Vala said because the young woman had still not responded. She had said nothing at all since they arrived.
Dawn had just stood and stared towards the center of the gathering and at the bright green energy source shining there. And as Vala had looked more closely at the still silent Dawn she was able to see what was most likely the same green energy shining brightly from Dawn's eyes. Dawn gave no indication that she had heard the questions. She seemed to be listening to and concentrating on something else entirely.
Is she possessed in some way Vala had wondered? She could see that there was no point in saying anything more to Dawn. Dawn could not hear her, did not even appear to know Vala was there. As Vala watched Dawn had walked forward and took the hands of two other young women to join an inner circle around the glowing energy.
A disturbance amongst the people nearby now attracted Vala's attention and she turned to see what was happening. The people standing outside the circle watching events unfold were hurrying out of the way of something. And then Vala saw what it was; a Stargate.
A Stargate? Presumably the local Stargate placed on this planet thought Vala. It appeared to be slowly floating towards the circle of witches. There was no visible means of elevation or propulsion, the Gate just floated serenely forward as if it were a balloon made to look like a Stargate. But it too was surrounded by a bright green energy glow. A world of magic users thought Vala. But why do the witches want to include the Stargate in whatever it is they're doing?
But as the Stargate floated over the heads of the witches forming the outer circle they seemed to be as surprised as anybody. Whatever was happening, it was not a part of their plans. Something, perhaps that glowing energy source in the middle of the circle, was attracting the Stargate to it. But who was controlling that energy? Who was in charge?
The center of the inner circle, the source of the green glowing energy, was indeed the destination of the Stargate. As Vala watched, the Gate disappeared from sight within the glowing brightness. It didn't actually disappear but rather could no longer be seen against the bright green glare. As Vala watched with her eyes shaded against the glare she realised that the green glow had been slowly expanding. Soon it completely obscured all sight of Dawn and the other young women in the inner circle surrounding it.
"I wonder if we'll ever see that again?" said a voice from beside her. "Probably better if we don't. From what I can see Stargates are just another way of bringing more trouble to a world."
Vala turned to look at the blond young woman now standing next to her. Not surprisingly she did not recognise her. "And why would you say that?" asked Vala. "Is it because it brought you here?"
The other woman smiled. "Actually no. Last time I arrived I came through a Hellmouth after I struck a deal with a Hellgod. But I'm hoping that doorway won't be opened again either. If all this business with the Key goes according to plan then nobody else can arrive or leave by Stargate, Hellmouth or any other way. And that's just fine with me. I've got too many enemies other places," said Eve.
"The Key?" asked Vala.