Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.

I'm so sorry. I was really sick for most of October. I thought I would never see the end of this. And I had a big writer block. I couldn't write or couldn't read. And in November, the Nanowrimo started and I completly forgot my updates. So, please please please forgive me.

Here comes the next chapter. The next one would be after November and Nano.

Enjoy ^^

Chapter Sixteen

Apocalpypse Season

Buffy walked into the Hub like every morning. It was still really early. She had been edgy for a while now and her nights had shortened. She was up long before the sun and walking in Cardiff at this ungodly hour was strange. The streets were so empty you could almost believe you were in a ghost town. Often, dusk covered the landscape, giving it an even more squalid atmosphere. Each one of her steps was deafening in the deep silence that reigned in the streets.

She had walked faster until she reached the Hub. No one was supposed to be here at that moment of the day. Except Jack of course. After all, the man seemed to live there. She hadn't asked but maybe she should. The lights were on and she bounced through the rolling door.

"Jack," she called.

There was no answer. She frowned. Maybe he was sleeping. She was almost at his door when she stopped. There was something buzzing. She frowned and tried to find the source of the noise. After a few minutes, she realized it was not a buzz but words being chanted. She didn't understand them. They were in an old language and spoken way too fast for her to recognize. Then, she felt it. Magic. Dark and really bad.

She heard steps behind her and turned around only to face Jack. An old Jack, mummified like the family she had found. He was looking at her with deep piercing eyes and his mouth was open, like he was trying to tell her something but his old and used vocal cords weren't allowing it.

The strange thing in the center of the Hub, hiding the Rift, started to rumble. The floor shook violently. Around her, things started to fall down. The chanting was becoming louder, the words behind it stronger. Heat was pouring from the Rift. A deafening sound, like fabric being torn apart, rose in the air. She covered her hears and her eyes went wide with dread when she saw her hands. Really old hands, wrinkled and thin and covered by liver spots. She looked back at Jack and watched him literally disintegrate in front of her, turning to dust inside his clothes. She screamed but didn't hear herself through the deafening noise.

She felt herself weaken. Her legs couldn't support her and she fell to the floor. Her vision blurred. The heat was becoming unbearable. In the center, she could see a beautiful golden energy, hot and welcoming. Buffy looked at it and eyes wavered at its timeless beauty. It didn't last. The energy darkened. Dark silhouettes appeared around it, singing their powerful and dark song. Suddenly she felt it. The dark magic. Deathly, powerful, hopeless. It was so strong! It was even stronger than when she walked into the Hellmouth itself.

The last thing she saw was herself, looking down at her with a cruel smile. Then, the world around her exploded.

Buffy suddenly sat up, breath short and ragged and pulse racing. Eyes wide with terror, she looked around her. A hand on her chest, she tried to slow her breathing. She was in her room, in her bed. She looked at her hands. No wrinkles or liver spots. Just smooth and young skin. She fell back, laying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. It had been a long time since she had had such a frightening nightmare. She groaned and corrected herself: Slayer dream. With another moan, she got up and began her search for a paper and a pen. Finally, she wrote her vision on the back of a letter. The details were already fading away.

She took a very long and hot shower, trying to clean of what she had felt during the dream. She was sure of one thing: her case was linked to Torchwood. Something about the Rift… But why? She remembered the Buffy-like baddy at the end. The First. This was bad. If the people sucking the life force were trying to free the First, it was worse than anything. But how could they do? They had made the ritual months before! And how could they used the Rift? She stopped the water and stepped out.

She had to go to the Hub and quickly. She dressed in the first clothes she found—of course, being herself meant that it was more fashionable than most people could do with actual time to prepare. In half an hour, she was out of her apartment.

She entered the tourism office with her own key. There was no one in sight. She went through the backdoor, walked through the corridor and slipped into the narrow space between the rolling door and the wall, not wanting to waste any more time by waiting patiently.

With one glance, she spotted Tosh behind her computers, Owen in his medical bay and Gwen and Ianto talking by the coffee machine. No sign of Jack. She felt her heart rate quicken. Everything seemed fine but was it really? Then, the captain appeared, just leaving his office. In his usual blue shirt and his cocky grin on his lips. She ran to him and hugged him, barely letting him breath. She felt him pat her back. When she finally let go of him, she saw that the rest of the team was looking at her with worry. She cupped Jack's face with her hands and said, "You're young. That's good."

