Title: Emerald Spark (14/21)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at .net/u/62966 or .net/~cyclone
Rating: Just a little bad language.
Spoilers: Anything and everything.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: After Halloween, everything changes. Sequel to Blackest Night. Part one of Emerald Flame.
Author's Note: Okay, y'know, the reason Blackest Night was originally a one-shot was because I saw only two ways to expand on it: Green Lantern Xander and Future Knowledge Xander. Both of them had already been done and done well by others, and I didn't want to retread ground already covered, so I intended to leave it as is.
Then I got this idea.
Joyce Summers stirred. What happened? she wondered. She remembered talking to Xander, him talking some nonsense about magic and hell and... Green Lantern. And then... and then...
"Ah, you're awake," he said. "Just in time. Ever see the sunrise on Mars?"
"What?" she sputtered, her eyes fluttering open. She looked around. There was red rocks and sand everywhere... and the sky was yellow, though a lot of it was obscured by faint greenish tinge...
"Oh, my God," she gaped at Xander, who stood in uniform, mask, ring, and all. She followed his gaze, and her breath caught before she could start hyperventilating. The sun's rays were just poking over the horizon, creating a brilliant display of colors she had never seen before.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he said with a nostalgic smile. "The colors are from crystal dust suspended in the air when a meteor shattered and exploded from the heat and stress of atmospheric entry. It's usually not this brilliant." He shot her a concerned look, "You aren't going to faint again, are you?"
"I don't know," she said honestly. "What... what's going on?"
Xander sighed and prepared The Speech.
"The world is older than you know..."
Joyce was silent when Xander had finished his explanation. Demons, vampires, magic, Halloween. He had carefully not mentioned anything about Slayers.
"Well, you're taking this rather well," Xander commented.
"Why?" she looked at him. "Because I haven't fainted again yet? Because believe me, I'm considering it."
"No," he shook his head. "Because you aren't going hysterical or accusing me of lying or being insane." He paused, then gestured behind her, "By the way, I brought sandwiches if you're hungry."
Joyce blinked and looked behind her. There was a picnic basket, and sure enough, there were sandwiches inside. She looked at him, "Do you plan for everything?"
"Do you see a bat symbol on this costume?" he snorted.
Her eyes widened, "You mean you've met...?"
"I don't think so," he shrugged. "Magic's funny that way, but I certainly remember meeting him. In the Batcave. Without an invitation. He didn't seem to find it as amusing as I did."
"You didn't," she said. "You did!" She began to giggle. She was familiar with the character and could well imagine what his reaction would have been.
"Well, what do you expect?" he shrugged. "It's not like I was ever going to get an invitation, and I couldn't let a chance to see the Batcave just slip by like that."
"How'd you get in?"
"Well, it turns out, the whole tip-the-bust-and-go-down-the-Batpole thing was a wash, but there was this old grandfather clock in his study..."
Joyce was still wrapping her head around what Xander had told her while he flew them back to Earth. So it took a lot to pull her from her thoughts.
Like... what she saw right now, just before they re-entered Earth's atmosphere.
"Xander?"
"Hmm?" he turned to look at her.
She pointed, "What's that?"
Xander halted their descent and turned to look, frowning at the two floating pyramids. Space junk, that was not. "Ring, scan and identify."
"Goa'uld ha'tak-class cruisers," the ring chirped. "Scanning for life signs. Scan complete. Total life signs on both ships: two thousand, one hundred, and ninety-six Jaffa; two thousand, one hundred, and ninety-eight goa'uld; five humans. Note: Two thousand, one hundred, and ninety-six of the goa'uld are still in the larval stage."
A cold chill ran down Xander's spine as he remembered what the ring had said before about the goa'uld. He didn't have time. Those two alien warships were in orbit, already in position to bomb the hell out of North America.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Summers," he said apologetically before flying to confront the two ships.
"Attention, ha'tak-class cruisers, this is Green Lantern Two Eight One Four. You are orbiting a Class Five planet in violation of galactic law. This planet is under the protection of the Green Lantern Corps. Power down your weapons and shields and depart immediately or face the consequences."
Aboard one of the ha'tak-class cruisers, SG-1's commanding officer stared at his radio in disbelief. He looked up, "Daniel?"
The team's linguistics specialist was just as baffled.
"Did he just say what I think he said?"
"Ah, depends," Dr. Daniel Jackson replied. "Do you think he just claimed to be a Green Lantern and told Apophis to pack up and go home like a good little boy?"
"I thought it was more like a dog running home with its tail between its legs."
Bra'tac looked at them both, "What is this 'Green Lantern' you speak of?"
"They speak of the Stellar Sentinels," Teal'c replied immediately.
"What?" everyone else chorused, staring at him.
As Xander moved the bubble construct to the dodge the yellow -- why did it always have to be yellow? -- energy blasts, he shook his head, "Why do they always have to do it the hard way?"