"Ok," he said, frowning.

Then, a familiar sarcastic voice asked, "Am I the only one to find all of this really strange?"

She rolled her eyes at the doctor. Instead of answering, she asked, "Is it possible to free the Rift's energy?"

Jack's face became impassive. Buffy saw the shame cross the others' faces and knew instantly that, yes, it was possible. And there was a whole story behind it.

"Why are you asking that?" Jack asked.

"Do you remember my case? With the mummy family?"

"It's hard to forget. You never caught the culprit."

"Thanks for reminding me of that. They want to use the Rift. How? I don't know. Why? For something we really don't want to happen."

"How do you know that?" Ianto interrogated.

"I had a dream. I was here. There was no one. And then Jack left his office all mummy-like. That's when I realized I was a mummy too. There was chanting and the Rift opened."

Owen shrugged. "It's just a nightmare."

"No, it's a Slayer dream."

One of Ianto's eyebrow gracefully rose.

"A Slayer dream?"

"Part of my package. Prophetic dreams sent by the PTB to warn me that something big is going to happen for me to stop."

"Prophetic dreams…" Owen repeated.

She glared at him in frustration.

"Oh come on! Do you remember? Vampires, magic, demons, life-sucking rituals? So, yes prophetic dreams. I mentioned it before. Is that so hard to accept?"

"If you ask me, the whole thing is crazy!" he repeated.

"Crazier than you chasing aliens?"

Owen took a step forward, ready to answer back. Jack's voice cut him off.

"Owen, enough. Don't you have work to do?"

"Not right at the moment," the doctor dared to reply.

"Then, find some. Buffy, in my office."

Owen disappeared into his medical bay and Buffy followed Jack.

"It's been awhile since Buffy and Owen argued like that," Tosh commented.

Ianto smiled. "I find it comforting."

Gwen nodded.

"Yeah. It shows that life's going on despite all the weirdness."

"Prophetic dream, hum?"

Buffy sat down in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of playing his little game if all he was going to do was make fun of her. Jack sat on the edge of his desk and smiled.

"Owen's a scientist. Aliens can be explained through science. But the supernatural? Not so much. So, prophetic dreams? It's enough to short-circuit his brain. Don't hold a grudge."

She uncrossed her arms, feeling reassured.

"It's been awhile since I had one of those dreams."

"You said they were sent by the PTB? What's that?"

"Powers That Be. Annoying beings that live on a higher plane of existence, watching us. They try to maintain the balance between Good and Evil. They have no right to intervene. But sometimes, they send me those dreams. They're cryptic. It's like a puzzle. All the clues are there, I just have to find and interpret them correctly."

"And you think that the goal is the Rift?"

"I don't know if it's the goal. But the Rift and my case are linked."

"So, it's Torchwood's case now."

He walked behind his desk, took a file and opened it in front of her.

"If you still want to work for us, here's your contract. Read it and sign if you agree."

She took the paper and read the conditions. She tried to not let anything show on her face, especially when she read that in case of death in the line of duty, her body would be frozen in the basement for a century before being destroyed. She had made up her mind already so she didn't hesitate to sign the three places marked. She handed back the file. Jack took a look at it and smiled.

"Congratulations, you're a Torchwood agent now."

He put away the file while saying, "Until now, we didn't have a clue about what happened to that family. We explored all the leads and found nothing. So, we had to wait until something happened. For the moment, I'd like you to work with Owen on the Weevils. As you know, he's studying their behavior. I remember the way Janet reacted when you met her. She submitted to you. I want to know if you can do something else: communicate."

"You want me to communicate with a Weevil?"

"I want you to help Owen if you can. You were right when you said that we should be investigating the Weevil's situation. And it appears that Owen and you are the best to figure it out."

"Ok, Boss."

"And I would like you to become our instructor."

"Instructor?"

"You're a warrior. Your skill in hand to hand is amazing. With weapons too. I want the others to be able to defend themselves in harsh situations. Right now, they completely rely on their guns. Gwen, Ianto and Owen can hold their own in a fight if their opponent is not too strong. But it's not enough. I need you to train them, to teach them what is necessary for them to survive."