Unnoticed by Xander, a pair of USAF warheads drifted toward the two pyramid-shaped ships. Unnoticed, that is, until they detonated.
"What the holy f*cking hell was that?!"
"Language!" Joyce scolded.
"Sorry, Mrs. S," he flushed. He shook it off, "It's time to finish this." As he focused, the spherical bubble changed shape, melding into a conical cylinder, complete with seats on the interior. With five-point safety belts.
"Buckle up."
Realizing what was about to happen, Joyce paled, grabbed the ephemeral seat belts that appeared, and quickly strapped herself in.
"CHEEE-ARRRGE!"
Honestly, though, she felt the gigantic construct replica of the USS Missouri was a bit pointless.
"Jack?" Daniel said hesitantly.
"What?" the colonel groused.
Daniel pointed out the viewport, "Is that the Missouri?"
Jack stared, "I think it is. Carter? Check this out. Are we seeing things?"
Samantha Carter joined in the staring, "Is that a green Missouri firing a green shell? At us?"
"...yeahsureyoubetcha. Take cover!" Jack ordered, matching actions to words as he dove for cover along with everyone else.
"Someone has a rotten sense of humor," Jack growled as the dust settled from the impact.
"People say the same thing about you, Jack."
"This is different, Daniel!"
"That is not a sixteen-inch shell," Sam muttered, and Jack looked up.
A giant glowing green... well... bullet was the best word he could think of, was hovering just inches away from the back wall of the pel'tak, across from the viewport that it had crashed through. Thankfully, the force field that normally kept the air from escaping the pel'tak through said viewport had resealed itself to continue its job, or they'd be having a hard time breathing. Hissing sounded as a door opened up in the side, letting air escape from the pressurized interior.
And a Green Lantern stepped out.
"You guys look like you could use a lift."
Everyone stared. Even Bra'tac.
The Green Lantern/Stellar Sentinel looked around and scowled, "Geez, what's with all the gold? Talk about ego."
"No," Bra'tac said, shaking his head, "the false gods treasure gold for its value against you, Sentinel."
"Wait," Jack broke in, "you mean all that gold isn't because they're a bunch of egomaniacs?"
"I guess it's not just because they're a bunch of egomaniacs," Daniel shrugged.
"So, any suggestions on how to blow these two ships up and go home?" Green Lantern asked. "Or would you rather take one with you?"
Jack's face lit up. "I'll take door number two, Monty!"
"Sir!"
"Jack!"
"ColonelO'Neill!"
"Haa'shak!"
Xander blinked at the response, then looked at the colonel, "So, you're Colonel Jack 'Haa'shak' O'Neill? Why 'sheep' for a nickname? Something I should be aware of? Or is that one of the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' things?"
Whap!
Xander scowled at Mrs. Summers and rubbed the back of his head. "Ow, hey! It's a valid question!"
"Xa- Hal, maybe for later... like when we're on the ground?!" she snapped.
"We are on the ground... er... a deck... hey, it's close enough for government work!"
Jack frowned, "Isn't X'Hal female?"
"It's Hal," Xander glowered. "Hal Jordan."
"Yeahsureyoubetcha," Jack said skeptically.
"I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson," the archaeologist said, breaking through the inanity and extending a hand. "This is Captain Doctor Samantha Carter, Teal'c, and Bra'tac."
"A pleasure," Xander nodded, taking Daniel's hand and giving it a firm shake. He also shook hands with the Captain Doctor, and moved to greet the two (his ring quietly informed him) Jaffa.
"It is an honor to meet you, Sentinel," Teal'c bowed his head as they shook hands...
...and were promptly interrupted by an explosion that sent the entire ship shaking.
"Oh, yeah," Xander muttered. "Forgot about the other ship. Be right back."
He flew back out through the viewport.
Everyone stared after him for a moment.
Jack looked at the woman the Green Lantern had brought on board, "So... come here often?"
He tried to ignore the explosions coming from the other ship. And Sam's ranting about how they should not be able to hear said explosions.
He figured it was something best not dwelt on. The Brig wasn't going to believe this anyway.
"You took her to Mars?" Buffy glared at Xander. They were back in school, and the two were in the process of slowly repairing their friendship. That they were now effectively siblings -- thanks to CPS actually paying attention -- made this a necessity.
"Well, I figured I had to do something drastic to break through that Sunnydale Syndrome," Xander said with a shrug.
"You took her to Mars?" she repeated.
"I just said that, didn't I?" he looked at her strangely.
She pouted, "How come I don't get to go to Mars?"
Xander stumbled a moment in surprise, then decided the comment about going to Mars being nothing compared to the asteroid mining he took Faith on was probably a bad idea. While searching for something to say, he saw a face he never expected to see again in his life.
"Ahn?"
Author's Postscript:
This is not the SGC you think it is.