"Dirty fighting allowed?"

He smiled. "It'll be more than welcomed."

She said, "In Slayer land, we have only one rule: don't die."

"That's the rule I want them to learn."

"I know that."

He opened a drawer and put a gun in a holster in front of her. He didn't give her a chance to talk.

"I know you hate guns but every Torchwood agent has one. It's safer. You don't go into the field without it."

She took the gun. She hated modern weapons. She felt more at ease with knives, axes and swords. Handling them was an art. Fighting with them was like performing a lethal dance. It required skill, grace, strength and endurance. There was no grace in firing a modern gun. And she had nearly died of a gunshot. So she wasn't gun friendly.

Her new boss threw something in front of her, where the gun had been just seconds ago. She took it and opened her Torchwood badge. Jack stood up and left the office. Buffy jumped to her feet and followed him. He was already by Tosh's side and talking to her as she worked on her computers.

"Enter Buffy into the computer as a Torchwood agent and show her how your babies work."

He then turned towards the blonde. "I leave you in Tosh's capable hands. I have to talk to Owen about the Weevils. You're free to organize your lessons as you like. When your project's ready, we'll talk about what you need and how to concretize it. Welcome to Torchwood."

He disappeared into the medical bay and the Slayer turned towards Tosh. The Asian woman was smiling.

"Welcome to Torchwood."

"Thanks."

"Tell me, what's this project of yours?"

Buffy smiled secretly.

"If I tell you, it'll ruin all the fun."

The computer genius looked slightly worried.

"I'm not sure we have the same concept of fun."

The Slayer just chuckled. Tosh began her explanation and she tried to follow but her mind was already on the training sessions she had to organize. She needed to evaluate each one of them before she could plan anything. At some point during Buffy's lesson, Jack returned to his office and Ianto brought her coffee. He smiled at her and nodded slightly, actually congratulating her on her new job. She was the first surprised by this strange behavior. Even if he wasn't hostile towards her, he wasn't friendly either. Maybe her new status as member of the team was making him think about his behavior.

She was small talking with Tosh when her computer emitted a strange sound. The Asian woman began typing on the keyboard with a dexterity Buffy admired. She wasn't even looked at it! Data was moving so fast across the screens that the Slayer wasn't able to follow. Tosh yelled.

"Jack! Activity on the Rift!"

The Captain appeared right away, all serious face.

Tosh explained, "There was a massive spike of energy five minutes ago. I don't know if anything passed through yet. CCTV cameras aren't useful. It's the middle of morning. People are walking all over the place."

"Ok, we're going to have a look by ourselves. Tosh, you stay here and warn us if anything happens. People, let's go!"

Buffy realized then that they were all there and ready. She was impressed. She followed them and found it strange to be part of a team she wasn't leading. They were moving fast and without hesitation. There was an aura of authority about them that was impressive. They entered into the black SUV.

"So, it's your baptism of fire," Gwen remarked during the drive.

"Yeah."

The spike had occurred in the industrial part of the city. When they arrived, the place was buzzing with workers walking all over. It was in the middle of the morning after all. They parked the car and let Jack deal with the chief. Buffy felt excitement bubbling inside of her. She could almost feel the Slayer purring. Jack came back.

"Okay, apparently the place where the rift activity was detected is in one of the less used sections. There are a lot of unused warehouses that workers work around but don't enter. Tosh, can you give us a precise location?"

"Of course."

There was indignation in the computer genius' voice, like she was insulted by Jack's question. They followed her directions. Workers stared at them and whispered when they walked by. They went into the most remote part of the area. Warehouses were older and abandoned. Windows were sealed up. As they approached the place, Buffy felt something bubble inside her chest. The Slayer was nervous. Something was wrong. They were in front of the warehouse when she stopped and closed her eyes. She focused on her senses and let the Slayer came out. She immediately felt it. Dark magic hit her and compressed her chest, making it hard to breath. The Slayer roared as she recognized the threat. It was the same magic signature as that ritual. Her dream came back in full force. Magic and Rift energy. Both reunited in the same place. She felt something on her arm and reacted instinctively.

Her name was yelled and it brought her back to reality. She had her hand around Jack's throat and was chocking him. He was trying to free himself but she was stronger than him. She let him go and groaned.

"Don't ever do that again!"

He was massaging his throat.

"We called you but you didn't react," Gwen explained.

Buffy stared at the warehouse and said, "It's going to be ugly."

"Why?" the Captain asked, his voice hoarse.

"You were waiting for something to happen to give us a lead on the ritual case. You were heard."

He stared at the warehouse and his expression closed a little more. All chief-like, he said, "Okay, Buffy and I are going inside first. Gwen, Ianto and Owen, you're waiting here until my signal."

"You can't go in there alone!" Gwen protested.

But Jack didn't change his mind. Buffy didn't like it. She would have preferred to go in alone and avoid casualties. She would hate it if her new boss was hurt on her first day as part of the team. But one look at his face and she knew she couldn't change his mind. So, she quietly waited for him. In front of the door, he drew his gun. The Slayer quickly got rid of the padlock. She chose a long knife over her gun. Jack didn't seem pleased but didn't comment. He silently opened the door and she entered first, using all her senses. She already knew that the warehouse was empty. There were no live or undead creatures. She frowned at what she was sensing. Vampires, demons, Weevils… Their signatures were faint but definitively there, like every kind of species had been there.

She turned towards Jack and shook her head, telling him there was no one except them. Lights came to life and blinded her. She was used to darkness and had no trouble seeing in them. But that wasn't the case for Jack. She went further into the place. The air was saturated with dust. Her eyes were stinging and soon, tears appeared. She heard Jack going outside to tell the others it was okay.

She found it on the east side of the warehouse. The same circle that was in the house was carved on the floor. Cages were lined up against the wall. She approached and looked inside in disbelief. There were mummified bodies. But not human corpses. She was looking at demons and Weevils. She knelt down, keeping her balance by holding one of the bars. There were symbols carved on their skin too.

Behind her, the rest of her team had arrived. Like always, Owen swore. He did that a lot. Ianto immediately began taking photos of the scene and Jack told him to take absolutely everything, even the dust.

"Are they aliens?" Gwen asked, pointing to the cages beside the Weevil's.

"No; demons," the Slayer answered.

She stood up and looked around. There was a door on the right side. She opened it. There was a stairway leading to the basement. She went down, knife in hand. She didn't want to be surprised. She didn't turn on any lights and her pupils dilated to catch any light that was already present. A part of the wall was destroyed and created a direct path to the sewers. The perfect escape. She returned upstairs.

"There's a lot of dust here," Owen commented.

It was concentrated around the circle and was coated by dry blood. She took a handful of it and brought it closer to her face.

"That's disgusting," the doctor said.

"That's vampire dust," Buffy replied by letting the dust fell to the floor.

Ianto finished with the photos and they started to pack the evidence in plastic bags. They had to get rid of the bodies and the cages. Owen and Gwen left with firsts evidences. Later, they would drive back to the warehouse with two SUVs to transport the corpses.

"So, we have aliens and demons," Ianto stated.

"And humans before," Buffy added.

"Do you think whoever did this kept the life forces like before?" the archivist asked.

"I'm sure of it. So my dream was true. It's not only a supernatural case. Because they used aliens."

Jack came closer to his team.

"They were safe here. It's the abandoned part of the city. No one would have come inside without a motive."

"And they had a direct access to the sewers in the basement."

Ianto shivered when he looked around and remarked, "We thought they had stopped but we were wrong. They never stopped. They worked here, with creatures no one cared about or missed. But why?"

Buffy remembered her dream, the First, the feeling of Hell and the Rift. The world had exploded in it. She had just found her place in this new city. She had found her balance, built new friendships. She had her whole life ahead of her like she never had before. She was where she had chosen to be, not where she had had to be. Nevertheless, she recognized the situation too well. She had lived it several times before. Suddenly, everything she had felt came back in full force and she understood the feeling of dread that had overwhelmed her when she had discovered the slaughter of that family, so many months ago.

She looked around and said, "It's apocalypse season."

¤ ¤ tbc ¤ ¤